Job: the Story and It's Meaning
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH PAPER
JOB: THE STORY, GOD’S RESPONSE, & ITS MESSAGE
A PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR WAYNE POPLIN
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE COURSE OBST 592
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY
DAN S. LESLIE
STUDENT ID: 3675885
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
14 AUG 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...III
THE STORY OF JOB…………………………………………………………….III
GOD’S RESPONSE IN JOB 38–42……………………………………………...VI
THE MESSAGE TO BE LEARNED……………………………………………VII
A THOUGHT IN CLOSING …………………………………………………….X
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………..XII
INTRODUCTION Man is born to sin; expect no release of it in this battle we call life. A clear example of one man’s struggle stands out among the rest. Setting aside the human condition of sin, Job stood as a supreme being still only being a man; who in spite of his troubles, questioning, and doubts, held fast in his devotion and love to God. In the end, Job is vindicated for his faith and devotion. Within this brief paper I will attempt to tell of Job’s story and its meaningful example to be followed by us all. As devote Christians our trails and sufferings should be viewed, as seen in Job 's experience, as a witness not only to God 's sovereignty but also as a witness to His goodness, justice, grace, and love to the secular world which awaits our fall. Let us now turn to the book of Job, always remembering that sometimes the lesson to be learned is much easier heard, than it is to actually bear. THE STORY OF JOB “Have you considered my servant Job?” was the questioned asked of Satan by God. (Job 1:8) This triggers a book of over forty chapters of a man’s suffering and his reactions at the hands of his God. The story of Job basically falls into three tests and then God’s answer to Job’s cries. The summation of the first two tests came at the hands of Satan and his challenge to God. Job had lost everything, his
RESEARCH PAPER
JOB: THE STORY, GOD’S RESPONSE, & ITS MESSAGE
A PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR WAYNE POPLIN
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE COURSE OBST 592
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY
DAN S. LESLIE
STUDENT ID: 3675885
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
14 AUG 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...III
THE STORY OF JOB…………………………………………………………….III
GOD’S RESPONSE IN JOB 38–42……………………………………………...VI
THE MESSAGE TO BE LEARNED……………………………………………VII
A THOUGHT IN CLOSING …………………………………………………….X
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………..XII
INTRODUCTION Man is born to sin; expect no release of it in this battle we call life. A clear example of one man’s struggle stands out among the rest. Setting aside the human condition of sin, Job stood as a supreme being still only being a man; who in spite of his troubles, questioning, and doubts, held fast in his devotion and love to God. In the end, Job is vindicated for his faith and devotion. Within this brief paper I will attempt to tell of Job’s story and its meaningful example to be followed by us all. As devote Christians our trails and sufferings should be viewed, as seen in Job 's experience, as a witness not only to God 's sovereignty but also as a witness to His goodness, justice, grace, and love to the secular world which awaits our fall. Let us now turn to the book of Job, always remembering that sometimes the lesson to be learned is much easier heard, than it is to actually bear. THE STORY OF JOB “Have you considered my servant Job?” was the questioned asked of Satan by God. (Job 1:8) This triggers a book of over forty chapters of a man’s suffering and his reactions at the hands of his God. The story of Job basically falls into three tests and then God’s answer to Job’s cries. The summation of the first two tests came at the hands of Satan and his challenge to God. Job had lost everything, his
Bibliography: William Lasor, David Hubbard, Frederic Bush; Old Testament Survey (Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mi. 1996) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (provided by SearchGodsWord.org): Larry J. Walters; Reflections on Suffering from the Book of Job (Bibliotheca Sara 154, Dallas Theological Seminary, Oct.-Dec. 1997): 436-51 Greg W James E. Patrick; The Fourfold Structure of Job: Variations on a Theme (American Theological Library Association, Cambridge, UK): 185-206 Bernard Ehrlich; The Book of Job as a Book of Morality (Jewish Bible Quarterly, Vol.34, No.1, 2006): 30-38 David Shepherd; Strike his bone and his flesh: Reading Job from the Beginning (Sage Publications, L.a., Ca. 2008): 81-97 Alec Basson; Just Skin and Bones: The Longing for Wholeness of the Body in the Book of Job ( American Theological Library Association, Vêtus Testamentum Vol. 58, 2008): 287-99 Larry J Bibliotheca Sara 166, Dallas Theological Seminary, Jan.-Mar. 2009): 19-35 [ 2 ]. Lasor, Hubbard, Bush; Old Testament Survey (Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mi. 1996) p.471 [ 3 ] [ 6 ]. Basson, Alec; Just Skin and Bones: The Longing for Wholeness of the Body in the Book of Job (American Theological Library Association, Vêtus Testamentum Vol. 58, 2008) p.293 [ 7 ] [ 8 ]. Parsons, Greg W.; Guidelines for Understanding & Proclaiming the Book of Job (Bibliotheca Sara 151, Dallas Theological Seminary, Oct.-Dec. 1994) p.394 [ 9 ] [ 10 ]. Lasor, Hubbard, Bush; Old Testament Survey (Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mi. 1996) p.485 [ 11 ] [ 12 ]. Flowers, Miller, Robinson; Who’s Who in the Bible (Reader’s Digest, Pleasantville, NY. 1994) p.229 [ 13 ] [ 14 ]. Ehrlich, Bernard; The Book of Job as a Book of Morality (Jewish Bible Quarterly, Vol.34, No.1, 2006) p.34 [ 15 ] [ 18 ]. Walters,Larry J.; Reflections on Suffering from the Book of Job (Bibliotheca Sara 154, Dallas Theological Seminary, Oct.-Dec. 1997) p.446 [ 19 ] [ 20 ]. Lasor, Hubbard, Bush; Old Testament Survey (Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mi. 1996) p.485 [ 21 ] [ 22 ]. Ehrlich, Bernard; The Book of Job as a Book of Morality (Jewish Bible Quarterly, Vol.34, No.1, 2006) p.33 [ 23 ]