The Old Testament's Book of Job is a highly controversial part of the Biblical text. The book of Job is part of the collection of Wisdom Literature, along with Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Like the other Wisdom books Job is primarily composed of poetry. The Book of Job is not simply a story, but a fable, rich with meaning and lessons to be learned. Job attempts to rationalize human suffering and the ways of the Lord. The actual Book in the Bible is for its purpose in teaching us that we must endure what troubles we are given, because it is the will of God. This essay will give a brief outline of the book of Job, and exemplify the issues concerning the lessons of humility, prosperity, and the value of suffering. Job was a virtuous man who lived in Uz with his seven sons and three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, and five hundred yokes of oxen, five hundred donkeys and many slaves. Each year, he held a feast where Job would have each of his children purified; for fear that they might have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. On the day that the angels came to prove before God, God pointed out to the accusing angel (Satan) how righteous and respectful Job was to Him. Satan claimed that Job's actions and character originated with evil and self-serving motives: Job is so righteous and respectful because he has no reason to act otherwise, but if God were to give him adversity, he would curse the name of the Lord. Satan challenges God to test Job, and unwillingly, God accepts. On Earth, Job was suffering with misfortune. All his children died of one tragedy ... ... middle of paper ... ...ice as wealthy as before. His wealth doubled, he had ten more children, and lived 140 more years of his life. The basic theme of this book to accept what is obvious results in fear of God. The clear purpose of this tale is to teach humankind that the true path to salvation and favor from God is an acceptance of whatever miseries and tests placed upon you gaining the virtue of prosperity. We are shown the three wrong stances to take through example of Job's friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zopher, all three of whom place the blame upon Job and presume to know the ways of God. We are also shown that challenging God to prove his ways is unacceptable, we are simple human beings and should not presume to ask God to explain himself to us.
Second, the story line. Although Archibald MacLeish wrote the play based on the story of Job in The Bible, there are many differences in the story line. In The Bible, Job’s misfortune was spawned by Satan trying to show God that Job was not as holy as God had thought. God gave Satan the power to destroy everything Job had, including his health. Job’s children all died together when the roof of the house collapsed on them while they were all dining at the house of the oldest brother. His wife died also, and all of his possessions was taken from him. Furthermore, he contracted painful sores all over his body. As for J.B., his children died separately, one after the other. The oldest had died in the army. Two were involved in a car accident. One daughter was killed by an explosion that also took out J.B.’s millions. And the youngest was raped. However, J.B.’s wife, Sarah, was not killed, but instead she left him. In The Bible, Job is confronted by his three friends. His friends encourages him to turn against God and to curse him, but he refused to do so. On the other hand, J.B. was confronted with four friends, the first three encouraging him to turn against God but the fourth telling him to pray to God and to praise Him.
God blessed him greatly and this made satan jealous. So the enemy began to attack Job with fearful thoughts. Job's fear and worry of losing his family and possessions began to blind him of God's goodness and opened the door to trouble. The enemy then attacked his children, his possessions, and his health. And to top it off, the enemy had him convinced the Lord was to blame.
Between a one of god's greatest servants, Job. Before god's treacherous test, Job lives a great life full of blessings. “There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all people of the east” (Job 1: 1-4). “That man was blameless and upright” shows that Job did not harm before being tested, that he was just a simple living human being. “He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels… and very many servants” shows all the blessing that god has given him. We see Job as a great servant to god through the many rewards that he has acquired like his livestock and his sons and daughters. This will soon be challenged by good and evil, God and Satan. The two almighty powers discuss “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?... Very well, all that he has is in your power”
After reading Stephen Mitchell’s translation and introduction of the Book of Job, I found that as I read the actual poem from the Bible, that I came to understand more of what the writer was trying to get across to the reader. Having grown up in a Christian household, I have heard the story of Job multiple times, but this book made me take a deeper look into the story and as I read the translation it was as if I was reading this story for the very first time. What really interested me was the way that Job and his friends interacted and how it perfectly illustrated the irony of his situation. We as readers know that Job is only being punished because of this disagreement between God and Satan, but throughout the entire book Job’s friends are
Nevertheless, in the Business for the Glory of God: The Bible's Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business, Dr. ...
The book The Upside Down Kingdom by Donald B. Kraybill does an analysis of the bible in a different approach taken by readers. The main point of the book is to help readers understand Gods kingdom in a world that is turned upside down. Kraybill shows how upside down and radical the kingdom was in the first century Palestine and how it is the same in today’s society. In other words Kraybill illustrated the image that people who are at the top of the pyramids, the wealthy and the powerful, will be at the bottom of the pyramid in Gods kingdom if they are not humbled towards the poor and hungry. The book also clarifies the importance of practicing religious principle through the teachings of Christ in relation to the poor and suffering. In more detail one is not to seek the kingdom of heaven from above but rather find salvation of Christ through active compassion and empathy for those who are in need.
The Book of Job shows a change in God's attitude from the beginning to the end. At the beginning of the book, He is presented as Job's protector and defender. At the end He appears as the supreme being lecturing and preaching to Job with hostility, despite the fact that Job never cursed his name, and never did anything wrong. Job's only question was why God had beseeched this terrible disease on him. I intend to analyze and discuss the different roles God played in the Book of Job.
The events that destroy Job’s property and children seem to be agency limiting by their very nature. To Job, the entire chain of incidents must have appeared as a string of unfortunate coincidences. There was no element of predictability, no chance for Job to prepare for or thwart Satan’s plan. Job was blindsided. His agency was restricted by his limited knowledge of what was happening around him. The events Satan chose as a means to obliterate Job’s possessions and his children, were random and uncontrollable for Job. There was no room for any expression of agency on his part. Job&am...
...ade to choose him for the spiritual task. Job realized he had to experience loss and suffering in the name of God to pass the test God bestowed upon him. God stated “Who is that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me... Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth” (p.667) God notified Job he was in no position to question the loss he must undertake in order to complete his mission. Job realized the meaning of his life, when he realized the magnitude God went to convince him of his calling. Job forgave himself for his sacrifices, because he realized it was instructed by God.
...n the world. Job questions what god is really doing for him. Then god talks to job in question form about the creation of the earth. This shows that jobs is very small compared to god, so small that he cannot even being to understand some of the the things god is telling him. Chapter 38 proves to job that humans are far below the power of god then in chapter 42 job quickly shames himself for the previous things he said.
Job was a man of the purest faith. When the world shunned God, Job's faith never declined. Job was a wealthy, handsome man with a beautiful wife and a vast amount of property. At some point in time, Satan made a bet with God that if Job situation was changed, his faith would quickly falter. On this note, God took Job's wealth, his property, his family, and his wife. When times were at their worst, God gave Job pus welts on Job's face, taking his looks. Job's faith, however, did not falter, instead it becamestronger. Job passed the test. God then healed Job, gave him more land, greater wealth , and a better wife. Job was baffled, he wondered the purpose behind his fall and rise. When he asked God this, God replied: "...Because I'm God." That was answer enough.
Why does God allow Satan to cause such tragedy in Job’s life, a man whom God has already acknowledged as “my servant Job, that there is none like on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”(1.8) From the beginning, it is known that Job is in no way deserving of his injustices, so a reason must be given. God gives Job an opportunity to prove that under any circumstances Job will still have faith. This simply a test for Job. The whole Book is a “double” journey for Job -- he shows God his faith and realizes the faith God has that Job will not stray from his path. Job knows deep down that God has not forsaken him.
It is easy to place the blame on fate or God when one is encumbered by suffering. It is much harder to find meaning in that pain, and harvest it into motivation to move forward and grow from the grief. It is imperative for one to understand one’s suffering as a gateway to new wisdom and development; for without suffering, people cannot find true value in happiness nor can they find actual meaning to their lives. In both Antigone and The Holy Bible there are a plethora of instances that give light to the quintessential role suffering plays in defining life across cultures. The Holy Bible and Sophocles’ Antigone both mirror the dichotomous reality in which society is situated, underlining the necessity of both joy and suffering in the world.
...hat they were all speaking as if they knew exactly what God was doing might have also upset him. Therefore, to rectify having spoken of God in this manner, they each must take a certain amount of sacrifices to Job, and Job would offer their sacrifices to God and pray for them. In the end, Job was made twice as prosperous as before. His wealth doubled, he had ten more children, and lived 140 more years of his life. The basic theme of this reading is to establish an understanding of the relationship between God and His people. God's wisdom and power are visible everywhere in creation. A willingness to look and accept what is obvious results in awe for the Creator. Even if we do not accept it, it still reveals His glory. Elevating yourself over God makes no sense for the fact that he is immeasurably more powerful and fully able to accomplish what He knows is most wise.
In The Book of Job, one of the main themes is desire, more specifically the desire to know the actuality. Job is a wealthy man living in a land of Uz with his family minding his own business. He is a very religious man and usually strives to do what he believes is morally right. Satan one day challenges God that Job will lose his faith in him if he allows Satan to torture Job. God accepts the challenge and Job greatly suffers. Job at the beginning of the story had no desires or intentions at all, but as his condition gets worse and worse. Job mindset about God and his belief begins to shift. At this point in the story desire starts to play a key role in Job’s life. Desire is shown in Job when he demands answers from God and why God is putting him through all of this. The idea of questioning God terrifies Job but his desire for an answer ultimately overshadows his fear of questioning God, “Here is my desire...