THE book of Job is the first of what are called the poetical books of the Bible; that is, it was written in the form of poetry. There are five of these poetical books—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. In Luke 24:44 when the Lord spoke to His disciples telling them that all the Scriptures concerning Himself must be fulfilled, He referred to them under three headings: the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. (The poetical books were always referred to by the Jews under the general heading of the Psalms.)
The book of Job gives us God’s dealings with him as an individual, and does not refer to God’s promises to Abraham, or His dealings with the nation of Israel as a result of these promises. It may have been the first book of the Bible to have been written by Moses, before He led the people out of Egypt. In the controversies of Job and his friends there is no mention of Israel or the law. They do not seem to know anything other than that God dealt with individuals in His governmental ways.
It is difficult to determine at what period of time Job lived, but certain things in the language of the book would seem to indicate he lived in the times of the patriarchs, after the flood. There is no mention of idolatry before the flood, but the earliest form of it is referred to by Job (chap. 31:26-28); that is, the worship of heavenly bodies which he condemns as a denial of the God who is above.
Then it is said that Job lived after his trial and restoration 140 years, and since he and his friends are referred to as being very old, his age may probably have been about the same as Abraham’s father Terah, that is, over 200 years.
Another similarity we notice is that in Genesis the patriarchs acted as priests over their households and in Job we read of his offering burnt offerings for his children. We do not have sin offerings mentioned until after the law was given.
Job and his friends, when speaking of God, often use the patriarchal title, “the Almighty"; in fact, this title appears more often in this book than in any other book of Scripture.
There have been those who have died this book a place in the Scriptures. It is said the Jews did not like it because they could not think of a man outside Israel that God would regard so highly. But Job is referred to elsewhere in the Word of God. Ezekiel speaks of Job as an intercessor along with Noah and Daniel (Ezek. 14:14, 20). James refers to the patience of Job (chap. 5:11), and Paul quotes from the book (1 Cor. 3:19), using the same expression, “It is written,” as he does in quoting from the other Scriptures.
The book of Job is invaluable in that it gives the moral government of God, and since no date is attached to it, it is neither historical nor dispensational. Job does not appear in any of the genealogies of the line of faith, so it simply shows God’s sovereign grace in taking up one who was a stranger to Israel, even as Elihu says (Job 34:21), “For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings.” Proverbs 15:3 also tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
ML-01/03/1960