1. The key text of the book of Job is…Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord…Job 1:21
2. The word “suffering” could be termed to describe the events of Job. Despite God’s goodness and power we have suffering in our lives.
3. My Bible gives me a one sentence summary for Job….After the upright Job suddenly lost family, health, and possessions, he and his friends dialogued at length about the reasons for his sufferings, but God alone had the final word and ultimately restored what Job had lost.
4. The book shows that God permits an adversary, Satan, to challenge His sovereign righteousness, but that God’s glory is served in the end.
5. Jesus is foreshadowed as Job looks forward to the coming Redeemer…But I know my living Redeemer, and He will stand on the dust at last…Job 19:25 Within the book of Job he cries out for a mediator to stand between him and God. Christ is that answer as stated in 1 Timothy 2:5…For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself – a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.
6. This is not enough information given in the Scripture to date the book of Job. There is enough evidence to point towards the time period of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Job has already lived a long life as the story opens, his wealth is measured in livestock, and Job was the personal priest for his family. Also Job and his friends refer to the Creator as “God” (Elohim) or “the Almighty” (Shaddai). The Israelite covenant name, the Lord (Yahweh), which would suggest the time of the Exodus is not used.
7. The book of Job belongs to the literary type referred to as “speculative wisdom,” which explains the great question of the human experience. Other cultures have explored questions of human existence….the Mesopotamian text “I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom”, and the Egyptian text “Admonitions of Ipuwer”.
8. The original author is not stated and the purpose for it being written is not divulged either. However, scholars believe the events occurred many, many years prior to the text being written.
9. The New Testament makes reference to Job’s perseverance or endurance. James 5:11 states….See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord: the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
10. Job is known for its long dialogues and monologues. They indicate the futility of supposing that humans can understand the purposes of God apart from devine revelation.
