Job and his Friends, True Faith Tested
Daily Devotions

Job: Let God Be God

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. (Job 13:15)

Job is going about his private affairs, unaware that he has suddenly become the focus of Satan’s attention. Job’s faith in God has become the object of a test by Satan, in which God is planning to pull the rug out from under Satan.

  1:  The Test Job 1
  2:  Divine Limitation Job 2:1-8
  3:  Accepting What God Gives Job 2:9-13
  4:  Is It Better To Die? Job 3
  5:  When The Righteous Suffer Job 4-5
  6:  Lord, Leave Me Alone! Job 6-7
  7:  True But Wrong Job 8
  8:  The Need For A Mediator Job 9-10
  9:  The Folly Of Platitudes Job 11-12
10: The View From Below Job 13-14
11: Worn-out Theology Job 15
12: Honest To God Job 16-17
13: A Vision Of Faith Job 18-19
14: When Life Seems Unfair Job 20-21
15: False Accusations Job 22-24
16: The Grand Perhaps Job 25-26
17: Where Is Wisdom? Job 27-28
18: The Wrong Of Self-defense Job 29-31
19: Youth Answers Age Job 32-33
20: Tried To The End Job 34-35
21: Your God Is Too Small Job 36-37
22: The God Of Nature Job 38-39
23: Can You Handle It? Job 40-41
24: When We Repent Job 42:3-6
25: Christmas At Uz Job 42:10-11
26: Speaking What Is Right Job 42:7-8
27: Forgiveness And Prayer Job 42:9
28: A God Of Purpose Job 42:1-2
29: God's Compassion And Mercy Job 42:12-13
30: Job's Daughters Job 42:14-15
31: A New Beginning Job 42:16-17

A devotion introduction for December

The book of Job is perhaps the oldest book in the Bible. No one knows who wrote it. Some scholars think Moses may have written it, while some date it as late as the time of Solomon. But one thing is certain: the Holy Spirit gave this book to us. It is a very profound book, and in many ways it touches upon certain themes more deeply than any other book of the Bible. It is also a very beautiful book, written in majestic, glorious language.

Job was a real man, not a mythological figure. He is mentioned by Ezekiel and classified as one of the three great men of the Old Testament, along with Noah and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). In the New Testament, James mentions Job, referring to his patience and steadfast endurance (5:11).

According to the opening part of the book, Job lived in the land of Uz, and he was probably one of the most prominent citizens of that land. He was a contemporary of Abraham, most likely, so this book goes back to the very beginning of biblical history.

As we will see, the book is a kind of epic poem, very much like the Iliad and the Odyssey, by Homer. Some think it was presented at times as a drama in which actors recited the parts of the different characters in the book. Most of the book is poetry, but it begins and ends with a prose prologue and epilogue, which are like program notes that are given to the audience in this drama.