The Book of Job is unique and, according to Jewish and Christian scholars, was written by Moses. It is found in the Old testament. It was originally written in Hebrew and has many similarities to the Pentateuch. During his 40-year-stay in Midian Moses had access to the facts about Job's trial and learned of the outcome of Job's life when Israel came near Uz on the way to the promised Land.
The Book consists largely on the debate between a true servant of God and 3 others claiming to serve God in their own way of understanding the Word of the Lord. They erred their doctrines in their attempts to correct the ways of Job in serving the Word of the Lord. Their mistakenly thought that Job was being punished by God for some grievous hidden sin. Thus, arguing, according to their doctrines, on this basis, they actually became Job's persecutors.
The debate consists of a series of 3 rounds of speeches, in which all 4 speakers participate (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu), except that Zophar does not speak in the last round, having been silenced by Job's argument. These 3 companions of Job state true Facts, at times, but in a wrong setting and with a wrong aplication, making it very clear that the arguments explaining the doctrine of their 3 speeches are erroneous. Thereafter all are corrected by God's spokesman Elihu and finally God Himself.
The companions of Job said that "God punishes the wicked."This is true. But the conclusion of their doctrine is wrong. It stated that all the sufferings that one individual undergoes is a result of sins and God is thereby administering punishment. Suffering was understood as an evidence that an individual has sinned, spoking untruthfully concerning God's mercy. Their claim was that God has no delight in the integrity-keeping man and because of that He has no trust in His servants, even in angels, denying the many Scriptural statements revealing God's sincere and truthful love for his intelligent servants. In God's conversation with Satan in which He called attention to Job and expressed His greatest confidence in Job's loyalty when he let Satan test Job. God reassured His protection making Satan respect Job's life showing His tenderness in affection and mercifulness.
The Book of Job reveals the great issue of the Righteousness of God in his exercise of Sovereignty and the manner in which the integrity of God's earthly servants is involved in the issue,
Job endured suffering and death rather than turn himself away from God by violating His Law. At one point he found himself out of balance in the matter of self-justification, being pushed further in that direction by the constant charges of his 3 companions. He mistakenly was driven to the attempt of justifying himself before God by insisted in having an answer from Him as to why he was suffering. He failed to realize that no one can rightly say to God:"Why did you make me this way?" God mercifully answered Job, both through speaking to Elihu and by speaking to Job from the Windstorm.
Even though Job was not an Israelite, the Jews accepted it as of equal authority with the other inspired Books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Ezekiel refers to Job in chapter 14 when some of the leaders of the Israelites consulted him about the Lord's Will. God spoke to Ezekiel saying: "Mortal Man, these men have given their hearts to idols and are letting idols lead them into sin. Do they think I will give them an answer? .. Now tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: 'Turn back and leave your disgusting idols. Whenever one of the Israelites or one of the Foreigners who live in the Israelite community turns away from Me and worships idols, and then goes to consult a Prophet, I, the Lord, will give him his answer! I will oppose him . I will make an example of him. I will remove him from the community. .. If a Prophet is deceived into giving a false answer, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived him. I will remove him from the People of Israel. Both the Prophet and the one who consults him will get the same punishment. I will do this to keep the Israelites from deserting Me and defiling themselves by their sins. They are to be My People and I will be their God. ... Mortal Man, If a country sins and is unfaithful to me, I will reach out and destroy its supply of Food. I will send a Famine and kill people and animals alike. Even if those 3 men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were living there, their goodness would save only their own lives. Or a might send wild animals to kill the people, making the land so dangerous that no one could travel through it, and even if those 3 men lived there .. there would not be able to save even their own children. They would save only their own lives. ... I will send my 4 worst punishments on Jerusalem -War, Famine, Wild Animals, and Disease - to destroy people and animals alike. If anyone does survive and save his children, look at them when they come to you. See how evil they are, and be convinced that the punishment I am bringing on Jerusalem is justified; then you will know that there was a good reason for everything I did."
In the Book of James also Job is mentioned in chapter 5 when it is said:"You rich people .. weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. .. Be patient.. Do not complain against one another, so that God will not judge you. The Judge is near, ready to appear. .. Remember the Prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as an examples of patient endurance under suffering. We call them happy because they endured. You have heard of Job's patience, and you know how the Lord provided for him in the end. For the Lord is full of mercy and compassion. .. Do not use an oath when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Say only 'Yes' when you mean yes, and 'No' when you mean no, and then you will not come under God's Judgment.
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