The book of Job!
Here are some extra notes on the book of Job. The basic question that the book answers is: “How should the righteous suffer?”
The Book of Job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. Consider these quotes: “Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, I should save Job.” (Victor Hugo)
“…the greatest poem, whether of ancient or modern literature.” (Tennyson)
“The Book of Job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of the most wonderful productions of any age or of any language.” (Daniel Webster)
Job is one of 5 poetic books of the Old Testament. Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) offered this concise summary of the five books: _
Job – How to suffer _
Psalms – How to pray _
Proverbs – How to act _
Ecclesiastes – How to enjoy _
Song of Solomon – How to love
Mark Copeland wrote this concerning the things addressed in the book of Job: _
Thee question of suffering is addressed – Why do we suffer? Who or what causes it? Why doesn’t God do something?
Not all questions are answered, but some important points are made: _
Man is unable to subject the painful experiences of human existence to a meaningful analysis – God’s workings are beyond man’s ability to fathom. Man simply cannot tie all the “loose ends” of the Lord’s purposes together. We must learn to trust in God, no matter the circumstances. _ Suffering is not always the result of personal sin – The erroneous conclusion drawn by Job’s friends is that suffering is always a consequence of sin. Job proves this is not the case. _ Suffering may be allowed as a compliment to one’s spirituality – God allowed Job to suffer to prove to Satan what kind of man he really was. What confidence God had in Job!
Here is a BRIEF OUTLINE of the entire book of Job (adapted from Warren Wiersbe)
I. JOB’S DISTRESS (1-3)
A. HIS PROSPERITY (1:1-5)
B. HIS ADVERSITY (1:6-2:13)
C. HIS PERPLEXITY (3)
II. JOB’S DEFENSE (4-37)
A. THE FIRST ROUND (4-14)
1. Eliphaz (4-5) – Job’s reply (6-7)
2. Bildad (8) – Job’s reply (9-10)
3. Zophar (11) – Job’s reply (12-14)
B. THE SECOND ROUND (15-21)
1. Eliphaz (15) – Job’s reply (16-17)
2. Bildad (18) – Job’s reply (19)
3. Zophar (20) – Job’s reply (21)
C. THE THIRD ROUND (22-37)
1. Eliphaz (22) – Job’s reply (23-24)
2. Bildad (25) – Job’s reply (26-31)
D. YOUNG ELIHU SPEAKS (32-37)
1. Contradicting Job’s friends (32)
2. Contradicting Job himself (33)
3. Proclaiming God’s justice, goodness, and majesty (34-37)
III. JOB’S DELIVERANCE (38-42)
A. GOD HUMBLES JOB (38:1-42:6)
1. Through questions too great to answer (38:1-41:34)
2. Job acknowledges his inability to understand (42:1-6)
B. GOD HONORS JOB (42:7-17)
1. God rebukes his critics (42:7-10)
2. God restores his wealth (42:11-17)
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION
1) What are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, often called? – Books of Poetry – Wisdom Literature
2) Who wrote the book, and when? – We do not know
3) What evidence is there that this book describes an event that actually occurred? – It both starts and ends like other books of history in the Old Testament – Job is included with Noah and Daniel, as figures of history, in Eze 14:14 Mark A. Copeland The Book Of Job 7 – James refers to the example of Job in teaching on perseverance (Ja 5:11)
4) In what historical time frame is the story of Job possibly set? – During the period of the patriarchs, perhaps contemporary with Abraham
5) What is the purpose of this book, as suggested in the introduction? – To answer the question, “How should the righteous suffer?”
6) According to the outline suggested above, what are the three main divisions of the book? – Job’s Distress (1-3) – Job’s Defense (4-37) – Job’s Deliverance (38-42)