Lessons From the Book of Job

By Mark White

The book of Job is one of the most celebrated works of the Old Testament. The spiritual nature of Job is embedded in the fact that Job is not the only one being tested.  Contrary to popular belief, the book of Job is bigger than the main character, for at the core of this book lies the conflict between Job's integrity and God's. The life lessons that you will learn in this book would widen your understanding of God, and expose Satan's deceptive methods. This book is a must-read for every believer. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Israel Jean-Leon
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201294397

Book preview

Dedication to:

My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

My Wife

Christine Jean-Leon

My Children

Elisha, Sebastien, and Chrisley

My Mom and Dad

Jaqueline and Odvin Jean-Leon

My Brother and Sister

Miriam, Emmanuel, Aline& Leonard

My friends and colleagues for their support

"I call the book of Job, apart from all theories about

It, one of the grandest things ever written with the pen."

―Thomas Carly

Table of Content

Introduction

Chapter One

God Wants You to be Rich / 15

Chapter Two

The Devil in Unexpected Places /43

Chapter Three

Big Brother is Watching / 67

Chapter Four

The World’s Greatest Title / 87

Chapter Five

Criminal Intent / 105

Chapter Six

Resilient Enemy /121

Chapter Seven

You can Handle It /134

Chapter Eight

A Personal Matter /160

Chapter /Nine

Never Let It God /183

Chapter Two

Full Coverage / 198

Conclusion

References

INTRODUCTION

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The book of Job is one of the most celebrated works of the Old Testament. Job is the first of the five books of poetry[1], and Job is divided into three parts. The first part deals with Satan's assault on Job (Chapters 1 & 2). The second section discloses Job's conversation with his friends (Chapters 3-37), and the third part is God's dialog with Job (Chapters 38-42). Although the book’s author is uncertain, Jewish custom attributes its authorship to Moses. The eccentric and archaic nature of Job also makes it difficult for Bible scholars to come into an agreement regarding the exact dating of its origin. Although opinions are divided as to the era in which Job was written, scholars and critics generally lean toward the time of

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David and Solomon.[2] However, theologian Craig Batholomew suggested that it is possible that the book of Job was written during the time of Noah, somewhere between six hundred and seven hundred years, due to the similarity of the environment depicted in the background of the book with that of Noah's time.[3] In his article, Job in the land of Uz, Gordon Franz substantiated Batholomew's hypothesis by pointing out several instances in Job's speech that seem to reflect Job's familiarity with the time of Noah. Franz concluded that Job must have lived in the post-Flood period when the earth was dried up (Job 14:11, 12).[4]

Some theologians expressed their frustration with the insufficient information regarding the book of Job, by

questioning whether Job was a historical figure or a fictional character. In his article, Introduction to the Book of Job, Theologian Hahn Roger elaborated on the non-spiritual aspects of Job. He explained that the book of Job is a fusion of theology, philosophy, art, and literature.[5] Nevertheless, the uncertainty of authorship, date, and location of the book of Job did not impede its inspiration and acceptance in the Old Testament. To grasp the entire message and meaning of the book, one must approach the book with an open mind. The spiritual nature of Job is embedded in the fact that Job is not the only one being tested. Norman C. Habel explains that at the core of Job lies the conflict between Job's integrity and

God's.[6] This alone provides sufficient evidence to consider the authenticity of Job.

Job is indeed worthy of consideration because it distinguished itself from the integrated books in the canon of the Old Testament because of its content and exceptionally well written. The work combines two literary forms, framing forty chapters of verse between two and a half chapters of prose at the beginning and the end. The renowned French poet, Victor Hugo, was so impressed with the book of Job that he declared, Tomorrow if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, I should save a job. 

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The central theological theme deals with the suffering of God-fearing people, and Job is the leading book in the Bible that deals with the subject of suffering. God is challenged to address why he allows his children to be persecuted in this book. The meaning of the main character's name hints at the book's content. Job means the Persecuted One.[7] Job doesn't end predictably. It doesn't expose Job as a sinner who is merely paying the consequences of his sins, but as one who is tormented due to his relationship and devotion to God.[8]

My purpose in writing this book is to highlight some practical lessons from the book of Job that we can apply to improve our walk with God. I hope and pray that this book will be a source of encouragement and a reminder of God's constant love. We ought to never give up on God

because God never gives upon us.

CHAPTER ONE

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE RICH

Does Job fear God for nothing... (Job 1:9)

The erroneous belief that wealthy people are incapable of having an honest relationship with God was conceived in the mind of Satan. For some, the very thought of putting the words wealthy-Christian together is disturbing. Satan wants you to believe that you have to be poor to serve God wholeheartedly. This is a lie straight from the pits of Hell. God wants you to be spiritually, physically, and financially healthy (3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.).

Many Christians fail to realize that prosperity for the Christian is God’s idea. "And I will make of thee a great

nation and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3 KJV).

Have you ever taken time to study the life of Abraham and what God accomplished through this one man? Genesis 12 is the beginning of God’s work with Abraham after his father’s death. God’s first promise to him was to make him great, and later in this study, we will see how the prosperity of this one man affected the human race. If you know the place of the Jews in our world today, you will understand the effect of this blessing on Abraham and his seed forever.

Prosperity is God’s desire for his children. It is part of his grand design. In 3 John 1:2, the Bible shows us that our material prosperity and health are directly proportionate to our spiritual prosperity, obedience to God’s word, and His established ordinances.

And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.

And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart and prospered (2Chronicles 31:20-21KJV).

And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. 2Chronicles 26:4-5

The more you prosper in your knowledge of God, in your service to God, and obedience to His word, the more you ought to thrive in health and wealth.

Why Does God want you Rich?

To Bless Mankind.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed Genesis 12:2-3 (KJV).

To Establish His Kingdom

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18 KJV).

God plans to establish His kingdom on earth, and you need to prosper financially and otherwise to do that. This type of prosperity comes from God; He gives you the power to make wealth.

Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad, and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem (Zechariah 1:17KJV).

The King James Bible is the most popular Bible today because the crown sponsored it. That is what Christian prosperity is meant for. Missionaries to Africa established God’s kingdom in that continent because they either had the means or were sponsored. Never let the devil deceive and lie to you that you don’t need prosperity. God wants to work through you, and money gives you a voice on earth.

This is not just another prosperity gospel pitch, but simply a reminder that serving God is possible while enjoying wealth and prosperity. As long as the resources (your wealth) do not eclipse the source (God), you can be safely added to God's rich and faithful Christian Hall of Fame. If you are still not convinced that it is possible to be rich and serve God simultaneously, let us consider some of the Biblical characters in the Bible known for their wealth and devotion to God.

Abraham

Abraham, the father of faith, was rich but remained faithful to God. Genesis 13:2 tells us that Abraham was very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold. The Hebrew word for rich is heavy, used in the sense of profusion.[9] The term 'gold' probably grabbed your attention first, but cattle were cited first in the text because it was the primary asset of the wealthy. In Bible times, those who owned many sheep, oxen, horses, camels, and other livestock types were considered filthy rich. Abraham was rich in spiritual things and material possessions (Genesis 12:16). While the Hebrew word 'Kaved' used in Genesis 13:2 also denotes burden, the context of this declaration doesn't imply that Abraham's wealth was a burden in a negative sense. Abraham was always ready to pack up and move at God's, command and moving all his

possessions were a burden because the man was wealthy and had great possession (Genesis 12:1). Furthermore, Abraham was more concerned with his relationship with God than his financial security. Consider how he dealt with the quarrel between his herders and Lots' herdsmen. Abraham asked Lot to choose any part of the land that he wanted to settle the dispute in a civilized manner. Abraham valued

relationships over material things (Genesis 13:5-10). Abraham's reaction, in this case, substantiated the rationality of the use of the word 'Kaved' as opposed to the familiar term for wealthy, ashir. In