Job 101
“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
This Sunday we’re starting a new study in the book of Job. We’ll spend the 5 Sundays in June digging into this book together, as we see the hard realities of suffering through lens of God’s sovereign grace. We’ll see God’s deep mercy in our deepest miseries, and we’ll find encouragement that His mercy is deeper still!
The Overview
Job is 42 chapters long, so our 5-week study will be a high-level overview (at least in part). Here’s the plan for each week:
Job’s Suffering (Ch. 1:1-2:10)
Job’s Lament (Ch. 3 and select excerpts from Job’s laments found throughout the book)
Job’s Friends (a summary of Ch. 4-37, while looking at select passages)
Job’s God (Ch. 38:1-42:6)
Job’s Restoration (Ch. 42:7-17)
The Basics
Christopher Ash gives these six ways we can get the most out of the book of Job:
Job is an intense and daunting book. The book is intense because of the terrible sufferings it describes. The book is daunting because it is long and filled with complex poetic speeches. In reading Job, bear in mind the following six points.
First, Job is a true story. It describes who Job is, what happens to him, and how he and others respond to what happens. It also tells us what happens to Job at the end of the story.
But, second, Job is a story with long pauses for speeches in which Job and others reflect on what has happened. These speeches are in poetry. Poetry needs to be read aloud to get not only the meaning but also the feeling that infuses what is being said. Do not be afraid to read large sections of the text aloud and let yourself be affected by the emotions of the text.
Third, the text has some uncertainties, and the Hebrew from which Job is translated is difficult. This commentary uses the English Standard Version (ESV). You may like to have on hand some other good translations, such as the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and the New International Version (NIV). Comparing translations will help you get the meaning and also alert you to some places where there is significant uncertainty.
Fourth, we need to read Job in the light of the whole of the Bible, especially seeing Jesus Christ as the focus and center of the Bible’s story. The book profoundly foreshadows the gospel, as the undeserved sufferings of Job prefigure the sin-bearing sufferings of Jesus.
Fifth, when reading the words of Job, bear in mind a crucial ambiguity about this man. On the one hand, God affirms him at the end (Job 42:7) as one who has “spoken of (God) what is right.” But, on the other hand, Job needs to repent at the end of some things he has spoken that are not right (Job 42:3). That is, Job is a genuine believer and right with God in his heart and essential message, while making some mistakes in what he says.
Sixth, when reading the speeches of Job’s three friends, remember that God’s verdict on them is that, “you have not spoken of me what is right” (Job 42:7).
Here’s a short video from Tim Keller about discovering the gospel in Job:
And here’s two helpful videos from the Bible Project:
Scriptural Saturation
We don’t just want to get our feet wet in the bible, we want our lives to be saturated by it! To help us saturate our hearts and minds with this book over the next month, I would encourage you to spend time reading the portions of Job we’ll preach through each week (see above under “The Overview”). On week 3, we’ll look at Job’s Friends as an overview of chapters 4-37. This is a very long section, but I would encourage you to read the whole thing before that message. As much as I love the ESV translation, I’ve found that some others are a bit more helpful and clarifying on these tough passages of dense, Hebrew poetry (I’ve found the NIV, CSB, and NLT to be especially clear).
Resources
The only resource we ever endorse 100% is the Bible. These resources will help you dig deeper and, like everything, should be used with discernment.
Online Study Helps
Knowing the Bible: Job (Online Course through TGC by Eric Ortlund)
Job - Online Commentary (Christopher Ash)
4 Reasons You Should Preach Through Job (Jeff Lacine)
Podcasts/Sermons
Help Me Teach the Bible - Job (Nancy Guthrie & Christopher Ash)
The Message of Job (Sermon by Mark Dever)
Five Sermons on Suffering (John Piper)
Books/Commentaries
Suffering Wisely and Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God (Eric Ortlund)
Job: The Wisdom of the Cross (Christopher Ash)
Trusting God in the Darkness: A Guide to Understanding the Book of Job (Christopher Ash)
Job: Where is God in My Suffering? (Marc Davis)
May God teach us to suffer well during these 5 weeks in Job!
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)