What I learned: The book of Job

We can learn from Job's sufferings

Job is a hard book to read. I’ve taken to reading it in one sitting most years as it’s easy to get lost along the way as Job and his friends engage in conversation.

I’ve made an outline available here.

In Bible chronology, the book of Job occurs before Abram enters the Promised Land (between Genesis 11 and 12). In our New Testament reading in the book of Matthew, I was impressed by the early placement of the Sermon on the Mount in Jesus’ ministry. I was also impressed by the early placement of Job in the Old Testament, in God’s history, because it teaches some profound lessons important for all of us to learn early. Just as Jesus taught the hard lessons early, so did God. Humans can be blamed for failing to read the disclosure documents God provided, but God cannot be blamed for failure to disclose.

In the first chapter of Job, we learn that Satan presents himself before the Lord amongst the other sons of God (Job 1:6). We learn that Satan roams about and walks around on the earth (Job 1:7). We learn that Satan considers men, presumably for nefarious motives (Job 1:8). God asks him if he has considered Job, a man who was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1). Satan tells God that Job fears Him because He has blessed him (Job 1:9-10), but challenges that if he loses all he has, he will curse God to His face (Job 1:11). It chills, and frankly disappoints, us to know that God gives Satan permission.

These are important facts that we need to know about both God and Satan. Satan considers men to attempt to destroy, but he must appear before God and receive permission. The revelation that God gives such permission is important to the whole lesson of the book of Job. Job laments and does not understand God’s ways. We lament and do not understand God’s ways. And God teaches us in this book, and, frankly, the rest of Scripture, that He is God and we are not and His ways are not ours to criticize. By His grace, He has revealed His ways to us that we might have some understanding when we are bewildered.

God’s first permission to Satan regarding Job is, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him” (Job 1:12). Job passes this first test. He loses his ten children, all his animals, and all his servants, and through “all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” When Satan appears before God again, God points out to Satan that Job “still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause” (Job 2:3b). When we’re tempted to be upset with God for agreeing to this, we must be consoled in the fact that God, knowing Job, trusted Job’s reaction. Satan then challenges if God were to take Job’s health, he would curse Him. Once again, God gives Satan permission: “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life” (Job 2:6b).

Job again passes the test, meaning he never curses God. He does, however, have a lot to say about his feelings about how unfairly God has handled him.

There are eight speakers in Job: God, Satan, Job, Job’s wife, and four of Job’s friends. We hear God and Satan speak in heaven. We hear Job’s completely unhelpful wife speak only once, after he has lost his health, telling Job to “curse God and die.” The bulk of the book is made up of Job speaking with three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. A fourth friend, Elihu, speaks toward the end. The grand finale is when God speaks to Job, something from which we all can learn.

When Job’s friends “heard of all the adversity that had come upon him,” they come and sit quietly with him for seven days to “sympathize with him and comfort him” (Job 2:11). We can learn from this. It is when Job starts to speak and his friends feel they must answer that the errors for all of the men begin.

The conversations between Job and his friends are an object lesson in not taking scripture out of context. Spoiler alert: in the last chapter of the book, “the LORD [says] to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has’” (Job 42:7). If we quote from these conversations that God says are not right, we can be guilty of quoting the wrong opinions of men.

Lest we think Job is entirely in the clear, and that we can use his words and attitude as an example, he still lays his hand on his mouth (Job 40:4b) and repents in dust and ashes (Job 42:6) after he hears God speak. Between Job and his friends, there is only one on whose words God does not comment and that is the young Elihu, who is the last friend to speak before God speaks. Elihu defends God’s sovereignty and greatness, rebuking Job’s accusations of Him.

There is a pattern to the speeches. Job speaks and Eliphaz answers. Job speaks again and Bildad answers. Job speaks again and Zophar answers. This pattern repeats a second and third time. On the third time, however, Bildad’s answer to Job is short and largely ineffective, and Zophar does not even try. This is when Elihu finally speaks up in frustration. The explanation before Elihu’s speech, for which God does not rebuke him or even comment, aids in comprehension of the whole book of Job: “Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.”

What do we learn? Job’s error was his questioning, accusing, and demanding answers from God. The error of the three friends was their failure to recognize that God does with His creation as He wishes, simply because He is God. They believed a simple formula that the wicked are punished while they live and the righteous are not, so Job, therefore, must be wicked. Job countered with a fair observation of the world that the evil are not always punished and sometimes the righteous suffer, but with a knowledge that the wicked will see justice before God after they die.

We can relate to much in the conversations between these men. We can relate to feeling like God has dealt with us unjustly, and we can feel tempted to question and accuse Him. It’s sometimes psychologically easier for us to believe others must deserve what has happened to them. We understand Job’s three friends’ temptation to explain his condition that way. In doing so, however, they fail to recognize reality, and condemn a blameless man. We struggle with believing God’s justice will be done, wanting to see it on earth, being inpatient for it to occur in eternity.

Psalm 73 is a lament worthy of reading that recognizes reality. The author Asaph was distraught that some evil men do not face consequences in their earthly lives. Asaph says this “was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.” No matter what happens to evil men in their lives on earth, the lesson of Psalm 73 is they will meet justice when they meet God. Our hope in ultimate justice meted out by a just God consoles us for all that goes on in this life.

As Elihu winds down his long speech rebuking Job and his friends, a storm is gathering.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:1-4).

After God recounts His knowledge and creative power,

Then the LORD said to Job, “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it” (Job 40:1-2).

And all Job can say is,

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more” (Job 40:4-5).

Despite this, God is not done with His rebuke.

“Now gird up your loins like a man;
I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
Will you really annul My judgment?
Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,

And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.
Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him, 
And tread down the wicked where they stand.
Hide them in the dust together;
Bind them in the hidden place.
Then I will also confess to you, 
That your own right hand can save you” (Job 40:7-8, 10-14).

God continues,

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; 
Who then is he that can stand before Me?
Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine” (Job 41:1a, 10-11).

After God recounts His power, Job’s response is,

“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2-6).

It is then that God rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, saying they did not speak about Him what was right, as Job had. They must offer sacrifices and have Job pray for them, because God will accept Job.

God then restored Job’s fortunes.

Job was used by God to teach all of us. Job never stopped trusting God, but he did feel free to question Him. When we feel free to question God, I think it’s good to read all the words of God to Job, where He recounts His knowledge and power. We have not had the benefit of hearing God speak to us. Job spoke quite freely until he did, and it left him speechless and repentant. I think we’d have the same reaction.

Our gracious God, after He had used him as an object lesson for our benefit, restored Job’s fortunes. He did not waste Job’s suffering. He is just and He is good. May we trust Him without question and never curse Him.