Job -- The Suffering Prophet (3): Who Was Job?

Reflections on the Book of Job (3)

Who Was Job?

So, who was this man who God called to suffer great loss and play such an important role in redemptive history?

Job is introduced to the reader in the opening verses of the first chapter. “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (v. 1). The land of Uz is east of the River Jordan (Qedem–“the east”), likely in what is now the nation of Jordan. Uz could be anywhere between Edom on the south, Moab on the east, and the land of the Aram to the north. While Job was not an Israelite–since no tribal or family identification is given–he clearly worships Israel’s God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [1] So, apparently, do his friends and family.

As the story opens and we meet the central character, what stands out is the assertion that Job was “blameless and upright” and that “he feared God and turned away evil.” What, exactly, does this mean? One thing it does not mean is that Job was sinless, or that he had attained a state of justifying righteousness because he lived a blameless and upright life. We must not confuse cause and effect. We know this to be the case because elsewhere in this book Job declares himself to be a sinner. In Job 7:20, Job laments, “If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?” In Job 13:26, he laments “for you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.” Finally, in Job 14:16 -17, Job confesses that “you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin; my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.”

Upright and Blameless: What Does that Mean?

If Job acknowledges himself to be a sinner, what does it mean when Job is described as being “blameless and upright?” The answer is simple. The text means exactly what it says–Job was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. Job was an honest and moral man, who avoided those things contrary to the law of God that had been written on his heart (cf. Romans 2:14). In chapters 29-31, Job can appeal to the public knowledge of his piety, which is the visible manifestation of his faith in YHWH. When we read that Job was blameless and upright, we should understand this to mean that Job believed YHWH’s promise to forgive his sins and, like Abraham, Job was justified through faith. Job believed and confessed that YHWH will cover his sins and through that act of faith, Christ’s righteousness was reckoned to Job, just as it was to Abraham.

Job’s faith in YHWH bore much fruit of the Spirit, fruit which was tangible to all who knew him and fruit which was especially pleasing to YHWH. As one writer puts it, “there was an honest harmony between Job’s profession and his life, quite the opposite of the hypocrisy of which he was presently accused by Satan and later by his friends.” [2] Having been justified by faith, Job lived in such a way that his conduct before men was blameless and upright, in contrast to someone who is indifferent to the things of God, or who hypocritically professes one thing, but lives like their personal profession makes no difference.

Job’s conduct was exemplary (some of it is described in the following verses in the way he served as priest of his family). In Job 4:3-6, one of Job’s friends can declare of Job, “Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed. Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?” In Job 42:8, when God rebukes one of Job’s friends, telling him “now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” In this, we see that Job is a righteous man, which is the outward manifestation of his faith in YHWH—not only by virtue of his justification before God through faith, but evident in his daily conduct. James 2:18 comes to mind. “But someone will say, `You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” When Job suffers, it is not because he has some secret sin, or because God is punishing Job because he has done something which provokes God to anger.

This is precisely why Satan sets out to expose Job’s obedience as phony (a quid pro quo) and why the Lord allows Job to be put to the test. Even if God turned Satan to an ash at that very moment, the question about human righteousness resulting from divine bribery would never be answered. Job was truly blameless and upright. Job had done nothing to bring about the trial that is about to befall him. He feared God and shunned evil. Hence God allows Satan to put Job to the test to vindicate God’s righteous dealing with his creatures. Satan will get his answer.

This also explains why Job has every right to cry out for God to vindicate his good name. After all, God has promised not to punish the blameless. But why then does Job suffer if he has done nothing wrong? That is the question which this remarkable book will seek to answer. And that answer is found in the wisdom and mysterious purposes of God.

In verses 2 and 3, we learn something of Job’s personal circumstances before his ordeal begins. “There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.” As a servant of YHWH, Job took the creation mandate seriously–-he had a large family (some have thought that the numbers of his children, seven sons, and three daughters, are numbers indicating completeness and God’s blessing) and his wealth, indicated by the large number of animals and servants, is obviously the manifestation of God’s favor.[3]

Job’s piety can be clearly seen in what follows. We read in verses 4-5 that

[Job’s] sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, `It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did continually.

Job functions as a priest to his family, because he knew that there was no forgiveness of sin apart from the shedding of blood. Burnt offerings point ahead to a coming messianic redeemer, and were also a means of consecration. Job ensured that his own and his families’ sins were covered, but he continually dedicated everything that he had unto the Lord [4]. Here we can see in part what it means when we read that Job was blameless and upright. Job was the priest of his home and he acknowledged that everything he had came to him from the hand of a gracious God. Everyone who witnessed this knew that Job was the greatest man in the east. And this is that man whom God will point out to Satan, thereby plunging him into this great ordeal.

Three Things to Notice about Job

First, Job occupies a unique role in redemptive history, unlike that of any other. Second, Job is in many ways a type of Christ. And third, Job is an example for us to follow in the midst of our own suffering.

As to the first point, Job occupies a very unique role in redemptive history. Although we know little about the man himself (other than he was very pious and prosperous), we know that Job lived early on in the story of redemption, when very little information about the coming redeemer had been revealed. But Job believed in the God of Abraham, made burnt offerings for the forgiveness of his sins, and those of his family so as to consecrate his family unto the Lord. YHWH himself took delight in Job’s upright living and blameless behavior. It is vital to the story to recognize that it is God who brings Job to the attention of Satan, thereby setting in motion the ordeal Job was about to undergo. This means that in many ways Job’s ordeal is unique. This is important for us to keep in mind, because when we suffer, unlike Job, we do not suffer at the hands of the Devil as part of a Manichean struggle between good and evil. Job lived well before the coming of Christ and his defeat of Satan at the cross (cf. Colossians 2:15), which resulted in what John describes in Revelation 12:7 as a war in heaven, when the Devil was cast down from heaven to earth. Satan no longer has access to the throne of God. He cannot accuse us or attempt to barter with God about our personal circumstances as he did with Job.

Furthermore, Job is unique in that not only does he demonstrate a remarkable piety–the Lord himself says there is no one else like Job–but Job’s ordeal and its outcome proves that all of God’s dealings with his creatures are just and righteous, even if we do not understand why God does what he does. While the secret things belong to the Lord, in this story we struggle to answer the question once asked by Abraham, “will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25). In the story of Job we see that the answer is “yes.” God always does what is right, even if his purposes remain hidden from us until we enter his presence. We may not know the answer now, but we will then.

Second, while Job’s great piety is unique, Job is still a sinner, who must offer sacrifices for his sin. While he is faultless and blameless and sows to the Spirit, not to the flesh, Job was born in sin and as a child of Adam must taste the sting of death. In the words of one writer,

Job is as faultless as any man can be. He is not everyman. He is unique. God boasts that `there is none like him on the earth’ (1:8; 2:3). As such he presents the case of an innocent sufferer in what is almost its acutest form. In one life only is Job excelled, both in innocence and in grief: in Jesus, who sinned not at all, but who endured the greatest agony of any man. In His perfection of obedience and of suffering the question of Job and of all us have their final answer. [5]

While Job passed his test, he did so only for himself and to prove God’s wisdom in the face of Satan’s challenge. But Jesus Christ endured a far greater test than Job, and did so on behalf of all of God’s people. Jesus Christ alone was without sin and fulfilled all righteousness, something even Job’s great piety could not accomplish for himself, let alone for others.

Third, as a justified sinner, Job, like Abraham, is a member of the covenant of grace, because through faith in YHWH’s promise, Job received the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Job believes God’s promise. He offers sacrifices for sin, on behalf of himself and his family. But Job also offers these sacrifices to consecrate himself, his family, and all of his possessions to his creator and redeemer. This, too, is part of membership in the covenant.[6] Thus, in many ways Job is just like us. He is what we commonly call “a good Christian” or a “faithful” or pious man. Job is above reproach which, by the way, is one of the requirements for men to serve in Christ’s church as a minister, elder, or deacon (1 Timothy 3:1-13). He did as Paul instructs all of us to do in Galatians 6:8-9: “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” This was true for Job. It should be true for us as well. Job’s piety is an example of that kind of piety that should be manifest in our lives.

But we also learn from Job how we should respond to suffering, should this be God’s purpose for us. When Job is called to suffer, he does not curse God, nor seek to take his own life. Because he is blameless, Job has every right to cry out for vindication–as do we if we have sown to the Spirit. Job is not suffering because he has done something wrong which angered God. Rather Job is suffering because God has a purpose for his ordeal–-as yet unknown to Job.

Unlike Job, we know how the story ends. Even when Job suffers terribly, he still confesses, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth” (19:25). How much more should we do the same. For we see what Job does not–-that the redeemer’s agony on the cross is but the prelude to the victory won in the empty tomb and the exaltation of our Lord’s Ascension. For the one who suffered for our sins, dying in unspeakable agony which transcends Job’s, has now been given that name that is above every other name and is now King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Job knew that God in his wisdom would do what is right and even in the midst of his suffering tried not to look back–-“what have I done to deserve this?” For the answer was not to be found in the past–“woulda,” “coulda,” “shoulda.” “If only I had . . .” Instead, Job looks ahead to that time when the wisdom and purposes of God will finally be revealed. And in this, Job is a fitting and wonderful example for us. For in the midst of our suffering, Job points us to Jesus Christ, who is the man of sorrows, fully acquainted with grief, and yet at the same time is that blessed Redeemer who stood upon the earth. For even in the midst of his grief, loss and agony, Job knew one fundamental fact which enabled him to endure– “For I know that my Redeemer lives.”

We have seen that one of whom Job speaks—God incarnate—Jesus Christ our Lord, that one in whom human sin and the mysteries of human suffering find their answer.

In the next installment, we will consider Job’s suffering and trial at the hands of Satan: Job: Satan Before the Heavenly Court (4)

To read the first in this series: Job: The Suffering Prophet (1)

To read the previous section: Job: God's Sovereignty and Human Suffering (2)

_________________________________________

[1] Andersen, Job, 77.

[2] Kline, Job, 461.

[3] Cf. Kline, Job, 461 and Andersen, Job, 79.

[4] Kline, Job, 461.

[5] Andersen, Job, 79.

[6] Kline, Job, 461.