Questions from Job

By David Rodriguez

Most people are familiar with the general theme of the Book of Job: a righteous man suffers, holds on to his faith, and is greatly rewarded in the end. But there is so much more to it than that. The questions posed in the Book of Job are some of the most profound questions anyone can ask. They explore the origin of Satan, the problem of evil in a world created by an all-powerful and loving God, the true motivation for service to God, the insidious power of legalism, the purpose of life, and so much more!

Author David Rodriguez takes us on a journey through the Book of Job, in hopes that it leaves readers with a greater appreciation for God and His dealings with us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781733487016

Book preview

Preface

I have always had a great respect for the word of God. I grew up attending Bible-believing churches, and my father told me when I was very young that the Bible was God’s word. I believed that when he told me and nothing I have experienced since then has changed my opinion. At age twenty-two, I began teaching the Bible and have continued doing it for nearly fifty years now. I’ve always been struck by the logic of what is taught in its pages and how accurately it describes the world and the people in it. The prophetic portions of Scripture, which are many, have been born out in history so often that one wonders why everyone does not see this Bible as coming directly from Almighty God.

The Bible has governed my life. When I obey its teachings, I profit. When I disregard them, I suffer. The Scriptures have been my guide, my corrector, my comforter, and my encourager. It’s my passion to help others understand the riches of this book we call the Bible. As a pastor, I have the great privilege of sharing and explaining God’s word on a weekly basis. I also teach in a Bible college, which allows me to go even deeper into the mysteries of Scripture with my students. I can honestly say that my entire adult life has been spent learning and teaching the word of God, and for this opportunity I am grateful.

This book came about as a result of my teaching the book of Job at Koinonia Bible College. I studied, did the research, prepared the syllabus, and taught the course. But going through the material, certain questions asked in the book caught my attention. They seemed to have import far beyond the general theme of the book itself. My book is an examination of those questions raised in the book of Job and their significance to believers and non-believers alike.

Introduction

The book of Job has always had a great attraction for me. The story itself is compelling. We have a godly man, indeed the best man on earth, according to God. He is enjoying the blessings of a life lived in communion with God. Then, unbeknownst to him, a heavenly convocation takes place, and he becomes the topic of conversation between no less than Satan and God Himself. God brags on Job to Satan. In response, Satan declares that Job is only serving God because of the benefits he is receiving. The devil then states that he can prove his point. If God cuts off His benefits to Job, then Job will no longer serve Him. God accepts the challenge and the test begins.

Most people are familiar with the general theme of the book of Job: a righteous man suffers, holds on to his faith, and is greatly rewarded in the end. But there is so much more to the book of Job than that. The questions posed in the book are some of the most profound questions anyone can face. These questions deal with the origin of Satan, the problem of evil in a world created by an all-powerful and loving God, the true motivation for service to God, the insidious power of legalism, the purpose of life, and so much more. I hope this book leaves you with a greater appreciation for God and His dealings with us. Now come along on a journey as we study Questions from Job.

– David Rodriguez

Chapter One

Whence Comest Thou? – 1:7

The first question in the book of Job is asked by God. He’s asking Satan where he came from. Of course, God’s questions are never designed to seek information. As James reminds us, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world (Acts 15:18) . I once heard a minister in Dallas say, God can’t learn anything. In 1 John 1:5 we are told that in God is no darkness at all. If we take darkness as a metaphor for ignorance (Matt. 4:16; John 8:12), then Scripture affirms that God is not ignorant of anything. God’s questions are designed to provoke us to think. While this particular question is asking for geographical information concerning Satan’s whereabouts, it points toward a much deeper issue – the origin of evil.

Given the existence of God, the origin of evil has perplexed philosophers and theologians alike from time immemorial. The ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, stated the problem this way: Is He willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is impotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?i Indeed, this is the very question permeating the entire book of Job. Why do the righteous suffer while the wicked are rewarded? I will address this issue in later chapters. For now, we turn to the origin of Satan.

Evil’s existence is necessarily bound up with the origin of Satan. Interestingly, Job seems to be unaware of his existence. He attributes all evil to God’s direct agency, even asking that if God is not bringing injustice, who is? (Job 9:22-24). Two Old Testament passages give insight to the origin of Satan: Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-17. The Ezekiel passage presents a powerful cherub, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (v. 12). This angelic creature was created by God (v. 13) and anointed to some type of guardian position (v. 14). He was perfect in his ways (v. 15), indicating that God did not create the devil as a malevolent creature.

Some people try to make the case that God created the devil as the devil, based on Isaiah 45:7: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Note that evil, in Scripture, is not always synonymous with sin. Evil means bad, hurtful, destructive activity that causes damage or death. God creates evil in the sense that He brings punitive judgment on the rebellious and disobedient (cf. Jonah 3:10). He does not create sin nor cause anyone to sin (James 1:13).

So, how did this perfect cherub become evil? We’re told in Ezekiel 28:15-17 that iniquity was found in him as a result of his personal choice to do what was wrong (v. 16). By this action, he corrupted himself (v. 17). God gave the angels free will, just as He gave it to Adam. This anointed cherub used his free will to depart from the will of God and do what he wanted instead. By this action, he corrupted himself and his nature permanently. He became thoroughly wicked.