Department Chairman, and Senior Professor of Bible Exposition
Section One: Job and the Problem of Suffering
Section Two: Literary Style
Section Three: Author
Section Four: Date
Section One
Job and the Problem of Suffering
Professor Zuck, in his view of this book, states that ..."best-known examples of undeserved suffering." When I read this statement, I agreed with him because Job did not merit such judgment upon his life. Such "judgment" came from the "accuser of the brethren Revelation 12:10 ." This particular "accuser", as stated in the New Testament, roams around [moves in the earth from place to place] Compare this with Job 1:9-11.
What Job suffered in a matter of minutes says Professor Zuck. What is known of Job is that he was a wealthy man who served the Lord. In those few minutes, he lost all his material possessions, his descendants along with his health. He also lost the support of his wife--she told him to "curse God and die." To me, her faith in God was not as strong as her husband's. Then came along his friends who only condemned him, and they spoke from their minds. Job found no comforting words from his "friends." What must have hurt the most was the absence of the Lord's voice during these terrible times of great loss.
How would you have dealt with the silence of God at such a time as this? Imagine going through devastation in the following areas: finances, emotions, health-wise, and most of all spiritual attack from your own spouse!! Would you still remain faithful to God when it seems as the entire world {those especially that you would look to for encouraging words and spiritual strength}? The problem of the earthly and logic mind would ask: "If Job was a spiritual and upright man, then why would he suffer such great loss? Why has God silence Himself concerning this matter? Could it be that what was once acknowledged by family and friends was false? Here was a man who was "upright, blameless" Job 1:1 was abandoned by his God? I think you and I can think of other questions that would arise in our minds. See also Job 1:8; 2:3.
Professor Zuck, in his continued commentary on Job states that this book of affliction deals with the attitudes during such a great affliction. Note what Professor Zuck states concerning this portion of his analysis:
...it demonstrates that a believer, while undergoing intense agony, need not renounce God. Question Him, yes; but not deny Him. Like Job, he may long for an explanation of his experience; but being unable to comprehend the cause of his calamity, he need not curse God. Though Job came close to doing so, he did not actually denounce God as Satan had predicted.
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