“Hast thou considered my servant Job…”
For a man famous for his patience, it was far from his defining characteristic. In fact Job could be quite impatient. Rather, there were two other qualities he possessed above all else. Faith and endurance. The first was total, but neither blind nor unquestioning. The second grew out of the first, to an extent almost unique in all of human history.
Job was an extremely successful businessman, the greatest in his region. His wealth was tied up mainly in livestock and he owned large herds and flocks of sheep, camels, cattle and asses. His autobiographical account of his early life (eg Job 29–31) told of a religious man with a very happy home life. Job 1:1–5 provides a summary, as well as a divine character reference. By any definition, Job was a faithful brother.
Commentary on the events that followed in Job’s life has filled many volumes. It can be a difficult book to follow in some parts, and it is a good idea to have a more modern translation to accompany the AV when reading it. The structure of the book is as follows:
Job 1–2 Narrative about Job’s life, character and trials
Job 3–42:6 Poem about Job’s conversations with his friends, and with God.
Job 42:7–12 Narrative about Job’s life after his trials were over
The poetic section consists of:
Job 3–26 Series of three sets of discussions between Job and his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar
Job 27–31 Monologues from Job
Job 32–37 Elihu’s Intervention
Job 38–41 Yahweh speaks
Job 42:1–6 Job answers
Often much discussion centres on who ‘Satan’ was in Job 1 and 2. Several different opinions exist as to who this adversary was, but almost all agree on one point. The statement that Job only served God for what he could get out of it in material wealth (Job 1:9–10), was a very real view held by at least one disgruntled adversary in the ecclesia at the time. The primary reason given for what happened to Job was to thoroughly disprove this erroneous view. Job’s motives for serving God are given in his character reference, and were not selfish. He respected and revered his Creator. God knew he was a man of integrity, and by Job 2:3, that had been proved. This should never be lost sight of. Faithful men and women throughout history have served, and continue to serve God, for the same reasons.
By the end of chapter 2, Job had lost almost everything. His children were all dead, his wealth and possessions were gone and his wife had despaired. He was suffering from a horrific disease that caused him physical and mental anguish almost beyond comprehension. He stunk, and an infestation of worms was literally eating him alive. He lived in a rubbish dump and his only relief was to scratch his itching, rotting flesh with broken pieces of pottery. He was stared at, talked about, laughed at and mocked, but no-one could help him. His three friends, who arrived to comfort him, were speechless at the sight of him. The words of Isaiah 53:1–3 could well be applied to Job: he had been “cut off out of the land of the living.”
The words of Job
By the start of chapter 3, Job was a broken man. He lamented the day of his birth and looked forward only to death. As his discussions with his three friends developed, he became increasingly frustrated by them. They accused him of committing great sins which resulted in his great suffering. Job denied these allegations, though he never claimed to be without sin. He was, however, prepared to stand on his own record to justify himself before his friends. He became tired of their baseless allegations and turned to God to try and find answers. He longed for an opportunity to state his case directly to the divine Judge and was confident his case was sound.
Job sometimes spoke unwisely, and God eventually told him so. But in the end, God judged the words of Job as “the thing that is right” (42:7). This faithful, courageous brother had still been able to say, when all hope seemed lost, “I know that my redeemer liveth” (19:25).
The three friends
The speeches of Job’s three friends contained many truisms, but in the end were judged to be false (42:7). We can learn much from them about how not to deal with people who suffer! For all of their high sounding words, the three friends of Job actually said very little.
Elpihaz began politely enough, but very quickly cut to the chase: “Whoever perished being innocent?” (4:7). This theme sadly developed into outright accusations against Job of sins he never committed (eg 22:5–9). Along the way Zophar said that Job was actually suffering less than he deserved (11:6). As they became more frustrated with Job, the list of dire consequences for sin became longer and more colourful, as if he must crack and confess if he could be scared enough. Finally, though, they ran out of energy, imagination and adjectives.
Another theme sounded highminded enough: “Shall mortal man be more just than God?”(4:17). The greatness of God, the power of God, man’s uncleanness in His sight, were all presented. Job didn’t disagree with these in principle, but what answers did they provide of themselves? None in the end, because the fact is there is a way of approach to God; He does have a purpose with man, and what Job needed was direction along that path. All the friends put before Job was a dead end (see 25:4–6).
They also tried ‘the carrot and stick’ routine: “If thou return unto the Almighty, thou shalt be built up” (22:23). Confess, and all will be well! This produced in Job the other extreme of self-justification, which was necessary for God to be able to bring to light vital principles of the way of salvation. But without God’s intervention they would simply have alienated a faithful brother.
Their simplistic theory of ‘exact retribution’ was finally shown to be false.
The words of Elihu
Another subject often discussed is whether Elihu was harmful or helpful.
It seems that Elihu sought to fulfil the role of ‘go between’ that Job had been requesting (9:33). At times over-exuberant and not always entirely accurate, he nevertheless moved the discussion in the right direction. This he did with three clear differences:
- He didn’t contend that Job’s sufferings were the result of past sins. The only criticisms he levelled at Job were based on what he had said to his friends.
- He contended that God does communicate with man (eg 33:14–16)
- He said God is working to a plan to provide salvation for man (eg 33:23–28)
Whether we consider Elihu abrasive or not, whether everything he said was perfectly expressed, the fact is that he re-started a discussion that had run out of ideas. He began to bridge the gap between an all powerful, harsh God Who is unapproachable, to the loving God Who cares for all His creation. He prepared the ground and when it was ready, God took over in a remarkable way.
God’s answer
When God finally spoke, Job finally understood. He said as much in Job 42:5. What he had only heard before, he now saw clearly.
And yet, some have claimed it was no answer at all. There was not one word spoken of what we would commonly call sympathy, no expressions of tender consolation, not even an explanation of why the trials had occurred. But in the end, the Apostle James concluded that what was seen was that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy” (5:11). Enlightened by this inspired conclusion, it is our privilege to read the longest divine monologue recorded in human history, and to conclude for ourselves what it meant for Job.
Broadly, God’s answer to Job was in three parts:
- Job 38:1–38 God’s wisdom in the inanimate world
- Job 38:39–39:30 God’s wisdom in the living world
- Job 40–41 God ’s control over the Uncontrollable
It commenced with a very strong statement of the power of God. As Job had sought for answers, at times he spoke almost as if God could be challenged like a fellow human being. As mortals, we must remember the greatness of our God: “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom” (Job 28:28; Prov 9:10).
With this foundation laid, God moved on to show that Job could have total confidence in divine care, even if he didn’t always understand it. The created universe demonstrates the genius of God. All is well managed, everything is done properly. The vast majority of events take place outside the view or knowledge of human beings, but all are under perfect control. God manages eternity in time and space.
The view then moved to the living world on earth. Every creature is provided for, all reproduce, their babies survive, and their species continue. There is enormous variety, animals of completely opposite nature are all catered for. God’s care is shown to be universal, and along the way a vital principle is established. Some creatures suffer so others can live. God presents the example of the lion (38:39). If man was in control, they would be wiped out as a threat to his own existence. History has proven the assertion correct, with some species destroyed entirely, and others reduced to zoos and game parks. But God cares for all His creatures and has provided for all, even if that sometimes means some suffer that others may survive. If God take such care kind of the animal world, how great must his care be for mankind.
Every type of person has the potential of the hope of salvation (“there is neither Jew nor Greek…”), and God provided the life of His own Son to make that possible.
By the start of chapter 40, Job had been overwhelmed with what he had been shown, but there was a final point to be made. God controls what is uncontrollable for man. Pride and wickedness (40:11–12). To illustrate this, God uses two deadly and untameable animals, behemoth and leviathan (possibly the hippopotamus and the crocodile). Though man can cage them and predict their behaviour, he cannot tame them. But God made them.
Conclusion
Job was humbled and enlightened by what God had said to him. Though his problems remained, his confusion was gone. In his own words, he could now “see” (42:5). Job didn’t say exactly what he saw, but surely James provided the inspired answer. In the infinite wisdom of creation, and the careful provision for every creature, including man, Job saw a God of love and tender mercy. The God he had always feared was also the One he could trust.
One final matter remained. Salvation! Job’s friends had been wrong and they were in a position of great need. Those who had condemned Job were themselves now condemned, by their own flawed theory! (42:8). But God offered them the solution they had failed to find for their friend. And how wonderful, how ironic, that the solution involved the very subject of their condemnation. The innocent victim of their cruel taunts would be the path to their salvation. Job prayed for his friends and the way of salvation was opened for them, and they gratefully took it. In so doing, Job himself was delivered from his suffering. His disease was healed, his losses were reinstated and he and his wife were blessed with ten more children, with every indication they will yet be reunited with the first ten in the Kingdom.
Job is the story of a servant of God who suffered greatly because of a cruel adversary, but through whom God was able to bring about salvation and restoration. The very world we live in speaks the same story, if we care to look carefully. All around us there is life, seemingly caring for itself without any help from man, but able to do so only because it has been so carefully created by a tender, loving Creator. And nowhere is that better illustrated than in the pinnacle of that creation, the Son of God himself.
“Behold my servant…”