Some Notes about Job

So, we’re working our way through the book of Job. So far, just to be a literary critic, the plot has been a bit light. It isn’t exactly scintillating stuff since the first couple of chapters :)

No, but, seriously… we’re going through the book of Job and, as the saying goes, ‘Questions have arisen’. So I’ve been doing a bit of research as we work on answering these questions. This post is not some well-written essay on the life and times of Job. It is basically a series of notes: verses and some comments on them.

Job as a Type of Christ

The first question is, “To what extent is Job a type of Christ”. Now, for the uninitiated, ‘type’ here does not mean what we say when we say ‘a type of dog’. As in there is this ‘dog’ class, and poodles, miniature schnauzers, and collies are all ‘types’ of ‘dog’.

No, in this case it means that there is exactly one Christ… the LORD Jesus Christ, born to Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, rose again the third day… that one… And then there are various other Biblical characters that were in some ways ‘like’ him. Like him in some ways, unlike him in others. So Adam was ‘like’ Christ, Moses was ‘like’ Christ, etc.

So the challenge here is to see in what way Job was like Christ, and in what ways he wasn’t:

Pro’s

So, let’s start: In what was was Job like Christ. When we read the story of Job, how does his life ‘point forward’ to Christ?

Perfect

Well, first of all, Job is said to be perfect:

Now, before you panic, the word ‘perfect’ here doesn’t mean absolutely without sin. It is a broad word meaning ‘complete’, as in ‘in all areas’. And, of course, Christ was also said to be perfect. Altho in His case the meaning is more, umm, complete:

Heb 4:15

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are,

yet without sin.

Heb 5:9

And being made perfect,

he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

And we, ourselves, are called to be perfect:

Hebrews 13:21

Make you perfect

in every good work

to do his will,

working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Righteous

And Job is said to be righteous:

Like Christ:

I John 2:1

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the righteous:

And as we are called to be:

I John 2:29

If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

Felt abandoned

One of the larger themes in the book of Job is that he felt abandoned by God:

Job 23:8-9

Behold, I go forward, but

he is not there; and backward, but

I cannot perceive him:

On the left hand, where he doth work, but

I cannot behold him:

he hideth himself on the right hand, that

I cannot see him:

… but knew he wasn’t…

Job 23:10

But he knoweth the way that I take:

when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

As did Christ:

Mark 15:34

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted,

My God, my God,

why hast thou forsaken me?

Luke 23:46

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father,

into thy hands I commend my spirit:

and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Suffering for Others

Now this one is there in the story of Job, but a little harder to see. Job suffered for others. Specifically for us. But this isn’t specifically mentioned in the text, we have to gain that from the NT.

Job

The text in Job itself says:

Job 1:8

And the LORD said unto Satan,

Hast thou considered my servant Job,

that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

But what we find in the NT is:

James 5:10-11

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Behold, we count them happy which endure.

Ye have heard of the patience of Job,

and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Christ

Whereas it is quite a bit clearer in the NT that Christ’s suffering was for us:

Hebrews 2:9-11

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels

for the suffering of death,

crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things,

in bringing many sons unto glory,

to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Sacrificed for his children, priestly role

Job sacrificed for his children, playing the role of priest:

Job 1:5

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that

Job sent and sanctified them,

and rose up early in the morning,

and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all:

for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Christ was sacrificed for His children:

Hebrews 10:11-12

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

But this man,

after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,

sat down on the right hand of God;

Blessed after suffering

Both Christ and Job received incredible blessings after their suffering.

Job

Job 42:10-17

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had

fourteen thousand sheep, and

six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and

a thousand she asses.

He had also

seven sons and three daughters.

And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.

And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.

So Job died, being old and full of days.

Christ

I Corinthians 15:24-28

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Cons

Job not voluntary

Let’s face it, Job did not sign up for this, whereas Christ knew the end from the beginning, and came voluntarily and served at the will of His Father.

Job not in on the program

Job didn’t know what was going on. Indeed, that was one of his biggest complaints. Christ knew everything that was going on.

Job wanted to contend with God

Now one pretty big area where Job was NOT like Christ, is that Job wanted to get in the dock and have an argument with God. To plead his case.

Where Christ said:

Luke 22:42

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:

nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Job said:

Job 10:2-3

I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.

Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

Job 13:6-8

Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

Job 40:1-2

Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,

Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

Job 9:19-20

If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

Job 16:21

O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!

Job 13:3

Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

Job 23:1-7

Then Job answered and said,

Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!

I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

Meanwhile Christ:

Act 8:32

The place of the scripture which he read was this,

He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer,

so opened he not his mouth:

John 5:30

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and

my judgment is just; because

I seek not mine own will,

but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Job as a Type of Israel

Another question, similar to the first, is, “How is Job a type of Israel?”. Using the same meaning of ‘type’ as before. Well, let’s see.

Pros

Job was chosen by God. So was Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:6

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

Let’s face it, Job did a lot of complaining. So did Israel:

Num 11:1

And when the people complained,

it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it;

and his anger was kindled;

and the fire of the LORD burnt among them,

and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Job felt abandoned by God. So did Israel:

Ezkiel 8:12

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say,

The LORD seeth us not;

the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

Job looked to God for redemption. So did Israel.

II Samuel 7:23-24

And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people,

which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt,

from the nations and their gods?

For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.

Job was dramatically blessed by God. So was Israel.

Psalms 115:12

The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us;

he will bless the house of Israel;

he will bless the house of Aaron.

Cons

Perfect

Unlike Israel, at least most of the time, Job was said to be perfect.

did not abandon/curse God

Unlike Israel, Job did not curse God, or abandon God.

Job Predicting Christ

In what way did Job predict, or look forward, to the work of Christ?

Pro

Job 19:25

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Job’s Repentance

The end of the book of Job, or right before the end, the few chapters before the end, show Job doing a bunch of repenting. What was he repenting of? Let’s see what the various characters say:

Elihu

Job 32:2-3

Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram:

against Job was his wrath kindled,

because he justified himself rather than God.

Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

Job 34:5-9

For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.

Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.

What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water?

Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men.

For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.

Job 33:8-14

Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,

I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.

Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,

He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.

Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.

For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

Job 34:35-37

Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.

My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers for wicked men.

For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.

Job 35:2-3

Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?

For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

Job Himself

Job 40:3-5

Then Job answered the LORD, and said,

Behold, I am vile;

what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

Job 42:1-6

Then Job answered the LORD, and said,

I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge?

therefore have

I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me,

which I knew not.

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

Wherefore

I abhor myself, and

repent in dust and ashes.

God

Job 38:2

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Job 40:1-2

Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,

Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him?

he that reproveth God,

let him answer it.

Job 40:6-9

Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

How did Job’s Friends get it right?

Job’s friends don’t come out very good in this story. They end up having to go to Job and have him sacrifice for them. But when we look at the story, what did they get right? Well, one thing that comes up again and again is there prediction about the end of the story.

Job 8:20-22

Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Job 11:15-20

For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:

Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:

And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.

And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.

But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

Job 22:24-28

Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

What Job’s friends did wrong

Elihu

God

Job 42:7

And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite,

My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends:

for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right,

as my servant Job hath.

Job has enemies

Job

Job 16:9

He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me:

he gnasheth upon me with his teeth;

mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

Friends

Job 8:22

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Job 11:20

But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

How did Job’s Friends call him to Repentance? And how did that compare to what Job did?

A bit of a long answer, but the quick answer is this: they asked him to repent of a sin… but they had no idea what was sin it was. And in the end, Job did repent, for not knowing what he was talking about.

Which, interestingly, is one of the things his friend accused him of.

The Nature of Righteousness in Job

One question that comes up, or should come up, when looking at the life of Job is… what did his righteousness look like? The role of Scripture is to challenge us, not to go along with our preconceived notions. So when Scripture calls Job righteous… how much of what Job was like do we see as a description of that righteousness, and how much is ‘just the facts’?

Job 1:1-5

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

So, having read that passage… how much was his righteousness? Was it a mark of righteousness that he had ten children? Or just a mark of God’s favour. (If you wish to say it was ‘just the facts’, then you will have a problem with the last chapter.)

I have written several posts on the link between righteousness and childbearing, but here are a few passages speaking of how they are a blessing:

Psalm 127:3-5

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:

and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128

A Song of degrees.

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house:

thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.

The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.

Job 1:20-22

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

In all this Job sinned not,

nor charged God foolishly.

Now, what is the significance of the words ‘in all this’? Job, at the end of the book, repents. But it seems as if as far as this passage, he has nothing to repent of.

Job 2:7-10

So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

But he said unto her,

Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.

What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?

In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Now after this passage we have to ask ourselves if the words ‘with his lips’ were meaningful? Was God imply that Job had sinned, but not with his lips?

Conclusion

The book of Job is usually just covered with the the one admonition ‘be patient’, and a handwave. But a detailed look reveals a lot more, umm, details. I knew going in that this would be a hard study. I mean, pretty much everyone (excepting God and Elihu) gets condemned at one point or another. (One might even say that some people say some negative things about God).

But the book of Job is in the cannon of Scripture, which means it has things to say to us. As it is written:

II Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable

for doctrine,

for reproof,

for correction,

for instruction in righteousness:

That the man of God may be perfect,

throughly furnished unto all good works.

Job was the most righteous person on the planet, and had a face to face meeting with God. there are definitely things we can learn here.

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