Overview of the book of Job
The book of Job explains us to look beyond blame, accept ambiguity, and trust God for what we cannot see or control. Job was a rich and righteous man. He has a big and happy family. But things change completely. One day, his children died when a building collapsed, his employees were slaughtered and his cattle were stolen. Then pain boils breaks on his skin. Then he loses everything and is left wondering why it happened.
Job in the bible is presented as a good man that God boasts about him when He had a conversation with satan. Then Satan is given permission to test how faithful he would be if he lost everything. Job’s friends come to bring comfort to him but they fail.
The story of Job in the Bible plays out
An adversary attacks Job: God tells a character called Satan who is known as an accuser. Though Job was blameless and upright the satan points out that God has blessed Job abundantly. Then Satan argues that Job would turn on God if his blessings were taken away. God gives Satan a chance to prove it and he immediately takes out everything from Job. But Job doesn’t curse God.
Job mourns while his friends accuse him: Job’s three friends come to comfort him when he loses everything. Job’s friends tell him that his suffering must be brought through his sin and he should repent. Job argues back that he had not incurred any punishment. Job wishes He could plead his suffering to God. But still, Job does not curse God. Job and his friends go back and forth.
God himself answers Job: After his friends return God speaks to Job. God challenges Job’s understanding by reminding him about His wisdom, sovereignty, and power.
Job is restored: when God finishes, Job humbled himself before God and noticed that His will is unstoppable and repents. Finally, God restores Job and gives him double wealth and again blesses him with children and dies at a ripe old age.
Our yesayya.com will help your understanding to aid in your Job bible study of God’s word. We hope this overview, outline, and Book of Job Bible study are helpful to you.
Who was Job in the Bible
Job was a wealthy landowner and righteous man. He is one of the best known biblical Heroes. He lived in the land of Uz.
What does Job mean: Job is derived from the Hebrew language which means “persecuted, hated”. He is a patient man who was tested by God in the Bible.
Who wrote Job
The author of this book was unknown. No one knows the author of this book. It is the eighteenth book of the old testament. The more likely candidates are Job, Elihu, Moses, and Solomon.
When was the book of Job written: The date of the authorship of the Book of Job can be determined by the author of the Book of Job. Because of the unknown author’s identification, we can’t know the date of writing.
Purpose of writing: The book of Job helps us to understand that Satan cannot bring financial and physical destruction to the people unless it is by God’s permission. God has power over satan. It is beyond our human ability to understand why the reasons behind the sufferings in the world. We cannot blame sufferings and sins on our life. Sometimes sufferings will be allowed in our life to purify, test teach, and strengthen our souls.
Outline of Job
I. The Disasters of Job, 1:1-2:13
A. Job’s Circumstances, 1:1-5
B. Job’s Calamities, 1:6-2:10
1. Satan’s proposal, 1:6-11
2. God’s permission, 1:12-22
3. Satan’s persistence, 2:1-6
4. Job’s patience, 2:7-10
C. Job’s Comforters, 2:11-13
II. The Dialogues with Job, 3:1-42:6
A. Job’s Lament, Job 3:1-26
B. Eliphaz’s First Speech, 4:1-5:27
C. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz, 6:1-7:21
D. Bildad’s First Speech, 8:1-22
E. Job’s Reply to Bildad, 9:1-10:22
F. Zophar’s First Speech, 11:1-20
G. Job’s Reply to Zophar, 12:1-14:22
H. Eliphaz’s Second Speech, 15:1-35
I. Job’s Second Reply to Eliphaz, 16:1-17:16
J. Bildad’s Second Speech, 18:1-21
K. Job’s Second Reply to Bildad, 19:1-29
L. Zophar’s Second Speech, 20:1-29
M. Job’s Second Reply to Zophar, 21:1-34
N. Eliphaz’s Third Speech, 22:1-30
O. Job’s Third Reply to Eliphaz, 23:1-24:25
P. Bildad’s Third Speech, 25:1-6
Q. Job’s Third Reply to Bildad, 26:1-14
R. Job’s Last Reply to His Friends, 27:1-31:40
1. A protestation of innocence, 27:1-23
2. A pronouncement concerning wisdom, 28:1-28
3. A panorama of his life, 29:1-31:40
S. Elihu’s Speeches, 32:1-37:24
1. His first speech, 32:1-33:33
2. His second speech, 34:1-37
3. His third speech, 35:1-16
4. His fourth speech, 36:1-37:24
T. God’s Speeches, 38:1-42:6
1. God’s first speech: His knowledge, 38:1-40:2
2. Job’s wise silence, 40:3-5
3. God’s second speech: His power, 40:6-41:34
4. Job’s repentance, 42:1-6
III. The Deliverance of Job, 42:7-17
A. In Relation to His Friends, 42:7-9
B. In Relation to His Family, 42:10-17
Why the book of Job is important
The story of the book in the Bible is written in parallel lines and they are indicative of poetry. The book searches into issues near to the heart of everyone who experiences suffering. Through a series of dialogues and monologues arranged in a pattern of threes, human wisdom cannot explain things until God Himself speaks at last. The final chapters of Job record God’s masterful defense of His majesty and uniqueness.
Job’s role in the Bible
It is the first old testament book of poetry. Only three of the 42 chapters are narrative. The rest are poetic discourses from Job, his friends, and God himself. The book of Job is better known for its story. The book of Job is considered as wisdom literature. It also helps us understand God, His creation, our relationship with Him, and How we need to respond.
A few features make the book of Job unique in the bible:
- Job is not said to be Hebrew. The bible mentions a place called Uz, where Job lives, it is not in the land of Israel. Job makes sacrifices on behalf of others. Here we don’t find any levitical priests nor God’s covenant law with Israel.
- Job focuses on God’s role as a sovereign creator. The book of Job explains God’s creative power, wisdom, and authority. The entire universe was created by God, so we can trust that He knows how to rule it.
- Until the book of Job, we see Satan influence David for Israel’s harm. But in the story of Job in the bible, we see the enemy attack against God’s servant. Here we see that Satan can manipulate the weather, health, groups of people. In the same way, we see God sets Satan’s limits.
The story of Job in the Bible serves as an example of how the righteous are not endured into suffering.
What lesson can be learned from the book of job
The story of Job Bible reminds us that there is a cosmic conflict in every scene that we usually know nothing about. Sometimes we wonder why God allows problems and we question God’s goodness without seeing the full picture. The story of Job summaries will teach us to trust God in all our circumstances.
In psalms, David says that God’s way is perfect. If God’s way is perfect then we can trust that whatever He does and allows is also perfect. It is definitely true that we can’t expect to understand his mind perfectly. Our responsibility to God is to obey, trust Him, and submit to His will whether we understand it or not.
Book of Job summary
The summary of the book of Job starts with a scene in heaven. At that time Satan comes to accuse Job before God. He insists Job only serves God because God protects him and gives him all his needs. So Satan seeks God’s permission to test Job’s faith and loyalty.
Then God gives permission only within certain boundaries. Then the question of why do the righteous suffer arises after Job loses his family, wealth, and health. Job’s three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come to comfort him and discuss his tragedies.
They insist his sufferings are punishment for his sins. Job remains devoted to God through all of this and his life has not been one of sin. Elihu tells Job that he needs to humble himself and submit himself to God’s trials to purify his life.
Finally, Job questions God himself and learns valuable lessons about the greatness and sovereignty of God. His need to totally trust in the lord. At last, Job restored to health, happiness, and prosperity.
Conclusion: In each and every one of us we feel the pain of our suffering in our life. We need to trust him in our sufferings. Our relationship with God should be the same when trials come. Spend time with him and pray for a stronger faith in the powerful creator. Pray for the right perspective of Him so that we might see our situation through His eyes.