CHAPTER 1
A MAN WHOSE NAME WAS JOB
Job 1–2
DIMENSION ONE: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Answer these questions by reading Job 1
1. What kind of person is Job? (1:1)
2. Why is Job called "the greatest man among all the people of the East"? (1:23)
3. How do Job's children spend their time? (1:4)
4. What does Job do continually on behalf of his children? Why? (1:5)
5. Of what group is Satan a part? (1:6)
6. How does Satan occupy his time? (1:7)
7. What does the Lord ask Satan? (1:8)
8. What does Satan say God has done for Job? (1:9-10)
9. What is Satan's challenge to God? (1:11)
10. Does God accept Satan's challenge? If so, what limitations does God place on Satan? (1:12)
11. What calamities befall Job?
(1:14-15)
(1:16)
(1:17)
(1:18-19)
12. What does Job do in response to these tragic events? (1:20)
13. What does Job say? (1:21-22)
Answer these questions by reading Job 2
14. Why does God consider Job vindicated? (2:3)
15. What does Satan tell God to do? (2:4-5)
16. What condition does God attach to Satan's second challenge? (2:6)
17. How does Satan afflict Job? (2:7)
18. What advice does Job's wife offer? (2:9)
19. What is Job's response to this advice? (2:10)
20. Who are the friends who come to console Job? (2:11)
21. What do Job's friends do when they first see Job? (2:12-13)
22. What do Job's friends say to him? Why? (2:13)
DIMENSION TWO: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?
* Job 1:1. Various meanings have been suggested for the Hebrew name Job, including hostile, persecuted, enemy, or hated one. In fact, Job may have been a common proper name with no special symbolic significance. Uz, the country of Job's origin, is probably Edom. As an Edomite, Job would have been a descendant of Esau, Jacob's brother, and therefore a non-Israelite or Gentile.
Job is described as "blameless [from a Hebrew word meaning complete or whole] and upright" (that is, absolutely honest and fair in his dealings with others). The term feared God refers not only to a sense of God's awesomeness but also to a strict and scrupulous obedience to God's law. (See Deuteronomy 6:1-3.)
Job 1:2. Job's wealth and large family are evidence that Job is highly favored by God. Sons in particular were considered a reward for righteousness. (See Psalm 127:3-5.)
Job 1:4-5. The reference to how Job's sons "used to take turns holding feasts" (NIV 1984) may mean that they feasted daily — each of the seven sons having one day of the week! In any case, the feasting was frequent. So Job was constantly taking precautions to ensure his children's righteous status before God. To "curse God in [one's] heart" means to think of God in a disrespectful or contemptuous manner.
* Job 1:6. "Angels" translates the Hebrew term for "sons of God" and refers here to members of an angelic court who regularly present themselves before God. They are servants ready to do God's bidding. One of this company is Satan (literally, the Satan). Taken from a verb meaning to accuse, the term Satan is used here as a title and not as a proper name. The function performed by this accuser, or adversary, is similar to that of a criminal investigator or prosecuting attorney.
* Job 1:7-8. The verb translated here as "going back and forth" should be understood in the sense of patrolling or being on the lookout for someone to accuse. The reference to Job as God's servant places him in the company of Israel's greatest heroes: Moses, Caleb, David, Isaiah, Zerubbabel, and others.
* Job 1:9-12. "Does Job fear God for nothing?" (The Contemporary English Version asks, "Why shouldn't he respect you?") The Accuser challenges God by suggesting that Job's righteousness is really in his own self-interest. God has rewarded Job's obedience with great wealth and has "put a hedge around" (that is, protected) him, his family, and his possessions. God should test Job's faithfulness by withdrawing that hedge and allowing Job to suffer. The Accuser predicts that, under duress, Job will curse God (commit blasphemy). God cannot ignore this affront to Job's honor and God's credibility. The Accuser may test Job so long as Job himself is not harmed.
* Job 1:13-19. In a single day, a series of catastrophes deprives Job of his livestock, his servants, and his children. The Sabeans are Arabian nomads who send marauding bands northward into Uz. The "fire of God" is lightning. Chaldeans are nomads of Aramean origin who approach Uz from the east and north. Finally, Job's children are killed in a whirlwind. Job is left with absolutely nothing, except his health (and his wife, who appears in Job 2).
* Job 1:20-22. The tearing of garments and shaving of one's head are customary signs of mourning in Near Eastern societies. Despite this total devastation, Job continues to worship God in the traditional fashion by prostrating himself full-length on the ground. Contrary to the Accuser's expectation, Job's prayer shows him faithfully to accept his misfortune. Instead of cursing God, Job blesses God!
* Job 2:1-3. The heavenly court reconvenes, and God again boasts to the Accuser about Job. Unjustly accused and victimized, Job "maintains his integrity."
* Job 2:4. "Skin for skin" is a proverbial saying of uncertain meaning. ("Value for value" or "a life for a life" have been suggested paraphrases.) The sentence immediately following — "A man will give all he has for his own life." — is our best clue. The Accuser thinks the stakes are not yet high enough. Were Job's own body to be touched, he would indeed curse God. Once again God agrees to the test, giving the Accuser permission to afflict Job in the flesh but not to kill him.
* Job 2:7-8. Job is now tormented with a hideous disease of the skin that covers his entire body with malignant ulcers and boils. This condition requires Job to isolate himself, so he retires to the equivalent of the town dump — a heap of dust, ashes, and dirt found at the entrance of ancient Near Eastern villages.
* Job 2:9-10. Job's wife, who speaks only once in the story, gives way to despair and advises Job to curse God and die. She is telling Job, in effect, "Your situation is hopeless; put yourself out of your misery!" Angry at her effort to sway him, Job accuses his wife of moral weakness. The Contemporary English Version translates his response, "If we accept blessings from God, we must accept trouble as well." Just as before, Job's suffering does not shake his faith. He utters no curse against God.
* Job 2:11-13. Job's three friends hear of his misfortune and arrive together to comfort him. However, Job has been so disfigured by grief and disease that he is no longer recognizable. Shocked and horrified, they also perform ritual acts of mourning. Without uttering a word, they sit by Job for seven days and nights, waiting for him to speak.
DIMENSION THREE: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN TO ME?
The Prologue to Job (Chapters 1– 2) introduces us immediately to the book's major issues: strict retribution and innocent suffering. Discussion of these issues begins with the first lesson and will continue throughout the study. An appropriate way to prepare for these discussions is to reflect on your own previous encounters with the Book of Job. Ask yourself, What will reading the Book of Job mean to me?
Everyone wants to read Job — or at least everyone feels he or she should want to read Job — because great claims are made for this book. We know that Job is a book about heroic patience and faith in the face of intense and undeserved suffering. Many of us approach Job with the cautious hope that we are finally going to learn something conclusive about the meaning and mystery of evil, injustice, and innocent suffering.
If you are like most persons, your expectations about Job have been shaped more by hearsay than by actual experience with the book. What have you heard about Job? What do you know? When have you last read (or tried to read) Job? How old were you? How much personal suffering had you experienced or witnessed by that time? What do you remember about the experience of reading Job? What particular problems of content did you encounter? Were you part of a group, or were you working on your own?
For most of us, our primary contact with Scripture occurs on Sunday morning. What have you learned about Job as a result of participation in public worship? When did you last hear Scripture read from Job or a sermon preached on Job? How has preaching shaped your vision of Job? Is this vision appealing?
Make a list of the suggestions your image of Job (the man and the book) suggests. Keep this list for future reference.
Job 1:9 — Strict Retribution
When the Accuser asks the question, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" he is assuming a view of divine justice that is often referred to as the doctrine of strict retribution. We see this perspective reflected in much biblical literature (but especially in Deuteronomy and Proverbs). This view assumes that the person who (like Job) is scrupulously observant of God's law will also (like Job) be blessed with long life, offspring, and wealth. And, the person who conducts his or her life without regard for God — the person who sins out of either ignorance or malice — will suffer from poverty, ill health, and social isolation. Put bluntly, this doctrine states that, sooner or later, we get what we deserve!
The contemporary Christian probably finds this statement a little crass and more than a little simplistic. Simple observation tells us that many good and pious people die young, remain poor, and fail to achieve any significant social status. Moreover, we are also aware of people who prosper despite their unethical lifestyles. Our first reaction to the doctrine of strict retribution is confidently to assert that it does not work.
A more important question for us to consider is whether we want it to work! Would this be a better world if all God-fearing folk were amply and visibly rewarded for living faithfully? Would this be a better world if all sinners got what they deserve?
Job is presented in the Prologue (Chapters 1–2) as the ideal of ancient piety. Is Job an equally good model for Christian piety today? Is there such a thing as a "model" Christian? If so, how would you describe such a person? What marks of God's blessing (if any) would you expect to see exhibited in the model Christian's life? Do Christians expect to get what they deserve?
Do Christians expect God to behave in a predictable fashion? If so, how? How can we love, trust, and obey a God who is free to give us absolutely nothing in return?
Job 2:6 — Innocent Suffering
What do you think of the God who permits Job to suffer? Do you find this God cruel, capricious, unjust, or simply inscrutable? Do you find yourself saying, "This is not the God I believe in"?
Stop a minute and reflect on the biblical witness as a whole. Does the Bible generally exclude the possibility of innocent suffering? Read Genesis 22 and Luke 4:1-13. These are accounts of two of the most faithful and obedient people ever to draw breath. Yet God permits them to be tempted in a way that causes great suffering. (In Luke, as in Job, the agent of temptation is something other than God.)
The Bible contains numerous stories about or allusions to a God who permits innocent suffering, most often as a consequence of some form of testing. In the two accounts mentioned above, there is no concern to explain or justify the need for these tests. God's freedom to test is absolute. The author of Job is really much more sympathetic to the reader's needs. We are provided at the outset with an explanation for God's actions. In the context of this particular story, God has a good reason for permitting suffering to occur. You, the reader, are told this reason. But Job, the innocent sufferer, is never told!
What are God's options? God can refuse to allow the testing to occur and thus "live with" the possibility that Job does indeed serve God out of self-interest. The Accuser's challenge may be allowed to stand, sullying the reputation of Job and God alike. But doesn't God know that Job is faithful in the purest sense of the word? Not if Job is a free agent. The freedom bestowed on humanity in Creation allows us to serve God freely as a matter of choice.
God's other option is to trust Job to respect that freedom and to allow the context of the relationship to be drastically altered. Under the circumstances, what does Job deserve? Does he deserve to be spared or to be vindicated?
How much freedom do we exercise in our service to God? To what extent would we be willing to protect this freedom? Can God presume our faith? Looking back over experiences that have tested or tried you, do you feel resentful for having been tested? If so, what caused these feelings of resentment?
CHAPTER 2
THE TERRORS OF GOD
Job 3–7
DIMENSION ONE: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Answer these questions by reading Job 3
1. What does Job wish? (3:1-10)
2. Why does Job wish he had died in infancy? (3:11-19)
3. What is Job's accusation against God? (3:20-26)
Answer these questions by reading Job 4
4. How did Job always treat the weak and unfortunate? (4:1-6)
5. Now that Job is the sufferer, what should be the basis of his hope? (4:6)
6. What is the fate of those who "plow evil"? (4:7-11)
7. What message did Eliphaz receive in a night vision? (4:12-21)
Answer these questions by reading Job 5
8. What does Eliphaz claim is the source of human trouble and affliction? (5:17)
9. What is Eliphaz's personal advice to Job? Why? (5:8-16)
10. What does Eliphaz say will be the end result of God's chastening of Job? (5:17-27)
Answer these questions by reading Job 6
11. Whom does Job blame for his troubles? (6:1-4)
12. What does Job beg God to do? (6:8-13)
13. What changes does Job see in his friends? (6:14-23)
14. What does Job ask his friends? (6:24-30)
Answer these questions by reading Job 7
15. To what does Job compare human life? (7:1-6)
16. What does Job believe will be his ultimate fate? (7:7-10)
17. Job asks God many questions. What is the one thing he asks over and over? (7:11-21)
DIMENSION TWO: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?
* Job 3:1-10. After seven days and nights of silence, Job finally opens his mouth with a jolting cry of rage and despair: "May the day of my birth perish." Job laments the day of his birth and even curses the night of his conception. In other words, "Let these days be stricken forever from the record of human history!" cries the man traditionally praised for his patience.
In verse 8, Job calls upon the power of magicians and astrologers, "those who curse days" and control the movements of the sea monster Leviathan. Surely they can avenge this dreadful injustice!
* Job 3:11-19. If he could not escape being conceived, Job asks, then why couldn't he have died at birth? Or why couldn't he have been miscarried? He could have been spared the pain of life. In death, kings, slaves, prisoners, and infants who "never saw the light of day" all share the same restful fate.
* Job 3:20-26. Now Job turns and speaks directly to God. "Why are you doing this, God? Why do you allow those of us who suffer most to continue in our misery? Why not give us what we most desire — death? Instead, you make us hunt for it like buried treasure!" Job pleads with God to explain why God gives "light" (life) to those who are most wretched, the very ones God constrains. Job now morbidly feasts on his own sighs and groans. His worst fears have materialized, causing him constant turmoil and frustration.
* Job 4:1-6. Since Job has finally spoken, his friends now speak. Eliphaz, no doubt the senior member of the trio, begins by asking Job if he (Eliphaz) can speak without upsetting him. Without waiting for an answer, Eliphaz plunges in, unable to contain his distress over what he has just heard. "Remember, Job, what it was like when you were the strong and competent one, giving advice and consolation to the unfortunate! Now that the roles are reversed, why are you so impatient and distraught? Remember your religion, Job! Can't you rely on it when the going gets rough?"
* Job 4:7-11. Eliphaz next appeals to a time-honored tradition: "Who, being innocent, has ever perished?" Schooled in the doctrine of strict retribution, Eliphaz is confident that justice is always done. God's anger shrivels those who ask for trouble like a blast from a white-hot furnace. Sinners are like the ferocious lion that perishes for lack of prey. The implication, of course, is that Job must be guilty of wrongdoing.
