| |
Books of the Bible |
There is really no general consensus on who may have been the original author of Job. Many have proposed that Job himself was the author of the book while others propose Elihu, Moses or Solomon.
The writing style tends to indicate a date of writing around the time of Solomon, but the story itself is set much earlier and the oral tradition most likely dates to an earlier time than the actual writing of the account.
The purpose of the book of Job is to show that suffering is not necessarily the result of sin and to show how God's people should respond to it.
Prologue
Job's initial monologue
3 cycles of speeches by Job and his friends
Job's concluding monologue
Elihu's speech
Gods's speeches and Job's responses
Epilogue
Job was most likely one of the early patriarchs, from around the time of Abraham. The book gives no indication that the law has been given or that this is post-Exodus. Job offers sacrifices as the head of the family, so it is before the emergence of the priesthood. We can see in Job the character of the rich Sheik of the time, someone whose wealth is found in flocks and herds and in the reputation that he has among his peers.
God; Satan; Job; Job's wife; Eliphaz; Bildad; Zophar; Elihu
Job can easily be summed up in the phrase "I'm God and you're not", but it goes much further than that in exploring the relationships between God and man, between sin and punishment and as an example of faith in God even when it doesn't seem justified. We can also learn a lot about judging others and about dealing with grief from it.