“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.” Job 1:1-3 NLT
Let’s be honest, God is certainly not overly concerned about creating mystery and tension in our human experience! The book of Job is one of those proofs. Job is the oldest written book in the Bible, from an unknown author about an unknown man. Job presents more questions than it does answers, but it is a fascinating read!
We are introduced to Job in poetic storytelling fashion – “There was once a man…” But remember, this is no fairytale! He lived in the land of Uz. Where is Uz and why does it sound so similar to Oz? Uz is a bit of a mystery as well. It is believed to be ancient Edom, and was located in the northwest corner of Arabia, southeast of Israel. Today it would possibly be Uzbekistan. When was Job alive? Many scholars place Job in the patriarchal period, around the same time that Abraham lived (Genesis 11:28–29). Even though we know very little about Job, he was noted to be blameless (“tam” perfect), a man known for absolute integrity (“yashar” refers to living in accordance with God’s laws and principles, embodying integrity and righteousness). Additionally, he stayed clear of evil in his dealings with others.
Not only was he a straight up solid, honest man – he was really wealthy. Not just wealthy in the currency of the day (animal stock), but also in the amount of ranch-hands he employed. And, he and his wife had 10 kids! Wow, Mrs. Job must have been a very busy woman as well. It is noted that he was the richest guy in the region. It doesn’t take much of a stretch to realize this, the people who knew Job and saw what he had would have completely believed this guy was BLESSED by someone. I would say he was blessed by God, the creator of all things. Others, may have thought he was blessed by nonexistent little g-gods. Some may have even thought that Job was such the richly righteous guy that he was PERFECT and deserved the wealth, massive land ownership and large family. This is just the kind of setup to tell us what ended up happening to Job and it would rattle everyone’s ideology AND theology!
The story shifts from a scene on earth to a scene that takes place in the heavens. “One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.” Job 1:6. Read the story for yourself, but be warned, it’s a rough ride to figure out the one thing we all want to know – WHY? Lots of Biblical scholars try to explain Job as though it were simple and clear. I have some thoughts, but I enjoy the mystery more than clarity at this stage of my life.
Prayer
Dad,
Early on in my faith journey I learned a very important lesson. You are God, I am not. You are always right, true and just. When things don’t seem right or make sense this side of eternity, I am 100% sure that it is my human perspective that cannot see nor understand the full scope of your will and your ways while here on earth. I knew then what I am still confident about today – I live on a broken planet among broken people and we all exist in the shadows until the full light of Jesus Christ is revealed at the end of days. Amen.