“The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect, and an upright man, one that feareth God, and eschewth evil!
Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for ‘nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all he hath on every side? Thou has blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand.
So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord”
That’s quite a scene; you can almost hear the thunder rumbling at the end of it. It’s dramatic enough to be a trailer for a movie, or a new 6-part mini-series on TV. In fact, it’s the beginning of the book of Job, the 18th book of the Old Testament.
When Satan descends from the presence of the Lord the horror begins.
Job was a blameless man justly blessed by God with good health, a loving wife, devoted children, great wealth, rich crops, and vast herds of livestock.
Satan removes Job’s blessings one by one.
Raiders steal his herds and kill his shepherds. A wildfire destroys his crops. A violent storm brings down his house killing his children trapped inside. In the space of a few days Job has lost: house; herds; crops; and children. His wealth is gone. In response, Job rends his garments, falls to the ground, and says, “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”.
At the next meeting between God and Satan, God praises Job’s faith and mocks Satan’s failure. Yeah, sure, says Satin, “skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face”. Big talk says God. Do your worst, but spare his life.
Satan promptly covers Job with boils from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. The boils burst and putrefy. His flesh wastes down to his bones which seem to be on fire. Job praises the Lord. This was too much for Job’s wife who says in disgust, “Curse God and die”?
Job perseveres.
Three friends who had heard of his troubles came from afar, to mourn with him, and bring comfort and counsel. They were: Eliphaz the Temanite; Bildad the Shuhite; and Zophar the Naamathite. Many pages are filled with their discussions. Job tells them he has done nothing wrong. They have their doubts. Surly, Job must have done something very, very wrong to bring such disaster down upon his head. They go through all the possibilities point by point.
Job thoughtfully considers, and then refutes, point by point all the possibilities. He accepts the judgement upon him. He only asks, “Why”.
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ‘Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge’? ‘Gird up thy loins now like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me’. ‘Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth’? ‘Declare if thou hast understanding”.
God continues this questioning for several pages; laying out the multitude of wonders that the Godless ascribe to nature, and that the Godly understand as the work of nature’s creator. “Then Job answered the Lord and said, ‘I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee’. ‘I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful, which I knew not’. ‘Werefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”.
At once, God removes Satan’s hand from Job.
But God has a few words for Job’s friends who are standing nearby.
“My wrath is kindled against thee, for you have not spoken of me, the thing that is, rightly, as my servant Job hath’. ‘Therefore…”. God goes on to demand a sacrificial offering from Job’s friends - and a prayer from Job for his friends.
Everything Job had lost is restored to him double-fold: house; health; herds; children; wealth - and happiness. He lives for another 140 years.
The books ends with: “So Job died, being old and full of days”.
This is a strange story.
It’s not the first book of the Bible, but some biblical scholars think it might be the oldest. The reasons are many. There is not a single mention of, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Noah, Moses, or any of the other names that are so frequently recalled throughout the Bible, especially the Old Testament.
There is no mention of any nation or city. No Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, not even Ur, which is one of the most ancient cities. Did this story take place before there were any cities or nations? Perhaps at a time when human society consisted only of tribal families of nomadic herders. The designation of Job’s friends suggest this. They are said to be: Temanite; Shuhite; and Naamathite. These names sound more tribal than national. And, from how far away did they come? There is no way to know. Scholars have guessed at places several hundreds of miles apart; based on what I do not know.
If these guesses are correct, how could word of Job’s troubles travel so far, and how is it that Job could have caring friends at such a distance? It seems to suggest a social order more complicated than nomadic herdsmen could manage – as does the complex theological ponderings of Job and his friends.
Where did this story happen?
Job is said to be from Uz. There is no known historical record of Uz.
One possibility is Mesopotamia. This land between the Tigris and Euphrates would support the vast herds described, and it is the most likely historically - except for the exotic animals described in the book of Job.
When God lists his many wonderous creations, he includes three very peculiar creatures: Behemoth; Leviathan; and Unicorn. There have been attempts to link these three mysterious animals to existing animals. None too convincing.
Some have thought that the Behemoth might really be the Hippopotamus; even though the similarities are no greater than the inconsistencies. Leviathan does have some features in common with crocodiles; but not enough to be a match. The most farfetched conjecture is the possibility that the horns of an antelope, when seen in profile, might have been mistaken for a Unicorn. Dinosaurs have also been suggested. All of which reminds me that there are certain people who would rather believe in absurdity than admit to mystery.
Even if we think there might be something to the Behemoth/Hippopotamus, Leviathan/Crocodile theory; climate would be an additional problem. Crocodiles and Hippopotamus are sub-Saharan animals. The last time they could have lived north of the latitudes of Africa was around 10,000 BC. when even Mesopotamia was tropically moist and verdant. Does the story of Job go back that far? I don’t know. I also don’t know what to make of the Unicorn reference.
I imagine Unicorns can live wherever they choose.
More mysterious than time and place is the premise of the story.
It’s based on what seems like a completely pernicious bet.
The sons of God, God, and Satan are depicted as lounging like haughty 17th. Century aristocrats at a private club. They amuse themselves with a sporting challenge; “Your man, Job, can’t take a real beating”. “Oh yes he can”… and the bet is on.
This is not the way God and Satan appear anywhere else in the Bible. God sets the rules for the contest - he’s clearly in charge, but isn’t Satan a little more cheeky than seems proper? And, who are these, “sons of God”? They’re noted nowhere else, and nothing is revealed of their role.
It’s more Greek than Hebrew. Greek gods did this sort of thing all the time. They were regularly arguing amongst themselves and tormenting mortals. Not so the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is incomprehensibly beyond all. He does not make bets. He does sometimes destroy, but not for sport.
Does this picture of God reflect an earlier, archaic understanding of God? I think it’s one more reason for believing that the book of Job is older than the other books in the Bible.
The strangeness continues with the doctrinal reflections of Job and his friends. I said three friends; actually there was one more: Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite. This much younger fourth friend doesn’t speak until his elders have had their say. He notes something the others had overlooked about God: “If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? And, ”If thou be righteous, what givest thou him”?
Good point. We’re nothing. What’s it to God whether we become sinner or saint? God doesn’t need us. Or does he - for some reason beyond our understanding.
What is Man that God should be mindful of him?
The rest of the Bible is devoted to answering that question.