The Book of Job

Job is classified as one of the wisdom and poetic books of the Old Testament: "wisdom because it is one of the most extended examinations of humankind's most puzzling and important questions.


The book of Job looks at every side of the age old question, "If God is fair and loving, why does He allow truly righteous people - like Job - to suffer so deeply?" In his search, the author reveals the following truths. 1. As an enemy of God, satan had to receive permission to test the true nature of a godly man's faith. 2. God's actions are far beyond what the human mind can fully understand. 3. The true foundation for our faith in God is not built on His blessings, our circumstances or answers that we can understand with our minds. It is built on complete dependence on Go and trust in how He has revealed Himself to us. 4. God sometimes permits satan to test godly people with great trials in order to strengthen their faith and purify their lives. This is similar to how fire makes gold pure and beautiful. This kind of spiritual testing builds integrity and humility in God's people. Though God's actions may at times seem dark and cruel, in the end God's compassion and mercy are made clear.


Seven major features characterize the book of Job. 1. Job was a righteous and God-honoring non-Israelite. 2. It is the deepest and most insightful book ever written dealing with the mystery of suffering. 3. It reveals an important principle for life that applies to every great difficulty God's followers experience. it is this: while satan attempts to destroy people's faith, God is at work to prove, deepen and strengthen it. Because of Job's determined faith, no matter how hopeless things seemed, God's purpose triumphed over satan's persecution. it ads valuable insight into the Biblical explanation of subjects such as God, humankind, creation, satan, sin, righteousness, suffering, justice, repentance and faith. 5. A large portion of the book records the faulty reasoning and misjudgment  of Job's friends about His character and suffering. Their imperfect, human reasoning about why Job suffered is repeated often in this book. 6. satan's role as "accuser"is revealed in the book of Job more than any other Old Testament book. 7. Job dramatically presents the Biblical principle that people are completely changed by God's revelation, not people's information.


The "Redeemer" whom Job confesses, and the answers to his deepest questions all point prophetically to Jesus Christ. Job is referred to twice in the New Testament. Job is the clearest Old Testament picture of the New Testament truth that when Christians experience suffering or persecution, they must stay strong in faith and keep trusting God to work through their situations, just as Jesus relied on His Father when He suffered. Job 1:6 - 2:10 is perhaps the best picture of our enemy, satan, and how he seeks to destroy us as described in 1 Peter 5:8-9.