how big is your god - an overview of the book of job

7/30/2019 How Big is Your God - An Overview of the Book of Job

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I am sure that you have seen Charlie Browns Christmas. He is depressed about the holiday and

visits the local psychiatrist, Lucy. The following conversation ensues:

Lucy: I think we better pinpoint your fears. If we can find out what youre afraid of, we canlabel it. Are you afraid of responsibility? If you are, then you have hypengyophobia.

Charlie: I don't think that's quite it.

Lucy:How bout cats? If youre afraid of cats, you have ailurophasia.

Charlie: Well sort of, but Im not sure.

Lucy: Are you afraid of staircases? If you are, then you have climachaphobia. Maybe you

have thalassophobia. This is a fear of the ocean. Orgephyrophobia, which is the fear ofcrossing bridges. Or maybe you havepantophobia. Do you think you havepantophobia?

Charlie:Whatspantophobia?

Lucy: The fear of everything.

Charlie:Thats it!

Most of us do not suffer from pantophobia, but probably all of us fear something. What is fear?

What is the cause of fear? What is the cure for fear? To begin to answer these questions, I would

like for us to turn to the book of Job.

Life Behind the Hedge

When we first meet Job, he is surrounded by Gods hedge with: 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7,000 sheep,3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and many servants. To the best of ourknowledge, he also had very good health considering that he likely lived to the age of 210 (i.e., 70

years before the trial and 140 years after it). But the most important thing to know about Job is

what Yahweh says about him:

My servant Job, there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who

fears God and shuns evil. (Job 1:8)


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There is a lot in that statement, but I would like to focus on the phrase fears God. The Hebrew

word translated fears has the idea of throwing oneself down at the feet of an authority out of awe.

The translators of the LXX did not use the Greek word phobeo, which has made it into our languagein words like pantophobia, but rather a word meaning worship God. Job was not one who

cowered from God in cringing fear, but rather one who out of awe worshipped God.

Things Job Knew that Some Never LearnThe combination of worshipping God and shunning evil were indications that Job was a very wise

man (see Job 28:28; Prov 14:16). There were things Job knew that most people never learn.Following the introductory information about Job, we are told that the Adversary came before thepresence of Yahweh and was asked what hed been up to. His reply is from going to and fro on

the earth, and from walking back and forth it (1:7). I think it is important to remember Peterswords at this juncture, your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he

may devour (1 Pet 5:7). A comparison of these passages in their original languages along with

ancient translations (LXX [Hebrew into Greek] and Peshitta [Greek into Aramaic]) shows a definite

connection.

The Adversary was seeking to steal, kill and destroy. But notice, who introduces Job into theconversation: then Yahweh said to the Adversary, Have you considered my servant Job (1:8a).The Adversary did not bring up Job, Yahweh did Yahweh is suggesting his servant as the

Adversarys next target. Why? We will try to answer that in a bit.

At this point, the Adversary accuses Job of worshipping God only because of His blessings. The

Adversary believed that if God removed His hedge then Job would curse Him. Yahweh replied,

Behold, all that he has is in your hand; only do not lay a hand on his person (Job 1:12).

In one day, Job lost 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 femaledonkeys, and most of his servants. Did Job curse God as the Adversary had predicted? No! We

read that he continued to worshipGod saying:Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I shall return there. Yahweh gave, and

Yahweh has taken away; blessed be the name of Yahweh. (Job 1:21)

Job knew that everything He had was on loan from Yahweh. But you may think, wasnt it theAdversary that took away his children, servants, and possessions? Well, the Scripture adds:

In all this Jobdid not sinnor charge God with wrong. (Job 1:22)

The Hebrew word translated wrong has the idea of being worthless or bland because ingredients

are missing. Job did not charge God with not knowing what He was doing in taking all these things

away from him. Although the Sabeans stole the oxen and donkeys, fire from heaven burned up the

sheep, the Chaldeans stole the camels, and a great wind caused the house to fall on his children,they did not ultimately take these things from Job. Although the Adversary was given permission to

instigate these destructive acts, he did not ultimately take Jobs family and possessions. It was

Yahweh Who in His sovereignty decided it was time for these things to be removed from Jobs life.

Following trial #1, Job has only his health. In the second chapter, the Adversary again comes beforethe presence of Yahweh and is asked what hes been up to. The conversation continues along the

same lines as previously, with Adversary indicating that he is seeking people to devour and Yahweh

again suggesting His servant Job.


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The Adversary accuses Job, indicating that Job would curse God if he lost his health. He says,

Stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your

face. Yahweh replies, Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life. The Adversary strikes Jobwith painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. His wife tells him to curse God

and die. Did Job curse God? No, he replies:

You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from [the hand of]God, andshall we not acceptadversity? (Job 2:10a)

Wait, Job, you have it all wrong! The Adversary afflicted you with this disease. Or did he? The

Scripture continues:

In all this Job did not sinwith his lips. (Job 2:10b)

Job correctly saw this adversity as coming from Yahweh. Sure, the Adversary may have had an

intermediary hand in it, but the Adversary had to get permission from God and so God was the

ultimate source. This disease was in His sovereign will for Job. If this adversity had not come from

God, then Job would have sinned with his lips.

We rightly ascribe the good things in our lives to Yahweh; however, we generally do not seeadversity as coming from Gods hand as Job correctly did. God Himself declared this truth through

the prophet Isaiah:

I am Yahweh, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. There is none besides Me. I

am Yahweh, and there is no other; I form the light and create the darkness, I make peace and

create calamity; I, Yahweh, do all these things. (45:5-7)

The word translated calamity is the same Hebrew word used by Job and translated adversity,

and it is the same word found in Genesis 2 regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Unlike Genesis 2, where Yahweh uses it in contrast to good, here in Isaiah He uses it in contrastto peace. Our heavenly Father ultimately is responsible for all that comes into our liveswhether

it causes has to enjoy prosperity or endure adversity.

So what is it that the wise and understanding Job knew that most never learn:

1. Everything that we have: our life, our health, our spouses, our children, and our possessionsare from Yahweh and He can take them back whenever He pleases; and,

2. Everything that comes into our lives, both prosperity and adversity equally, come from thehand of Yahweh. God indicates in Job 42:11 that He brought the adversity upon Job.

Yahweh alone is the only thing that Job or we have permanently. When everything else is taken

away, He is there.

Something We Can Learn to which Job was Not Privy

The best Scriptural evidence points to Job being the second king of Edom, the great-grandson ofEsau. I have a small study on this if anybody is interested. This means that Job had no writtenrevelation from Yahweh. In addition, Job knew nothing about the conversation that occurred

between Yahweh and the Adversary. As such, there is something very important that we can learn

that Job did not know, namely, the Adversary is not a second independent, sovereign being presentin the universe. He must report to Yahweh (the sons of God came to present themselves), he

must give an account to Yahweh (where do you come from), he receives input from Yahweh


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(have you considered my servant Job), he requires permission from Yahweh to act (all that he

has is in your hand), and he is bounded by Yahweh (only do not lay a hand on his person).

Many talk about the Adversary as if he is a little less powerful than Yahweh, but the Bible does not

teach co-eternal, co-independent, co-omnipresent, co-omnipotent, co-omniscient benevolent and

malevolent forces. Yahweh is supreme and as everything comes from His hand, why waste time

worrying about the second cause, whether it is the Adversary, demons, evil people? You cannot besure of the second cause, so concentrate on the First Cause, Yahweh. Think like Job who said to his

wife, Shall we indeed accept good from [the hand of] God, andshall we not accept adversity?Think like Joseph who said to his brothers:

I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not be grieved or angry with

yourselves because you sold me here; God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for

you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent

me here, but God. (Genesis 45:4-8)

The brothers did the selling, but more importantly Yahweh did the sending. Think like disciples

praying in Acts 4:

For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your handand Your purpose determined before to be done. (vs. 27)

The Jewish religious leaders, Pontius Pilate, Herod and the Roman soldiers were merely second

causes of Jesus death, it is Yahwehs hand and purpose that are the first cause. The prophet Isaiah

states regarding the crucifixion, it pleased Yahweh to bruise Him; He put Him to grief (53:10). Itwas Yahweh Who ultimately crushed His Son on the cross like seeds made into a powder by a stone

mortar and pestle. Remember back to the Garden of Eden, Yahweh informed the Adversary that he

would strike the Messiahs (Seed of the Woman) heel. Even though the Adversarys hatred was

behind the wicked actions of the men who crucified Jesus, it is ultimately Yahwehs pleasure in

accomplishing the salvation of mankind that is important.

Some Things that Job Did Not Understand

Despite Jobs understanding of Gods sovereignty, the extremity of his circumstances and the

badgering of his miserable comforters exposed a weakness in his comprehension. Just a quick note

regarding his so-called friends, in Job 42, Yahweh says to them:

My wrath is aroused against you for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servantJob has. (vs. 7)

I believe that Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar were mouthpieces for the Adversary, who used them to

continue his attacks and present exalted arguments against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:4, 5).

Through their words, the Adversary was able press hard on Job from every side, perplex him, harasshim, and throw him down (2 Cor. 4:8, 9). But Yahweh did not forsake Job nor allow him to be

crushed, to be in utter despair, or to be destroyed. He was in control of this portion of the trial as

much as the others. Returning to Job, in his opening speech, he says:

For the fear I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I have dreaded has happened to me.(3:25)

Even as Job lived his life behind the hedge, knowing that all he had from Yahweh was on loan, deep

down he feared God taking it away. The statement begins with both the noun and verbal forms of a


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Hebrew word that relates to the shaking of the thighs. This is a very different word than the one

used to indicate that Job feared God. In this case the LXX translators did use the Greekphobos.

Job was not just slightly concerned about God taking everything away; he was terrified that Hemight do so. The other word used by Job, translated dreaded, relates to fear of the unknown. Job

feared what God may or may not have had planned for his future. For some reason, Job was

experiencing such feelings in the midst of his prosperity. His trials and the barrages of lies from the

Adversarys mouthpieces only intensify these thoughts, as evidenced by these things said by Job:

The arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God

are arrayed against me. (6:4)

What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target? (7:20)

He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies wounds without cause. He will not allow me to

catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness. (9:17, 18)

Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity; yet You would destroy me.(10:8)

Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not the dread of You make me afraid. Why do You

hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy. (13:21, 24)

For He performs what is appointed for me, and many such things are with Him. Therefore, I am

terrified at His presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of Him. For God made my heartweak, and the Almighty terrifies me. (23:14-16)

Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp

shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness; just as I was in the days

of my prime, when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; when the Almighty was yetwith me. (29:2-5)

In addition to indicating that his thighs are shaking and he feared the unknown, Job describes his

fear with Hebrew words that express the ideas of being troubled, being shattered to pieces, dreading

the chaos and depths of the sea, and the draining away of strength and resolve. Such feelings came

as the result of having the following thoughts regarding God:

- God was his enemy trying to destroy him;- God was acting unjustly toward him; and,- God had abandoned him.

Even though Job had a good grasp on Gods sovereignty, he had some things to learn about Gods

mercy, justice, and faithfulness. Elihu, Jobs youngest comforter, who was neither a mouthpiece of

the Adversary norrebuked by Yahweh, repeats Jobs sentiments and rebukes him:

-

Jobs Error #1:I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity inme. Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy (33:8-10).

Elihus Response #1:God is greater than man, for He does not give an accounting of

any of His words (33:12-13). But Elihu continues in vv. 14-30 concerning ways that

God speaks to man. In summary, Elihu states, Behold, God does all these things, twice,in fact, three times with a man. To bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be

enlightened with the light of life (vv. 29, 30). Gods purposes are never to destroy, but

rather to deliver men from error and help them to see Him aright. God is merciful.


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- Jobs Error #2: I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice; should I lieconcerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression (34:5, 6).

Elihus Response #2: Far be it from God to commit iniquity. For He repays man

according to his work, & makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely Godwill never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice (34:10-12). God is just.

- Jobs Error #3:I do not see Him (35:14a)Elihus Response #3:You must wait for Him (35:14b). While we may not be able to

see Him and assume that He has abandoned us, Elihu states: He does not withdraw His

eyes from the righteous (36:7). He does not diminish His oversight in our lives,whether we can sense it or not. God is faithful.

Elihus message to Job was not you are a terrible sinner, but rather, you have forgotten who it is

that you serve. Yes, Yahweh is sovereign, but He is not malevolent dictator He is merciful, just,

and faithful. As Job had rebuked his wife of speaking as a foolish woman, Elihu rebukes his friendof speaking as the wicked men do, w/o knowledge and w/o wisdom (34:35, 36).

Not only did Elihu rebuke Job, but God also had some harsh words for his servant:

Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a

man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Shall the one who contends with the

Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it. (38:2, 3; 40:2)

Remember that Yahweh referred to Job as His servant. Does a servant contend, correct and rebukeHis master? Yet this is what God said Job did. The Hebrew words translated contend, correct

and rebuke comefrom a roots that mean head of the family (i.e., master), to turn the head

(i.e., rule), and palm wall (i.e., to chastise with a firm hand), respectively. Job had switchedplaces with Yahweh. But after God reminded him of which One of them was the Master and which

one of the them was the servant, Job declares:

I am vile, what shall I answer You? I will put my hand over my mouth. I know that you can

do anything, and that no purpose can be withheld from You. I have uttered what I did not

understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. I have heard of You by thehearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and

ashes. (vv. 40:4, 42: 2,3, 5, 6)

I think here we get insight into why Yahweh suggested Job as the Adversarys next target. Even

though Jobs understanding of God was greater than most, it was still too small. A.W. Tozer wrotein his bookKnowledge of the Holy:

Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. That our

idea of God corresponds as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance

to us. Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of religious notions and may

require a vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it is. Only after anordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God. A

right conception of God is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is

inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there isscarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally

to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God.

Job had some low, imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God (i.e., He was not merciful, just orfaithful) that had to be unearthed and exposed, that his worship might be pure. While he lived life


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behind the hedge, these thoughts would have remained undiscovered, contaminating Jobs life and

service to God. Yahweh used the Adversary to refine Jobs faith.

Something David Understood that Job Did Not

Throughout the account, Job seemed intent on having his day in court before Yahweh. For instance,he states in Chapter 23:

Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat! I would present my case

before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments. (vv. 3, 4)

Job understood neither the holiness of God nor the depth of his own sin to desire an audience at

Gods judgment seat. King David endured many trials in his life, but he had a very different requestas expressed in Psalm 27:

One thing I desired of Yahweh, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the

days of my life, to behold the beauty of Yahweh, and to inquire in His temple. (vs. 4)

David did not desire a day in Yahwehs court, but rather a lifetime in Yahwehs house. He did not

want to plead his own innocence, but rather behold the beauty of Yahweh. The idea of beholding

Yahwehs beauty reminds me of Pauls words in 2 Corinthians 3:

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, withunveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the

same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (vv. 17, 18)

Beholding the beauty or glory of Yahweh changes us. To go back to Tozer, it unearths and exposes

our low thoughts of God and replaces them with high thoughts. Because David had had many of hislow thoughts uprooted, he was able to say:

Yahweh is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life; of

whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and

foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart will not fear;

though a war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. (Psalm 27:2, 3)

Job with his low thoughts concerning Gods mercy, justice and faithfulness was full of fear. David

had a more complete view of God. With regards to Gods mercy, David said, I would have lost

heart, unless I believed that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living (vs. 13).David trusted that regardless of how difficult the adversity, he would in time experience Yahwehs

goodness. Job had lost hope of ever experiencing good again (7:7). With regards to faithfulness,

David declared, when my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take care of me(vs. 10). Job believed that God was no longer with him and actually against him. With these higher

thoughts of God, David was able to face an entire army or war alone without fear. The final words

of David echo Elihus response to Jobs error regarding Gods faithfulness:

Wait on Yahweh; be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, onYahweh. (vs. 14)

The Hebrew word translated wait has the idea ofgathering things together and tying them with acord. When difficult circumstances come and we are tempted to doubt Gods mercy, justice and

faithfulness, we need to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Messiah (2 Cor.

10:5). We need to hold ourselves back from making hasty judgments against God. The wordtranslated courage means to grab hold tightly. Cling to Yahweh in the midst of the trial. If we

wait on Yahweh and grab hold tightly to Him, He will strengthen our heart. The Hebrew word


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translated strengthen means mighty sides. God will provide the strength on our sides to help us

to stand in the midst of the trial.

David did not concern himself with second causes. In 2 Samuel 16, when he is cursed by Shimei

and Abishai volunteered to cut off the head of the curser, David replied, let him curse, becauseYahweh has said to him, Curse David. Who then shall say, Why have you done so? David had

gained the ability to see everything coming from His sovereign, merciful, just and faithful Godshand. If only we could see God the way David did.

How Big Is Your God?

We began this study with three questions: what is fear?, what is the cause of fear?,and, what is the cure for fear? I think that the first two questions must be answered together, for

the definition of fear from this study includes its cause. Fear is belief in a small God. To the extent

that we fear our circumstances or people, to that extent there is something wrong with our

knowledge of God. Therefore, the cure for fear is to unearth and expose our small thoughts aboutGod. Job believed in a sovereign God, but his God was at times unjust, unmerciful and unfaithful.

His trials in part came to expose and root out these lies. Remember Jobs words to Yahweh, I

know You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You (42:2). Until we can see everything in our lives as coming from the hand of Yahweh, we will struggle with

fear. Paul describes God as the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will

(Eph. 1:11). Whether we believe it or not, all things includes bad things, not just goodthings. If your God is only in the good things, then your God is too small.

Jobs statement, that no purpose can be withheld from God, draws me to a passage that I would

like to end with this morning. Many people can quote Romans 8:28, namely, we know that all

things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose. Here we have that phrase again, all things. All things are not good when they

reach us, nevertheless, if we will receive them as from God, regardless of their appearance, then

God will surely work "all things" together into good. But what is the good that He is working in our

livesis it that we would have a care-free life. No, its important to not extract Romans 8:28 fromthe rest of the passage. Paul continues:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He

might be the firstborn among many brethren. (vs. 29)

The purpose that God is working toward is to make us like Jesus that is the good that Romans

8:28 is talking about. It was no different for Job. It was un-Jesus-like to think of God as unjust,unmerciful and unfaithful. Jobs trials, as do ours, come to conform us to the image of Jesus. They

come to root out those small thoughts concerning God and give us the mind of Messiah.

Paul then ends the chapter with words that echo Davids in Psalm 27:

If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah?Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yetin all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded

that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things

to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the

love of God which is in Messiah Jesus our Lord. (vv. 31-39)

God loves us and nothing created can separate from that love. God is control of all things and is

working all things together for our good; therefore, there is no reason to fear. Is it any wonder that


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Paul prayed that believers hearts would be rooted and grounded in love, that they would be able to

thoroughly receive the width and length and depth and height of Messiahs love (Eph. 3:17, 18).

Its four dimensional beyond knowledge, which means we can never get to a point where wetotally understand itthere will always be room for greater reception of that love.

Jobs God was too small. To expand his understanding of the width of Gods sovereignty, the

length of Gods faithfulness, the depth of Gods mercy and the height of Gods justice, Yahweh inlove sent severe trials into Jobs life. James writes, you have heard of the perseverance of Job andseen the end intended by Yahwehthat Yahweh is very compassionate and merciful (5:11).

The extent which fear rules in our hearts is the extent our true beliefs about God are low, imperfect

and ignoble. What do you fear? How big is your God?


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Who Was Job?

The Greek translation of the Old Testament (i.e., the Septuagint [LXX]) has the following note at

the end of the book of Job:

This man is described in the Syriac book as living in the land of Ausis, on the borders of Idumea

and Arabia; and his name before was Jobab; and having taken an Arabian wife, he begot a sonwhose name was Ennon. And he himself was the son of his father Zare, one of the sons of Esau,

and of his mother Bosorrha, so that he was the fifth from Abram. And there were the kings who

reigned in Edom, which country he also ruled over: first, Balac, the son of Beor, and the nameof his city was Dennaba; but after Balac, Jobab, who is called Job; and after him Asom, who

was governor out of the country of Thaeman; and after him, Adad, the son of Barad, who

destroyed Madiam in the plain of Moab; and the name of his city was Gethaim. And his friendswho came to him were Eliphaz of the children of Esau, king of the Thaemanites, Baldad,

sovereign of the Sauchaeans, Sophar king of the Minaeans.

Does this addition agree with the rest of Scripture? Was Job the Edomite king named Jobab? Well,

lets examine it. The first thing we are told in Job1:1 is that he lived in the land of Uz. InLamentations 4:21, we read:

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, You who dwell in the land of Uz!

So it does appear that the land of Uz was in Edom, at least at the time of Jeremiah. According toJob 1:4, he lived in the East. If you look at a map of ancient Israel, you will see that Edom is east of

Judah, south of the Salt Sea. In Job 2:11, Eliphaz is introduced as a Temanite, which is consistent

with the LXX description of him as king of the Thaemanites. According to Genesis 36:10, Esauhad a son named Eliphaz by his wife Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite (note this is not the Eliphaz

of Job, but an ancestor). Eliphaz in turn had a son named Teman, from which come the Temanites.

So it is clear that Eliphaz was an Edomite. In Job 2:11, Bildad is introduced as a Shuhite, which is

consistent with the LXX description of him as sovereign of the Sauchaeans. According toGenesis 25:2, Shuah was the son of Abraham by his wife Keturah, after the death of Sarah. In vs. 6,

Shuah was one of the sons that Abraham sent eastward away from Isaac to the country of the east.

This is consistent with Bildad being in the land where Job lived. Zophar is introduced as a

Naamathite; however, nothing is known about this title. The LXX reference to the Mineans putsZophar in Arabia, in the area the land of Uz (notice that Job took an Arabian wife). Finally, Elihu is

described as son of Brachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram (Job 32:2). Buz was the son of

Nahor, brother of Abraham. We know that Abrahams servant went east to the family of Nahor tofind a bride for Isaac. In Jeremiah 25:23, Buz is situated nearEdoms Teman. All the biblical

evidence would point to Job being Edomite.

Just because he was Edomite, it does not mean that he was a king? In Job 1:3, his possessions are

stated to include 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very

large household. These are consistent with a king; for example, we read in 2 Chronicles 30:24, thatKing Hezekiah gave the people 7,000 sheep for the Passover celebration. Also, the use of the

phrase greatest of all the people seems to point to a king. Therefore, it is not unlikely that Job, if

indeed was Edomite, was an Edomite king.

In Genesis 36 and 1 Chronicles 1, we are provided with biblical information on the Edomite kings.As the LXX note indicates, the second kings name was Jobab, son of his father Zare, one of the


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sons of Esau, and of his mother Bosorrha, so that he was the fifth from Abram. Per the biblical

account, Abram had a son named Isaac (the first from Abram). Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau

(the second from Abram). In the first section of Genesis 36, we read:

Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite;Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, Ishmaels

daughter, sister of Nebajoth. Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. AndAholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him

in the land of Canaan. Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons ofhis household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of

Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. So Esau dwelt in

Mount Seir. Esau is Edom. (vv. 1-8)

So the third generation from Abram included Esaus sons: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and

Korah. In vs. 13, we read of the sons of Reuel (fourth from Abram, grandsons of Esau): Nahath,Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. In vs. 33, we are told that Jobab was the son of Zerah; therefore, this

individual was the fifth from Abram, Esaus great-grandson. The only difference between the LXX

account and the Scripture is that Bosorrha is named as Jobab mother, while the Scripture indicatesthat Zareh was from city of Bozrah. The fifth from Abram along the line of Jacob is Moses father

Amram (i.e., Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram). It is interesting to note that Levi, Kohath and

Amram all lived to about the age of 135. If in fact, Jobab was Job, then he was given essentially anentire lifetime (based on the lifespan of his contemporaries [140 years]) after the trial. For the most

part, the biblical account of the individual named Jobab is consistent with the LXX note, but is he

Job?

In English, the names look very similar: Job vs. Jobab. How about in Hebrew? Jobs name is really

(Iyob) and Jobabs is (Yobab). The names are similar enough. The names of theother seven kings listed in Genesis 36 are Bela, Husham, Hadad, Samlah, Saul, Baal-Hanan, and

Hadar. From a name standpoint, if Job was indeed an Edomite king, he would most likely be Jobab.

If Job is Jobab, the second Edomite king, there are several interesting implications:

1. Job did not have any written Scriptures;2. Job did not belong to the chosen people of Israel; in fact, he was leader of country that was

an enemy of Israel. In Numbers 20, Moses sends a message to the king of Edom asking forsafe passage. The kings response, you shall not pass through my land, lest I come out

against you with the sword. It is hard to believe that this was Job, so either he had not

started his reign yet (i.e., this was the first king of Edom) or he had died by this time (i.e.,this was the third king of Edom).

In favor of the first scenario is the fact that the first Edomite king was Bela, son of Beor.The Bible tells us of another son of Beor, namely, the prophet Balaam who was hired byBalak, king of Moabites to curse Israel. Were these individuals brothers or were there just

two Beors? Lets say that Job began to reign in Edom when he was 30 years old, ten years

after the Exodus. This would mean that he was born when Moses was 60 years old. By thistime, Amram, Moses father had died 35 years previously. So Job and Amram would not

have been contemporaries. In fact, they would have been born 172 years apart. It does not

seem likely that two individuals could be in the same generation from Abraham, especially


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since they both had Isaac as great-great grandfather and their great-grandfathers (Esau and

Jacob) were twins, and be born that many years apart. Therefore, I believe that it is more

likely that Job had already died by the time of the Exodus. If Job died 10 years before theExodus, he was 140 years old when Moses was born. Amram was 112 years old when his

son Moses was born. This agrees with our previous analysis that Job and Amram were both

in fifth generation from Abram. This would also mean that Moses could have written the

book of Job, which Jewish tradition indicates.

In addition, the Book of Jasher (see Joshua 10:13 & 2 Samuel 1:18) presents Job as acounselor to the Pharaoh at the time of Moses birth. However, Jasher 66:18-22 indicates

that it was Job that gave the Pharaoh counsel to kill all male Israelite children. This seems

very inconsistent with Gods assessment of his servant. Also, mentioned as a counselor toPharaoh, is Reuel (Jethro), Moses father-in-law, priest of Midian. While this also seems

unlikely, the authors of the book seemed to have included two people of note at that time to

be Pharaohs counselors. If Job lived at the same time as Moses father-in-law, this is

consistent with him being the same generation from Abraham as Moses father. The Bookof Jasher, just like the added note of the LXX, are not Gods word and therefore not inerrant.

However, the Jasher account is consistent with our analysis above with regards to thetimeframe in which Job lived.

3. Yahweh indicates that there is no person, including all the Israelites currently down inEgypt, who is like Job in his worshiping of God and his shunning of evil;

4. In Ezekiel 14, Yahweh indicates the surety of Judahs punishment by saying, even thoughNoah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could deliver only themselves by their righteousness

(vv. 14, 20). Interesting, God lists a Gentile (Noah), an Israelite (Daniel) and an Edomite

(Job). Although Edomites are Gentiles, they are descendents of Shem (Semites) anddescendents of Abraham.

You dont have to agree with my analysis here, as it is at best conjecture. I think it is very clear thatJob was Edomite, even if not the king Jobab. This being the case, we are given a beautiful picture

of Gods grace. The burden of Yahweh for Israel through the prophet Malachi begins:

I have loved you, says Yahweh. Yet you say, In what way have you loved us? Was notEsau Jacobs brother? says Yahweh. Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid

waste his mountain and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness. Even though Edom has

said, We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places. Thus says

Yahweh of hosts, they may build, but I will throw down ; they shall be called the Territory ofWickedness, and the people against whom Yahweh will have indignation for the age. Your eyes

shall see, and you shall say, Yahweh is magnified beyond the border of Israel. (1:1-5)

In Job, we see Yahweh magnified beyond the border of Israel, not in the judgment of Edom, butrather God demonstrating His love to a person who was an alien from the commonwealth of Israel

and a stranger to the covenants of promise.

how big is your god - an overview of the book of job

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