There is a verse buried deep in the book of James where Job is referenced. It’s the only New Testament reference to Job personally: “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” (James 5:11) James assumes his original audience is familiar with Job’s story. It would not be wise for a pastor to make this assumption today for many are not intimately familiar with his…
In his book The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, Derek Kidner describes the conclusion of the book of Job with these carefully crafted words: “After nearly 40 chapters of tempestuous poetry, the return to the simplicity of prose and the idyllic setting in which the book had opened rounds off this masterpiece, one may feel, to perfection.” The book of Job is indeed a divinely inspired masterpiece and the conclusion is perfection. In this concluding section there is no…
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind…” This would be appropriately scary given that God is awesome. Remember, Job thought God had abandoned him. He was about to find out this wasn’t true. And he’s about to be humbled. God loves Job enough to speak to him and humble him. God graciously and personally discloses himself to Job “out of a whirlwind” in order to humble him. And Job very much needs to be humbled before Go, which…
He’s been standing there all along but who knew? Let me introduce you to Elihu. You gotta meet this guy. He suddenly appears in Job 32. The reader had no idea he’s been there all along listening to Job lament to God and argue with his 3 friends. Who is this guy and why is he so angry? And why does he get 6 chapters? Why do we have to listen to him for 6 chapters before we can hear…
We all have them. Each and every one of us has at least one “why” question we desperately desire God to explain. Yours is probably whatever you are thinking about as you read this post. We all have them. So why doesn’t God answer them? We discover an answer to this question in an unexpected place: Job, chapter 28. In his excellent commentary on Job, Christopher Ash writes: “In chapter 28 we stand back from the pain and debates to…