Job—Key to Why God Permits Evil
THE book of Job has ever been highly praised as a literary masterpiece. And this is said to be so even though the book suffers greatly in translation from Hebrew into any other tongue. Thus Martin Luther, who translated it into German, complained: “Job is suffering more from my version than from the taunts of his friends.”
That such a sublime piece of writing should have been penned some thirty-five centuries ago amid pastoral surroundings might of itself be said to argue for divine inspiration of this sacred poem. And thirty-nine of its forty-two chapters are poetry.
But how sad it is that with most persons this appreciation of the beauty of the book of Job is accompanied by a lack of understanding as to what its divine Author, Jehovah God, purposed to teach us by having it recorded! In fact, ever so many individuals who profess great appreciation for its beauty even doubt its historicity, claiming that it is merely an allegory based on a folk tale.
However, to deny that the book of Job tells what actually took place is to fly in the face of both reason and Scripture. How so? Because Job is listed with two other faithful men who have an assured place in history, at Ezekiel 14:14, 20: “Had these three men proved to be in the midst of it, Noah, Daniel and Job, they themselves because of their righteousness would deliver [only] their soul.” Would Job be listed with Noah and Daniel if he never really lived?
More than that, the disciple James points to Job as an example of patient endurance: “Look! We pronounce happy those who have endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful.” (Jas. 5:11) If Job had not actually lived and he had been merely an allegorical figure, what encouragement would he be to Christians trying hard to endure? Yes, an author can make an allegorical character endure all sorts of things by means of his imagination, but what help would all such be to imperfect creatures who actually undergo tests of endurance? None whatever! No, for us to be able to look to Job for encouragement, he must actually have lived.
And what is the purpose of the book of Job? It furnishes a key to mankind’s most baffling problem: Why does God permit evil? Or, why does God permit the innocent to suffer harm?
Do you know why He does? From the book of Job we can see that Jehovah has permitted such because of a boast that his adversary, Satan the Devil, made, namely, that he could turn all men away from God. Yes, Satan claimed that Jehovah God does not deserve to be feared and worshiped and that the only reason why men do obey him is to make selfish gain for themselves. Satan boasted that if God would let him get at Job, a very righteous man, Satan could cause Job to curse God. God accepted the challenge and let Satan bring all manner of hardship and suffering on Job. Job’s name means “object of hostility,” and he certainly was the object of Satan’s hostility. But Satan failed to turn Job against God. Job thereby upheld Jehovah as the rightful Sovereign and the One deserving to be feared and worshiped.
WHO? WHEN? WHERE? WHAT?
Who wrote the book of Job, and when? Modern critics insist that its writer cannot be known, and they date it as late as the sixth century B.C.E. However, there is reason to believe that it was written many, many centuries earlier and by none other than Moses. There are both poetic and prose parts in Moses’ writings that sound quite similar to parts of Job. That Moses was the writer is also the opinion of early Hebrew and Christian scholars.
When and where did Job live? The account reveals that Job lived when there was no one like him in all the earth. So he must have lived after the faithful patriarch Joseph died and before Moses had been raised up as Jehovah’s prophet, between the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries B.C.E. He lived in the land of Uz, located in what is today known as Arabia.
The book of Job might be viewed as having five distinct parts: First, the why of Job’s tragedy. Second, the speeches of Job and of his three friends. Third, the speeches of Elihu, who sets straight the four previous speakers. Fourth, the pronouncements by Jehovah God himself. Fifth, the outcome.
THE TESTING OF JOB
The book opens by telling us about Job’s blameless and righteous course, about his family and his enjoying great material prosperity. Then we are given a view of heaven, where Satan appears among loyal sons of God in Jehovah’s presence. God calls Satan’s attention to Job’s upright course, implying that the issue had been raised before. In effect, Jehovah said to Satan: ‘So you claim that there is no man on earth that fears me and practices righteousness? How about my servant Job?’ And Satan replies: ‘Oh, yes? Sure he serves you. But look how prosperous you made him—7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, and so forth! Take away everything he has and you’ll see how he really feels about you!’ Accepting the challenge, Jehovah allows Satan to rob Job of all his possessions, including his children.
But Job is not serving God and doing what is right because of the material blessings he enjoyed, but, rather, because of love of God and of righteousness. Again Satan appears in heaven and, when told to consider Job’s steadfast course, replies that if Job himself were made to suffer he would turn against Jehovah God. God then lets Satan inflict a loathsome and extremely painful disease upon Job, from head to foot. Now even his wife urges him to give up: “Curse God and die!” But Job rebukes her: “‘You talk as any wicked fool of a woman might talk. If we accept good from God, shall we not accept evil?’ Throughout all this, Job did not utter one sinful word.”—Job 2:10, New English Bible.
SPEECHES BY JOB AND HIS THREE FRIENDS
Three friends of Job, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, hear of the calamity that befell Job and come to comfort him. So shocked are they at his wretched state that they sit silent for seven days. Job breaks the silence with a speech in which he curses the day he was born. In reply Eliphaz argues that, since God is just, Job must be getting what he deserves. Job answers him and asks to be shown where he has done wrong. Next Bildad and Zophar argue to the same effect, and each time Job maintains his innocence, justifying himself, however, rather than Jehovah God. And then there is a second round of speeches, and part of a third. Mistakenly trying to help Job, his three friends actually become his enemies, and far from comforting him, they add to his misery!
Repeatedly he reproves them for their harsh words, which become stronger and more in error as the discussion progresses: “What does reproving on the part of you men reprove?” “You men are smearers of falsehood; all of you are physicians of no value.” “What galls you, that you answer?”—Job 6:25; 13:4; 16:3.
Through it all Job holds on to his integrity and his faith in God. In fact, time and again in the midst of his replies he addresses God rather than one of his friends: “Cause me to know why it is that you are contending with me.” (Job 10:2) Indicating a hope of a resurrection are Job’s words: “O that in Sheol you would conceal me, . . . that you would set a time limit for me and remember me! If an able-bodied man dies, can he live again? . . . You will call, and I myself shall answer you. For the work of your hands you will have a yearning.” (Job 14:13-15) In his final speech (Job chapters 26 to 31) Job insists on his innocence: “Until I expire I shall not take away my integrity from myself!” (Job 27:5) He calls attention to God’s great unfathomable wisdom; tells how very great his own fame was and how highly he was held in esteem but how low he has now fallen in the eyes of others; then again he dwells on his righteous course. No, he had not done anything to deserve what has befallen him.
ELIHU AND JEHOVAH ANSWER JOB
Listening to all of this is Elihu, who hesitated to speak up because of his comparative youth. But he can no longer keep quiet, because Job is so concerned with justifying himself rather than God. Also, Job’s three friends had not been able to convince Job and so “had let God appear wrong.” (Job 32:3, NE) Elihu pleads: “O Job, please hear my words. . . . Look! I am to the true God just what you are.” (Job 33:1, 6) He speaks in vindication of Jehovah’s justice and ways and man’s need to be submissive to God. He stresses the need to know Jehovah God; shows that Jehovah is balanced in his dealings and in conclusion extols the Creator’s unsearchable greatness.
A storm starts brewing as Elihu completes his speech. Jehovah now speaks out of the windstorm: “Who is this that is obscuring counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins, . . . let me question you, and you inform me. Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you do know understanding.” (Job 38:1-4) Jehovah then calls attention to man’s insignificance and temporary existence compared with the eternalness of the Creator, His own greatness, His power and wisdom as displayed in all creation, from the vast starry heavens to such powerful mundane creatures as the hippopotamus and the crocodile.
After hearing Jehovah God speak in this way, Job acknowledges that he spoke rashly, without full knowledge, and repents “in dust and ashes.” Thereupon Jehovah speaks again, this time censuring Job’s three friends. He requires them to make sacrifices and instructs Job to intercede for them. Thereafter Job is blessed with seven sons and three beautiful daughters and twice as much livestock as he had before. Living for 140 years longer, Job dies “old and satisfied with days.”—Job 42:1-17.
Truly the book of Job enlightens us as to why God allows evil, why he permits the righteous to suffer. He has done this to prove false Satan’s boast that he can turn all men away from God. At the same time this gives all lovers of God and of righteousness the opportunity to demonstrate the sincerity of their worship, proving themselves keepers of integrity. Will you be one of these? If so, you may have the reward of everlasting life that Jehovah God holds out to all of his faithful servants. This has been made possible by the sacrifice of that greatest of integrity-keepers, Jesus Christ.—John 3:16.