The scenes in this book are laid in the far distant east, in the ancient country of Arabia, "the only land in all antiquity that never bowed to the yoke of a foreign conqueror." Its customs, manners, and people, are almost identical with the earliest ages of mankind; thousands of years have passed away, and yet the charming simplicity of patriarchal life, as exhibited in Abraham and Job, may be witnessed still in that ancient and interesting country, which has maintained its primitive character, while empires and kingdoms have flourished and fallen.
"In Job, we have man put to the test. We might say, with our present knowledge, man renewed by grace, an upright man, and righteous in his ways, in order to show whether he can stand before God in presence of the power of evil, whether he can be righteous in his own person before God. On the other hand, we find the dealings of God, by which He searches the heart, and gives it the consciousness of its true state before Him." It is a book written upon the moral government of God in this world, not with a nation such as Israel, but with a God-fearing, prosperous man, yet one whose conscience had not been searched in the presence of God and in the light of His holiness. It carefully details the process by which a man learns the utter worthlessness of the flesh in its best estate. Will human righteousness avail for God? In the details of the book, Satan is used as the servant of the divine purpose for breaking the will of man, hence his power is permitted, limited, and directly controlled (Job 1, 2); it is in principle what we find in Christianity (1 Cor. 5:5.) Job is also a book without dates, hence is neither characteristically dispensational nor historical The book is also cast in the early patriarchal times between Abram and Moses—the latter being regarded by many as the writer of the book. The age of Job (Job 42:16) and other considerations point to this ancient and inspired document as being, probably, as old as the Pentateuch. Job was no mythical personage, nor were the circumstances merely imaginary as some have strangely and unbelievingly supposed; the testimony of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 14:14) and the apostle James (James 5:11), should effectually silence all such unbelieving thoughts, which are simply the product of the dark and wicked heart of man.
Job's friends, Eliphaz and Bildad, each addressed him three times, Zophar twice, and Elihu once. Eliphaz was calm, dignified, and temperate, and, as the eldest, commenced the discussion. Bildad was more heated, more direct and personal too in his attacks upon Job. Zophar distinctly held Job responsible for the trouble which had come upon him, and speaks in a hasty, impulsive mood. Elihu, the youngest of the group, speaks, when all are silent. He vindicates God in His dealings and ways with man, and reproves both Job and his friends. Here we have the utterances of one who is standing for God—a true witness for Jehovah, and the interpreter of His character and ways as displayed in His moral government in this world.
Those speeches and Job's answers, form a deeply interesting discussion upon the principles of the divine and moral government of this world. The reasonings of Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, were to the effect that the earthly government of God in the temporal prosperity of some and in the deep afflictions of others, were according to God's approval or disapproval of their conduct, and thus the measure of His dealings towards men, a principle both false and dangerous, and one which Job thoroughly exposes both by argument and fact. Job's nothingness is exposed in light of God's power (Job 38, 39), and his vileness in light of God's presence (Job 40). Satan retires from the scene after chapter 2. This use of Satan to accomplish the divine purposes—God using his artillery against Himself—is a truth of much comfort to the saint (1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:20). "All power is of God" -divine, satanic, human. God is the source of all power, as He is of all goodness. Hence He limits and controls its exercise as it pleaseth Him and for the blessing of His own.
GENERAL DIVISIONS.
1.-God Himself raising the question with Satan as to His servant—Job's integrity. Job 1, 2.
2.-Job's mournful complaint and the eight speeches of his three friends with Job's replies—the subject being the earthly government of God. Job 3-31.
3.-Elihu justifies God in all His dealings and ways, and silences Job as before Job had silenced his three friends. Job 32-37.
4.-Job owns his nothingness and vileness before God; the divine object being thereby gained, self-judgment, confession, and utter loathing of self are the precious points of God's controversy with His saint and servant. Job 37-42: 6.
5.-God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends and the blessed conclusion and happy issue of all. Job 42:7-17.
Besides those general divisions, the contents of the book
may be thus divided and arranged:-
The address of Eliphaz, -
The address of Eliphaz, -
Jehovah addressing His servant, -
Job's brokenness of spirit, and happy