Difference between revisions of "Job"

<p> '''Age, and relation to the canon.''' The book has a unique position in the canon. It is unconnected with Israel, God's covenant people, with whom all the other scriptures are associated. "The law" ( '''''Towrah''''' ),the Magna Charta of the rest, occurs but once, and then not in its technical sense (&nbsp;Job 22:22). The Exodus is never alluded to, though the miraculous events connected with it in Egypt and the desert, with both of which Job shows his acquaintance, would have been appropriate to his and the friends' argument. The destruction of the guilty by the flood (&nbsp;Job 22:15), and that of Sodom and [[Gomorrah]] (&nbsp;Job 18:15) possibly, are referred to; but no later facts. The inference seems natural that the book was of an age anterior to Israel. Job's own life was of patriarchal length, 200 years. The only idolatry alluded to is the earliest, Sabeanism, the worship of the sun, moon, and seba or heavenly hosts (&nbsp;Job 31:26-28). </p> <p> Job sacrifices as priest for his family according to patriarchal usage, and alludes to no exclusive priesthood, temple, or altar. Lastly, the language is Hebrew with an Arabic and Syriac infusion found in no other sacred book, answering to an age when Hebrew still retained many of the elements of the original common Semitic, from which in time branched off Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic, carrying with them severally fragments of the common stock. The obscurity of several phrases, the obsolete words and forgotten traditions (e.g. that of the bushmen, &nbsp;Job 30:4-7), all mark a remote antiquity. The admission of the book into the Hebrew canon, notwithstanding the absence of reference to Israel, is accounted for if Let's theory be adopted that Moses became acquainted with it during his stay in Arabia, near Horeb, and added the prologue and epilogue. To the afflicted Israelites Job's patience and restoration were calculated to be a lesson of special utility. </p> <p> The restriction of "Jehovah" (the divine name revealed to Moses in its bringing the fulfillment of the promise to God's covenant people just at that time: &nbsp;Exodus 6:3) mostly to the prologue and epilogue favors this view. The Holy Spirit directed him to canonize the oriental patriarch's inspired book, just as he embodies in the Pentateuch the utterances of Balaam the prophet from the mountains of the East. The grand theme of the book is to reconcile the saint's afflictions with God's moral government in this present world. The doctrine of a future life in which the seeming anomalies of the present shall be cleared up would have given the main solution to the problem. But as yet this great truth was kept less prominent until "the appearing of our [[Saviour]] Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Job plainly refers to the resurrection, but not with that persistent prominence with which the New Testament saints rest on it as their continual hope; Job does not make it his main solution. </p> <p> Even still we need something in addition, to clear off the clouds which hang over God's present government of this fallen earth. The first consideration suggested in this sublime history and poem is, "an enemy hath done this." The veil which hides the world of spirits is drawn aside, and Satan, the accuser of the brethren, appears as the mediate cause of Job's afflictions. Satan must be let do his worst to show that his sneer is false that religion is but selfishness," doth Job fear God for naught?" (&nbsp;Job 1:9). The patience and the final perseverance of the saints (&nbsp;Job 1:21; &nbsp;Job 2:10; &nbsp;Job 13:15), notwithstanding temporary distrust under Satan's persecutions which entailed loss of family, friends, possessions, and bodily health, are illustrated in Job's history. </p> <p> God's people serve Him for His own sake, not merely for the temporary reward His service generally brings; they serve Him even in overwhelming trial (&nbsp;Genesis 15:1). [[Herein]] Job is a type though imperfectly of Him who alone, without once harbouring a distrustful thought, endured all this as well as death in its most agonizing, humiliating form, and, worse than all, the hiding of even God's countenance from Him. Job's chief agony was not so much his accumulated losses and sufferings, not even his being misunderstood by friends, but that God hid His face from him, as these calamities too truly seemed to prove (&nbsp;Job 23:9). Yet conscience told him he was no hypocrite, nay though God was slaying him he still trusted in God (&nbsp;Job 23:10-15; &nbsp;Job 13:15; compare Abraham, Genesis 22). Job's three trials are progressive: </p> <p> '''1.''' His sudden loss of all blessings external to himself, possessions, servants, and sons; he conquers this temptation: "naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." </p> <p> '''2.''' His loss of bodily health by the most loathsome sickness; still he conquers: "shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" </p> <p> '''3.''' His mental conflict brought on by the three friends' suspicion of his insincerity, which he felt untrue, but which seemed justified by his trials from God; this was the poignant sting to his soul, for he accepted their premises, that great suffering proved great sin. </p> <p> Here he failed; yet amidst his impatient groans he still clung desperately to his faith and followed hard after God, and felt sure God would yet vindicate him (&nbsp;Job 23:10; &nbsp;Job 19:25-27). His chief error was his undue self justification before God, which he at last utterly renounces (&nbsp;Job 30:25 to Job 31; &nbsp;Job 32:1; &nbsp;Job 33:9; &nbsp;Job 9:17; &nbsp;Job 10:7; &nbsp;Job 16:17; &nbsp;Job 27:5; &nbsp;Job 29:10-17; &nbsp;Job 40:4-5; &nbsp;Job 42:5-6). After fretfully demanding God's interposition (23) to vindicate his innocence he had settled down into the sad conviction that God heeds not, and that His ways of providence are as a theory inexplicable to man while practical wisdom is the fear of the Lord (&nbsp;Job 28:31:35). Elihu gives a leading solution of the problem. God not only hereafter shall judge the world, but even now providentially and morally controls all its affairs. </p> <p> Even the righteous have sin which needs correction. God speaks to them by chastisement; He is not really silent (&nbsp;Job 16:21; &nbsp;Job 23:3; &nbsp;Job 31:35), as Job had complained (&nbsp;Job 33:14, etc.); He teaches them humility, and prepares them for pardon and life through the mediating Angel of the covenant (of whom Elihu is the type: &nbsp;Job 33:6-7; &nbsp;Job 33:23-30). To Job's charge against God of injustice Elihu answers that God's omnipotence (&nbsp;Job 34:35-36), upholding man in life when He could destroy him, and His universal government, exclude the idea of injustice in Him. To Job's charge that God's providence is unsearchable, Elihu answers that suffering is to teach humility and adorntion of His greatness. [[Affliction]] to the saint is justice and mercy in disguise; he is thereby led to feel the heinousness of sin ( '''''Via Crucis Via Salutis''''' ), and not being permitted by God's love to fall away for ever he repents of the impatience which suffering betrayed him into for a time. </p> <p> Then, justifying God and condemning himself, he is finally delivered from temporal afflictions. Now already the godly are happier amidst afflictions than the ungodly (&nbsp;Mark 10:29-30). Even these considerations do not exhaust the subject; still difficulties remain. To answer these, God Himself (Job 38) appears on the scene, and resolves all that remains uncleared into the one resting thought of faith, the sovereignty of God. We must wait for His solution hereafter of what we know not now (&nbsp;John 13:7). Elihu is the preacher appealing to Job's reason and conscience. God alone, in His appearing, brings home the truth experimentally to Job's heart: "Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; [[Behind]] a frowning Providence He hides a smiling face. Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan God's work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain." </p> <p> '''CONSTRUCTION''' . The artificial construction of the poem appears in the oft recurring sacred numbers three and seven. Job had seven thousand sheep, seven sons, and three daughters, both before and after his trials. His three friends sit with him seven days and nights. "Job" in Arabic means repentance, the name given him in after life from his experiences. His personal reality appears from his being named with "Noah and Daniel," real persons, in &nbsp;Ezekiel 14:14; &nbsp;Ezekiel 14:16-20. James (&nbsp;James 5:11) refers to Job as an example of patience, which he would hardly do were Job an imaginary person. [[Persons]] and places are specified as they would not be in an allegory. The exact doubling of his possessions after restoration is probably the nearest round number given, as is often the case in books undoubtedly historical. The arguments of the speeches were substantially those given, the studied number and poetic form were given by the sacred writer under the Holy Spirit. </p> <p> Job lived 140 years after his trials; and nothing is more natural than that he should at leisure mould into form the arguments of the momentous debate for the edification of the church. The debate occupied several sittings with intervals of a day or more between them. The number of speeches assigned to each was arranged by preconcerted agreement, so that none spoke out of his turn. Uz means "a light sandy soil" (Gesenius). (See UZ.) It was probably N. of Arabia Deserta, between Palestine and the Euphrates; called Ausitai by [[Ptolemy]] (Geogr. 19). In &nbsp;Genesis 22:21 Uz is son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. Another Uz in &nbsp;Genesis 10:23 was grandson of [[Shem]] and son of Aram; the latter is probably the source of the name, as the Aramaeaus dwelt between the Euphrates and Tigris. The sons of Shem dwelt in "a mount of the East" (&nbsp;Genesis 10:30), answering to "men of the East" (&nbsp;Job 1:3). </p> <p> Rawlinson says Uz is the prevailing name of the country at the Euphrates' mouth, where the [[Chaldees]] mentioned in Job 1 resided. The Idumean quarter however, and Arabia, would agree better with Moses' finding it during his exile in Midian. Moreover, Eliphaz is an Idumean name so is "Temanite" (&nbsp;Genesis 36:4; &nbsp;Genesis 36:15). "Shuhite" answers to Sycca in Arabia Deserta. [[Eusebius]] fixes Job's time as being two ages before Moses. Besides the arguments for this above, others are the number of oxen and rams sacrificed seven, as in Balaam's case; this agrees with a time before the law defined God's will otherwise. Also the writing he speaks of is the most ancient, sculpture (&nbsp;Job 20:23-24); "printed" means engraven, "pen" a graver, [[Riches]] were then cattle. The Hebrew "piece of money" is rather a lamb. </p> <p> [['''The Writer''']]  . The thought, imagery, and manners accord with what we should expect from an [[Arab]] emir. Job in his speeches shows himself more competent to compose the book than Elihu, to whom Lightfoot attributes it. The style is distinct from that of Moses. Its inspiration is attested by Paul under the Spirit quoting it with the formula "it is written" (&nbsp;Job 5:13). Our Lord in &nbsp;Matthew 24:28 refers to &nbsp;Job 29:30; compare also &nbsp;James 4:10; &nbsp;1 Peter 5:6, with &nbsp;Job 22:29; &nbsp;Romans 11:34-35 with &nbsp;Job 15:8; &nbsp;Jeremiah 20:14-15, endorses &nbsp;Job 3:3; &nbsp;Isaiah 19:5; &nbsp;Job 14:11; Psalm 37; Psalm 73, discuss the same problem as Job. Proverbs 8 develops Job's description of wisdom in Job 28. It stands among the hagiographa ( '''''Ketuwbim''''' , "sacred writings") in the threefold division "the law, the prophets, and the psalms," or hagiographa, of which the Psalms are a leading book (&nbsp;Luke 24:44). </p> <p> [[Divisions]] . To each of the three friends three speeches are assigned; Job is allowed a reply to each of the three. Eliphaz the oldest leads; Zophar at his third turn fails to speak, virtually owning himself defeated (Job 27). Therefore, Job continues his reply which forms three speeches: Job 26; Job 27; Job 28; Job 29-31. Elihu (Job 32-37) is allowed four speeches. [[Jehovah]] makes three addresses (Job 38-41). Thus throughout there is a tripartite division. The whole consists of three parts: the prologue, poem, and epilogue. The poem three: '''(1)''' Job's dispute with his three friends; '''(2)''' Elihu's address; '''(3)''' Jehovah's. The epilogue has three parts: Job' s justification, reconciliation with his friends, and restoration. The speakers regularly advance from less to greater vehemence. The explicitness (&nbsp;Job 14:14; &nbsp;Job 19:25) of Job's anticipation of the resurrection, as contrasted with the obscurity on the subject in the early books of Old Testament, is due to Job's enjoyment of the divine vision (&nbsp;Job 38:1; &nbsp;Job 42:5). </p> <p> The revelations outside of Israel, being few, needed to be the more explicit. Balaam's prophecy (&nbsp;Numbers 24:17) was clear enough to lead the wise men of the East by the star (Matthew 2). In the age before the written law God left not Himself without witnesses, e.g. Melchizedek, Job, Jethro. Job only dimly realized the Spirit-designed significancy of his own words (&nbsp;1 Peter 1:11-12). Even Asaph, who had in David's psalms (&nbsp;Psalms 16:10; &nbsp;Psalms 17:15) plain prophecies of a future retribution in the body to the righteous and to the wicked, still felt the difficulty as regards God's government here in this present time (Psalm 73). "Prosperity is the blessing of Old Testament, adversity that of N. T. ... Yet even in Old Testament the pencil of the Holy Spirit has laboured more in describing Job's afflictions than Solomon's felicities" (Bacon). Elihu showed how God can be just, and yet the righteous be afflicted; Jehovah's address shows that He must be just, because He is God. God reprimands the three friends, but not Elihu. The simpler and less artificial forms of poetry prevail in Job, a mark of the early age. The Orientals used to preserve their sentiments in a terse, proverbial, poetic form, called mashal; to this form Job's poetry is related. (See [[Jobab]] .) </p>

<p> A patriarch distinguished for his integrity and piety, his wealth, honors, and domestic happiness, whom God permitted, for the trial of his faith, to be deprived of friends, property, and health, and at once plunged into deep affliction. He lived in the land of Uz, lying, it is generally thought, in Eastern Edom, probably not far from Bozrah. </p> <p> THE [[Book Of Job]]  has originated much criticism, and on many points a considerable diversity of opinion still exists. Sceptics have denied its inspiration, and called it a mere philosophical romance; but no one who respects revelation can entertain this notion, or doubt that Job was a real person. Inspired writers testify to both. See &nbsp;Ezekiel 14:14 &nbsp; James 5:11 , and compare &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:19 with &nbsp; Job 5:13 . The book itself specifies persons, places, and circumstances in the manner of true history. Moreover, the name and history of Job are spread throughout the East; Arabian writers mention him, and many Mohammedan families perpetuate his name. Five different places claim the possession of his tomb. </p> <p> The precise period of his life cannot be ascertained, yet no doubt can exist as to its patriarchal antiquity. The book seems to allude to the flood, &nbsp;Job 22:15-17 , but not to the destruction of Sodom, to the exodus from Egypt, or the giving of the Law. No reference is made to any order of priesthood, Job himself being the priest of his household, like Noah and Abraham. There is allusion to the most ancient form of idolatry, star-worship, and to the earliest mode of writing, &nbsp;Job 19:24 . The longevity of Job also places him among the patriarchs. He survived his trial one hundred and forty years, and was an old man before his trial began, for his children were established each at the head of his own household, &nbsp;Job 1:4 &nbsp; 42:16 . The period of long lives had not wholly passed away, &nbsp;Job 15:10 . Hales places the trial of Job before the birth of Abraham, and Usher, about thirty years before the exodus, B. C. 1521. </p> <p> As to the authorship of the book, many opinions have been held. It has all the freedom of an original composition, bearing no marks of its being a translation; and if so, it would appear that its author must have been a Hebrew, since it is written in the purest Hebrew. It exhibits, moreover, the most intimate acquaintance with both [[Egyptian]] and Arabian scenery, and is in the loftiest style of oriental poetry. All these circumstances are consistent with the views of those who regard Moses as its probable author. It has, however, been ascribed to various other persons. IT presents a beautiful exhibition of patriarchal religion. It teaches the being and perfections of God, his creation of all things, and his universal providence; the apostasy and guilt of evil spirits and of mankind; the mercy of God, on the basis of a sacrifice, and on condition of repentance and faith, &nbsp;Job 33:27-30 &nbsp; 42:6,8; the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body, &nbsp;Job 14:7-15 &nbsp; 19:25-27 . </p> <p> The main problem discussed in Job is the justice of God in suffering the righteous to be afflicted, while the wicked prosper. It is settled, by showing that, while the hand of a just God is manifest in his providential government of human affairs, it is his sovereign right to choose his own time and mode of retribution both to the evil and the good, and to subject the graces of his people to whatever trials he deems best. </p> <p> The conference of Job and his friends may be divided into three parts. In the first, Eliphaz addresses Job, and Job replies; then Bildad and Job, and Zophar and Job speak, in turn. In the second part, the same order is observed and in the third also, except that after Job's reply to Bildad, the three friends have no more to urge, and instead of Zophar, a fourth friend named Elihu takes up the word; and the whole is concluded by the decision of Jehovah himself. The friends of Job argue that his remarkable afflictions must have been sent in punishment of highly aggravated transgressions, and urge him to confession and repentance. The pious patriarch, conscious of his own integrity and love to God cast down and bewildered by his sore chastisements, and pained by the suspicions of his friends, warmly vindicates his innocence, and shows that the best of men are sometimes the most afflicted; but forgets that his inward sins merit far heavier punishment, and though he still maintains faith in God, yet he charges Him foolishly. [[Afterwards]] he humbly confesses his wrong, and is cheered by the returning smile of God, while his uncharitable friends are reproved. The whole book is written in the highest style of Hebrew poetry, except the two introductory chapters and part of the last, which are prose. As a poem, it is full of sublime sentiments and bold and striking images. </p> <p> The [[Disease]] of Job is generally supposed to have been the elephantiasis, or black leprosy. The word rendered "boils" does not necessarily mean abscesses, but burning and inflammation; and no known disease better answers to the description given, &nbsp;Job 2:7,8 &nbsp; 7:5,13,13 &nbsp; 19:17 &nbsp; 30:17 , than the leprosy referred to above. See [[Leper]] . </p>

<p> [[Job]] ( ''Jôb'' ). 1. The patriarch, from whom one of the poetical books of the Old Testament is named. He lived in the land of Uz and belonged to the Aramean race, which had settled in the lower part of [[Mesopotamia]] (probably to the south or south-east of Palestine, in Idumean Arabia), adjacent to the Sabeans and Chaldeans. The opinions of Job and his Mends are thus interesting as showing a phase of patriarchal religion outside of the family of Abraham, and not controlled by the legislation of Moses. The form of worship is similar to the early patriarchal type; with little of ceremonial ritual, without a separate priesthood. Job is represented as a chieftain of immense wealth and high rank, blameless in all the relations of life, subjected to special trials, which he endured with humility, and finally was rewarded by marked blessings and great prosperity. 2. Son of Issachar, called Jashub. &nbsp;Genesis 46:13; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 7:1. </p>