God’s Response To Job In Job 38–42 And The Message

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Introduction to the book of Job The book of Job is the first of “The Books of Poetry". These five books include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. While most others books are written in the style of a narrative these books posses a more poetic style. Of the poetic books, some are also referred to as "Wisdom Literature" particularly Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. There is no consensus among ancient rabbis or modern scholars about the date of Job . Moreover, the author of Job is also unknown. LaSor, Hubbard and Bush, eloquently write “Rarely has history left such a literary genius unnamed and unknown as to his circumstances or motive for composing such magnificent work.” For many years the book of Job has been critically acclaimed by both Christian and secular scholars alike. The French poet and novelist Victor Hugo once wrote: "Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, I should save Job." The story depicts the unjustifiable suffering experienced by Job who was considered a man of virtue. The account has served both as a means of supporting traditional morals and as a launch pad for more profound philosophical interactions concerning the issue of human affliction. There are quite a few undeniable themes in the Book of Job, which include the virtue of patience in spite of suffering, faithfulness rewarded; suffering's not being a punishment for sin, God's omnipotence and the examination of morality. Theologians Marcus Aquinas and Pope Gregory I offered that the Book of Job taught that suffering was a purifying experience that was desirable. Other scholars have suggested that another theme worth examining is humankind's inability to understand how God works outside the world's interpretation of justice. Although each theme is indeed important, at the heart of Job’s message is

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