But Job is also remarkable because it reminds us that there is more going on than what we as humans can see or know. As the story unfolds, we are allowed to briefly listen in to a conversation in heaven, between God and Satan - God is commending, actually bragging about, His servant Job, and Satan is asking for permission to put him to the test. First he wants to take from Job his wealth, then his family, and finally his health. God grants these requests, which in itself teaches us that Satan, the adversary of our souls, can harm us only to the extent permitted by God. One can only wonder what kind of conversation God is having with Satan about us. Would He be bragging about us, and if so, are some of the difficulties we face due to God allowing Satan to test the sincerity of our faith and faithfulness of our righteousness?

As an aside, I also want to note that when Job was enduring his hardships, all his friends, and even his relatives seemed to have abandoned him (19:13-20). However, at the end when his good fortune has been returned to him, and he is again healthy, prosperous, and having a family which included three daughters which were the most beautiful in all the land - then his friends and relatives all returned to express their sympathy. But where were they when he needed them the most? The only so-called friends were those who came to taunt Job, insisting that he must be guilty of some terrible sin for God to treat him so badly.

Another remarkable thing about this book is the recurring theme in Job concerning this idea of the "fear of God."

At the beginning, in the very first verse, Job is described as a man who "feared God and shunned evil." Now please notice that this was not Job's description of himself, nor was it merely the opinion of other people; it was the assessment of God Himself (1:8). Later in the book, here's what Job says, "But [God] stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store. That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me." (23:13-16)

Again, later (chapter 31) Job poses a series of situations: "If I have walked in falsehood . . . "If my heart has been enticed by a woman . . . "If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants . . . "If I have denied the desires of the poor . . . "If I have raised my hand against the fatherless . . ." Then he adds, "Then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things."

But perhaps the most remarkable thing about the book of Job is its basic subject matter, and it is no coincidence that this subject is being discussed in the oldest writings of the Bible. Certainly this book represents one of the oldest questions pondered by man - why do the righteous suffer, while the wicked seemingly prosper? Or, in the language of Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The would-be friends of Job repeatedly try to convince him that the calamities that have befallen him are punishments for his sins, or at least chastisements meant to correct and teach him. Their perspective is that good people are rewarded with blessings during this life; wicked people are the ones who suffer.

The climax of the book is when God describes the wonders of nature and asks Job if he was there when it all began, or if he understood the intricacies of nature, or if he had the strength to subdue the fiercest of creatures. For example, God asks Job if he knows how to find the origins of light and darkness - then God mocks Job when He says, "Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!" (38:21) In a similar mocking tone God asks, "Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, `Here we are'?" (38:35) And then He follows immediately with one of the more important, serious questions, "Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?" (38:36)

This then leads to these ultimate questions put to Job by God, "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?" (40:2,8) To his credit, Job gives the right answer when he replies, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (42:2-6)

With this humble response of repentance, Job joins the company of other great men of God.

When Isaiah had his wonderful vision of God in the temple, he cried, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (6:5)

The great leader of restoration, Nehemiah also prayed such a prayer of confession, admitting to grievous sins against God. "I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you." (1:6)

Daniel. that great man who was gifted by God to interpret dreams and visions prayed, "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong." (9:15)

And Jeremiah prayed a similar prayer of repentance, "O LORD, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against you." (Jeremiah 14:20)

When the reluctant prophet, Jonah, preached in the pagan town of Nineveh, what happened? "When the news [of Jonah's message] reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust." (Jonah 3:6)

The New Testament writers also recognized this need to admit sin and pray for forgiveness. Paul quotes from the book of Psalms (14:2,3) when he writes, "There is no one righteous, not even one; none good, no not one." (Romans 3:10) And John writes, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (I John 1:9,10)

But the significant thing about Job was that not only did he believe himself to be a good and righteous man, but even God seemed to have acknowledged that this was true. Remember, the whole story began with this conversation between Satan and God, when Satan was challenged by God to prove Him right, that Job was a man who "feared God and shunned evil." And yet, at the end of the story, Job comes to see himself as one who needs to repent. Why? Did Job finally come to accept the judgment of his "comforters" who worked so hard to convince him that his problems were God's punishments? Did Job repent because he had been convinced that this was the way to get God off his back, to get Him to like him again and bless him? Obviously not, because at the end God demanded that those who held to this idea were in the wrong - they were the ones who needed to be forgiven, they were the ones who were required to bring sacrifices, they were the ones Job was asked to pray for.

The reason Job repented is very simple - he saw God. When confronted with a Holy God, Job, his view of himself changed drastically, literally, he said, "I see myself as an utterly, vile person."

Of course this flies in the face of the popular humanistic concept which says that all people are basically good. Today, most people reading this line from Job would conclude that he, and all the other Bible characters like him, are merely suffering from low self-esteem. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Job, you are really a good man." In fact, that was Job's perspective - he saw himself as a very good man, loved and respected by all. Listen to what he says about himself:

"When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

"Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.

"I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.

"Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners." (29:7-25)

No poor self-esteem with Job!

But then he had an encounter with God. In the presence of a Holy God, Job came to realize what God had pointed out to him before, that he could not save himself (40:14)

You see, this is not a self-esteem issue; it's a truth issue. The Bible clearly states, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Romans 12:3)

What does it mean to "think of yourself with sober judgment"? It simply means that we must accept the truth that we are all sinful in the eyes of God, and in need of forgiveness and cleansing. Does that mean that we cannot be good, or that we should not strive to be good? No. We can and should be good, but we cannot be good enough to save ourselves.

When Job made a careful, sober, reflection of his life, he could make a long list of good things he had done, and for this reason he believed that if suffering was only the result of personal sins, he felt that he was being unjustly victimized by suffering. However, he was also honest enough to admit to the sin in his life. At one point Job asks God, "Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin." (7:21, 23) In another speech he refers to the sins of his youth (13:26).

The story of Job is one of the greatest, most remarkable stories of all time. Yes, because it forcefully teaches us not to judge people according to the external circumstances of their lives - healthy, wealthy people are not necessarily good, and sickly, poor people are not necessarily wicked. But more importantly, it teaches that all men must approach God with the attitude of humility and repentance.

When people today go through seasons of hardship and suffering, they might hope that they will have the "patience of Job." (James 5:11) Better yet to adopt his attitude of repentance. While striving to live good lives "worthy of the vocation," let us at the same time always keep in mind that in the presence of a Holy God, we still need His grace and His mercy - and so we will until the end of time.

1. During which period of history is it likely that Job lived?

2. In the Book of Job, are there any verses that are underlined in your Bible?

3. What was the nature of the conversation between God and Satan concerning Job, and what does it tell us about Satan's relationship with God?

4. What does it tell us about human nature that members of Job's family and friends abandoned him until after his troubles were over?

5. Those friends that did visit Job believed that he was suffering for what reason?

6. What is the meaning and the application of this phrase, "fear God and shun evil"?

7. We side with Job who could not accept the idea that in this life, goodness prospers while wickedness suffers. Why?

8. Near the end of the book, God Himself speaks - in summary, what does God say to Job?

9. Who are some of the notable men of the Bible who, like Job, confessed their sinfulness before God?

10. What simple promise is given to those who confess their sin and seek God's forgiveness?

11. If Job was truly a good man, and even God testified on his behalf that he was good, then what prompted Job to say to God, "I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes"?

12. Are repentance and "self-esteem" mutually exclusive? Can we feel good about ourselves, and at the same time be aware of our sinfulness?

13. To have patience in suffering like Job is good - what other qualities like his should we hope to have?