The song of solomon and matthew in the preaching the word. Most of the book tells about job and his friends talking. According to the book of job, does god takes bets with. Book of job simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Satan s a catalyst, sure, but the moral of the story lies in mans relationship with god. To make matters worse, job never finds out why he was afflicted in the first place. It would not be very comforting if job were nothing more than a jack and the beanstalk story. These biblical references alone authenticate job as an historical person. The first test satan did was to take away all of job s animals, killing the servants that were with the animals, and killing all of job s sons and daughters while they were eating together. God had just as much faith in job, as job had in god. God not only wagered satan over the outcome of jobs trials, but he actually provoked the bet job 12. Satan in job is those who oppose gods opinion of righteous job. You must understand who god is and who satan is, what they know, and what their motivation is.
The book of job is one of the longest books in the bible, at 42 chapters. Job 2 gw satan challenges the lord again one bible. Jun 28, 2010 all job s children were slaughtered, why did a loving god do that is this a loving god. He tears his clothes, shaves his head both signs of mourning, and blesses god. Job is a wealthy and godfearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. Was it unfair for god to allow job to suffer over what was. William blakes illustrations of the book of job wikipedia. In the bible, what is the relationship between god, job. Satan, the thief, has come to kill, steal, and destroy john 10. Like everyone with a pulse, i knew the basic outlines. Sep 26, 2016 so god, whose back was to the wall, made a wager with satan.
Mar 28, 2007 like everyone with a pulse, i knew the basic outlines. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. The book of job god did not give satan power biblebro. The book of job has often been seen as an explanation of why.
The entire story appears to make it look as though god allows satan to torment job with every manner of hardship just to prove to satan that he was wrong in saying that the only reason job worships god is because god blessed him with a happy life. After satan kills job s family in accordance with the power god granted, satan asks god permission to torture job. Satan, whom the bible refers to as the accuser, tells god that job is only faithful because god has prospered him and put up a hedge around him. Also job suffered for no reason other than a bet as well. To call gods dealings with the devil a bet misses the real point. Satan, the grand accuser, is doing what he does best.
The meaning of the book of job is found in gods and satan s conversation in heaven. In the biblical account satan strikes a wager with god over job the perfect, god fearing man claiming that his piety and obedience are due merely to his. In light of the new testament, we today realize that satan is one of the names scripture gives to the devil, but the hebrew word for satan as in the book of job simply means accuser. Satan is like a roving ambassador who comes to god to give a report on what he has seen and heard. Ill be quoting the source using the accuser rather than satan which the notes to my copy of the bible state is a perfectly viable gloss to reflect this understanding and to curtail conflation with the modern understanding of satan. It addresses the problem of theodicy, meaning why god permits evil in the world, through the experiences of the eponymous protagonist. Being as we all, everything that exists, existed from the beginning, outside of and before time, as thoughts, seeds of the eternal one, the book of job has a much deeper revelation that simply faith and patience will be rewarded. There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job.
Job is an unlikely candidate because the book s message rests on job s ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. Harold bloom has interpreted blakes most famous lyric, the tyger, as a revision of gods rhetorical questions in the book of job concerning behemoth and leviathan. What the devil and job got wrong about god hardcover march, 2019. The book allows hard issues to emerge because they do in human experience. No red skin, no horns, no pointy teeth and tail, and no devilish grin. The doctrine of satan in job chronological bible teaching. Blake apparently identified with job, as he spent his lifetime unrecognized and impoverished.
In chapters one and two, satan is referred to as one of the angels who presented himself before the lord. What does god allow satan to do, and how does god think job will react. There is no indication at all that jobs children and servants were good followers of god. The book of job is ancient israelite wisdom literature, and its purpose isnt to teach us about how satan and god make bets and leave innocent peoples fates hanging in the balance. The majority of the debate section in the book of job is in prose form. Satan makes the wager that if job were to suffer, he would not be so loyal, pious and faithful. Some theologians claim god gives no answers within this book.
Fourth, the book of job was a fixed document of the old testament centuries before the coming of christ in the first century. God allows satan to torment job, just to see how he will react. Apr 11, 2021 in the book of job, satan first establishes his role as the accuser. Apr 21, 2020 the book of job has long puzzled many bible readers. He certainly isnt raining down sunshine, rainbows, and love.
People and livestock who werent even involved died job 1. Satan continued the slander he began in the garden of eden. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. Job 14 flesh out a basic doctrinal understanding of satan. Mar 15, 2018 i said the book of job isnt about god foiling satan s plan. The book of job how divine council theology provides a. Follow the author similar authors to follow satans wager. Oct 05, 2017 the satan s skepticism about job s character had proved to be completely wrong.
My own opinion is that the book of job is a literary work, and not an historical one. The book of job enter satan stage left and the book of job written sometime after the return from exile in 539 bce cite. Job 2 gw satan challenges the lord again one bible gateway. Job s god, or at least the god of the book of job, is the lord, the covenant god of israel. In the book of job, how was it possible for god and satan to. The book of job was an important influence upon blakes writings and art. This is the jealousies of men that contradict the truth of god that job was an upright man, job 1. Juelz santana is perhaps best known as a member of the diplomats, a hip hop group founded in 1997. But it also makes us think of satan as the bad guy. Satan answered the lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.
So satan, which has the meaning of accuser or adversary, is actually an aspect of the eternal ones mind. Job 2 isv satans second attack on job some bible gateway. The book of job is one of the earliest bible books written. When job s friends heard about the things that happened to him they went to comfort him. Even though satan did these things to job, job did not curse. It is storytelling to make a point, or to explore an issue. Santa ana star casino hotel has set the standard for guest service in new mexico, and they bring that same excellence to how they treat their team members. If job was blameless, why did god allow satan to afflict. God boasts about job, whom god considers to be an outstanding example of what a religious person should be. Laron louis james, to the public known by the stage name of juelz santana, is a famous american rap artist, musician, record producer, as well as an actor. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house. The book of job is an interesting story of a man who loves god very much, and yet is severely tested to see if he will remain loyal. The traditional view of satan as an evil angel opposing the work of god in the book of job is more likely than the alternative view of michael heiser and others who promote similar views. He felt that since gd is good and only does good things, and since judaism is a monotheistic religion, it is inconceivable that satan, an evil cosmic force, should exist.
Select the things guarded by gods hedge of protection, according to satan s accusation of job. The names of his friends are eliphaz, bildad, and zophar. I permitted it in fact, i permitted you to overwhelm him with suffering. If god will take away those favors, job will curse god. Dec 16, 20 by joan acocell a december 8, 20 the book of job, in the old testament, opens with words both majestic and onceuponatimeish. Sep 25, 2020 throughout the book that bears his name, job is a redeemed saint, infinitely loved by the lord, one whose eternal future was secure, even during his days of struggle. It reveals that satan as a rival god appeared before the true god jehovah in heaven, challenging jehovah in the assembly of all the angels before god. The book of job begins with a description of its titular character, blameless and. At this point in time, satan still had access to heaven. It is clearly stated that satan has no power to do anything to job until god agrees that satan can kill job s family. Read the following summary of the book of job from the bible.
First, job is only serving god because of the favors he receives. Okay first he permitted the satan to do that as part of the bet, but that still makes god responsible. This is the final time satan is mentioned in the book of job. He also challenged that the only reason a man would serve god was for what he. The book of job 449 the satan reduces job s possessions to nothing, and his family to almost nothing vv. Satan voiced an accusation, an allegation, an assertion. The riches and piety of job, satan obtains permission to tempt job, job is afflicted. Allowing the questions is necessary in order to be able to address them. Because, ultimately, this fight is between job and god. Why michael heiser is probably wrong about satan in the. I hope you will invest in this book and reap the benefits of knowing the true faith building message of job.
Satan makes a bet with god that if job experiences suffering his devotion will falter and he will curse god. Satan, however, challenges god, saying that job is virtuous and moral only because god blessed him with good fortune. Apr 09, 2006 no, god did not make a bet with satan. Satan has put god in a tough place by his question. This is very disturbing for those who hope to see god as just, gracious and loving and not just playing with us as if we were pawns on a chessboard. Recovering the supernatural worldview of the bible bellingham, wa. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that joba. The entire saga of job and his family and friends was planned beforehand by god, and he just used satan as an active participant and the chief antagonist. He bets god that the only reason job is faithful to god is that job is successful in life. If your answer has anything to do with why the righteous suffer, youre probably answering the. Throughout the book that bears his name, job is a redeemed saint, infinitely loved by the lord, one whose eternal future was secure, even during his days of struggle. The book that gives us the most information about the devil in the old testament, however, is the book of job.
At a deeper level, it is satan and his false philosophy that is on trial, not job. Jan 02, 2020 god not only wagered satan over the outcome of jobs trials, but he actually provoked the bet job 12. In it, god brags to satan about the devotion of job, an upright and virtuous man. If your answer has anything to do with why the righteous suffer, youre probably answering the wrong question. The book of job begins with god and satan making a wager over job, in which god gives satan permission to test job, giving him terrible affliction. Oct 09, 2008 one day, satan presents himself before god and has a conversation with him concerning jobs character. Job will curse god if faced with adversities in life. Why did god make a bet with satan that allowed satan to. One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1. Why michael heiser is probably wrong about satan in the book. Satan accused god of being partial and protecting job because job served him. The bet the bibles book of job is one of the most difficult for religious apologists to explain.
In the book of job, how was it possible for god and satan. Why did god make a bet with satan that caused jobs family to. Similarly, the sons of gd, in job, were probably adherents of a religious cult. This is the first time in the bibl that satan is portrayed as an anthropomorphic, otherdimensional being with special powers. If job was blameless, why did god allow satan to afflict him. Above you posted only a part of a statement i made and omitted the part where i said that after chapter two, the book is about job attempting to reconcile the events that happened to him with his loyalty to god you disallowed my entire response to jason and. In the book of job, as best as i can see, god ruined job s life over a bet job 1.
Read the following summary of the book of job from the. Satan takes the bait and raises a question about jobs sincerity and motivation for serving god. The book of job in the hebrew bible was crafted to address human suffering and why bad things happen to good people. There is no indication at all that job s children and servants were good followers of god. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that job a particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away.
The story of job gods bet with the devil religious forums. Saadiah wrote that satan in job is a contemporary human. This more positive view of the satan of job makes sense of the honest dialogue and contractual agreement between satan and the lord in job 1. God told satan, job would not falter, he would not lose his faith in god. The skeptics annotated bible, for instance, summarizes the main events. I have concluded that the bible is nothing but crazy nonsense from beginning to end.
In it, satan is a member of gods divine court who walks the earth looking for sin and reports back to god. God bets satana gentlemans bet, no cash at stakethat his most upright servant, job. In hebrew, satan actually means the accuser or the prosecutor, and he is referred to as the satan, not just satan. If god does not permit satan to test his theory about the motivation of pious folks like job, then satan can say, you are afraid i might be right. Pdf satan and the book of job andrew johnson academia. He was not barred from heaven until much much later in the stream of time. God bets satana gentlemans bet, no cash at stakethat his most upright servant, job, will remain faithful even in the face of catastrophe. Satan raised 2 issues regarding the integrity of mankindrepresented by job.
1228 392 1383 691 1510 258 1389 1396 1215 1067 138 14 193 231 1040 1224 966 271 250 125 1129 303 1257 659 1265 957 675 927 310 1340 449 926 1471 1581 542 1099 1169 17 1210