Before starting to study a book of the Bible, it’s always a good idea to understand the context. Context is defined as “the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.” Facts are important to context. Without the “circumstances or facts” our perspective of any book of the Bible will be limited. And sometimes, the “circumstances or facts” can change everything about what it means. Finding context and deep diving into scripture can take a lot of labor. But it’s worth. To see why laboring in God’s word is worth it, be sure to check out this blog post.
The Book of Job & Context
The author of Job is unknown-likely a Jew writing to the Jewish people to teach them about God and suffering. Job probably lived during the time of the patriarchs – Abraham, Issac, and Jacob – but before the time of Moses. Strange to imagine that Job could have been suffering while Abraham was offering Issac on the alter. That’s conjecture, of course.
Chronologically, Job takes place between Genesis and Exodus. But God decided to put it somewhere else in the actual physical Bible. He keeps us on our toes. Job sits between Esther and Psalms. The author wrote Job as wisdom literature. Wisdom literature is old literature written to give wisdom and advice.
Themes in Job include, “Why do people experience suffering?”, “How can God be good and still allow evil?”. For those of us who believe that life should be fair, Job’s life offers a different perspective. Sometimes life isn’t fair, and we may never know the reason.
The Book Job Homework for Context
For studying Job, the first homework assignment I’m giving myself (and you, if you’d like to join) is to listen to or read the book of Job three times over the course of two weeks. Repetitive reading will help us saturate our minds with the story. I’m not going to be reading any book about Job-no commentaries yet.
Job has forty-two chapters. If you listen/read nine chapters per day over the course of fourteen days, you will go through Job three times in two weeks. Read/Listen to nine chapters a day and you are good.
I’m Not An Expert
Also, please understand that I’m learning, too. I’m hungry for God’s word. I want to know Jesus more, but I don’t know everything. I’m a student. I always want to be a student. And my hope is to be a student that encourages others like yourself to love and live God’s word. I’d love for you to study Job with me. It’s going to take work! But we make time for what matters to us, right? Let me know if you are joining me because I would love to hear from you. Here is a link to the printable for going through Job 3 times in 2 weeks. It’s a big goal, and if you don’t make it, it’s OK. Maybe you could make your goal different. Instead of reading/ listening three times in two weeks, start with one time. Move forward, that’s the goal.
Conclusion
As you read/listen through Job, I’d love to hear your thoughts. This is a judgement free zone. Haha. I’m sincere. I want to give us permission to explore the scriptures and get it wrong. That’s right. Sometimes, we’re going to get it wrong. Teachability and humility is the goal. As you listen to Job, pay attention to the context of the story. What is happening? Who is in the story and how do they change over time? Don’t shy away from the hard questions that come to mind. Saturate yourself with Job. And while you do, notice how it fits in the story of the Good News. God put Job in the Bible on purpose, let’s dive in and see who God is and what he wants for us.
