“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; he was a blameless and righteous man, who feared God and shunned evil.”
Job 1:1
With these words the book begins and we are introduced to Job – a blameless and righteous man who feared God and shunned evil. The world still seems to be in order in this verse. It is the prelude. Nothing Job seems to have done seemed wrong.
It was a man – that also already speaks of it being a particularly human story. It is the story of a man and of human suffering. But not only that. It is also the story of human questions concerning suffering, and history shows the struggle for answers. People ask about God and God’s role in the suffering, and why He does not answer (immediately). They are questions about guilt and responsibility for suffering, about cause and connection – in short, about meaning and redemption in suffering.
Reading the book, you can see these three points:
- The Book of Job describes Job’s suffering and affliction
- The Book of Job describes God’s response to this
- Job learns that God is really God.
In the land of Uz
Job dwells in the land of Uz. Where is that? As with many places in the Bible, the name is closely associated with the name of a person. It is the land of Uz, where the man Uz dwelt.
In the book of Lamentations it says “Rejoice and be merry, O daughter of Edom, who dwell in the land of Uz!” (Kll 4:21). From this it is evident that “Edom” and “the land of Uz” are related.
But more can be learned about this land: In Genesis 36, we are told in detail about Esau, who went away from his brother Jacob towards the south. Esau settled in Mount Seir (Gen 36:6-8). Esau, it says, that is Edom (Gen 36:1 1M0 36:8 Gen 36:19). The land of Edom is the land where Esau went. When Esau settled on Seir’s mountain, another man, a certain Seir, was already living there. Thus the next verse states: “These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land” (Gen 36:20).
Uz is also found among the descendants of Seir (Gen 36:28). So the land of Uz is in Edom. This area is just southeast of the Dead Sea, in what is now Jordan (map).
Job
“His name was Job” (Job 1:1). The name Job in Hebrew means “to hate, to antagonize, to enmity”. It is hard to imagine that Job enjoyed traveling with this name. However, no name in the Bible is without purpose and meaning. Let’s keep this name in mind as we continue reading the book.
Outside Israel
What more do we learn from the first chapter of Job? What was the environment like in which Job lived? Let’s try to look at the story a little more closely. His situation may not have been all that different from ours. In the land of Uz, for example, he dwelt outside of Israel and among people who had other ideas and served other gods.
It seems Job stood in a special place with His trust in God. In his family, Job was definitely in a lonely position. Job was pious. He reckoned with God. Job brought burnt offerings for his children after each feast, in case they had sinned (Job 1:2-5). Also his wife apparently did not have the same trust in God as Job himself, we read (Hi 2:9).
Satan, the accuser
“And it came to pass one day, that the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD. And Satan also came in the midst of them.”
Hi 1,6
Satan is the resister, the accuser (cf. Zechariah 3:1) who appears before God. He accuses the people. He is also the jumble-thrower (gr. diabolos) and ancient serpent (cf. Revelation 20:2) who tries to jumble God’s words and works.
Satan appears among the sons of God, Hi 1:1, cf. Hi 38:7. Satan is not in hell – as popular ideas like to portray it – but he roams the earth and accuses before God in heaven. In the time of Revelation, he is cast down from heaven to earth (cf. Revelation 12:9).
Satan accuses Job before God. As a result of this conversation, Satan is able to take away from Job almost everything he holds dear (see Job 1:6-19). After that, what we would call strokes of fate happen. Catastrophes are pelting this righteous man. In a single day he lost his cattle and servants, his sons and daughters. One piece of bad news after another arrives. This is also where the expression “bad news” (German: Hiobsbotschaft) comes from.
All this happened after Satan had accused Job before God, although Job himself knew nothing about this conversation and did nothing “wrong”. Satan attacked Job because he was blameless. The essence of things should become visible. Job himself cannot help it. The suffering is not self-inflicted. This is the core of the beginning: How should we deal with suffering, which we are often confronted with without our help?
They are quite human questions. In the story of Job, we hear that there are things going on behind the screens – in front of God – that Job himself has no idea about. He is simply confronted with the effects. We can deduce that the Book of Job tries to link the suffering in the world with God who is enthroned above the world.
Satan can only do as much as God allows
From the first chapter of the Book of Job we learn that Satan has only as much power as God allows him. Even though Satan caused the blows of fate for Job, Job himself recognizes correctly: “The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away. The name of the LORD be praised!” (Job 1:21). Job does not attribute his strokes of fate to Satan, but knows that far above them stands God Himself.
The Bible does not trivialize evil or Satan as a person. It also does not attribute divine qualities to him. Satan is – as we can see from the story of Job – always bound by the statements of God. And it is God who gives Satan at most some leeway with clear boundaries.
At present, these limits to Satan’s activity are wide, since Paul describes Satan as the “god of this world” (2Cor 4,4 better: age or aeon, gr. aion). So our time is thrown strongly into confusion by this “confounder” (gr. diabolos).
God is greater
In the Book of Job, it becomes clear that for all the power of Satan, God Himself remains much greater. He wants to effect His salvation in this world, and sends His Son. John writes: “For this purpose the Son of God appeared that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1Jn 3,8). God’s wisdom is much greater than we – or even Satan – could have ever imagined. If Satan had known the salvation that was triggered by Jesus’ sacrifice, he would not have crucified Jesus. For this is what Paul writes:
“We speak God’s wisdom in mystery, the hidden one, which God predestined to our glory before the ages of the world, which none of the rulers of this age of the world recognized – for if they had recognized it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
1Cor 2,6-7
Job’s reaction
After all the messages of doom had reached Job, it says:
“Then Job arose, and rent his outer garment, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground, and worshipped. And he said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return thither. The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken away; the name of the LORD be praised! In all this, Job did not sin and did not accuse God of anything offensive.”
Job 1:20-22
Job does two things:
- He got up, tore his clothes, shaved his head hair, threw himself on the ground and worshipped. He was “devastated,” as we know that expression to be. But in it he worshipped, turning to his God without words.
- Then came the second step: he talked and spoke what he experienced and felt. Here, too, he praises the name of the Lord.
There are situations in life where there are no more words. Job was shaken, but he does something precious: he can express his sorrow. He tore his clothes, shaved his head hair and threw himself on the ground. It’s a whole process. This takes time. Only in a second step does he also find his way back to words.
When Job speaks, he acknowledges that God is above all. No accusation of guilt is heard from him, but “The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away! An almost sober statement.
He has given expression to grief, and now he throws himself down before his God. Without judgment, suit or conviction. In this confession of Job, nothing is yet resolved. But trust in his God, however incomprehensible the situation, does not tear.
Deepening
Questions to share:
- Is everything in God’s hands? (cf. Eph 1:11)
- Why would the “rulers of this world age” not have crucified Jesus had you known about God’s wisdom? (cf. 1Cor 2:6-7)
- What is Job’s trust in God based on?
- How does Job see God? And vice versa: How does God see Job?
- Job lived by faith. We live by faith. Compare.
