Justice in the Book of Job Essay

The view of fate the book of Job expresses, though similar in that it originates from God, differs in a few important ways. In Job, situations are predetermined to occur, but the personal choices of the people involved determine the outcome of the situation. The story of Job opens with Job's fate of suffering being planned. Satan presents himself in an audience before God. God makes example of Job, and Satan rebuffs, stating that Job's constancy is only because of God's preferential treatment. Satan tells God, "But put forth thy hand now and touch all he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face."(40). In response, power is given to Satan to torment Job as a test. Job's life and finally health are viciously mangled and destroyed by Satan. Though Job does not know the reasons behind his great suffering, we are told that "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."(41), and "In all this did not Job sin with his lips."(41). Self-pity creeps into Job's thoughts and words, but there is no disenchanted turn from God. Instead in Job the reader sees a turn to God for relief and

making him suffer. Job had always been true to the Lord's word and had never

The theme of the Book of Job is the perseverance of the human spirit. Job loses everything but he does not lose his faith in God. “Job refuses to curse God” (Book). Job has not done anything to deserve this, but it is a test from God and Satan to see if Job is actually as

     Job is a man very limited by God. As illustrated, he has only a negligible amount of agency to begin with. By the time God and Satan finish with him, he has virtually no control over his own life. The fragment of agency he does cling to is his ability to choose whether or not to curse God. No one, except himself, could prevent Job from cursing God. Yet, he refuses to curse God, even though He is responsible for his suffering.

God kills his children, his crops, his animals, and his health, but why? Job was a righteous man who obeyed the teachings of God. Because God has a plan that we are unaware of, I believe that God brings about acts of evil to strengthen and test our faith. Job never lost his faith throughout his trials, and neither did I. Even though God creates unjust suffering and acts of evil as part of his divine plan, this response has problems that I have accepted to live with.

As we have seen, God promises a blessing to those who trust in His word and strive to live by it. Christians do not want to miss out on God’s blessing, especially those waiting for Him to reveal something. Now reading any book of the Bible, even Job, one begins to understand that God will bless you as you strive to study and practice His way of life. The Bible prophetically warns of even more pain in many different forms then what is done here Job, and through this we begin to portray God in a different light (Janzen 2012). However, the book of Job reveals God’s level of intervention during such a violent time. Due to the context and dire situation it would be difficult to imagine anything more then the pain for the members of Job’s family and the community at that time. They needed encouragement and the assurance that the trials Job faced would soon be over. The evil powers of Satan that governed Job’s life for a moment would be destroyed, and a triumphant sense of peace would be reestablished. The message of Job was intended for those in a particular time and circumstances of pain. Christians familiar with other violent writings would understand the book's symbolism, for practically everything Job went through was a test that other biblical figures felt during similar times of persecution. Job’s story was written to all people that may face the same trials, and find peace after their

““There are some who say we are not truly human until we have suffered” 1 as said by Katharine Dell. There is also a though throughout the bible that God makes us suffer for our wrongdoings and past offenses. If this is so, then the protagonist of the Book of Job put both of these thoughts to the test while remaining faithful to God. Similarly to Job in “John” chapter nine, Jesus’ disciples question him in regards to human suffering and punishment from God. The idea of punishing a child for their parents sins is an over arching idea in the bible that acts as an explanation to why human suffer. Throughout the Biblical book of Job, despite Job’s friends’ belief of his wrongdoing, Job remains faithful while searching for a reason for his

Although God appears to be insulted by Job’s rage, he recognizes the love, loyalty, and appreciation Job has for Him. In return, after all the troubles, God gives Job a long life filled with joy, happiness, and peace.

One of the things that we learn from the full complement of all of the revelation of God’s word is that God does not treat us adversarially, as we are his children. He may permit us to experience suffering and hardship in this life. But, those things are not indications, in and of themselves, of God’s displeasure and that’s all that Job could see. But, we can have a strong faith; we can have a more informed faith to know that that is not a necessary imprint. That we don’t have to look at bad things in our life and say oh, God must be displeased with me, that is not necessarily true.

Job, a righteous man devastated beyond imagination, cries out to God in a way many can identify with. He expresses his anger toward God (10:8), feels separated from God (13:24), and demands an answer form God (10:2). However, the reader can observe Job's struggle with his righteousness. He claims his innocence and even presents to God specific deeds he has done throughout his life (29:1-25). But then he constantly comes back to the same question: "But how can a man be just before God?" (9:2). This profound question is crucial to our understanding of our relationship to God and our acceptance of His will. As good as Job is, when he sees himself in the light of God's perfection, he realizes that he is just as wretched as the next guy. God owes him nothing.

Job, known as J.B., in Archibald MacLeish’s J.B. is first introduced to the reader as a successful businessman, who, like Job in the Book of Job, is upright, fears God, and shuns evil. However, unlike the careful, and at times paranoid, Job of the Book of Job, J.B. seems confident in God’s love and grace. In fact, J.B. preaches to his wife about his faith in God’s blessings, saying, “Never since I learned to tell my shadow from my shirt, not once, not for a watch-tick, have I doubted God was on my side, was good to me.” (J.B., p. 35, pp. 3) J.B.’s faith in God’s justice and grace is put to the test when his children are killed in increasingly tragic ways; unlike Job’s suffering in the Book of Job, J.B.’s suffering is drawn out. J.B. loses

In stark contrast to God’s presence in Genesis, the character of God in Job strays from the ideal perfection of the divine. The concept of the ideal manifested in Genesis is embodied in God’s moral, reasonable, and rational behavior. In Job, on the other hand, rather than being reasonable, methodical, and creating life, God displays more human characteristics and plays the role of both creator and destroyer. The book of Job begins with God’s boastful bargain with Satan, which subsequently leads God to allow the total destruction of Job’s family and livelihood. Job is even attacked physically with “loathsome sores… from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). In an uncharacteristically immoral decision, God gives Satan the power do

We all have a little of that unsaved part of us that still lives with in that why we still sin and that part of us should never enter into a counseling session. If we want this job we have to grow up and speak truth.and speak in love not judgment. The final part is awesome in just the few words the verse has, it says and then Job answered. Job displayed the characteristics of a great listener he took all the assumptions that where being made, listen to them and then spoke. This tell me that he was mature in his walk and his trust with God. He was not persuaded by the mess folks where speaking about what he was going through. He kept his head and simply responded in a dispute of what was being asserted. I wonder how some of us would respond if we had to go through all that Job did. Some for sure would be quick to curse God and die or feed into the mess and ruin the plan that God has for there life unlike Job who remained Faithful through it

Eiko: So the only way God would spare them was if Job prayed for them?

The Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible is characterized by the misery of a faithful servant of God, and how it relates to this character's ability to praise God. Job is an unwaveringly loyal and righteous subject of God, blessed with immense wealth and a beautiful family. One day God boasts to Satan of the innate goodness of Job, to which Satan questions “does Job fear God for nothing? … you have blessed the work of his hands … but stretch out your hand, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face” (The Bible, Book of Job, 1:6-12). If Job has faced no trials and tribulations, and only experienced the bounty that