Reflections on the book of job by john telgren the book of job is typically oversimplified. The book of job is fruitful to read without a guide, but if you want to dine on it, you must have a trusted guide. The lord speaks to job from the whirlwindthen the lord answered job out of the whirlwind, and said. Job damns the day he was born, relating life and death to light and darkness. A prologue introduces the books readers to job and describes decisions made in a parallel universe, that of a celestial court in which yhwh holds ultimate power. The three friends opine that suffering is always punishment for sins. In this epic wager between god and the devil, discover how job reacts to the shocking curses inflicted upon him and what we can learn from his incredible example of remaining faithful through suffering. Bible study book of job devotional reflections from the. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine.
The book of job always constituted essential and formative reading about the ways of the soul. Amy yoder mcgloughlin is the pastor at germantown mennonite church in philadelphia. Thus the book shows us how the righteous should bear up under suffering you have heard of the perseverance of job jm 5. The prologue suggests that suffering is a test of character. The book of job reveals a man who was very conscious of god, but who could find nothing wrong with himself, one who was very egotistical about his own righteousness and maintained it in the face of those who were around him. In order to test job, god allowed satan to bring pandemonium upon him.
Reardons other books as well as his reflections in touchstone magazine and i know him to be a trusted guide. Therefore it is not an indepth study of job in the bible. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job themelios. As the first poetic book of the english bible, job introduces the reader to the idea of hebrew poetry, which involves the repetition and combination of ideas more than sounds. Read job commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. This bible study book of job was originally part of a series of devotions written in 2008 while going through the bible chronologically. To study nature is to perceive the complexity, the unity of contraries, in gods. How do you start again when you were a believer that has doubts or has stop believing due to suffering.
Suffering love alone can bring us to our senses and the real meaning of life ven. Archbishop fulton sheen simone weil explained that we do not know anything without suffering. In one day job suffered the death of his ten children. The book of job gives the readers a sense about suffering as well as. Isaiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. By the time the book ends, everything is all hunky dory, right. The book of job challenges the simple equation of suffering with punishment, by telling. Waters ritten by an unknown author, possibly the most ancient literary account in the bible,1 the book of job is a mixture of divine and human wisdom that addresses a major life issue. This workbook was designed for bible class study, family study, or personal study. The author, date, and place of the book of job are all uncertain.
The reference poetical books denotes form rather than imaginative or capricious content. Study these 16 quotes from the book of job famous bible scriptures to learn more about the nature of god and how he wants us to live. Over the previous 35 chapters since job 2, god has been directly absent from the account. The questions contain minimal human commentary, but instead urge students to study. Job commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Study the bible online using commentary on job and more. The bible story of job, from the book of job, is a powerful tale of testing the devotion and fortitude of the human will. He has a large family, many flocks of animals, many servants, a large home, perhaps an estate. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that job a particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away. It is the first of the poetical books which also include psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, song of solomon, and lamentations. The book of job opens portraying job as a wealthy and righteous nobleman.
The book of job also shows the relationship between god and man and how we need to respond with faith and trust in gods sovereign grace. The book of job deals with the sovereignty of god and the problem of suffering. Study guide for job 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. Book of job paper the100c reflection on the book of job. The book of job seems to imply that satan can get permission from god to test us, but anything he does happens under the umbrella of gods divine permission. Job is one of the finest and most respected men on earth. Waters is professor of bible, international school of theologyasia, quezon city. Watch our overview video on the book of job, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the book of job study guide and get instant access to the following critical essays. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. Be sure to join my mailing list below to stay updated on the latest posts. Suffering will come to all in this world, but we see that job does not curse god and neither should we.
Whether it is reassessing the choice to have a burger for lunch, or thinking about last years trip to paris, human beings naturally examine events of the past and their life choices. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. This is good newsnothing happens to us without god allowing it. How does the book of job help disciples of jesus christ remain faithful to. The book of job is rightly understood to be a masterpiece of hebrew poetry and western literature. Job book of job religious belief and doctrine scribd. The book of job begins in an unreal, fabulous landscape. On the seventh day, job talks, starting a discussion in which each of the four men shares his reflections on job s troubles in poetic descriptions. He has always obeyed god and has caused no body harm. In this lesson, we will learn how to write an effective reflection essay and discover why they are so important to the learning process. The book of job is essentially a long dialogue between job, four people who come to sit with him, and god.
The book of job journal reading reflection the book of. See also greg parsons excellent article on job guidelines for understanding and proclaiming the book of job from bibliotheca sacra 151, 1994, pages 3934 introduction the reader who desires to unlock the rich theological treasures contained in the book of job should assume its literary unity. We read nothing of gods direct role in comforting, speaking to, or sustaining job in the midst of his crisis. These reflections originally appeared on her blog, stories from the red tent. In my first reflection here, i have attempted only to breakdown the book in order to better understand its structure and message. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight.
Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14. He hopes that his birth had been obscured in darkness and desires to have never been born. I hope youll join me as we continue to look at the book of job in the coming weeks. What does the ending of the book say about job and gods relationship. Reflection paper one of the most important aspects of conducting a research. Here are the resources you need to study the book of job. Although written from a broader perspective on suffering, yarbroughs reflections intersect with this study of the book of job in a number of ways. The book of job is included among the wisdom writings precisely because it teaches man that pain and suffering are a mystery of divine wisdom.
With the book of job being part of the hebrew bible, it took place sometime between 300 b. Copeland this study guide is from the executable outlines series, a collection of sermon outlines and bible study lessons by mark a. I think this is true to the extent that one suffers in love, for love. The book is not about job s history but about job s life and the way we relate to god as a result.
This post is adapted from the bible study job by eric ortlund. Bible story of job verses and summary bible study tools. Job is an interesting book, which offers more questions than it does solutions. We, like job, dont always understand the reasons behind our pain. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. In wisdom literature, we can find a recurring theme that the righteous shall be rewarded. Throughout the book style and language of isaiah are very expressive. I, like many others was familiar with the prose sections of job the beginning and end, but very unfamiliar with the lengthy dialogues throughout the center of the book. This study suggests several answers from the book of job in an attempt to a reveal the false theological method of satan in regard to human suffering, and his. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel coalition.
The book defends the absolute glory and perfection of god it sets. A reflection on the book of job and suffering suffering love alone can bring us to our senses and the real meaning of life ven. As the story progresses, the main setting becomes job s burned house, where he sits among the ashes and speaks with his friends. Ash is one of the very few modern commentators who persistently pursues the christological dimension of the book of job. Yet, for some reason, the figure of job is elusive to us possibly because he seems so comfortably distant. The100c 10614 reflection on the book of job the book of job from the old testament is a reading ive found very interesting and truthful in the sense in which the power of god was emphasized and our roles as believers of god. Job responds to zophar 6 the tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke god are securethose who carry their god in their hands. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it.
In this 12week study, eric ortlund helps us see the trustworthiness of god in the midst of our trials. Job is the oldest book of the bible, although the exact dates are unknown. Abstractthe book of job is often viewed as a story of unnecessary and undeserved suffering. According to the sacred writer, the truly wise man should realize that the fear of the lord, that is wisdom. The book of job teaches us how to endure suffering and addresses the question of why do the righteous suffer. The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. One of the main questions in the book of job is how a just god could exist when suffering is so common on earth. Study guide for job 38 by david guzik blue letter bible. There is a dramatic arc in the story as the arguing and insults from the friends intensify against job s. With the exception of a few paragraphs mainly in chap.
In his study on the book the book of job, quality pub. Or perhaps this is an at least partially an afterward because i write this after i have completed half of the melding together of roger hahns online crivoice bible study and the excerpts from john c. There are 12 devotions including this one from the book of job. This has always been the conviction of the spiritual classics through the centuries.