Job certainly did suffer, but there is more to his story than just his suffering. Job had a good life and trusted completely in god, but then many terrible things happened to him for example, he lost all his children and fell ill. The battle between god and satan in the book of job adventist. In the first two chapters we are introduced to job and to yahwehs wager with.
The doctrine of satan in job chronological bible teaching. We see that satan can manipulate the weather job 1. In the book of job, how was it possible for god and satan to hang out together. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and the first poetic book in the old testament of the christian bible. In hebrew, satan actually means the accuser or the prosecutor, and he is referred to as the satan, not just satan. If you open job chapter 1 verse 6 you will find that satan went into the very presence of god in heaven. Job is not an israelite but is a gentile from the land of uz, perhaps a place in edom. While the book of job is generally treated as a general lesson as to why god permits evil, with job representing all of mankind. Satan is labeled an accuser and depicted as an opposing force to god.
What does this tell us about the place of evil in the world. Book of job simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. He loves god very much and was faithful to follow his commands. Im a long time christian and am dealing with some issues. Job 1 kjv there was a man in the land of uz, bible gateway. The rest of the book becomes job s indictment of god for doing such a thing to an innocent person and the comic responses of his peers to such an accusation. It is thousands of years ago that the book of job, a story of a decent man who suffers horrendous misfortunes, is written. This book shows the confusion surrounding the role of satan in the first centuries. How could god be so casual in allowing job s children and servants to be killed.
If you have a devil of a job or the devil s own job to do something, it is very difficult to do. Now there was a day when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord, and satan also came among them. One day the angels came to present themselves before the lord, and satan also came with them. At some point, satan actually approaches god himself and basically asks god to put job to the test.
Job 1 niv prologue in the land of uz there bible gateway. Until the book of job, weve only seen satan influence david for israels harm 1 chr 21. Moreover, god literally made this deal with the devil. The book starts with god and satan discussing job, a perfect and upright. By the sons of god it is generally admitted that, in this place, the angels are meant so again in job 38. The accuser hebrew, hasatan is not satan, the devil, but an angel whose job it is to identify people disloyal to god. Satan smiting job with sore boils, william blake, c.
People and livestock who werent even involved died job 1. The bible story of job, from the book of job, is a powerful tale of testing the devotion and fortitude of the human will. In the book of job, as best as i can see, god ruined job s life over a bet job 1. It is also known as the devil s bible because of a very unusual fullpage portrait of the devil, and the legend surrounding its creation it was created in the early th century in the benedictine monastery of podlazice in bohemia, which is a region in the. It teaches humility as god reminds job who is really in control, steadfastness as job refuses to curse god despite his circumstances, and joy and reward when the latter part of. The book s theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central. The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. So jehovah god called satans attention to a man down there on earth, job in the land of uz, as being different from all others, a man blameless and upright, fearing god and turning aside from bad. The book of job does not give an answer concerning the question of the problem of evil, but it does call christians to humbly trust in the lord. This is the jealousies of men that contradict the truth of god that job was an upright man, job 1. All of this is to say that the satan in the book of job cannot be entirely identified with the devil or satan in the new testament. The strange conversation between god and the satan figure in job 12. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. Now there was a day when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord.
The biblical book of job addresses the existence of evil and suffering in a world where a loving, allpowerful god exists. The book of job god did not give satan power biblebro. Satan goes into gods presence in heaven overcoming. Giant book is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of 92 cm 36 in. Years later, in the book of the revelation, the apostle john wrote about a future day when satan will be kicked out.
There is one particular challenge that modern readers face when reading the book of job, and thats the narrative introduction that gets the story moving. It is the only book in the hebrew bible that mentions satan as a sentient being. There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of god, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love god. Job would, if he knew the plot hatched in heaven against him, consider satan the worst sort of enemy. I love reading the book of job i feel a connection, i lost my son to a pedestrian accident almost 3 years ago at 1. The idea of satan as a being with dominion over a metaphysical realm never caught on in judaism. Job gives us insights into his character, his purposes, his tactics, and his goals. 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.
The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. Finally, god appears to job to heal him and take him to heaven in a divine chariot. The meaning of the book of job is found in gods and satans conversation in heaven. No red skin, no horns, no pointy teeth and tail, and no devilish grin. The second undeniable and undisputed proof is found in the book of job. A surface reading of the book of job usually evokes a reaction such as why is god making a bet with the devil. Angels and men are alike sons of god, as created by him, in his image, to obey and serve him. Definition of a devil of a job in the idioms dictionary. Even then, though, job s free moral agency was not denied job.
In essence, job is an essay on the problem of evil. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. In the book of job, how was it possible for god and satan. Job 1 gnt satan tests job there was a man named bible. The meaning of the phrase is probably different in genesis 6. Job chapters 1 and 2, part of the bibles oldest book, say that satan has access to heaven. God sets out to prove to satan that job is not righteous just because he is being blessed. Although the author was an israelite, he mentions nothing of israels history. Was it unfair for god to allow job to suffer over what was. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. Job is going to be immiserated, sealed into sorrowfor a. Job was the wealthiest, most blessed man, maybe in the whole world. This is the final time satan is mentioned in the book of job.
The book of job is often upheld as an example of godly patience while suffering. Satan in job is those who oppose gods opinion of righteous job. Job is a seeker after knowledge and wisdom just as much as faust was. When job s friends heard about the things that happened to him they went to comfort him. It would be hard to believe god dedicated so much of the. The latter could be dated anytime from the reign of solomon to the time of israels exile in babylonia. We are first introduced to job as a blameless and upright man job 1. The evil things in his life came from satan the devil, who thought that job only believed because he had a good life qtip. The book of job prologue job is tested 12 objectives in studying this section 1 to see the stage set for the great controversy that will occur between job and his friends 2 to consider the challenge that satan made concerning job. How could satan access heaven in the books of job and the. Job 14 flesh out a basic doctrinal understanding of satan.
It is apparent that with the temptation and fall of man, there were changes made regarding the devil gen. Satan, the thief, has come to kill, steal, and destroy john 10. In dramatic irony, however, the characters in the story are oblivious to this and appear as. Nowhere in the book of job is satan explicitly stated to be a fallen angel.
So i read the book of job once more to get some insight and thats how i ended up on your page. 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. Satan is seen as the adversary or prosecutor, an agent of gd, very much part of the divine council, that searches out the individuals. Job, jehovah accepts a wager with satan as to the fidelity of his worshipper job under trial and torture. The book of job is one of the longest books in the bible, at 42 chapters. In the book of job, satan is sent by god to torment job. The book that gives us the most information about the devil in the old testament, however, is the book of job. In job s case, the devil was granted special power job 1.
You must understand who god is and who satan is, what they know, and what their motivation is. The book of job is a lengthy poem set in the framework of a prose narrative. In spite of his terrible fate, he continued to trust in god. The book of job grapples with the difficult question of why god allows evil in the world.
Whether in the midst of pain, suffering or agony, the lord will sustain his people through it all for his purposes and glory. After all, israel is a microcosm of the human race and their experiences. Was it unfair for god to allow job to suffer over what was basically an argument between god and satan. A classic old testament skit, pungent as a piece of absurdist theater or a story by kafka. Some theologians claim god gives no answers within this book.
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