...Jones English 2111 7 June 2015 Discuss the Ways You Believe the Book of Job Succeeds or Fails in Answering the Question of Why the Innocent Suffer. At first glance, the book of Job appears to tell the tale of God chastising his utmost blameless servant to win a bet with the devil. However, further understanding tells us that this story is actually a message to all those who want to follow God. The message here is just much more challenging to recognize than other stories in the Bible. In chapter one of the Book of Job, Job is described as being “blameless” and “upright” (Alter, page 193). He was a man who “… feared God and shunned evil.” (Lawall, page 193) Genesis 6:9 in our text also describes Noah as a “blameless” and “righteous” man (Lawall, page 163). The difference in these texts is, “… Noah walked with God.” (Lawall, page 163) Therefore, just because Job “feared God and shunned evil” does not mean that he “walks with God.” Christianity and the Bible does not only teach the idea of righteousness. It also teaches the importance of having a relationship with God. Chapter one in the book of Job also states, “And it happened when the days of the feast came round, that job would send and concentrate them and rise early in the morning and offer up burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job thought, perhaps my sons have offended and cursed God in their hearts. Thus would Job do at all times.” Job wants to be a follower of God, however, he thinks that he must...
Words: 620 - Pages: 3
...------------------------------------------------- Book of Job From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tanakh and Old Testament | | [show]Tanakh | | Judaism portal [show]Old Testament | | Christianity portal | * v * t * e | The Book of Job ( /ˈdʒoʊb/; Hebrew: אִיוֹב ʾ iyobh), commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a didactic poem set in a prose frame. The over-riding and oft-asked question asked in the book of Job is, "Why do the righteous suffer?"[1] Scroll of the Book of Job in Hebrew. The book of Job has been included in lists of the greatest books in world literature.[2] Contents [hide] * 1 Contents * 1.1 Summary * 1.2 Structure * 1.2.1 Speech cycles * 1.3 Speeches of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar * 1.4 Speeches of Job * 1.5 Speech of Elihu * 1.6 God's response * 2 Satan * 3 Job's wife * 4 Composition * 4.1 Origin and textual history * 4.2 The "Job Motif" in earlier literature * 4.3 Later interpolations and additions * 4.4 Talmudic tradition * 5 Dissenting/Speculative Wisdom * 6 In Judaism * 7 In Christianity * 7.1 Messianic anticipation in the book * 7.2 Liturgical use * 8 Middle Eastern folk traditions on Job * 9 References to Ayyub (Job) in the Qur'an...
Words: 1961 - Pages: 8
...JOB (Job 1: 1-5, 13-22) The Book Of Job I. Background of the story The story is derived from one of the books of Hebrew Bible, the Book of Job. It relates the story of Job, who was not Jewish, and in Jewish tradition is the son of Utz, who was the son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. It tells of his trials at the hands of God, his theological discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The Book itself comprises a didactic poem set in a prose frame and has been called “the most profound and literary work of the entire Old Testament”. The Book itself and its numerous exegeses are attempts to address the problem of evil. II. Summary There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshipped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East. Job’s sons used to take turns giving a feast, to which all the others would come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them. The morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally. All of a sudden Job’s...
Words: 508 - Pages: 3
...Reiland 5th Period Mr. Nabors English 4206 [ 11 November 2010 ] The Book of Job: An Examination Of all of the stories, fables, proverbs, and histories of the Bible, The Book of Job is one of the most compelling due to its unique literary style and the complex treatment of the issue of suffering. Unlike other books of the Bible, The Book of Job details a conflict between man and God within a poetic structure, and is the only book in the Bible to take on the problem of suffering as its main purpose. Throughout the book, Job pleads to God for all of the misfortunes that have befallen him. This type of discourse found in Job cannot be found anywhere else in scripture. Upon examination of the roles of protagonist and antagonist, it becomes apparent that the roles may be alternated between Job and Satan. Moreover, different conclusions and interpretations of the book can be made. Theological complications due to the existence of evil in a world ruled by an omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent god will be attempted to be reconciled by theodicy. As coined by Gottfried Leibniz, theodicy is a branch of apologetics which attempts to reconcile the apparent evil in the world with God’s benevolent nature. Job’s nature and wealth is described in the first three verses of the book. He is depicted as “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1). It would seem unlikely that Job would ever find himself on the negative side of God, but this seems to...
Words: 3072 - Pages: 13
...In conclusion, the two exegetical tools, feminism and Catholicism of the Book of Job both have very different meanings. Feminism have the view overall that gender roles are biased in the book of Job. To sum up the derived meanings, feminists believe that Job’s wife portrayed harshly and receives a lot of judgement just because she tells Job to curse God and die. Many think it is unfair as she has lost all of her children, flocks, and servants and has to put all of her time into helping Job when he has excruciatingly painful skin sores, suffering the same hardships as Job did. However, she ended up disappearing and was called names such as ‘the devil’s accomplice’. However, feminists believe she is speaking from compassion and love for her...
Words: 1568 - Pages: 7
...The Book of Job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature exploring some of the most profound questions humans ask about their lives and extremely well written. The story doesn’t state explicitly state when it was written but some researchers claimed that it might be written around 1800 B.C. The book of Job is generally considered to be set in Arabia and some other specific locations like Edom or Babylon. Main characters of this story are Job and God. Protagonist of the story is Job because all of this story are about him, Job is spirit of the story. The antagonist of course, Satan played that role. There were many objectors to our protagonist but Satan was considered as the chief antagonist who managed to destroy Job’s wealth, wipe out his children and make him to suffer many other things like nasty skin boil for instance. Job is dynamic character because through the story he changed from a loyal servant who favor god to a man who fall into distress because of his suffering then finally realize his mistake and submit to God’s will in total obedience. God and Satan can be considered as static characters because through of this story, they seem not to change anything inside. God still God, he always has his own rule and ways, he is wise enough to do everything for a reason. In the book of Job, the author used indirect exposition to reveal characteristic of characters. We read the story and then made our own impress about characters. Job is heroes of this story...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
...Job was a righteous man, who loved God dearly and was a model Christian. In the book of Job, God made a wager with Satan to see if Job would remain righteous. The first thing many people wonder, is why God would make a deal with Satan in the first place instead of just sending him back to hell. God agrees to let Satan have his way with Job in order to prove a point. He was trying to discourage Satan from meddling with any of God’s other followers. After Satan through everything he had at Job, besides personal death, Satan realized he could not sway God’s people. Job remained steady throughout the ordeal, despite being tempted by the devil and his wife to turn away from God. At one point he does question God’s motives in which God scolds...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil. 2 And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. 4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were ended, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it. 8 And the LORD said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? 10 Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side...
Words: 19121 - Pages: 77
...Job vs. The Poem of a Righteous Sufferer and The Code of Hammurabi vs. Leviticus The book of Job and the Poem of a Righteous Sufferer both have a similar storyline and address the issues of suffering (more specifically, undeserved suffering). Both protagonists go through great sufferings, and turn to their God(s) in bewilderment as to why. They both felt their suffering was underserved and questioned their God(s) in search of understanding. The major difference between the stories is the deities. Wherein the Poem the protagonist believed in many Gods, in the book of Job, Job believed in one all-powerful God. In the poem of the Righteous Sufferer, the Mesopotamian culture believed in many Gods. The good which one God might wish for an individual could be challenged by another God, therefore concluding that suffering could come from any deity or any reason. From the story, it seems the problem of suffering in Mesopotamian religion is dealt with “through one God working through an intermediary to deliver justice.” Meaning, the God’s will deal with you justly eventually. In time, they would redress your wrongs and cure your afflictions. So, the sufferer is given comfort, knowing that eventually their suffering will be compensated for. In the story of Job, the suffering was not brought upon by God, but rather by Satan (the adversary). God allowed this suffering to occur to Job although he considered him “blameless” and “upright.” The answer to the question of human suffering is...
Words: 713 - Pages: 3
...Job, a life encapsulated in pain and joy, good and evil, life and death. His life stands continually as a testament of a greater battle that is beyond our dimensions and minds. Though we see its effects every day, Job’s life shows us a glimpse into the Great Controversy. From a noble to an outcast, from riches to rags. The beginning of Job’s life is hidden in ambiguity. Even the era is hard to pinpoint, but with a bit a logic and reasoning, we can have an educated guess. As we read Job, we see that he, Job was probably a little over 200 years old when he died, and Abraham was at least 200 when he died. After Abraham no one lived as long as that, so he must have lived before 1750 BC, the date Abraham died. In Job chapters 22 and 38 it speaks...
Words: 1260 - Pages: 6
...JOB AND HIS FRIENDS A PAPER PRESENTED to DR.WAYNE POPLIN LIBERTY UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for OBST 592 By Maurice Allan Smith Sr. 22943721 March 3, 2013 Introduction The book of Job is written as a dramatic poem, that deals with several age old questions, among them are the question of why the righteous suffer. The book of Job takes its name from the main character in the poem, the patriarch Job. Because Job deals with a number of universal questions, it is classified as one of the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament. Other books of this type are Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.1 The book of Job is a very complex book in that is seems to contradict the wisdom theology found in other books like Psalms, Proverbs, and James, in that scripture seems to show that righteousness is rewarded with blessings, while a life of foolishness can result in death. Then comes the confusing book of Job that contradicts God’s previous messages of wisdom theology and shows the righteous being punished while those who do evil prosper. In this paper I will seek to show, through Job and his friends, that there are expectations to the rules established in wisdom theology and that through job and his friends we find the process to these exceptions, and that is God’s Sovereign Freedom. ------------------------------------------------- In this paper I will attempt to specifically identify, and address and evaluate each of Job’s friends...
Words: 4359 - Pages: 18
...OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE DICTIONARY PROJECT Jennifer Buchanan 3145700 BIB 104-B73 Sept. 26th 2015 The Book of Job The book of Job is a non-fiction biography of a righteous man described in the opening verse as “perfect and upright, and one who feared God, and eschewed evil”. The main character is a healthy and prosperous man whom the devil is allowed to bring suffering and hardship to in order to test his righteousness. After standing firm in his faith during this difficult hardship including loss of his family, health, wealth, and reputation, the Bible tells us that everything was returned to him in double portion. Other characters include his family and his three closest friends; Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Job was such a God fearing man, he rose every morning and offered a sacrifice to God for each of his ten children. “And it was so, when the days of their feast were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts”(Job 1:5/KJV). So this was his morning ritual just in case he needed to make restitution to the Lord by sacrifice for other members of his household. The book of Job has a style that flows from narrative to dialogue, speeches, poetry, more monologue and finally back to narrative (Hindson and Towns, 2013). The author is unknown as well as the date it was written. However...
Words: 987 - Pages: 4
...Jonathan Kim, Ph.D. 11-12-2010 Books of Wisdom Literature Wisdom Literature is a style of Hebrew literature. It was originated from 6th century BC, when the Israelites in exile after being swept into the AD era. These literary works are such as "Wisdom books." "Wisdom literature" has four main characteristics: 1. The writing time should be after the Israelis were swept and before the birth of Jesus Christ; 2. The contents should focus on ethics, but not designed to focus on theology; 3. The way of expression are mainly the maxim, aphorism, metaphor, fables, poems, eulogy, etc; 4. The writing object is not only limited to Jews. There are five main books of Wisdom Literature, Book of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms and Song of Songs. First, Job is a faithful servant of God who is known for piety and patience. At that time, the Israelites were polluted to worship the Egyptian demons, but only Job is adhered to worship the God purely. The most ancient tradition believed that Moses is the author of this book. Many Jewish and early Christian scholars also agreed with this proposition. It is because the style of Job is very similar with the Pentateuch. So, the time of writing should be estimated around 1500 BC of the Patriarch Period. Most of this book (3:1-42:6) is a form of play or epic written. The front (1:1-2:13) is a prelude and (42:7-17) is the end. These two parts is written in prose form. Job not only teaches a great truth. “The Book of Job deals with one of man's oldest...
Words: 2147 - Pages: 9
...Scholars and their theories Stephen Mitchell- “Job is a man of patience.We are far more likely to see the book as a theological treatise on human suffering, especially the innocent variety.” Observed that William Blake, who created a series of engravings on Job, “is still the only interpreter to understand that the theme of this book is spiritual transformation”. Perhaps Blake is among the few to see in Job, what is involved in coming to live before the only God we cannot construct. Sees the flawlessness of Jobs life as a depiction of Job as the ‘perfect moral businessman’, who knows how to succeed at the reward game, with life and with God. “All this bewilderment and outrage couldn’t be so intense if Job didn’t truly love God. He senses that in spite of appearances there is somewhere, an ultimate justice, but he doesn’t know where. He is like a nobler Othello who has been brought conclusive evidence that his wife has betrayed him:his honesty won’t allow him to disbelieve it, but his love won’t allow him to believe it. The voice is saying “What is all this foolish chatter about good and evil...about battles between a hero-God and some cosmic opponent? Don’t you understand that there is no one else in here?” David Robertson-Draws our attention to Job’s speech in chapter 9, in which Job predicts what would happen if he summoned God to a face-to-face encounter. “If it is a contest of strength,behold him”-Job. When God finally does appear, Job’s prediction comes true “So...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
...Lacey Coronado L24607849 BIBL 104-D30 April 20, 2012 Summary of the books of the Old Testament Books) Joshua The genre of Joshua is narrative. The two major themes in Joshua are the possession of the land and the covenant. Key Events: The major events of the book of Joshua are essentially separated into three different parts, including: the conquest of the land, the division of the land, and the farewells. During the “conquest of the land,” God orders Joshua to take possession of the land and warns him to keep faith with the Covenant. After crossing the Jordan by God’s divine intervention, the Israelites begin conquering the land by first taking Jericho, and then Ai. After some mishap with the Gibeonites in the south, the Israelites overtake Hazor in the north with “Yahweh’s” help. The second division of the book of Joshua was “the division of the land.” The division of the land essentially put people in literal possession of the land. The land divisions consisted of land east and west of the Jordan River, and also cities of refuge and the cities of the Levites. Lastly, in Joshua’s “farewells,” Joshua tells the Israelite leaders that they need to remain faithful to the covenant and to Yahweh. He also tells reminds the whole land of Israel of God’s great works. Joshua then performs the last covenant ceremony and sends the people to their land. The book of Joshua emphasized how important it is to be faithful to the covenant. Key characters: God, Joshua,...
Words: 979 - Pages: 4
