Old Testament Job
Describe Chapter 1:
starts where we are brought to a day where the sons of God came to present themselves to the Lord (not necessarily the actual sons of God, more like angelic beings/powerful beings) and among them is Satan o Satan's role in the book: Hebrew word in the Greek was Satanas (where we get Satan; this means adversary) So, the adversary shows up and he wants to make a point. The Lord asks Satan where he came from and Satan replies from walking up and down the earth. The Lord then says have you considered my servant Job and there is none like him on the earth (repeats the sentence how Job is described earlier on). Then Satan answered asking if Job fears God for no reason, then he answers for God and says no there is a reason he fears you and had you not put a hedge around him and his house protecting him, blessed the work of his hands (basically Satan is saying Job doesn't really respect you, you have just always given him the best). Satan then says if God would go and touch all that Job has, Job will curse God to his face (means Job only respects you because you give him everything, but if you took that all away he would be just as bad as everybody else). Satan is not attacking Job's character, he is attacking God's character. This book is a challenge between evil and God. God put everything of Job's in the hands of Satan and Satan went out and attacked everything Job owned (animals are killed, all 10 kids are destroyed by natural disaster, everything that gave Job his worth is gone). When Job hears the news, he arose, tore his robe (symbolic Jewish sign of grief), shaved his head (to start a new vow with God like the Nazarite vow), fell to the ground and he worshipped. He said "Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I shall return. The lord gave and the Lord taketh away" (he doesn't blame Satan, sin, bad weather, people who stole his animals, nothing. He believes God is God and everything happens for a reason because God allowed it and no matter what God is God, so he worships him. In all of this God did not sin or charge God as wrong. Job is still innocent of what is happening to him
What is the Date?
During the time of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob), and we know this because they describe Job's wealth the same way they measure the patriarch's wealth (amount of cattle, number of servants)
Which is the 1st of the Wisdom Books?
Job
Why is it called Job?
because Job is the main character
What is Job's story like?
the story of the entire Bible in one book
Describe Chapter 2:
starts with another day the sons came to present themselves in front of the Lord and they have the same conversation and it is repeated a third time what Job's character is like. God tells Satan how Job still stands by him even though Satan has inflicted all of this pain without reason. Then Satan answers and says "skin for skin. All that a man has will give for his life. Stretch out your hand into his bone and flesh and Job will curse you to your face" so Satan is still challenging God by telling him to inflict physical pain on Job. Satan says the only reason he is still loyal to you is because you are protecting him. The Lord put Job in the hands of Satan again and reminded him to only spare Job's life but do whatever you want to him. Satan gives Job sores from head to toe, and Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. He is miserably sick, and his wife asks him "do you still hold fast to your integrity" and Job remains upright and blameless. His wife then tells him to curse God and die (his wife has lost everything as well, so we learned that she is the sinner and would have deserved all of this had the story been about her. Job tells her she is foolish and is it really right to expect all good things through life (through this, Job did not sin with his lips, Job is a good man). Job sits down in the ashes again mourns and while he is sitting here 3 of his friends show up to comfort him. When they got there they did not even recognize him because of how devastated he was, so they raised their voice and wept, tore their robes, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven to represent that they were sharing his grief (this was very wise). They sat with Job on the ground for 7 days and 7 nights and no one spoke a word to him because he was suffering so much. They did another wise thing which was not explaining to him why it had happened (why bad things happen to good people speech), they just comforted him (ministry of presence).
Describe the Prologue (1-2):
- Means first word/foreword - The first 2 chapters are prose not poetry and the author is getting at 2 things with the use of this literary standpoint 1. This is a fact; it happened and take it at face value 2. To help understand the rest of the book which is poetry
Describe the Epilogue (conclusion):
- The Lord said to Eliphaz that his anger burns on him and the friends because they have not spoken what is right of God, only Job has, therefore take 7 bulls and 7 rams, go to Job and offer a burnt offering and Job shall pray for you because I will accept his prayer. The friends did this, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. God will not listen to them, they must come to God through Job (like a mediator). Job is a picture Jesus because he did no evil, suffered from evil, and still delivered evil to God (innocent man who suffers for the good of others). The friends are forgiven, and the Lord restores the fortunes of Job and gave him twice as more than what he had before. The picture is Job was faithful even through the suffering and God blessed him.
What are the 3 cycles in the Speeches (3-27)?
1. Eliphaz gives a monologue and Job responds 2. Bildad gives a monologue and Job responds 3. Zophar gives a monologue and Job responds o This shows that Job's friends did not learn their lesson because they sat there for 7 days quietly which was a good answer, then they go into these speeches and basically, they all blame Job and telling him he must have sinned and that is why this stuff is happening to him. They tell him he needs to repent and get right with God. o Job tells them he knows sin causes suffering, but he doesn't know how he could have sinned so how can he repent. He asks his friends to tell him how he has sinned. He keeps repeating his innocence and they keep blaming him o They do this cycle again (basically the same speeches all over again) and Job begins to get angry and doubt himself o The cycle goes again for a 3rd time and Job is getting very frustrated and cries out to God to tell him what he did wrong and why he deserves any of this
What are the theological themes?
1. Theodicy: answer to the question of good and evil (why do bad things happen to good people) 2. Retribution: obey stay, don't wont, but now Job is paying for the evil of someone else and that person didn't get what they deserved, they got grace and forgiveness 3. Salvation: one suffers for the guilty through grace
Who is the author?
Does not say; author is omniscient (knows everything) because he was either there or God told him everything, and we know this because the author knows what people think/feel
When is the only time God reenters the scene?
God then has his own monologue (4.25 chapters of him speaking). God responds by saying "then God answered Job out of a whirlwind (storm representing power and strength) and says who is coming to me demanding answers when you don't even understand the questions. I will question you and you make it known for me. I laid the foundations of the earth and where were you if you have so much understanding". God goes on and on because Job demanding an answer from God is like Job thinking he is God. God tells him to answer his questions then he will answer Jobs (Jesus did this in the NT when a group came to him and said they had a question for him and Jesus told him he wont answer anymore questions until they answered his). Job answers his questions and at the end Job says, "shall a fault finder contend with the almighty" (you're pointing the finger at me Job and are you going to argue with God?). Job answers and says I am a nobody, I don't have an answer, I will shut my mouth, you are right, and I am sorry. God told him to dress for action like a man, I will question you and you will make it known to me, will you put me in the wrong or condemn you are in the right? Have you strength of God). The point of the monologue is to tell you God is God and nobody else and to describe God's character not have Job answer questions (and God never answered to Job, only Job answered to God). - Through this, Job feared God (respected him) and now he has a relationship with God. Job repents and gets right with God
Where does the story take place?
In the land of Uz (east/southeast of Israel today) which is out in the wilderness
What happens after the 3 cycles?
Job gets a long monologue just for himself. He summarizes everything form those cycles again (proves a lesson). Job began lamenting
What is the Big Picture of the Prologue?
Job is a good man and nothing Job had done was a result of what was to happen
How was this story most likely found
The Israelites most likely picked up this story out in the wilderness while they were roaming around because they passed through this area multiple times
Who was the character not introduced yet?
The character that was not introduced in the prologue is now introduced and his name is Elihu. He is the 4th friend that has come to see Job. Elihu is a young man and has been there through all of the speeches listening. He admits he sat there so long trying to respect his elders and just sat there listening patiently, but now he is upset and is tired of it all. He sees how they keep blaming Job, but they cannot say a single thing Job did wrong. Elihu basically asks what kind of friends they are because they are blaming a man in the middle of his grief and they should at least give him the courtesy of telling Job what he did. Elihu is also angry at Job, not for saying he is innocent, but because throughout the story he has gotten more and more close to being angry at God (specifically Job is starting to demand God give him an answer). Job is getting really close to sinning because of this. Elihu tells him God doesn't owe Job anything.
Where does this put the date around?
This puts the story (not the book) around 2000BC and was then likely passed down orally for generations (about 1300-1400 years) and it is speculated it was written down in 600BC (when northern kingdom was in exile and southern kingdom was starting to and they needed encouragement and this story was that for them (Job is a picture for the country in exile)
Which characters do we meet in the Prologue?
We are introduced to every main character except 1 o Job is the first to be introduced and this is interesting because it says "there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil (this exact quote to this point is repeated several times). He had 7 sons (7 means completion) and 3 daughters (3 is perfection). He had many sheep and servants (showing his wealth), and he often made sacrifices for his children in case they had sinned and didn't fix it." Showing Job was spiritually in tune. o He may have been blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil, but he was not sinless. • Blameless means what is about to happen to Job has nothing to do with sin; he did not do something that is worthy of what was about to happen • Upright means he led a good life because he feared God (not in terms of being afraid but means respected/honored God) and because of that he turned away from evil
What is this book trying to accomplish?
Why do good people suffer/Why do bad things happen to good people? o Job shows that not all suffering is the result of sin (because Job was good man) o Jesus' apostles asked the same question when they saw a man that was born blind, and they asked their master who sinned (the man or his parents) so they could understand the cause of this problem, Job and Jesus say maybe there is another answer o The book serves as a reminder that God is present in their suffering whether they know it or not; through most of the book of Job God is silent until the end, but when he answers he answers exactly the way Job needed
