Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Dec 1958

It has often been discussed amongst students of the Holy Scriptures when and where Job lived. As to the land of Uz where he lived, the words of Lamentations 4.21are helpful.

"Rejoice and be glad, 0 daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz."

The land of Edom lay to the south of the Dead Sea, between that sea and the gulf of Akaba, the eastern arm of the Red sea. The gulf of Suez lies to the west beyond the Sinaitic peninsula. Thus Job lived either contiguous to or within the confines of the land of Edom. Possibly the descendants of Esau laid claim to the land of Uz when they took mount Seir. Edom or Uz seems to have formed the northern border of the land of Midian where Moses spent forty years of his life, between the ages of forty and eighty. We may therefore imagine, even if we are not able to conclude with definiteness, that Moses in Midian came into contact with Job, or with the record of his experiences and with the famous dialogue between him and his friends, concluding with the address of Elihu and the reasoning of Jehovah with His servant Job, ending with Job's confession, his reconciliation to his friends and the consequent blessing of the LORD upon him.

Who wrote the book of Job remains an unrevealed secret, one of the secret things which belong to the LORD, but that it is one of the inspired books of Scripture there is no doubt. Its language is poetical and majestic. The speakers are lavish with simile and parable, the meaning of which may not appear evident to us at our first reading, and may not be clear when we have read them many times. Often their knowledge is deep and profound, showing minds which had been exercised in divine things to a remarkable extent; and it is the more remarkable when we remember that these men were not of the chosen line of the seed of Abraham to whom God revealed, to some extent, Himself and His purposes.

When did Job live? There are one or two pointers which help us to arrive at this with some measure of accuracy. Job lived in the land of Uz. Who was Uz?

He was the firstborn son of Nahor the brother of Abraham. Then we are told that

Elihu was the son of Barachel the Huzite. Who was Buz? He was brother to Uz; both were the sons of Nahor (Genesis 22.20, 21, Job 32.2). The youngest son of Nahor's family was Bethuel, the father of Rebekah. Laban, who was Bethuel's son and Rebekah's brother, was the father of Leah and Rachel the wives of Jacob. We see from these facts how Nahor's family in the female line became intertwined in the family and seed of Abraham, and in the male line with the events in the book of Job. Then as to Job's friends; Eliphas is called "the Temanite." Who was

Teman? He was the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau by his wife Adah (Genesis

36. 8-11). Hildad the Shuhite was a descendant of Shuah, a son of Abraham by his wife Keturah (Genesis 25.1, 2). Perhaps the strongest pointer as to the time when Job lived is found in the words of the LORD to Satan:

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil" (Job. 1.8).

The words "there is none like him in the earth" would, I think, indicate that such men of outstanding uprightness and godfearingness as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph were no longer alive. It is clear that Job could not have lived before Abraham, for he lived in the land of Uz, and Us was the nephew of Abraham. I judge, therefore, that the experience of Job comes in during the time that intervened between Joseph and Moses, when Israel had sunk far down in their manner of life in the land of Egypt. Their idolatry in Egypt is indicated in the words of Joshua 24.14 :

"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River (Euphrates), and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD."

Though Israel had sunk in sin in Egypt, the book of Job shows that God did not leave Himself without a witness.

A close study of Scriptures shows that the land of Uz where Job lived was contiguous to the land of Midian where Moses lived for forty years, also, that nearly all the actors in the book of Job were either descendants of Abraham, or Nahor, Abraham's brother. It is not difficult to see that Moses may have been acquainted with these men, and especially so while he dwelt in the land of Midian. On the other hand, it might well have been that during the time of Israel's wanderings in the wilderness Moses may have come in contact with Job; part of their pilgrimage was through or along the border of Edom, which was, or was in, the land of Us (Lamentations 4.21). We may also point out our conviction that the time of the book of Job comes between the days of Joseph and Moses.

The calamities which fell upon Job were not the result of any wickedness of which he had been guilty, as his three friends thought, but because God staked His honour upon him, that he would not renounce Him in adversity as he had honoured God in his prosperity.

We have here a proof of that word in Revelation 12.10, where Satan is called, "the accuser of our brethren ... which accuseth them before our God day and night." He laid the bitter accusation against the character of Job, that he feared God because God had been good to him. To prove that he was quite wrong God allowed Satan to sweep away by Sabeans and Chaldeans, by fire and by tempest, the whole of Job's substance and family. The report of tragedy after tragedy was hurled at God's dear servant, and with rent mantle and shaved head he fell down upon the ground and worshipped saying, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God with foolishness" (Job 1.21,22). This is one of the most outstanding eases of resignation of a mere man to the will of God to be found in all the Scriptures.

The disaster that destroyed Job's family may have a voice for us as we think of what has befallen the families of some of God's servants. Though Satan may not be able to overcome and destroy God's servants, he may get at them through their families. Job was careful about his sons and daughters. Because of their father's wealth they were able to enjoy earth's good things to the full. It is often not an advantage for children to be brought up in the lap of luxury. It has frequently been that the best of men and women have been brought up on short rations and have known the biting blast of adversity in their early days. There was a round of feasting in Job's family, each son holding a feast in his house on his respective day, and their sisters also were invited to the festivities. But lest in these festal occasions his sons had sinned and renounced God in their hearts, it was Job's habit after the feasting was past to sanctify his sons and to offer a burnt offering for each to Him. Such was Job's godly care for his children. But despite it all calamity came. Job might have asked, as the LORD asked concerning Israel,

"What could have been done more ... , that I have not done" (Isaiah 5.4).

Though through Satan's fell work Job was left a poor man and bereft of all his family, yet his trust in God and His goodness was as strong as ever. On a later day when the sons of God came again to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan too was among them to present himself before the LORD, the subject of Job came up between the LORD and Satan once more. The LORD told Satan, that despite all the destruction which had come upon Job, he still held fast his integrity. The LORD had found no defection in him. Satan again fired his accusation against Job. He said, "Put forth Thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce Thee to Thy face" (2.5). The LORD allowed Satan to go forth and smite Job with boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Is it not a fact that some of God's great saints have been great sufferers from bodily affliction? Why? we ask. May not the experience of Job give the answer, at least in part? Does not Paul speak of his thorn in the flesh, which he calls, "a messenger of Satan to buffet me?" (2 Corinthians 12.7). It may be that Paul died with his thorn, rejoicing in God's grace, but Job in time got rid of his boils.

J. Miller | Dec 1958
Jottings