The Power of His Presence

Daily Devotions

From the Writings of Ray Stedman

Job: Let God Be God

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.

This introduction was inspired by one of Ray's sermons. Please read "Job: The Hardest Question" (or listen to the audio file  ) for more on this portion of scripture.