Evening Study- Introduction The Book of Job- Job Chapter 1- “Faithful Job is Tested”
INTRODUCTION THE BOOK OF JOB
AUTHOR- Is said to be unknown and gifted ancient who had inspiration and knowledge that God could reveal to him. The authorship is said to be an Israelite because of the repeated use of "YHWH" (YAHWEH")- ancient name of God.
DATE: Some evidence suggest that the life of Job was much earlier than the actual writing of the book. Many believed he lived during the time of the patriarchs- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- approximately 1600 BC.
MAJOR THEME: "THE JUSTICE OF GOD IN LIGHT OF HUMAN SUFFERING." The theme points to a profound theological problem on how a suffering of a "JUST MAN" relates to God in the midst of his dreadful "TESTING." Theodicy is explored throughout this entire book. Even Job's friends try to provide explanations for Job's sufferings. The Character of Job is seen as the type of Christ who suffers unjustly and is rewarded for his godliness.
"THEODICY"- is the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.
BACKGROUND: This book is considered a "WISDOM BOOK", it is written as a poetic dialogue in a prose- narrative literary style. It is also the longest Hebrew poem that has ever been composed. Many difficulties throughout history with the various translations of this book because of the unusual language and style.
“Our imperfect world is a breeding ground for the principalities of evil to torment and weaken our faith. They prowl around like a wolf waiting to devour the lost sheep, but Job is a prime example of how strong faith walks with God. How He can heal all of our deepest pains and struggles - JPCE Spiritual Talk- Message from July 16, 2021
1:1: Job 42:19: Job was originally called Jobab. Job was from the land of Ausitis, located on the borders of Edom and Arabia (42:19). Job is also a descendant of Abraham through Esau, his first wife was an Arab (Job 42:20). This would make Job a Gentile, and Esau was the unbeliever, Job was said to be blameless, but that did not mean he was sinless, because only Christ is without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
1:6: Heaven is inaccessible to the devil; yet he came with them, Satan (Lucifer) is an angel with nature similar to the angels of God. It seems Lucifer is also in the sights of the Lord but the Lord is not in his sight. We can see in this scripture that even Satan (Lucifer) too is dependent on God.
1:7: Revelation 12:10: teaches us that the devil accuses the righteous before God “day and night”. He has God’s permission to send evils into our minds and weakens our bodies and illnesses. Day and night the evil one is relentless in his mission pushing us towards complete darkness in evil ways. For us to be victorious against such evil Ephesians 6:13, teaches us to put on the “whole Armor of God”. Romans 5:3 also teaches us to “glory in tribulations”, and Matthew 5:10, tells us to be obedient with the commands of Christ.
1:10-12: Satan’s will is of his own will, and derives his power from God, who does not allow him to act except with justice, according to St. John Chrysostom (https://orthodoxwiki.org/John_Chrysostom). Hard times make men stronger so we should always glorify in our tribulations, because God is our seal. (Luke 8:32-33) teaches us that even the evil spirits fear Yeshua (Jesus), cast them out and send them into a great herd of swine.
1:13: I read somewhere that the elder brother is referring to the Jews, and the rest of Job’s sons and daughters to the Gentiles. The house collapse is referring to the Final Judgement see (Luke 17:26-30), we will either seek refuge in Him or be crushed by Christ the Rock.
1:1-12: This passage is read on Holy Monday, the Monday before Pascha (Easter)
1:13-22: This passage is read on Holy Tuesday, the Tuesday before Pascha (Easter)
1:20: Job must have done these things as an act of mourning, basically stripping himself of what possessions were left. Makes sense to get rid of everything now the enemy has no means to test you any further. He made himself nude to nude with his enemy, and he fell to the ground to humble himself before God.
1:22: Job did not Charge God with the injustices of evils that had fallen on him (see Psalm 22:2 or Psalm 23:2), it’s our thoughts that make us believe God is mean when we have been wronged.
Today’s Message- is from July 16, 2021
Job was not a man without sin, but he remained blameless in the eyes of the Lord. He was a righteous man who abstained from all the evils of the world but was eventually put to the test by Satan (Lucifer) himself. Job ended up losing everything, but what did he do? He fell down on his face and humbled himself to the Lord, that took a lot of faith. What I take away from this passage, is that I need to strive to be more like the Prophet Job. I want to live blameless in the eyes of the Lord and humble myself before him when I repent for my shortcomings.
“Faith and Courage are what we need to live a blameless life in the eyes of the Lord. Job is a great example of the Lord’s mercy on us; if we have mercy before Him.”
JPCE Spiritual Talk - message from July 16, 2021- Study done 2 years ago.
