Hope in the book of job explained meaning

This reference in james is the only time job is mentioned by name in the n. While it is true that suffering is a major theme in the book of job, suffering is not the real meaning of job. The book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author. Jobs suffering did not come because he was bad but rather because of his unwavering faithfulness to god. Nov 26, 2017 the book of job read by alexander scourby. Here, job asks the question that the bible seeks to answer. What is taught about trial in the new testament is founded on the principles found right here in the book of job. In the midst of suffering, we must never lose our hope in god. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today. I know i havent suffered as deeply other people have, but the study of the book of job during the painful and hard times of my life has helped me bring out some ideas that could be of use to you.

Alternate views are given in edouard dhorme, a commentary on the book of job nashville. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. They were chastisements meant for his good, and bildad is enabled to hope the best for job, if he will rightly lay his trials to heart. We can explain jobs lack of knowledge of the afterlife by understanding the principle of 2. In the end job says, i have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. The book of job shows us something remarkable about our relationship with god. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of job speaks a message of great hope to the world. Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder. Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14. Throughout the book style and language of isaiah are very expressive. The description here given of the leviathan, a very large, strong, formidable fish, or wateranimal, is designed yet further to convince job of his own impotency, and of gods omnipotence, that he might be humbled for his folly in making so bold with him as he had done. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author, but the principal character.

It is what job learns about god through his suffering. This reading from job is not meant to fill us with hope, but to give voice to the longings we find inside ourselves. If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient. You can use these sermons as part of a lengthier series on job, or as a standalone topical series on the subjects of grief, suffering, the meaning of life, or the sovereignty of god. This is the very effect that this book on job has on everyone. It is an amazing confession of absolute trust in god. Like the book of job, lamentations pictures a man of god puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world. Of these five books, one stands out in bold relief, manifesting significant differences from the other four. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. According to the opening part of the book, job lived in the land of uz, and he was probably one of the most prominent citizens of that land. Better yet, it may help you to accompany others in their tribulations and sustain them in hope. In fact, some scholars believe that job requires and understanding of the book as a whole more than any other book of the old testament. As the sea became rough and choppy, the old salt calmly lowered the heavychained anchor link by link, battened down the hatches and went to bed for the night.

It also makes sense to date the book as close to the invasion as possible, meaning late 586 bc or early 585 bc, due to the raw emotion jeremiah expresses throughout its pages. The meaning seems to be, if his sons come to honor, it is of no advantage to him. An extraordinary and invaluable version of this great biblical treasure. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a wartorn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of gods allcontrolling will. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. By mark jenkins january 21, 2008 m any skeptics point to the book of job, seeing in. The bible story of job, from the book of job, is a powerful tale of testing the devotion and fortitude of the human will. The book of job kjv audio bible full by alexander scourby. Job is one of the most famous people in scripture, yet he is rarely listed as a favorite bible character. The book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the question of why really bad things happen to really good people. The arrows of the almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison. 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. The hope of the old testament saint required the resurrection of the dead.

Rather, the focus is on what job learns from his suffering. David guzik commentary on job 19, where job answers to bildad, saying i know that my redeemer lives, showing his trust in god as redeemer and judge. 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 book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. Job s suffering can teach us to see the way god sees. The lesson from the big book of job is 1 that god is sovereign over all our suffering. Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation. That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever. Job s suffering did not come because he was bad but rather because of his unwavering faithfulness to god. Most people understand hope as wishful thinking, as in i hope something will happen. Hope in scripture means a strong and confident expectation.

But the fact that he was still spared, however severe his afflictions, gave a different complexion to his sin, and also suggested a different meaning for his afflictions. For now thou castest off thy fear of god, and thy confidence and hope in him, and hast. We find that with many of the people who study the book of job, they are so busy trying to figure out what job did to cause this calamity that they miss the whole meaning of the book. It does so through a poetry of unsurpassed beauty captured in raymond scheindlins superb new translation. S, jachalip, will yet renew itself, will revive and flourish as the spring comes on.

But in these verses, job explained the reasons why he still had hope. Book of lamentations overview insight for living ministries. It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas no wonder my words have been impetuous. They are the books of proverbs, psalms, ecclesiastes, song of solomon, and job. The book of job opens in verse one by telling us that job was a blameless, upright man who feared god and turned away from evil. This hope allowed job to persevere and to receive the lords commendation 42. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. The wisdom that is found in the book of job is not communicated in the form of proverb. If you have not read this series from the beginning, i would highly recommend that you. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. Archer and others see the book of job as the oldest book in the bible gleason l. The old sailor looked at the skies and saw a dark storm coming. The book of job is a very tough book of the bible to understand using just the reasoning found within your human mind.

The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the. With the exception of a few paragraphs mainly in chap. Look at job from a new perspective, the one of jesus. The faith of the old testament saints included the assurance of resurrection. It is not certain that we know the exact meaning of the words of the old patriarch job, but we find just the same thought in the perfectly understood words of another sufferer, yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil, for. Moreover, though job evidenced doubt early on, his overall trajectory was one of faith and confidence that god would finally show him to be in the right. As the sea became rough and choppy, the old salt calmly lowered the heavychained anchor link by link, battened down the hatches and went to. Or perhaps this is an at least partially an afterward because i write this after i have completed half of the melding together of roger hahns online crivoice bible study and the excerpts from john c. Lets open our bibles to the old testament book of job, and chapter 14. The book of job provides us with our basis for understanding the purpose and course of trial in the lives of believers. Isaiah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. And after my skin is destroyed, this i know, that in my flesh i shall see god, whom i shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. Jobs suffering can teach us to see the way god sees. Jobs suffering, the suffering of a just man who bears it patiently and continues to seek mercy and forgiveness, acquires its fullest meaning in the new testament.

The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the book of job. It was fascinating to watch jobs friends try to explain why job was suffering. According to gills commentary, you hit the nail on the head when you said, does this tell us something about the full meaning of restoration in. Though job did not know the whole story, god did tell him of his great victory over leviathansatan, giving job assurance for the past, the present, and for the future. Set in the land of uz, the book of job plumbs what theologians call theodicy, the attempt to explain how an allpowerful and allknowing and. Its subject matter is the allimportant question, why, in a world over which yahweh has jurisdiction, should innocent persons have to suffer when at the same time the wicked escape suffering and are permitted to have comfort and security. In 1991, the eminent positive psychologist charles r. Now, job continues and he states that there is hope for a dead tree. By mark jenkins january 21, 2008 m any skeptics point to the book of job, seeing in the biblical figure not just another example of random human suffering to which god turned a blind eye, but an example of an allpowerful god tormenting a human who was trying to. Job s suffering, the suffering of a just man who bears it patiently and continues to seek mercy and forgiveness, acquires its fullest meaning in the new testament. Hope may refer to the activity of hoping, or to the object hoped forthe content of ones hope. It was important that god did not tell job the reasons why. This is a book that requires deep examination and meditation. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it.

Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies, i think its a point we have yet to learn. This wisdom book of hebrew poetry portrays the suffering of job, his patience. Slavitt, philadelphia inquirer one of the most powerful and unsettling bible stories, the book of job undermines the claim that our world is governed by justice and meaning. Elsewhere job had been doubtful whether he could ever prove himself innocent. Both the uniqueness of job s situation and the complexities of the arguments defy easy, surface answers. However, the name does occur in genesis 46 and ezekiel 14. You can also read our job 8 commentary on the first ten verses of job chapter 8 well, bildad goes on and apparently starts referencing some of these pieces of ancient wisdom in verse 11. Why should a tree have a better hope of resurrection than a man. M any skeptics point to the book of job, seeing in the biblical figure not just another example of random human suffering to which god turned a blind eye, but an example of an allpowerful god tormenting a human who was trying to serve him. The meaning seems to be, should not thy fear or piety be thy confidence, and the. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine.

Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown romans 8. Lessons from job sermon series hope, suffering, meaning. If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales. Keil and delitzsch biblical commentary on the old testament. In addition, the word hope is often followed by the word so. The biblical definition of hope is confident expectation. He is blameless and upright, constantly mindful to live in a righteous manner.

The central question of theodicy is to explain how an allknowing, allpowerful and. Job 41 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Job is a man of great virtue, exhibiting hope, patience and perseverance. Jun 09, 2014 the book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. Read more about ruth and her example of faithfulness in our women of faith series article about ruth. The lord said, behold, all that he hath is in thy power i give thee full power to do with his property, his servants, his children, and his wife, whatsoever thy craft or malice shall prompt thee to do. Elsewhere job explained his troubles, fears and doubts. Job was so full of despair that he had given up hope of any miracles. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. Gods answer to the problem of undeserved suffering grand rapids. Both the uniqueness of jobs situation and the complexities of the arguments defy easy, surface answers. Snyder and his colleagues came up with hope theory.

Even though god called job perfect and upright job 1. Todays passage gives us the strongest evidence of job s trust in the lord and in his ultimate vindication. Sep 07, 2010 the book of job is a highly controversial book of mostly confusing information. The central figure in the book of job, job s intense suffering supplies the framework for the primary theme of the book, which deals with the role of suffering in the life of a believer. For i know that my redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth. This interpretive method robs revelation of any meaning for those to whom it was written. The entire book opens up a new perspective, that of the reward which awaits, in heaven, those who do gods will on earth.

To understand the full impact of the book of job the book must be read and understood as a whole. God brags to satan about job s virtue, but satan contends that job is only righteous because god has favored him generously. This is a powerful lesson we can learn from this remarkable woman. If you were to fit it chronologically, it should be place in the early chapters of genesis. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him. He couldnt figure out with his mind what was happening to job, and he was seeking reasons that were logical. The book of job is a highly controversial book of mostly confusing information. 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 passage is one of the few in this book where there are two readings. The valley of the shadow though he slay me, yet will i trust in him. He was a contemporary of abraham, most likely, so this book goes back to the very. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign god.

In addition to outward troubles, the inward sense of gods wrath took away all his courage and resolution. It also ignores the time limitations the book itself places on the unfolding events compare 11. This foursermon series by pastor andy cook provides a highlevel, practical view of this rich and complex old testament book. We look for the day when we will have hope, true hope, that finally crushes those inner doubts. He shall not in this world, but he shall in another and better. It seems strange that god should give satan such a permission as this. Historicism has produced many different, and often conflicting, interpretations of the actual historical events contained in revelation. For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down if the body of a tree be cut down, and only the stem or stump be left in the ground, yet there is hope. But the story isnt about what job had and what he lost. The book of job examines from various perspectives the question, what is god like. These verses may be the most important verses in the book of job.