Day 3 "Praise You with my Last Breath"

            With hands shivering as he lifted his spoon, pain gripping his entire body, he greeted me with a warm smile as I pulled up a chair, jokingly saying, “The princess has finally graced us with her presence”. My brother is an inspiration to me because of his ability to look past his own suffering, and spread joy to other people through his pain. Faced with the slow consuming horror of cancer at a young age of 29, my brother fought through years of pain and challenges. Yet the only memories of him that I have today were of his ever-giving love and care in the midst of his agony. How he played soccer with me to fulfill my childish wants and quietly suffered in pain every night that week, how he used his suffering to relate to his patients (he was an oncologist himself), and how he lifted his hands up in front of the church in faith to receive healing again and again, and how he fought his last days with undying faith and joy.

The song “Blessed be Your Name” by Matt Redman writes,

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

How often do we only praise God amidst good times, and not through the bad? True faith is tested in times of suffering, when the offering and praise comes with pain. On the road marked with suffering, the phrase “Blessed be your name” becomes the most meaningful.

Another song “How can I Keep from Singing Your Praise” by Chris Tomlin writes,

I can sing with my last breath,

Sing for I know,

That I’ll sing, with the Angels,

And the Saints around the throne!

My grandmother passed away in old age in the midst of singing praise songs, and her last word was “Amen”; what an exit to heaven!  

In the Psalms David writes about grief, pain, and suffering. Job too suffered. There is horrible poverty, corruption, and horrendous acts in the world that we live in. Just read the newspapers. Many times we see unfair situations and we might doubt God’s sovereignty for a moment.

I go east, but he is not there,

I go west, but he is concealed

I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden

I look to the south, but he is concealed.

But I will trust you, oh Lord, for you are my God.

[Job 23:8-9]

But, David, Job, they both end with verses of praise.  Today my friend told me of a 13-year-old boy he had met who inspired him with his ever joyful and lovable nature. He later found out that the boy had tuberculosis, and had lived almost half his life in the hospital without hope of many more years to live. However, with the peace of God in his heart, this boy lived to spread hope and life to others.

But He knows where I’m going.

And when He tests me,

I will come out as pure as gold.

[Job 23:10]

Through the tests of life, will you stand firm in faith and come out refined as gold?

Day 3 Job 21-30

Todays reading is Job 21-30.

'Then Job answered and said:

“How you have helped him who has no power!

How you have saved the arm that has no strength!

How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,

and plentifully declared sound knowledge!

With whose help have you uttered words,

and whose breath has come out from you?'

(Job 26:1-4, Job 3^rd cycle after Bildad)

I will quote alot of passages today, I have included extra information in the quotations such as 'Job 3^rd cycle' signifying the speaker of the words as well as in which of the three main cycles of the dialogues between Job and his friends this occurs. There are three main cycles of speech between Job and his three freinds, each of Job's three friends speaking once in each cycle with Job replying to each one in turn, except for the 3^rd cycle where the second friend gives a very short speech and the third friend does not speak at all. A fourth friend comes along later but there is only one cycle of his speaking and so if I quote from him the cycle information isn't needed for him.

Above I quoted the words which Job uses in reply to Bildads short 5 verse speech in Job 25. To be honest, I just love this intensely sarcastic rhetoric. The speech of Bildad to which this is a reply to is this:

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“Dominion and fear are with God;
he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
How then can man be in the right before God?
How can he who is born of woman be pure?
Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
how much less man, who is a maggot,
and the son of man, who is a worm!”
(Job 25:1-6, Bildad 3^rd cycle)



The final three verses of this however(italicized above) are a recurring theme in Job. Note the other occurences of this theme, Eliphaz says:

‘Can mortal man be in the right before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
Even in his servants he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like the moth.

(Job 4:17-19, Eliphaz 1^st cycle)


Again Eliphaz later says:

What is man, that he can be pure?
Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones,
and the heavens are not pure in his sight;
how much less one who is abominable and corrupt,
a man who drinks injustice like water!

(Job 15:14-16, Eliphaz 2^nd cycle)


Job too says something similar:

“Truly I know that it is so:
But how can a man be in the right before God?
If one wished to contend with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.

(Job 9:2-3 Job 1^st cycle after Bildad)



These quotes together seem to be emphasising the distance between God and mankind, and also mans inability of doing anything that is pleasing to God. However there is another motif that comes up, that is Gods care/or lack of it despite the reality of this distance between God and mankind.

What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
visit him every morning
and test him every moment?
How long will you not look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?

What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
visit him every morning
and test him every moment?
How long will you not look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?

(Job 7:17-20, Job 1^st cycle after Eliphaz)

Here Job seems to be saying that despite this separation between man and God, God is interested in Job, but this interest that Job believes God to have is one of harmful intention.

Eliphaz says something different:

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
“Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?

(Job 22:1-3, Eliphaz 3^rd Cycle)

Eliphaz seems to be saying that God is not affected if a person acts well or badly, because it does not affect God at all.

We have seen Eliphaz' perspective, and we have seen Job's perspective. Now I would like to give what I consider to be a biblical perspective on this issue. King David, who lived maybe around 1000 years later than Job, seems to be very familiar with this book of Job. He says:

what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
(Psalm 8:4)


This comes from the full Psalm 8:

1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[b]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Psalm 8, David)

So what is Davids perspective? David looks at the heavens(8:3), and from this wonders why God cares for man in general(8:4). David says that God has given man a very privileged position(8:5-8), as a consequence he praises the Lord(8:9). Why would Gods giving man a priveliged position be an occasion for praising the Lord? Verse 4 tells us, because man is small. God lifts up man, who is small, and by bestowing his love on little people who don't deserve it, the depth of his love and concern for man appears.

So how does this help us through suffering?

The book of Hebrews chapter 2 goes further than the Psalm of David, as it gives a new shade of meaning to this passage and presents Jesus coming to Earth, and becoming a man to endure suffering and death, to become our Redeemer, and also to sympathize with us. It is often said that the most helpful thing for suffering people is not Theology, but friendship and support. I do believe that Jesus became the best friend, and brother, and support as anyone could ever be when he suffered in our place the cruel death that we deserved. I do believe that this is Theology worth keeping.

As I said in a previous post, we are in a more priveliged position in history because we are able to read about this demonstration of the love of God, as John said “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”(John 1:17). I think that studying this truth will give us strength to persevere. Hebrews chapter 2 is a good place to start.

Actually, i have crossed approximately 4000 years of history in describing Job, then David, then Jesus, and then applying it to us. The truth is that much helpful content could have been given just by sticking to Job, or David, or Jesus, but it can also be helpful to tie things together sometimes, and the Bible is both diverse and unified in it's message in a beautifully elegant way.

Day 3, Job 22-31: Righteousness and wealth.

In the preceding days we've seen Job's patience in suffering and continued hope in God, and this continues to come through in these chapters also. He asks for a chance to plead his case before God, as he doesn't understand his suffering (something he is reproved for later), but he continues to praise God and stand in awe before all that God does in the world. Something for ourselves to contemplate - in the midst of suffering, do we also consider God in His majesty and continue to praise Him and describe all His deeds, or do we just focus on ourselves?

There were two themes that seemed to keep cropping up in today's reading. Firstly, the idea of righteousness, with Job's friends claiming he must have done wickedly, and Job justifying his actions before the suffering. The second was the perception of wealth, which is described in lavish detail. A third theme of the source of wisdom breaks in about half-way through the passage.

Concerning righteousness, Eliphaz describes a number of actions which Job 'must have' committed, since he is being punished for sin (in Eliphaz's eyes). Job answers that he has not done these, and goes on to list many more wicked acts which he hasn't done. It is interesting to note that all of these descriptions are in relation to others. Whether concerning Job's covenant with his eyes not to think about a woman, to withholding food or clothing from the poor, hindering widows or orphans, and not trying to assist them when they ask for help - all these are dealing not just with 'private morality' where only Job's actions by himself with God and his family count - no, the assumption is that righteousness entails a responsibility to the whole community, especially those in destitute circumstances. Both malicious action against others and unwillingness to act positively to support and help others are condemned as wicked. There are often no easy answers to how we should help others, especially in countries where government assistance is commonplace/expected, and it can be hard to work out who is really in need of help and who is just lazily pretending in order to get handouts, but it is a challenge that we must take up and seek to show God's love and uphold His righteousness in our dealings with the poor or disadvantaged in our communities. I know I struggle with this, both to make time for it and in wondering where/how to live this out. I can do things in small ways with people I already know, but many people that need help are not in my 'regular contact', so it is harder to make that effort to know what they need, and who I can help. Something for me to pray about.

Concerning wealth, first we see Eliphaz's take on wealth, which seems very much a 'social gospel'. i.e. do good/live by the rules and you will get rich. In some ways God did enact that principle with the children of Israel later, where the nation as a whole was blessed when they turned to God, and famines and war came when they rejected Him. A lot of that was specific to covenants with Israel though, and definitely does not apply to individuals, as we see in the New Testament where we (as with the apostles) are often called to suffer for His Name. Yes we will be blessed by following God in obedience, but this is not necessarily physical or monetary. As we come to Job's description of his wealth, we see that in his mind it is inextricably linked with his care for others through it. This is certainly a Godly use of wealth - being righteous does not mean we will get wealth, nor does it mean we shouldn't/won't get wealth, but if we do, then we are stewards of it for God to use it in blessing others around us.  Ultimately, our true wealth is in God.

Finally, the third theme I was thinking about going through was the preciousness of wisdom. As previous posters have remarked, Job's friends show a lack of wisdom in applying what they know about God to Job's situation, without considering circumstances, instead adopting a 'one size fits all' approach - assuming that since they know how God works in some situations (for there are certainly consequences for the wicked designed by God), it must follow that God only works in that one way. Ultimately, Job shows that wisdom is found in the fear (reverence) of God - we cannot buy it with physical objects, or search for it with many adventures. We cannot reason it out by ourselves, for man's wisdom ends in futility (c.f. Ecclesiastes, which we will come to later). Consider also James chapter 1, where those that lack wisdom are encouraged to ask God, Who giveth to all men liberally (generously), coming in humility before the True Source of all Wisdom.

Lord, help us to be ever aware of the needs of those around us, and grant us the wisdom to respond to every situation in righteousness, seeking to show Your love, and upholding justice for those around us. Lord, we know You as the Creator and Sustainer of this world and all that is in it. Your compassion and empathy with the suffering here is more than we can grasp, for You comprehend the full situation so much more than we, and you are not tainted by the selfishness that dims our vision. You Who know every one of us while we are in our mother's womb, know our experience for You came to Earth to walk among us in human flesh, feeling our infirmities and receiving unjust suffering at our hands. Lord, mould our hearts to Your desires, and help us to be a comfort to those in dark circumstances, and a means to alleviate some of the suffering caused by sin. Grant us patience, and thank you for Your sustaining power and guidance now and forever. In Your Name, Amen.

Day 2 Job 11-20

The reading for November 2 is Job 11-20.

The part in this section that stood out to me most immediately was Job 19:25 'For I know that my Redeemer lives and at the last he will stand upon the earth'. This verse is a little bit confusing and has been interpreted by people in a few different ways. Without going into details, i think what we can be sure about is that Job had faith in the goodness of God, and of his own security with God, and this gave him strength in his trial. I believe it is also indicated here that Job did not believe his security with God did not depend on his own perfection, but he trusted that God would count him worthy and accept for the faith that he did have.

Jobs three friends looked at Jobs suffering very simply, because God is righteous, He punishes sin with suffering, therefore suffering is proof that one is sinful; therefore as Job was suffering, he must be sinful, probably holding back some kind of secret sin. Likewise Jobs own children were killed because of their sin, according to Bildad in the first reading 'If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.'(Job 8:4).

However, note that Job both trusted in a Redeemer in his own life, and the life of his own children, thus his faith was not in his own perfection but in Gods. Job did not regard himself as perfect; in the speech given in chapter 8 by Bildad above, Bildad tried to make a case that suffering is a result of evil, in chapter 9 Job replies saying 'Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times'(Job 9:2-3). He seems to be saying that if God was to always punish evil, we would all be suffering. In this way Job seems to reject that his suffering and the suffering of his children are linked to sin in terms of punishment(there is apparently a lot of legal vocabulary in Job, which is used least of all in Gods speeches in the end, this probably indicates that the primary relationship between Job and God is not legal but personal). Job rejects this in relation to his children, because Job made sacrifices for them 'And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually”'(Job 1:5). I think that this passage (Job 1:5) combined with the passage Job 19:25 show that Job trusted not in his own goodness for his and his childrens security with God, but in Gods goodness toward Him, for sacrifices were a sign of trust in God to redeem a person. Job did complain that God was mistreating him, but this seems to be because Job believed his sin was covered. Job talks about his blamelessness, but his 'blamelessness' was a confidence in his redeemer, and because he believed in a Redeemer, it was not legaly right for God to punish Job, Job was innocent because of his faith in God.

According to Job, his suffering despite his trust in the righteousness of God to redeem him indicates that God was wrong to punish him. I believe that this is true, God would be wrong to punish Job if Job trusted in the righteousness of his Redeemer, for sins to require a punishment(the book of Hebrews talks about his alot, see Hebrews 9:22),so therefore performing a sacrifice represents a trust in God that that punishment has or will be paid, that is it represents a trust in God to forgive sins. If Jobs sins are already forgiven, then it would be wrong for God to punish Job, if God says he forgives sin, but punishes people who have trusted in Him to have their sins forgiven, then God would be a liar. However the reason Job was wrong was because God was not punishing him because of his sin, in fact I don't think God ever really gives Job a reason. The main focus of Gods concluding speech is just 'I am wise', the point therefore, seems to be that we should trust God no matter what, always believing He is good and righteous and just, and not believing that our suffering is a result of our sin. For if our sin were to be judged, we would be dead. Elihu, in his closing speech seems to give the closest thing to an explanation, but that is much too far ahead for today.

Day #2 "Friends who Stay"

So I've just decided today to write my blogs in a slightly different perspective. My approach is a more personal take, and will talk about a moment I have reflected upon that day, taking the passage in a slightly more everyday approach, with my personal life intertwined within it. I'm always up for learning, so if you think that I have misinterpreted a passage or written about something contradictory or perhaps even helpful, please respond and comment below! I'd love to learn from you and listen to your thoughts!
I'm starting this to share little reflective "stories of my life" with you, because I think that thoughtful, reflective moments are often the most life changing; and that everybody has a story to tell that we can learn from. So share with us your stories too!
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Today I moved out from my hall. To sort out one year of accumulated shopping and collected scraps of junk for a girl, is horrendous, especially with my... gift of... indecisiveness. I'll skip the details, but I was in a mess. Life seemed bundled up in dozens of plastic bags and suitcases, junk mixed with valuables, and time was ticking down till the hour that Cinderella would have to gracefully leave the ball, (in other words, till I would be kicked out of my hall). In my frantic rush, my graceful demeanor was completely thrown out of the window, and my weakness was revealed to the world and to my three friends who stepped in to save the day. They stayed up till 3a.m. the night before to make sure I didn't fall asleep packing, waited ages for me through my indecisiveness, carried my entire room of junk up and down 3 flights of stairs to and from my room, overlooked my weaknesses and stayed positive, constantly encouraging me when I needed it most.

As the saying goes, "A friend in need is a friend indeed," How blessed I am to have friends who stay by me not only through times of joy but also through the low points in life, who accept my weakness with my strengths. When Job was in his lowest point, his friends came to share his anguish. Most friends come when times are prosperous and there is plenty of merriment to share, but the few that come to share grief, are the ones worthwhile.

"Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words."

Though in chapter 11-21 we see a heated debate going on between the four friends, each with their own perspective on the situation. However, id like to take a slightly different approach and suggest that having friends that will be straightforward with what they think is valuable, and it feels good to talk with friends about things that trouble us. However, one thing I think led to their debate is that their answers came from a conversation about God without the input of God. They assumed that every blessing or tragedy was a measurement of our sin. I myself do not have the perfect formula to great advice for a troubled friend, but I do often send a quick prayer and ask for God's wisdom in the words I speak when asked for counsel. I think that praying together in faith and trust in God is sometimes the best thing to do in times of worry, when I lack words to say. It gives me more peace than reasoning it out! What might happen if Job's friends had encouraged him and prayed together with him, trusting God in faith, instead of debating innocence and sin? After all, faith might just be the ironic answer to those mind boggling questions!

I'm looking forward to learn more about and reflect upon this interesting book! May it give me more wisdom each time I read it!

Day 1&2: Job 1-21: Where is God in Devastation?

One day late in starting this - like Job's children, I was out at a party yesterday - though in my case fortunately there was no wind strong enough to bring the house down on top of me!

First, I like to consider the setting of the book. Although close to the centre of the Bible, Job is understood to have taken place in a similar time to Abraham - definitely after the Flood, probably before the formation of Israel as a nation. So this book fits chronologically somewhere in the middle of Genesis, probably. This is interesting in understanding the way Job worships God, and offers sacrifices himself (later reserved for the priests in Israel). He is clearly in a community that recognises the God of Heaven, at least outwardly; the community also has a lot of interaction with others - the identity of his friends coming from different clans is indicator of this, as well as the wealth, frequency of parties, and the fact there were houses indicates the community is at least semi-permanently attached to one place.

Attributed to Joseph Stalin, there is a quote
“If only one man dies of hunger, that is a tragedy. If millions die, that’s only statistics.”
I think that is the way many feel when reading the first chapter of Job - I know I have a tendency to do so, especially with the servants coming to him saying 'you've lost all this', 'you've lost all this', 'you've lost all this', 'you've lost all this', etc.
Trying to put it in perspective, I tried calculating the worth of the animals: $200 for a sheep, $1000 for a camel, $500 for an ox, $300 for a donkey, (rough estimates, I know), leads to an estimate of over $5 million lost overnight. More importantly, the children he raised, loved, brought up to follow God, and sacrificed offerings just in case they had sinned accidentally, were taken from him without a goodbye, and without any warning. I've never really known the loss of someone close unexpectedly (i.e. not in advanced years), so I find it hard to empathise fully with the situation - I have seen others go through it, and heard much about the difficulty from my parents, who went through the loss of my older brother while I was 'on the way' in Mum's womb. We don't know their names, but Job did, and he knew every mannerism, peculiarity, and history of each of his children. He would have probably known the servants personally too - at least their names, and their personalities. Hard to think about, but good to dwell on for a bit rather than just skimming by the numbers.

There are a few themes I see coming up again and again in these early chapters, and I know I'll see them more later in the book from previous readings. One is that God does has purposes that we often don't know about and can't see while we are in our current circumstances. He does not answer to us, but works things out for His purposes and His glory. Another is the patience and humility of Job. Referred to in James 5, it is an example for us of 'suffering affliction with patience'. Job does complain of the sufferings that aggravate him, but is still willing to wait on God, and hope in Him.
Although often in telling the story there is a lot of emphasis put on the fact that Job was righteous and blameless - and rightly so, one of the major points of the story is that suffering does not always come as a response to wrongdoing - still we see Job continually refer to himself as a sinner, as unworthy, that even if he were perfect he could not answer before God, but must throw himself on mercy. He does not rail against God, but continually extols how great and powerful and marvellous God is - His works, His character, and His right to bless and cause suffering.
In the dialogue a lot of emphasis is given to the recurring argument that God would only send this suffering if Job had done wrong, therefore Job must have done something wrong. The idea that the wicked are always punished and the righteous are always blessed. A lot of what the 'friends' say is right technically, but is misapplied - not recognising that there may be other reasons, and also ignoring that although God will finally give everyone according to their deeds, the 'rain falls on the just and on the unjust' (Mat 5:45), as Job points out to them.

It is interesting the presence of death comes up frequently in the laments. Job laments the day of his birth, and wishes that it 'would please God to crush him', indicating no hope for his further life on earth. Part of a natural response to suffering, in a way, that you just want it to be over, or feel it would be better to not have lived at all and not have to go through it. But there is still that hope and trust in God coming through - Job refuses to hope in the grave/Sheol, because that would be lack of trust in God. Indeed 'even if He slay me, yet will I hope in Him' - he is willing to go to death for God, but it will have to be God that brings that about, there is no thought of seeking it outside God's timing. Job's hope is in the new life, whatever this world holds, He knows that 'his Redeemer lives' and 'after my skin has been thus destroyed (i.e. Job has died), yet in my flesh I shall see God'. Oh blessed thought that we know even more than Job did about our Redeemer, and can have everlasting hope in Him, for He lives within us, and we shall indeed see Him face to face one day!

In addition to being thought provoking about how we respond when suffering hits us - can each of us sincerely say at all times "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away - BLESSED be the name of the Lord"? Easy to say the words, harder to live them when push comes to shove, but certainly the right response. Anyway, as I was saying, in addition to that, it is also thought-provoking about how we respond to others' tragedy and suffering. The first 7 days Job's friends said nothing, and maybe that was ok, just being there helped - in many ways it may have  been better for them to continue doing that rather than give unwise advice! In chapter 16 Job rebukes the friends for being miserable comforters - and he is right. When others are suffering then often the best thing we can do is to encourage them, be with them, strengthen them, pray with them - it is not a time for tearing someone down, especially if you don't know if they are doing anything wrong! If there is clear sin in their life, then yes, it is our responsibility to encourage them to leave that sin behind and seek God, but it is a matter of coming alongside to help them, not wagging fingers at them from a distance. Let us strengthen each other, and not add to their suffering!

In closing, I quote a couple of verses from a hymn that seem appropriate:

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Day 1. Job 1:1-10:22

Day 1. Job 1:1-10:22

My daily reading for today is Job 1:1-10:22, but I really feel that it may be helpful to give some of my perspectives on the unity and the theme of the book which I have got from previous readings.

The book of Job is a book of rich wisdom which describes the suffering and perseverance of the man Job through difficult circumstances. In describing these things it speaks questions which we have all likely to have had at some point, such as 'why do people suffer?' and 'is suffering a judgement from God for sin?'. The book should be read respectfully, and with an honest desire to understand it as it is often criticized by people for different reasons, and may be hard sometimes even for Christians to read. However, I do believe that any Christian confused about the different interpretations that they may have heard, does not need to worry about these things, as God speaks to us through His Word as we read and seek to understand it through prayer and apply it to our lives. A reading through this book in search of a greater understanding of God and how one might better serve Him is an entirely appropriate attitude to have, as God has chosen especially to reveal Himself through His Word as we seek Him and often hides true wisdom from the so-called 'wise', in order to show that true wisdom is found only in God Himself, and that true wisdom really is just the same as to have humility before Him.

This book is difficult to summarize quickly, as I believe it has applications as far as Natural Law, Science, Revelation, Providence, personal conscience, relationships between people, History, Sin, self control, Psychology, Redemption and Forgiveness and the supernatural world(e.g. Satan, demons, angels and God). I include these things, because I hope that some students reading this may be prompted to look more closely at the book when they see how applicable it is to the rest of their lives, studies and research.

Another factor that makes the book of Job difficult to analyze, is that as well as having many applications, the message is not really ever directly stated, Another factor that makes it difficult to analyze in addition to the depth of its theology and multitude of its applications, is that it is presented not as a set of propositional statements about God or life or wisdom, but primarily in the form of a back and forth dialogue between Job, four other men (who try to counsel Job when his children, servants and property are destroyed) and God. Like many other works of literature, the meaning is presented by taking the book as a whole, and the speeches of any one character are not sufficient for understanding the book as many of the things that the false counselors said were actually true, despite the use of that wisdom being misplaced and inaccurate.

Despite the complications, I believe that the biggest theme of the book is really quite clear. Near the end of the book God speaks to Job, and God commends Job for his endurance(as well as rebuking, but this I think is less serious), and rebukes Jobs friends, whose counsel did more harm than good; I think that through this episode, it is clear that the books primary message is about the goodness of Gods character, His wisdom and His righteousness, and about a man who exerted perseverance in believing this, and became an example of faith for all of us to follow(He was regarded this way in the book of James in the New Testament in James 5:11).

I do believe however, that the emphasis on the goodness of Job can be exaggerated. Although we are to be encouraged by the perseverance of other believers (Hebrews 11:1-12:2) the book presents Job as very much subordinate to God, and the encouragement we get to persevere comes not just through hearing of the perseverance of another, as it is possible that stories of great perseverance and heroism can discourage us if their example seems beyond our own capabilities. I believe that the primary encouragement we get, is not just from looking at Jobs perseverance, but by looking at the same thing Job himself looked at, that is, that despite our experience of the world around us, the character of our Lord is good. It is knowing, understanding and believing in the goodness of God, that gives us hope to persevere through trial. For Job however, the goodness, beauty, love, and grace of God were much less clear than they are today to us, because although Job was a worshiper of God, Job had not heard about Jesus who provided us with the clearest display of the love of God. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus provides us with this more full expression, as he is called the 'radiance of the glory of God', this is the same God whom Job worshipped. This is described in the book of Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1-3: 'Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.3He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, '. The gospel writer John also tells us that Jesus provides us with more full revelation of God 'For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. '(John 1:17).

The structure of the book is basically as follows:

Chapters 1-2 of the book show Satan coming to God to request permission to harm Job in because he seems to wish to see Jobs misery, and to see Job curse or despise God.

Chapters 3-31 present the speeches between Job and three counsellors/friends. This can be further divided into three sections, consisting of three cycles of the speeches of Jobs counsellors, and their responses.

Chapters 32-37 present the speeches of a fourth contemporary of Job whose name is Elihu

Chapters 38-42 describe God finally speaking to Job and His friends, Jobs responses, and the Jobs physical restoration.

The reading today included

• introductory prologue(1:1-2:10)
• speeches from the first two of Jobs friends(4:1-5:27, 8:1-22)
• Jobs responses to each of those friends(6:1-7:21,9:1-10:22)

I will leave a concluding thought for those reading through Job:

I find it very interesting that although Jobs friends spoke things about God which would perhaps commonly be said in Church today, and in fact may even be true in some sense, in the mouths of people who were unwise, this so called wisdom, turned into lies about God, and a further discomfort to Job. It is also interesting to see that the friend who seemed to be the primary spokesperson Eliphaz(he always speaks before his two friends, and his speeches are longer), recognized this when he spoke of how God turns around the so-called wisdom of  the self-confident(as opposed to having humility and confidence in God) person back upon himself. 

'He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.' (Job 5:13). 

This fact is indeed true, we know this because even Paul quotes this in support of showing how the wisdom of God is with those who are humble and weak before God, rather than those who 'thinks that he is wise in this age'.

Paul says

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”

(1 Corinthians 3:18-19)

Despite, however, the fact that this saying of Eliphaz appears correct, he himself was an example of the 'wily' or 'fool' who becomes a victim of his own so-called wisdom. Although he knew of this principle, he himself was unable to avoid it due to his lack of humble trust in God.

(NB I updated a correction of this where I had 'Elihu' in places where I should have had 'Eliphaz')