"THE BOOK OF JOB"

                              Introduction
The Book of Job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature.

Consider these quotes:
   "Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to

   me to retain one work only, I should save Job." (Victor Hugo)
   "…the greatest poem, whether of ancient or modern literature."

   (Tennyson)
   "The Book of Job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of

   the most wonderful productions of any age or of any language."

   (Daniel Webster)
What is it about the book that prompts such praise?  Most Christians I

know don’t feel that way about the Book of Job.  Perhaps it is because

many tend to neglect the Old Testament altogether.  Yet Paul wrote of

the value of the Old Testament scriptures:
   For whatever things were written before were written for our

   learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the

   Scriptures might have hope. Ro 15:4
Note that the Old Testament was written for our learning, that it

provides patience and comfort, and as such can be a source of hope.

This is especially true with the story of Job, to whom James referred

when seeking to instill patience cf. James 5:10-11. Because the Book of

Job is so often neglected, yet presents a valuable lesson and is so

highly praised by even people of the world, Christians should certainly

take the time to study this portion of God’s Word!
THE PLACE OF JOB IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:  Job is the first of five books

commonly referred to as "The Books Of Poetry".  These include Job,

Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.  Called such

because they are written in poetic style in contrast to the narrative

style of most other books, they are also often referred to as "Wisdom

Literature" (especially Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes).  Oswald

Chambers (1874-1917) offered this concise summary of the five books:
   * Job – How to suffer
   * Psalms – How to pray
   * Proverbs – How to act
   * Ecclesiastes – How to enjoy
   * Song of Solomon – How to love
Now let’s take a look at the Book of Job in particular…
AUTHOR AND DATE OF WRITING:  Who wrote the book, and when?  No one

really knows.  Jewish tradition attributes the book to Moses, and other

authors have been suggested (Job, Elihu, Solomon, Isaiah, Hezekiah, and

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe).  "All that can be said with certainty is

that the author was a loyal Hebrew who was not strictly bound by the

popular creed that assumed suffering was always the direct result of

sin" (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown).  Because the author is unknown,

it’s date has been hotly debated among scholars.  Some think it was

written before Moses (pre 1500 B.C.).  Others put it at the time of

Solomon (ca. 900 B.C.), and some even as late as the Babylonian Exile

or later (post 600 B.C.).
The uncertainty of author and date does not nullify the book’s

inspiration, for it is affirmed in the New Testament.  Paul quotes from

it on several occasions in his writings cf. 1 Cor 3:19 with Job 5:13;

and Ro 11:35  and Job 35:7.  For the Christian who accepts the

inspiration of the New Testament, such evidence is sufficient.
THE HISTORICITY OF THE BOOK:  Even though inspired, are we to take the

events described in it as historically true?  There are several reasons

for believing that they are:
   * The style of the opening and close of the book certainly conform

     to other Biblical narratives that are historical cf. Job 1:1 with

     1 Sam 1:1  and Lk 1:5.
   * In Ezekiel 14:14, Job is mentioned along with Noah and Daniel,

     two other figures of history.
   * James, the Lord’s brother, refers to Job as an example of

     perseverance James 5:11.
THE SETTING OF THE BOOK:  The historical events appear to be set in

the "Patriarchal" period (i.e., sometime between Noah and Moses).

There is a mention of a flood Job 22:16. Job offers a burnt sacrifice

in Job 1:5. Both Noah Gen 8:20 and Abraham Gen 12:7 offered altar

sacrifices to God. However there are no allusions to the Law of Moses

in the book. His longevity is typical of the patriarchs Job 42:16-17;

cf. Gen 11:22-26.  For such reasons we would place him

somewhat contemporary with Abraham (i.e., ca 2000 B.C.).
THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK:  It is common to suggest that the purpose of

the book is to answer the age-old question, "Why does God allow the

righteous to suffer?"  That is certainly the question Job raises, but

it is worthy to note that he himself never receives a direct answer.

Nor is one given by the author, other than to answer Satan’s challenge,

"Does Job fear God for nothing?".  We are privileged to know of the

challenge of Satan, and that God allows Job to suffer in answer to that

challenge, but Job is never told of this.  Therefore, we suggest that

the purpose of the book is:
    To answer the question, "How should the righteous suffer?"
While Job’s questions and complaints often come close to charging God

with wrong, he never crosses the line and humbly submits to God when

told that the answers to his questions are beyond his ability to

understand.  Thus the book shows us how the righteous should bear up

under suffering "You have heard of the perseverance of Job" –

James 5:11
SOME LESSONS FROM THE BOOK:  In his study on the book (The Book Of

Job, Quality Pub.), Wayne Jackson offers the following lessons to be

gleaned:
   * The book defends the absolute glory and perfection of God – It

     sets forth the theme echoed in Ps 18:3  ("I will call upon the

     Lord, who is worthy to be praised").  God is deserving of our

     praise simply on the basis of who He is, apart from the blessings

     He bestows.  Satan denied this Job 1:9-11, but Job proved him

     wrong Job 1:20-22; Job 2:10.
   * The question of suffering is addressed – Why do we suffer?  Who

     or what causes it?  Why doesn’t God do something?  Not all

     questions are answered, but some important points are made:
     – Man is unable to subject the painful experiences of human

       existence to a meaningful analysis – God’s workings are

       beyond man’s ability to fathom.  Man simply cannot tie all

       the "loose ends" of the Lord’s purposes together.  We must

       learn to trust in God, no matter the circumstances.
     – Suffering is not always the result of personal sin – The

       erroneous conclusion drawn by Job’s friends is that suffering

       is always a consequence of sin.  Job proves this is not the

       case.
     – Suffering may be allowed as a compliment to one’s spirituality

       – God allowed Job to suffer to prove to Satan what kind of man

       he really was.  What confidence God had in Job!
   * The book paints a beautiful picture of "patience" – The Greek word

     is "hupomone", which describes the trait of one who is able to

     abide under the weight of trials.  From the "patience of Job", we

     learn that it means to maintain fidelity to God, even under great

     trials in which we do not understand what is happening.
   * The book also prepares the way for the coming of Jesus Christ!

     – His coming is anticipated in several ways.  Job longs for a

     mediator between him and God Job 9:33; Job 33:23, and Jesus is one

     1 Tim 2:5.  Job confessed his faith in a Redeemer who would one

     day come Job 19:25; Christ is that Redeemer Ep 1:7!
BRIEF OUTLINE (adapted from Warren Wiersbe)
I. JOB’S DISTRESS Job 1:12-19
   A. HIS PROSPERITY Job 1:1-5
   B. HIS ADVERSITY Job 1:6-22 thru Job 2:1-13
   C. HIS PERPLEXITY Job 1:3
II. JOB’S DEFENSE Job  Chptrs 4 thru 37
   A. THE FIRST ROUND (Job Chptrs 4 thru 14)

      1. Eliphaz Chapters 4 & 5  – Job’s reply Chapters 6 & 7

      2. Bildad  Chapter 8       – Job’s reply Chapters 9 & 10

      3. Zophar  Chapter 11      – Job’s reply Chapters 12 thru 14
   B. THE SECOND ROUND (Job Chptrs 15 thru 21)

      1. Eliphaz Chapter 15 – Job’s reply Chapters 16 & 17

      2. Bildad  Chapter 18 – Job’s reply Chapter 19

      3. Zophar  Chapter 20 – Job’s reply Chapter 21
   C. THE THIRD ROUND (Job Chptrs 22 thru 31)

      1. Eliphaz Chapter 22 – Job’s reply Chapters 23 & 24

      2. Bildad  Chapter 25 – Job’s reply Chapters 26 thru 31
   D. YOUNG ELIHU SPEAKS (Job Chaptrs 32 thru 37)

      1. Contradicting Job’s friends Job Chptr 32

      2. Contradicting Job himself Job Chaptr 33

      3. Proclaiming God’s justice, goodness, and majesty Job Chaptrs 34 thru 37
III. JOB’S DELIVERANCE (Job 1:38-42)
   A. GOD HUMBLES JOB  

      1. Through questions too great to answer Job 38:1-41

      2. Job acknowledges his inability to understand Job 42:1-6
   B. GOD HONORS JOB 

      1. God rebukes his critics Job 42:7-10

      2. God restores his wealth Job 42:11-17
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION
1) What are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon,

   often called?

   – Books of Poetry

   – Wisdom Literature
2) Who wrote the book, and when?

   – We do not know
3) What evidence is there that this book describes an event that

   actually occurred?

   – It both starts and ends like other books of history in the Old

     Testament

   – Job is included with Noah and Daniel, as figures of history, in

     Ezek 14:14 

   – James refers to the example of Job in teaching on perseverance

     James 5:11
4) In what historical time frame is the story of Job possibly set?

   – During the period of the patriarchs, perhaps contemporary with

     Abraham
5) What is the purpose of this book, as suggested in the introduction?

   – To answer the question, "How should the righteous suffer?"
6) According to the outline suggested above, what are the three main

   divisions of the book?

   – Job’s Distress       Chapters 1 thru 3

   – Job’s Defense        Chapters 4 thru 37

   – Job’s Deliverance    Chapters 38 thru 42

About These Outlines ~~~ Submit An Outline ~~~ Back To Main Outlines ~~~ Home Page