Job

The Gospel of Jesus in the Story of Job

November 1, 2018 // 31 Comments

Imagine you wanted to turn the story of Job into a play, but not a historical play. You have no interest in telling the old story of a man who was robbed and suffered. You’re much more meta than that. No, you want a gospel play. You want to tell the good news story of Jesus using characters from the story [...]

Is Job a Type of Jesus?

October 25, 2018 // 28 Comments

The Bible contains pictures of Jesus on every page. Indeed, one of the reasons why I enjoy reading the scriptures, is they reveal much about the character of Christ. But what about the story of Job? Where is Jesus in that? A couple of readers suggested that Job represents Christ in this story. I have to confess, [...]

Did God ruin Job? (Job 2:3)

August 16, 2018 // 47 Comments

Pop quiz: Which Biblical character has attracted the most comments on this blog? Yes, it’s Job, which tells me that the story of Job-who-lost-everything is one of the most divisive in scripture. For the past eight years, I have maintained that God was not complicit in the ruin of Job. God did not rob him, kill [...]

Did God Hand Job Over to Satan? (Job 2:6)

March 15, 2018 // 117 Comments

God good; Satan bad. That’s deep revelation, yet many don’t know it. They think a good God does bad things and that he sometimes employs the devil to do his dirty work. Take the subject of sickness, for instance. When we get sick it’s natural to ask, how did this happen? Did I catch a bug? Did I eat [...]

Does the Lord Bring Trouble? (Job 42:11)

February 1, 2017 // 132 Comments

A few readers have asked for my thoughts on this “troublesome” passage: All (Job’s) brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a [...]

The “Patience” of Job

September 30, 2016 // 41 Comments

The Bible is full of humor and wisdom and if you don’t believe me, read this: As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11) This verse makes me laugh and [...]

Job’s Grace Encounter

November 4, 2015 // 75 Comments

Tradition teaches that Job endured unimaginable suffering with poise and noble patience. He was a giant of the faith who never said anything wrong, and he is a great example for us all to follow. Baloney. Read the Bible and you will see that Job was a self-righteous whiner who complained to high heaven. He blamed [...]

The Gospel of Elihu

October 30, 2015 // 78 Comments

The problem with manmade religion is that it views the Bible in a distorted way that glorifies self and diminishes grace. This can be seen in the way religion portrays Job as a good guy and God as a bad guy who sends the devil to do his dirty work. Contrary to popular opinion, Job was not a giant of faith but a [...]

Is Satan God’s Sheepdog?

October 28, 2015 // 119 Comments

The Book of Job is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible, but we read it wrong two ways. First, we elevate Job into some kind of faith hero. Second, we think the devil is a sheepdog sent by the Lord to do his dirty work. This crazy notion is based on the following passage: Then the Lord [...]

Ten Little Known Facts About Job

October 22, 2015 // 137 Comments

Many people consider Job a great man and a champion of the faith. Job, you will recall, lost everything (his family, wealth and health), then sat on a dunghill scratching himself with a broken plate while having a theological debate with seminarians. As a result of this rich, life-affirming experience, [...]

Does God Give and Take Away?

August 2, 2010 // 548 Comments

The whole Bible is good for you, but to understand the written word, you need to know the Living Word. Try to read the Bible without an appreciation of Jesus – who he is and what he has done – and you may end up taking someone else’s medicine. Some verses will appear to contradict others and you will get [...]