While the exact location of Job’s homeland remains unknown, the Bible offers several clues about the land of Uz:
• Uz was in “the East” (Job 1:3), implying the eastern side of the Jordan River (see “The Land of Promise” at Gen. 13:14, 15).
• Job’s friend Eliphaz came from Teman (Job 2:11), a region of Edom (see Edom’s profile at Gen. 36:8; see also Jer. 49:20) named for a grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:11). Temanites had a reputation for wisdom (Jer. 49:7). The term Temanite could also be associated with Tema in the Arabian Desert (see “An Empty Oasis” at Job 6:19, 20).
• Uz was accessible to Sabean raiders (1:15) based in Sheba, probably the mountainous region of southwest Arabia (modern-day Yemen; see “The Queen of Sheba and International Trade” at 2 Chr. 9:1).
• Uz was in striking distance of Chaldea (Job 1:17), a small territory of southern Babylon bordering the head of the Persian Gulf between the Arabian Desert and the Euphrates Delta.
• Jeremiah named Uz in a list of kingdoms and peoples that included Judah, Egypt, Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon (Jer. 25:17–26).
• The parallelism of Hebrew poetry (see “Hebrew Poetry” at Job 19:1) concerning Edom and Uz (Lam. 4:1) hints that the two locales were one and the same.
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Name means: Uncertain, possibly “Returning,” “Hated,” or “Persecuted.”
Not to be confused with: A son of Issachar (Gen. 46:13) also called Jashub (Num. 26:24; 1 Chr. 7:1).
Home: The land of Uz (possibly Edom or Bashan).
Family: Husband of at least one wife; father of seven sons and three daughters who were killed by a great wind; later fathered seven more sons and three more daughters.
Occupation: Exceptionally wealthy owner of 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 pairs of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and numerous servants (Job 1:3); after losing his possessions, his wealth was restored twofold (42:10, 12); acted as his city’s justice of the peace (29:7–25) and as priest for his family (1:5) and friends (42:7–9).
Best known as: One of the Bible’s prime examples of persevering faith amid extreme suffering (James 5:11).
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Many people today regard Satan not as a real entity but as a mythological figure invented by humans to explain evil and suffering. The Book of Job, on the other hand—and, indeed, all of Scripture—presents an opposite view.
Satan appears in the first two chapters of Job, then vanishes from the storyline, which shifts to a debate between Job and his friends as they struggle to account for his sudden misfortunes. They take turns offering diverse opinions on suffering, but they never blame Satan—or mention him at all.
This has important implications for modern believers, who live in a world with an increasingly secular worldview. On the one hand, the Book of Job demonstrates that Satan exists and that he influences human events. Angels and demons are more than myths, and their actions in the supernatural realm affect our everyday lives. On the other hand, the Bible cautions us against blaming Satan for our problems. Job and his friends argued about the cause of Job’s sufferings, but they all agreed that people are held accountable for their actions. This implies not only that our actions are guided by free will but also that our response to suffering still matters even when the cause of our suffering is outside of our control. Job and his friends focused not on Satan as their adversary (see footnote at Job 1:6) but on God as their judge (5:8, 17; 8:3–6; 9:1–3; 11:5, 6).
More: To learn more about Satan, the enemy of God and His followers, see “Names for Satan in the New Testament” at Rev. 9:11.
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Following God and Getting Nothing in Return
Satan accused God of buying Job’s loyalty with wealth and security. As Satan pointed out, devotion that is bought is likely to vanish the moment its incentives are taken away.
But Satan misjudged Job’s character. Stripped of his possessions and laid low by the tragic loss of his family, Job nevertheless blessed the Lord and refused to blame Him for his troubles (Job 1:21, 22). He clung to his God even when Satan afflicted his bodily health, humbly posing the question as to whether it is right for people to accept prosperity from the Lord but reject adversity (2:10).
Job’s integrity powerfully answered Satan’s question, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (1:9). The answer was yes. Job feared God even when he received nothing in return.
Many Christians build their faith upon the rewards they expect God to grant them. But what if all of His blessings are removed? Authentic commitment comes from a simple and steadfast trust, a heart that declares, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (13:15).
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The tragedies that claimed Job’s possessions and family came without warning. We can guess that Job knew of the ever-present risks to himself and his family—marauding bands of Sabeans and Chaldeans, lightning (“fire of God”), windstorms, and all the dangers that came with living before the advent of modern medicine. Yet even though Job must have assumed that chances were he or his loved ones would sooner or later fall victim to these hazards or others, he was still devastated to learn of his losses (Job 1:20).
Job was like people everywhere, conscious of risks but absorbed with daily routines. And it’s an understandable way of life; after all, Jesus instructed His followers, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:34). However, Jesus also warned that at the end of the ages people would be going about their lives—“eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”—totally forgetting that He would return without warning (Matt. 24:38, 42).
Just as Jesus urged us not to worry but nevertheless to prepare for His arrival by faithfully carrying out the responsibilities He has entrusted to us (24:44–46), we should not waste our days in anxiety over the future, but we should endeavor to keep this life in perspective. We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we do know that no disaster in this lifetime can overshadow the joy that is to come. So when calamity strikes, let us be prepared to look to heaven as we mourn our losses. We will find hope there.
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Job’s Patience and God’s Kindness
Job’s devotion to God despite overwhelming adversity confirms not only his legendary patience but God’s compassion and mercy (James 5:11).
Some have a hard time seeing kindness in a God who would allow such terrible things to happen, and Job’s unflinching piety makes his sufferings seem all the more unfair. Yet his story teaches us that none of us has all the facts we need to make judgments about a situation like Job’s, much less to challenge God (Job 38:1–3; 42:3).
We cannot fully answer why Job suffered so painfully, but we do know that God responded with compassion. He placed limitations on Satan’s attacks (1:12; 2:6). He answered Job even though His wisdom surpasses human understanding (chs. 38–41). He vindicated Job in the presence of those who questioned his character (42:7–9). And He restored Job’s losses (42:12–17). In the face of some of the worst tragedies of life, Job proved himself faithful and patient, and God proved Himself trustworthy and kind.
More: Gain a deeper understanding of God by reading the articles under “Knowing and Serving God” in the Themes to Study index.
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The term sons of God (compare Job 1:6; 38:7) refers here to angels, heavenly beings who inhabit the supernatural realm and are superior to humans in power and intelligence (see “Angels and Demons” at Matt. 8:29).
The Book of Job reports that these beings periodically gather before God. It seems odd to find Satan mentioned as one of these “sons of God” when elsewhere Scripture describes him as a fallen angel cast down from heaven for his rebellion (see “Demons” at Luke 11:14). As an enemy who works to undermine God’s purposes, Satan is aptly named; the Hebrew term translated into English means “The Adversary.”
The Hebrew word for son (bar) can refer to immediate offspring or to a member of a larger group linked by a common lineage. The Old Testament uses the “sons of Israel” (Ex. 28:9) as a name for the descendants of Jacob, the ancestor of the Israelites. The “sons of Asaph” (1 Chr. 25:1) refers to the temple musicians descended from Asaph, King David’s principal musician. Here the term sons of God means “from or made by God,” in the sense that, fallen or not, angels are spiritual beings made by God, and they still are subject to His reign.
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Some people see all the evil and suffering in the world and conclude that God must not exist—or if He does exist, He must not be in control—or He must not be very nice. Especially in our global society, when images, video, and firsthand accounts of unspeakable oppression and catastrophic natural disasters can travel across the world in mere seconds—when we are more keenly aware of the sheer volume of pain and social injustice in the world than we have ever been before—maintaining faith in a good, powerful, active God can feel impossible.
Yet even in this age of instant, intimate knowledge of human suffering from every corner of the globe, the Bible remains our source of reassurance. No evil is so great that God’s Word cannot speak to it, and no burden is so heavy that God cannot lift it. Just take the Book of Job, which affirms that God not only exists but He also constrains evil. First God limited Satan’s destruction to Job’s possessions (Job 1:12). Then He allowed Satan to afflict Job’s body but forbid him to take Job’s life (2:6).
There is no denying that Job went through a lot, and he suffered from the depths of his soul. But God never stopped protecting him. We may not always understand how and when God places limits on evil, but the Bible shows us that hope is never completely lost. No matter what happens, we can rest in the knowledge that God is good, He is in control, and He will never forsake us (Deut. 31:8; Josh. 1:9; 1 Chr. 29:11; Ps. 22:28; 23:4; 55:22; 100:5; 115:3; Prov. 19:21; Jer. 1:8; Matt. 28:20; 2 Thess. 3:3).
In fact, one day the Lord will eradicate every kind of sin and halt all who promote evil. He will hand over dominion of His perfect creation to His Son Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:24–28; Phil. 2:9–11), who declared, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).
More: After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world, God immediately responded by putting boundaries on evil. See “God Limits Evil” at Gen. 3:22–24.
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As Job struggled through his severe trials, he must have felt as though the last thing he needed was counsel from people who only wanted to tell him what he had done wrong—and his three friends are remembered for doing just that. Nevertheless, these men started out with good intentions, and their initial actions are instructive for how we can serve a friend in need.
• They set out as soon as they heard about his trouble.
• They made up their minds to work together, arriving as a group to mourn with and comfort their friend.
• They showed empathy when they wept for Job.
• They showed their support for Job when they tore their robes in anguish, publicly displaying their grief.
• They gave Job their silent presence for seven days, comforting their friend with their presence yet giving him time until he was ready to unburden his heart.
• They listened patiently to Job’s expressions of sorrow and frustration.
As we seek to comfort people suffering deep pain, our simply being present provides help and encouragement. Rather than always seeking to analyze or solve a problem, sometimes our patient, empathetic company can do the most good.
More: Find out more about Job’s friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar at their profiles at Job 4:1, Job 8:1, and Job 11:1, respectively.
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Job does not explain what he “greatly feared.” But there was little security in his world. The dangers were many:
• diseases that struck livestock and people;
• famine, drought, and crop failure;
• destructive pests such as locusts and worms;
• predators such as lions and wolves;
• weather-related calamities like thunderstorms and lightning, floods, hail, windstorms, and tornadoes;
• bandits, raiders, and foreign invaders; and
• fatalities due to complications during childbirth.
Job had lost his wealth, family, and health due to many of these perils. The suddenness and enormity of his fall illustrates how people of the ancient world lived on the edge, never far from complete ruin. There was little they could do to protect themselves.
Yet even in the modern world, we can all create a worrisome list of threats to our well-being and our sense of well-being. But like Job, we can also continue to cling to God, blessing the Lord (Job 1:21) and refusing to charge Him with wrong (1:22).
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Name means: “God Is Fine Gold.”
Not to be confused with: A son of Esau who fathered Amalek (Gen. 36:2, 4, 10–12).
Home: Teman (Job 2:11), a village in Edom south of the Dead Sea.
Family: Probably an Edomite, descended from Esau.
Occupation: Unknown; probably a wealthy man like Job.
Best known as: The first named of Job’s three friends (2:11) and likely the oldest and the leader. His three speeches (chs. 4–5, 15, 22) staunchly defend God’s justice and purity. Although he interpreted the severity of Job’s sufferings as a sign that Job must have sinned, he nevertheless tried to reassure Job of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
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“Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.” Eliphaz, the friend of Job who gave us this piece of wisdom, was misguided on many topics. But on this point he was absolutely right: life in a fallen world is inevitably marked by trouble and disappointment.
We do not have to go looking for trouble—trouble has a way of finding us. Even if we never personally face the kind of hardship that Job confronted, we will endure and observe enough in this world to conclude that life is less than perfect, with plenty of heartache, disappointment, death, and disaster to go around. Sooner or later we all come to the same conclusion that Job, Eliphaz, and their companions reached as they sat around Job’s ash heap, that trouble will come to everyone.
Some people deny this reality, believing that this is the best of all possible worlds. Some go to great lengths to avoid pain, even to the point of also missing out on life’s joys. Job encourages us to accept life’s troubles, face them squarely, and turn to God for our every need. And if we are fortunate enough to bypass some of this world’s worst sorrows, then we should respond with thankfulness and show compassion to those who suffer more.
More: To learn about five Christians who experienced unspeakable hardship but found comfort in the message of Christ, see articles on the lives of Corrie ten Boom (here), Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (here), Frederick Douglass (here), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (here), and Óscar Romero (here).
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Do Not Despise God’s Discipline
Eliphaz gave sound advice when he said not to despise the Almighty’s chastening. Submitting to God’s discipline brings lasting happiness. A related passage in the Book of Proverbs explains that the Lord corrects His children like a loving father, and the author of Hebrews presents the Lord’s discipline as one way by which we know we belong to God. For more about why God chastens His children, read Proverbs 3:11, 12 and Hebrews 12:1–11.
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Water was the lifeblood of ancient caravans, making the oasis at Tema a crucial rest stop for Sabean traders journeying along the major north-south highway across the Arabian Desert. Camels could travel up to a week without water, but if a caravan came to this watering hole and found it dry, disaster loomed.
Job was no doubt familiar with Sheba’s caravans. As the wealthiest man in the Middle East (Job 1:3), he had probably traded with them extensively. He may have also visited Tema, a site only about three hundred miles southeast of Edom, where many believe Job lived.
Job compared his disappointment over his friends’ lack of kindness (6:14) to a caravan arriving at a dried-up oasis. Expecting and desperately needing water, the weary travelers find only dust. With their hopes dashed and their situation perilous, they face the terrorizing prospect of dying of thirst (6:21).
Job had turned to his friends in dire need, expecting to find the refreshing balm of comfort. To his dismay, they responded by further wearying his heart with rebuke and criticism.
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The loss of health, wealth, or the people we love inevitably raises one of life’s most plaintive questions: Why? The question often surfaces in endless variations: Why did this happen? Why did it happen to me? Why now?
Job looked for answers to these questions as he tried to make sense of his sufferings. So did Jesus’ disciples when they came upon a man who had been born blind. “Who sinned?” they asked Jesus. “This man or his parents?” (John 9:1, 2). Their question was framed in terms of causality: What brought about his blindness? They assumed that sin must have been involved. The disciples also framed their question in terms of purpose: What was the significance of the man’s blindness? Jesus borrowed an answer from Job. He assured His disciples that the man’s blindness would make evident God’s glorious works (9:3–5). Then He proved the truth of His claim by healing the man both physically and spiritually.
As a result of his sufferings, Job eventually realized God’s awesome glory and grace (Job 42:1–6). This truth, along with the story of the blind man in John 9, should comfort us when we face seemingly senseless tragedies. Our pain is real. It must not be denied. But someday we will see God’s glory even in the things that we suffer.
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Name means: “Bel [a pagan god] Has Loved.”
Home: Possibly the Transjordan area south of Canaan.
Family: Called a “Shuhite,” suggesting he belonged to an Aramaean nomadic tribe descended from Shuah, Abraham’s son by his wife Keturah.
Occupation: Unknown; probably a wealthy man like Job.
Best known as: The second of three friends who came to comfort Job (Job 2:11). Like Eliphaz, Bildad addressed Job three times (chs. 8, 18, 25). He concluded that the sudden death of Job’s children was the result of their sin, arguing that sinners can expect nothing but suffering in this life and dishonor in death. He also defended God’s perfection.
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Job gratefully regarded his children as a blessing from God, and he was overwhelmed with grief when they were tragically stolen away. In the midst of his despair, he cried out to God, wishing that he had never been born.
The death of a loved one is one of life’s deepest woes, but even day-to-day family life comes with its own set of sorrows and frustrations. Prayer is our opportunity to talk to God about our families’ moment-by-moment successes, failures, worries, and hopes. The Bible highlights many people who prayed for their loved ones. They spoke honestly about being part of a community in which love and sin coexist, and their prayers show us how to pray constructively for our own families.
Abraham | Prayed about his and Sarah’s lack of a child, grieving that he had no heir (Gen. 15:1–6). |
Abraham’s servant | Prayed for help in finding a wife for Isaac (Gen. 24:12–14). |
Isaac | Prayed about Rebekah’s barrenness (Gen. 25:21). |
Jacob | Prayed as he prepared to meet his estranged brother Esau (Gen. 32:9–12). |
Moses | Prayed for God’s mercy on his brother Aaron after the Israelites bowed to a golden calf (Deut. 9:20). |
Hannah | Prayed for a son and offered him back to God if He would heal her barrenness (1 Sam. 1:9–20). |
David | Prayed that God would spare the life of his infant son born to Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:15, 16). |
David | Prayed for his son Solomon, asking God to give him a faithful heart to lead Israel and build the temple (1 Chr. 29:16–19). |
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Name means: “Chirper.”
Home: Naamah (Job 2:11), probably located in northern Arabia.
Best known as: The third of three friends who came to comfort Job (2:11). He gave two or three speeches (chs. 11, 20; see also “God Is Fair” at Job 27:13–23). The harshest of Job’s accusers, Zophar said that Job deserved even more suffering, charging Job with wickedness and hypocrisy and urging him to quit his rebellion.
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God reveals Himself not only through His Word but also through the world that He created. As Job debated his troubles with his friends, he challenged them to learn about God through His creatures. Here are some examples of how Scripture invites us to find wonder and wisdom through God’s handiwork:
Animal | Traits |
Dogs (1 Sam. 17:43; 2 Kin. 8:13; Job 30:1; Phil. 3:2) | Guardians of sheep and other livestock but generally disparaged in Scripture. |
Ostriches (Job 39:13–18) | Lacking in parenting skills but able to outrun swift horses. |
Eagles (Job 39:27–30) | Known for sharp eyes that spot the smallest of prey from hundreds of feet in the air. |
Ants (Prov. 6:6–8) | Carriers of loads many times their own weight; show unusual discipline, organization, and industry. |
Camels (Jer. 2:23) | Wild and stubborn but capable of traveling for days without water and able to move quickly. |
Sparrows (Matt. 6:26; 10:29–31) | Small and inconsequential yet fed by God and highly valued by Him. |
Wisdom looks at creation and recognizes that “the LORD has done this” (Job 12:9). The Bible encourages us to be wise observers of the incredible wonders of the animal kingdom, watching and learning from nature’s teachings (Rom. 1:20).
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When Job called his friends “worthless physicians,” he was asserting that they were frauds, not that all physicians were worthless. Equipped with the knowledge that faith should produce real-life acts of compassion and that the Lord cares about our physical well-being, many of God’s followers throughout history have dedicated their lives to providing health care and developing medical technology to help people around the world.
The Bible generally expresses a high regard for physicians, nurses, and others devoted to health care, honoring these workers in frequent accounts of their work.
Midwives | Helped women give birth (see “A Woman in Labor” at John 16:21, 22; see also the entry for “Midwife” in the Jobs and Occupations index). Were often relatives or friends (Gen. 35:17; 1 Sam. 4:20) but sometimes professionals (Ex. 1:15–22). |
Egyptian physicians | Directed by Joseph to embalm his father’s body (Gen. 50:2); may have shared their medical knowledge with the Israelites. |
Levitical priests | Tended medical as well as spiritual needs (see “Priests as Physicians” at Lev. 13:2). |
Jesus | Devoted extensive time to physical health, including healing the sick and raising the dead (see “Jesus and the Physical” at John 9:32, 33). |
Luke | Described as the “beloved physician” (Col. 4:14) who traveled with Paul and others, no doubt caring for their physical needs as well as participating in their evangelical efforts. |
Elders in the early church | Charged with praying over and anointing ill believers upon request (James 5:14, 15). |
More: The Bible mentions more than 40 specific diseases or disabilities. See “‘Medical Miracles” at John 9:1–41.
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As Job contemplated his sufferings, he said that death would end his pain (Job 14:13). But would it also end his existence? Elsewhere he described death as the “way of no return” (16:22) and the “king of terrors” (18:14). Job feared that he was at the end of his life and did not know what lay ahead. It does not appear that he had an optimistic outlook.
Job had less spiritual truth at his disposal than God’s people have today. His understanding of an afterlife was no doubt shadowy. He probably had no written Scripture to turn to, and he had no foresight that Jesus would one day deliver people from sin and death (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:20–28).
Yet even without that essential truth, Job was confident that he would see God after death. His stirring declaration of faith, beginning with the words, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25–27), has provided hope for generations. The eighteenth-century composer George Frideric Handel set Job’s words to music as part of his masterpiece Messiah (see here for an article on the life of George Frideric Handel).
Whatever questions about death may have lingered from the days of Job and other Old Testament believers, Jesus answered them when He declared, “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25). Jesus’ followers have reason to celebrate even as they mourn the loss of friends and family or contemplate their own death. Jesus has promised eternal life to all who believe in Him, a forever home free from all tears, sorrow, and pain (Rev. 21:4). When it comes to life after death, Christians are people of hope.
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Job’s unrivaled success may have made him feel invincible, immortal. His vast wealth may have led him to believe that the good times would never end. Then the sudden loss of his family, wealth, and health helped him gain a new perspective on life—and death. Perhaps for the first time, he realized that life is exceedingly short. He saw his life passing more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle running through the loom (Job 7:6). He compared his life to the brief existence of a fading blossom or a passing shadow (14:1, 2).
These thoughts may sound morose, but facing the fact of life’s brevity can help us make the most of the time allotted to us. Life is on loan from God. Therefore, we should understand as much as we can of its length and breadth, its strengths and weaknesses, and its place in human history. By thinking about death, we can begin to live the truth of the psalmist who wrote, “My times are in Your hand” (Ps. 31:15).
But we need not go through Job-like suffering to gain that larger perspective. Use these suggestions to gain a deeper appreciation for the true span of life:
1. Interview parents, grandparents, and other relatives about your family’s history (see “Researching Your Religious Roots” at Heb. 13:24).
2. Research the history of your neighborhood, city, or state.
3. Ask longtime members of your church about its founding and what they remember about its history.
4. Read Bible history to see God’s long-range work in the world:
• God’s creation of the universe and His intentions for what He made (Gen. 1–2).
• The forty years of desert wandering as the Hebrews learned to depend on God (Numbers 13:1—36:13).
• King David’s lifetime of achievements and worries (1 Sam. 16–31; 2 Sam. 1–24; 1 Kin. 1–2; 1 Chr. 11–29).
• Esther’s daring intervention to save her people from genocide (the Book of Esther).
• The start of the church two thousand years ago (the Book of Acts).
• The finale of human history and its impact on our choices—joining God in heaven or suffering the consequences of rejecting Him (Rev. 21–22).
5. Interview friends, neighbors, and coworkers about their life journeys, listening carefully to their joys, sorrows, and lessons learned.
6. Read a biography or historical novel, paying attention to how the subject developed as a person.
7. Visit museums or travel near and far with the goal of learning the history and experience of other people. Resist the temptation to judge others’ experiences solely by your own.
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The Hardhearted and the Brokenhearted
Having lost his family, possessions, and health, Job was a broken man, emptied of all pride. The catastrophes that humbled him caused him to reaffirm his faith and dependence on God (19:25–27).
The Bible declares that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Prov. 3:34; James 4:6). It offers prominent illustrations of people who fit into one category or the other.
The Hardhearted | The Brokenhearted |
Pharaoh Defied God by stubbornly refusing to let His people leave Egypt, inviting ten plagues on Egypt with a vast loss of life (Ex. 7–14). | Nebuchadnezzar Lived like a wild beast for seven years until he bowed to God’s preeminence and sovereignty (Dan. 4). |
The Israelites at Kadesh Barnea Spent 40 years wandering in the desert for refusing God’s promise to help them conquer Canaan (Num. 13–14). | Joshua and Caleb Boldly trusted God and gained entry into Canaan (Num. 13:30; 14:6–9, 24, 30, 36–38). |
Saul Stripped of his kingdom and eventually lost his life for his habit of disobeying God (1 Chr. 10:13, 14). | David Received God’s pardon after confessing his sins of adultery and murder (2 Sam. 12:1–25; Ps. 51). |
Jesus’ Disciples Blind to the significance of the feeding of the 5,000 because of their hard hearts (Mark 6:33–52). | The Hemorrhaging Woman Recognized Jesus’ ability to heal and touched Him, believing that was all she needed to do (Mark 5:25–34). |
People Quick to Divorce Told by Jesus that the Law permitted divorce only because of the hardness of human hearts (Mark 10:2–12). | A Woman Caught in Adultery Told by Jesus that she was forgiven and urged to sin no more (John 8:1–11). |
Jesus’ Disciples Hardness of heart made them slow to believe the women’s report of Jesus’ resurrection (Mark 16:14). | Mary Magdalene Heartbroken over the loss of her Lord but rewarded with the first encounter with the risen Christ (John 20:1, 11–18). |
The Jewish Council Rebuked by Stephen for being stiff-necked toward God, evidenced by their mistreatment of Jesus and His followers (Acts 7:51–53). | Cornelius Devoted to God in fasting and prayer, he became the first recorded Gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10). |
If we stubbornly resist God, we should be aware that hardheartedness can become a chronic condition (1 Cor. 10:1–13; Heb. 3:7—4:11). Developing a tender heart, on the other hand, can only lead to greater intimacy with the Lord. Difficulties may break us down, but God will use them to build us up if we let Him (James 1:2–8).
More: The apostle Paul was completely changed as a result of being broken by God. Read his story in Acts 9:1–31; 22:6–16; 26:12–18.
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The Old Testament books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon are written in verse, as are large portions of other books, including Ecclesiastes and the books of the prophets. These portions of Scripture employ literary devices common to poetry everywhere. Hebrew poetry is often distinguished by its use of parallelism, when two lines of each couplet combine to communicate the composer’s meaning. This occurs in several forms:
• Complement: the second line completes or parallels the thought introduced in the first line. For example, Job 25:4:
“How then can a man be righteous before God?
Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?”
• Comparison: the second line draws a comparison with something in the first line. For example, Prov. 25:18:
“A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.”
• Contrast: the second line draws a contrast to or opposes something in the first line. For example, Prov. 22:12:
“The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the faithless.”
• Climax: the second line answers or builds upon the first line to heighten the meaning. For example, Ps. 27:1:
“The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?”
Sometimes a third line is added to further embellish the thought. For example, Ps. 100:4:
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
More: Hebrew poetry often uses the acrostic as another literary device, with successive lines of the poem beginning with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. See “Acrostic Psalms” at Ps. 112:1.
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The Battered Heart
John Donne (1572–1631) often observed that despite his family’s initial prosperity, none had suffered more heavily. Like Job, the poet and priest John Donne endured earth-shattering reversals of fortune in every area of his life, yet in the end, these very afflictions brought him closer to God.
Donne was born to a prominent family of Catholics during a time when anti-Catholicism ran high in England. Donne’s ancestors included Thomas More, the Catholic humanist and inventor of the word utopia who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. During his childhood Donne lost both his father, who died of natural causes, and other relatives, who perished as martyrs to their faith. Donne’s own brother Henry was arrested and tortured until he betrayed a Jesuit priest he had sheltered. While in prison, Henry died of the plague. Donne himself was disqualified from receiving a university degree though he matriculated at both Oxford and Cambridge. As a Catholic his expectations in life were limited to prejudice, harassment, and crippling financial penalties.
After some years of traveling abroad and wavering between a sincere search for truth and a cynical, licentious lifestyle, Donne resolved to reject the Catholic faith. He returned to England and went to work as secretary to the Lord Keeper of the Seal, a high-ranking official charged with protecting the stamp used to notarize important government documents. Donne was thus welcomed into England’s highest social circles, but what seemed to be the beginning of a successful public career was cut short when the young poet fell in love with Anne More, the seventeen-year-old niece of his boss. Their secret marriage enraged Donne’s employer and the bride’s wealthy father. Donne was briefly imprisoned and permanently dismissed from service.
In dismal poverty and without any hopes of social advancement, Donne struggled to support his rapidly growing family. Anne bore twelve children, five of whom died in childhood. Upon one death Donne despairingly noted that while the death would mean one less mouth to feed, he could not afford the burial expenses. Anne died at age thirty-three soon after giving birth to their last child, a still-born baby, and Donne plunged into mourning. “Lo,” he said at his wife’s funeral, quoting from the Book of Lamentations, “I am the man that hath seen affliction” (3:1 KJV). It was during this season of grief that the poet wrote (but dared not publish) an essay in defense of suicide.
In his earlier life, the main driving force behind Donne’s poetry was romantic love; after his wife’s death, his writing found a new object: the love of God. Donne had reluctantly accepted a career in the Church of England and had been appointed by King James as dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Yet even as the poet became the priest, his intensity never waned. Toward the end of his life, Donne wrote a collection of “Holy Sonnets” that express a passionate, even desperate, love for God:
Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
…………………………
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
(“Holy Sonnet XIV”)
Donne’s willingness to endure affliction for the sake of intimacy with and obedience to his God, along with his admission that, alone, he is powerless against sin, speak to the poet’s humility and perseverance in the face of adversity. “Affliction is a treasure,” Donne concluded. It ripens and matures the believer, preparing us for heaven, making us “fit for God” (Meditation XVII).
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Job’s friend Eliphaz challenged him to “acquaint himself with God” if he wished to put an end to his trials. While the logic of Eliphaz’s statement is questionable, it leaves little doubt that he knew the Lord. Speeches by Bildad and Zophar also suggest that they knew and feared God.
Given the period of history when these events took place, this observation is striking. While we cannot pinpoint exactly when Job lived, many believe he was a contemporary of Abraham (c. 2000 B.C.). That makes it appear that Job and Abraham were not the only people of that era who engaged in a relationship with God. At least four other families (including Elihu and his kin, Job 32:1) worshiped the Lord. If six families honored and loved the Almighty, how many more were like them?
When God called Abraham, he was not the only person whom God could have used as His witness to the world—a marked improvement over the world before the Flood (Gen. 6:8), when Noah alone feared and worshiped God. In this later time, the Lord had many followers scattered among the nations.
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Distressed over his ongoing afflictions, Job longed to arrange a meeting with God where he could present his case (Job 23:3, 4). But where could God be found? Job went on a mental journey of the surrounding geography, searching for God to no avail.
It could be that the terms forward, backward, left, and right indicated the points of the Hebrew compass (see “The Land of Promise” at Gen. 13:14, 15). If Job lived in or near Edom, then forward would have indicated the Arabian Desert with its trackless wastes and rare oases. Turning backward, Job envisioned Egypt on the Nile and the Great (Mediterranean) Sea. To Job’s left lay Canaan and the cedar forests of Lebanon, and far to the north were the upper Euphrates River and the Taurus and Ararat mountain ranges. To the right Job visualized the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, and far to the south, his Sabean trading partners (see “An Empty Oasis” at Job 6:19, 20). But no matter where he turned, Job could not find his God.
Where was God? Job would eventually encounter Him (chs. 38–41). But for a time he was left sitting in the ashes, struggling to make sense of his suffering. When we search for God, we may sometimes feel as if our prayers fall upon unhearing ears. But like Job, as long as we continue seeking the Lord, He will be found (Matt. 7:7, 8; Luke 11:9, 10).
More: While David sometimes felt as Job did—as if God had forgotten him (for example, Ps. 13:1)—he also affirmed that no matter where we go, God is with us. See Ps. 139:7–12.
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Recognizing that he was ultimately powerless in the grip of a sovereign God, Job admitted that he felt terrified of the Lord. His limited perception does not mean, however, that God is a fearsome deity who longs to strike dread in human hearts. Job was reeling from severe tragedies. He was struggling with the question, “What kind of God would allow these terrible things to happen?” But we have the advantage of looking back on God’s dealings with people and nations over centuries of time. That far-reaching and long-term view helps us gain a clearer perspective on God. To learn more, see “The Fear of God” at Exodus 1:21.
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Job’s awareness that God takes special interest in the downcast caused him deep anguish when he witnessed evils done to the poor that were going unpunished. Evaluating our treatment of the poor and disadvantaged is one of the best ways we can assess our own integrity. Job provides an inventory of criteria by which to test ourselves:
• Do we cheat in business or steal other people’s possessions (Job 24:2)?
• Do we take the resources of the powerless and drive them into needless debt (24:3)?
• Do we abuse the poor and force them out of our way (24:4)?
• Do we cause the poor to lose work, forcing them into a desperate search for food, clothing, and shelter (24:5–8)?
• Do we lock powerless people into situations and systems that bleed them but benefit us (24:9, 10)?
• Do we live lavishly even as people are dying for lack of basic resources (24:11, 12)?
Compassion is a mark of real faith toward God (James 1:27). As we read Job’s six-point inventory of evil, how do we score? Job was once extremely rich (Job 1:3), but this man who lost all of his wealth might have stern words for us today.
More: God calls His people to serve the poor. Learn more in the articles under “Ethics and Character” and “Wealth and Poverty” in the Themes to Study index.
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Bildad’s portrait of man as a maggot or a worm is not flattering. But note that this was a statement about people’s moral standing before God (Job 25:4) rather than their inherent value as creatures.
Scripture supports Bildad’s assertion that no human being is pure. Sin pollutes everyone, so that from our earliest days we corrupt ourselves with evil (Gen. 8:21; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12). Even our attempts to do good, when we draw not upon God but upon ourselves alone, are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6). This fallen condition extends to all of us (53:6; Rom. 3:10, 23) and makes us unworthy to stand before a holy God.
Yet though we are unworthy, we are not worthless. God has created us in His image (Gen. 1:26, 27; Ps. 8:5; 139:13–16), giving us inherent dignity and worth. God so loved us that despite our rebellion and hostility, He sent Jesus to rescue us from sin and retrieve our humanity from corruption (Rom. 5:8). And when we look to Jesus for forgiveness of our sin, we become God’s children and fellow heirs of Christ’s glory (8:14–17; Eph. 1:11, 12).
Our worth as people is, therefore, totally derived from God. That truth helps correct any distortions we may have about ourselves. On the one hand, we should not wallow in an attitude of “I’m worthless. I’m a nothing.” God never sees us that way. On the other hand, there’s no room for exalting ourselves by pretending we never falter, setting ourselves up as gods, and demanding our way in the world. A healthy self-image is important, but that easily gives way to our natural human tendency toward pride.
Scripture urges us to find a healthy balance between these two extremes. It commands us to have a view of ourselves neither too high nor too low, a self-image based on honesty and realism (Rom. 12:3; 1 Cor. 12:15–19).
More: We are not trash, but we are in trouble. God has provided a way for us to escape our captivity from sin. Through Christ He promises to make us into the people He created us to be. See John 3:16–21.
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We can clothe ourselves with possessions, achievements, and experiences that hide our true condition. Yet in the end, all of that will fall away. We will stand naked before God.
The author of Ecclesiastes grasped that point. Like Job, Solomon was one of the wealthiest and wisest men who ever lived. Yet after leading his kingdom to the height of its prosperity, he wrote, “As [a person] came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return” (Eccl. 5:15). An Arab proverb offers a similar perspective: “There are no pockets in a burial shroud.”
If we cannot rely on external things when we stand before God, there must be something else we can present. Christ’s work on our behalf will ultimately determine our standing (Phil. 3:9). But God will nevertheless evaluate our character and how we have lived—either to His glory or to our shame (1 Cor. 3:9–15; 2 Cor. 5:1–11).
More: For more on building a life that lasts, see the articles under “Ethics and Character” and “Wealth and Poverty” in the Themes to Study index.
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Fires. Floods. Earthquakes. Famine. These so-called “acts of God” strike without warning. Those who suffer usually appear innocent of any degree of wrongdoing that could serve to explain their pain. Victims and onlookers alike wonder how God can let these things happen and still be fair.
Job and his friends wrestled with this question. Calamity struck Job and his family for no apparent reason. His friends took the view that God was punishing him, that he must have done something wrong to deserve such misery. Job disagreed, not only because he felt sure of his own integrity but also because when he looked at the world around him, sinners seemed to prosper (Job 12:6).
Job concluded that the superficially easy life of the wicked is temporary; sooner or later it will crumble. God will humble the proud, and people of integrity will inherit their possessions. Good will win, and justice will prevail.
God is indeed fair (36:6; 37:23, 24). We can be thankful for that fact, because life is not fair. People do not always get what they deserve in this life. But this life is not the end of the story. God Himself will write the final chapters.
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As trials and tribulations dragged on and his friends’ counsel wore him out, Job began to look back on better days. There is nothing unusual in that. But Job was deliberating truly complex issues. We can phrase them as tough questions:
• Is success always a sign that God is with us (Job 29:2–6)? Or if we face hard times, does that mean that God is against us? Job discovered that external circumstances are not necessarily proof of God’s favor.
• Does admiration from others matter (29:7–11)? Should we interpret people’s words or actions toward us as results of God’s favor or disfavor? Job decided that other people’s opinions mattered little. His former associates had turned against him, yet he knew he was innocent of wrongdoing. His three friends harshly criticized him, yet God vindicated him (42:7, 8).
• Are we closer to God when we are strong (29:12–17) or when we are weak (30:9–15)? Job honored God equally in prosperity (1:1–3) and adversity (1:22; 2:9, 10).
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Job’s sufferings caused him to inventory his life, both in terms of inner desires and outward actions. As Job sought to determine if he was guilty of unconfessed sin, he openly admitted the power of sexual appetites. He cataloged the steps of lust beginning with “look[ing] upon a young woman,” then letting his heart follow his eyes, then scheming to be with a forbidden woman (Job 31:1, 7, 9).
This progression may feel normal, natural, even unavoidable. But Job viewed lust as a serious moral failure (31:11). He put lust in the same category as falsehood and deceit (31:5), oppressing slaves (31:13–15), mistreating the poor (31:16, 19, 20), neglecting widows (31:16, 18), stealing food from starving orphans (31:17, 18, 21), rejoicing over the misfortunes of others (31:29, 30), trusting wealth rather than God (31:24), and hypocrisy (31:33, 34).
Lust is a serious sin. It is worth examining ourselves to determine how we are handling God’s gift of sexuality. Have we let it become a consuming drive centered on our own pleasure? Or do we guard our thoughts, eyes, and actions in order to remain pure?
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Pain attacks without discrimination, striking the mighty and the unknown, treating one the same as the other. In the process of discovering this truth, Job found a new set of friends—the poor.
Before his troubles, Job had been a champion for the poor (Job 29:12–17). But his enormous wealth and high social standing had probably distanced him from their pain. Like many government officials and well-to-do citizens, he was aware of their plight but had never experienced it for himself.
Then disaster struck, and suddenly Job felt the pains of poverty firsthand. People who were once his underlings became his peers, his fellow sufferers. He began to identify with slaves who feared unjust treatment (31:13). He understood how widows and orphans felt when they went without food, clothing, and shelter while others lived in luxury (31:16–21; compare 24:2–12).
As a result of his reduced circumstances, Job discovered a new sense of egalitarianism: “Did not He who made me in the womb make them?” he asked (31:15). He realized that all people are basically the same. Possessions and position have nothing to do with our fundamental humanity.
Modern Westerners tend to interpret Job’s situation as a tale of personal suffering. They ask, “Why is this happening to me?” But people in Job’s society were more likely to make sense of individual troubles from the standpoint of collective suffering. One person’s pain had significance for the entire community. Job asked, “Why does this happen at all?”
Job went beyond wondering “Why am I, of all people, facing these trials?” He embraced others who were slighted and slandered by society. His sufferings challenge us to consider what it would take for us to befriend the friendless and seek justice for the powerless.
More: See articles on the lives of Earl Warren (here), Mother Teresa (here), Ida Scudder (here), Jacob Riis (here), and Charles Colson (here) to learn about some Christians in recent history who made it their business to empower the powerless.
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Name means: “He Is My God.”
Not to be confused with: Samuel’s paternal great-grandfather (1 Sam. 1:1) or three other men in the Old Testament (1 Chr. 12:20; 26:7; 27:18).
Family: Son of Berachel, from a place called Buz and from the family of Ram.
Occupation: Counselor.
Best known as: A fourth counselor to Job who was younger than the other three (Job 32:4, 6–9). He corrected his elders and spoke kindly yet firmly to Job.
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Elihu listened quietly while Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar exhausted their pleas to Job. Perhaps the younger man assumed that these older counselors possessed more wisdom, or perhaps he was simply being respectful. When it was obvious that their arguments had failed, however, he offered a new perspective in four back-to-back addresses (Job 32:5—33:33; 34:1–37; 35:1–16; 36:1—37:24).
Unlike his older counterparts, Elihu was empathetic toward Job. He admitted the possibility that neither Job’s circumstances nor his rebuttals of his three friends’ remarks necessarily implied sin or guilt. He suggested that Job was being disciplined and refined for his greater good, or to reach a greater truth.
Perhaps because of the merit of Elihu’s arguments, God did not rebuke him as he did Job’s three other friends (42:7–9). Yet although the Lord apparently did not take issue with the young counselor’s insights, Elihu’s explanation for Job’s condition did not go far enough. It failed to appeal to God alone for mercy and vindication. God Himself is the ultimate standard of justice, and there is no higher principle to which humans can appeal.
The key lesson to learn from Elihu may be that of observing and listening before speaking. While Elihu’s wisdom, like all human wisdom, was imperfect, he was far better equipped to offer compassionate insight.
More: Elihu practiced a style of sensitive communication that Paul later used to plant the gospel in cities throughout the Roman empire. See “Adapting Our Approach” at Acts 26:1–32.
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From Slavery to Servanthood
Josephine Bakhita (c. 1869–1947) was perhaps eight or nine when she was kidnapped from her home in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Arab slave traders forced the young girl to walk six hundred miles to the city of El Obeid. She was sold and bought twice during the trip, and the trauma of the ordeal caused her to forget what her family and friends had once called her. She took a name given to her by her kidnappers—Bakhita, an Arabic word meaning “Lucky” or “Fortunate.”
After arriving at El Obeid, Bakhita changed owners three more times. Her first owner was a wealthy Arabic merchant who employed her as a maid for his daughters. When Bakhita offended one of her owner’s sons (possibly for breaking a vase), he whipped and kicked her so severely that she was unable to move from her straw bed for more than a month. Bakhita’s next owner was a Turkish general whose wife and mother-in-law were cruel to their slaves: “During all the years I stayed at that house,” said Bakhita, “I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. When a wound from the whip began to heal, other blows would pour down on me.” It was in that household that Bakhita underwent a marking process commonly inflicted on slaves: patterns were laid out on her skin with flour, then sliced into her skin with a razor blade and filled with salt to ensure permanent scarring. When the process was complete, more than one hundred intricate patterns had been cut into her stomach, breasts, and right arm.
When El Obeid came under threat of attack by anticolonial revolutionaries in 1882, Bakhita was sold to a representative of the Italian government. He was kind to her, and when he was forced to return to Italy two years later, Bakhita begged to accompany him. After a perilous but successful journey to Genoa, Bakhita was given to some friends of her owner and served as a nanny for their daughter. Bakhita accompanied her new Italian owners during a nine-month trip back to her home country, but when the family’s ventures took the parents to Sudan to set up a permanent residence, Bakhita and the daughter were left in the temporary care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice.
There Bakhita learned about the God that she had “experienced in her heart without knowing who he was.” From her earliest years she had gazed at the sun, moon, and stars, asking herself, “Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?” She “felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage.” When her owner returned to take her daughter and Bakhita to Sudan, Bakhita firmly refused. A court battle ensued, but Italian authorities ruled that since Sudan had outlawed slavery before Bakhita was born, and slavery was, in any case, illegal in Italy, Bakhita had never legally been a slave.
Bakhita joined the religious order that had sheltered her and pledged herself forever to the God she called “the Master.” She was baptized with the names Josephine Margaret and Fortunata (a Latin translation of Bakhita). She served the order for more than fifty years as a cook, sacristan, and doorkeeper, a job that allowed her to minister to the local community. She was much beloved by the townspeople for her cheerfulness, kindness, and hope.
This woman, torn from her family as a child, enslaved, and violently abused, once stated, “The whole of my life has been God’s gift.” When asked what she would do if she met her former captors, she replied without hesitation, “If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian.” Though she had undergone misery so devastating that she had lost her own name, Bakhita discerned the path through her sorrows that had led her to Christ, and she was grateful. Bakhita was proclaimed a saint by Pope John Paul II in October 2000.
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Job’s life had been full of family, festivities, worship, and work—until he lost everything. After protracted suffering and depression, he heard God speak through his friend Elihu, saying, “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.”
God beckoned David to this same reflective pause. In the midst of chaos when “nations raged” and “kingdoms were moved,” the Lord invited David to “come behold the works of the LORD” and to “be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:6, 8, 10).
Stopping to pay attention to the world around us brings enormous benefits. It reminds us that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. By appreciating this world’s wonders, we bask in the amazing truth that its Creator loves us.
More: Our lives are not meant to be lived in hurry. See “Why the Rush?” at James 1:9–11.
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God’s creation of the world took place to the accompaniment of an angel choir. “Morning stars” and “sons of God” refer to angels, beings created by God to serve and worship Him. Learn more about these musical messengers in “The Sons of God” at Job 2:1 and “Angels and Demons” at Matthew 8:29.
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The onager, a wild donkey, was related to the Asian wild ass but was generally smaller, with a broad stripe down its back. Onagers still exist throughout Asia. Unlike domesticated donkeys, often used as beasts of burden, wild donkeys roamed freely throughout Middle Eastern wastelands. God used them as symbols of free-spirited independence in describing His ways to Job (Job 39:7, 8).
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The name Leviathan probably comes from a Hebrew word meaning “twisted,” and the handful of biblical descriptions of this creature suggest a serpent-like, water-dwelling animal. Some have suggested that the name Leviathan refers to the whale or the crocodile. Regardless, it often appears with symbolic or metaphorical meaning. Leviathan is mentioned five times in Scripture (Job 3:8, 41:1–34; Ps. 74:14, 104:26; Is. 27:1).
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When the Lord asked Job whether he was powerful enough to buy and sell giant sea creatures, the obvious answer was no. Leviathan was too powerful, beyond the means of even the most affluent of Job’s day.
The Lord spoke in terms that Job could understand. Prior to his losses, Job had been not just extremely rich but “the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:3). He understood what the Lord meant by his “companions” (41:6), the merchants who bought what they wanted, hired whatever they needed, and haggled to buy things for the least money.
Some of Job’s companions may have been Canaanites, the era’s most successful traders and merchants. With access to the two most vital trade routes of the ancient Middle East as well as the Great (Mediterranean) Sea, the Canaanites enjoyed a thriving economy. The term Canaanite eventually became synonymous with “merchant” or “trader,” as in Job 41:6 (see “The Canaanites” at Josh. 3:10).
If Job and his wealthy and powerful associates were unable to control Leviathan, a mere earthly creature, then how could they expect to control or understand a heavenly God and His ways? That transaction was completely beyond their means.
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Job’s trials ended with a flash of insight. The Lord had barraged him with questions he could not begin to answer (Job 38–41). God’s point was not to humiliate Job by exposing his ignorance but to reveal Himself as the all-powerful, all-knowing God whose ways are faultless.
The insight that Job experienced was more than intellectual; it was spiritual. Awed by his dazzling encounter with the living God, Job realized that he had been foolish, uttering “things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:3). The Hebrew word translated know implies more than a grasp of information; it suggests intimate knowledge gained by personal experience. Job had preached about topics “too wonderful” for him, literally incomprehensible, astonishing things that only God could understand (compare Ps. 139:6).
When Job finally met God, things began to make sense. Job responded to his encounter with God with total humility (Job 42:5, 6). The words “I abhor myself” might be translated “I reject what I have spoken” or “I cast away my words” or “I despise or disdain them.” It is as if Job had written a book to inventory and interpret his experiences (19:23, 24), or a legal brief to make his case before God (31:35–37). But then he realized who God is and threw the book away.
The word translated repent is not the term used for repentance from sin (shub: “to turn back or return”; compare 1 Kin. 8:47; Jer. 5:3). Instead, it is a word that means “to be sorry” or “to console oneself” (nacham). Job threw away his pretensions to wisdom and comforted himself “in dust and ashes,” a common symbol of mourning or humility. He was finally satisfied with the humble knowledge that his sufferings were part of God’s purposes, even if his finite mind could not fathom God’s goals. The Lord heard Job’s prayer and was pleased to give him a new family and possessions (Job 42:10–17).
One day all the mysteries of the universe will find their explanation in the Lord. Meanwhile, it is right for us to be humble and trust in God to order all things for good, even those things that we do not understand. Right now such knowledge may be too wonderful for us to grasp.
More: To join Job in his discovery of God and deeper self-awareness, see the articles under “Knowing and Serving God” and “Personal Growth and Spiritual Development” in the Themes to Study index.
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Job’s friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were sincere—but sincerely wrong. Their lengthy speeches to Job contained truth mixed with inaccurate statements about the God they claimed to know so well. They were perhaps caught up in trying to sound authoritative, like wise and powerful men, or they were perhaps honestly misguided in their understanding.
The Bible does not point out their specific misstatements. But whatever their inaccuracies, they were unacceptable. God’s words to Eliphaz show that He does not accept “folly,” or wrong thinking about His nature and character (Job 42:8). God instructed Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar to entreat Job to offer a sacrifice to atone for their sin of misrepresenting Him.
The Lord’s admonition cautions us to pay careful attention to what we believe about God and how we explain Him to others. We need to make sure that our doctrines are true and accurate, comparing them with Scripture to see whether they line up with what God has told us about Himself (compare Acts 17:11).
More: The Bible warns against false teachers, instructing Christ’s followers to be wary of anyone whose words contradict the teaching of Scripture. Read 2 Pet. 2.
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Most of the Book of Job narrates a discussion between Job and his friends. But the first and last chapters show that Job is also the story of a family that reemerges from tragedy. Job is one of at least eleven biblical books framed around marriage or family. Studying these families’ portraits teaches us about God’s expectations for family life.
Genesis | Stories of the first families in biblical history. The impact of sin is evident in their many dysfunctions. See “Family Expectations” at Gen. 42:36. |
Ruth | The initially tragic but ultimately hopeful journey of a multiethnic family during the period of the judges. |
1 and 2 Samuel | The history of the beginnings of Israel’s monarchy, highlighting the highs and lows of four families—Samuel’s, Eli’s, Saul’s, and David’s. |
Esther | A royal marriage that delivers God’s people from genocide. |
Job | The story of a wealthy man who refuses to give up hope after he loses everything, including his family. |
Proverbs | A father’s gift of wisdom to his son, including insights on parent-child and male-female relationships; concludes with a profile of a woman who skillfully keeps her family functioning. |
Song of Solomon | A love poem reveling in the beauty of marriage. |
Hosea | A picture of God’s commitment to His people seen in Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute. |
Philemon | A letter to a leading family of Colosse on welcoming back a runaway slave who had become a fellow Christian. |
2 John | A letter to a Christian woman offering advice about rearing her children in troubled times. |
More: The Gospels describe two additional important families: Zacharias, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist; and Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers and sisters. For more on family life in the Bible, see the articles under “Family” in the Themes to Study index.
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The irreplaceable value of human life comes home in the closing verses of the Book of Job. After all of his trials, Job was blessed in his old age when the Lord restored to him twice the material things he had lost (Job 42:10, 12). The Lord also gave him ten more children. As precious as those children must have been, they could never replace the ten who had perished in a windstorm (1:18, 19). The grief of that loss would remain. The gift of a new family brought a measure of healing, but the wounds suffered earlier surely left lasting scars.
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