God Perspective Matters More As readers of the book of Job, we are privy to the whole story: Satan torments Job in an effort to prove that Job’s Godly devotion is conditional, that it is dependent on circumstances. Job, however, does not have the luxury of this grand view. All he knows is that his […]
After Job’s so-called friends fail so miserably to comfort him in his time of need, after they criticize and malign him, God steps in. God puts them in their place for what they said and affirms that Job has spoken truth. Then God tells the friends to prepare a sacrifice and to ask Job to […]
Job Prays for His Misguided Friends Who Criticize Him, and God Accepts His Prayers The book of Job is dialogue sandwiched between the story’s prelude and epilogue. The prelude, or premise, is that Job will remain devout to God regardless of how Satan might afflict him (Job 1-2). In the epilogue, or conclusion, God repudiates the […]
When Job’s Friends Try to Comfort Him, Their Words Only Deepen His Distress The Bible tells the story of Job, how Satan took everything from him: his possessions, his children, and his health. Left in deep pain with an unsupportive wife, four of Job’s friends come to offer comfort, but they fail. They should say […]
Job Professes His Spiritual Practices The words of Job’s friend Eliphaz fail to comfort him. Instead they stir up anger. With a friend who speaks like Eliphaz I’d be angry too. In Job’s reply to his so-called friend, he professes what he has done to align himself with God. He claims his practices prove his […]
Job and His Friends Contend with God Job’s life has crumbled. His wife turned on him. And his friends don’t help. After listening to their back-and-forth dialogue that accomplishes nothing, God interjects. At last he speaks. At one point God says, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?” (Job 40:2). In this […]
We Must Adore the Almighty Regardless of Our Circumstances It’s easy to love God when things go well. When our lives are great and we receive his blessings, we can thank him, praise him, and appreciate his goodness. It’s easy to love him when life is good. However, life isn’t always so good. Sometimes our […]
Discover Ten Reasons Why People Speak Well of Job Job had everything and he lost it all. He can’t figure out what happened or why God seems so distant. Though enduring hard times, he asserts he has done nothing wrong. To reinforce this claim of right behavior, he says that everyone who heard of him […]
I once mused that the Song of Songs might be best understood as a screenplay of sorts. Reading and meditating on it as such gave me new insights and a deeper appreciation of this often-overlooked book. It seems that the book of Job is similar in this regard. As mostly dialogue, the book of Job […]
Here is a trio of thoughts from the book of Job: What Job Feared Most Happened to Him The enemy (that is Satan, the devil) knew Job’s fears and exploited them. Although everyone fears something, we are best advised to turn our fears over to God and not dwell on them. Job Believed that Through […]