Topical Bible: The Rich: Job

◄ The Rich: Job ►

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Introduction

Job is a central figure in the Bible, known for his immense wealth, righteousness, and the severe trials he endured. The Book of Job, part of the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament, provides a profound exploration of the nature of suffering, divine justice, and human faithfulness. Job's account is a testament to the complexities of wealth, righteousness, and the sovereignty of God.

Wealth and Righteousness

Job is introduced as a man of great wealth and integrity. The Bible describes him as "blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil" (Job 1:1). His wealth is detailed in terms of livestock and servants, indicating his status as one of the greatest men in the East. Job's possessions included "seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large number of servants" (Job 1:3). Despite his riches, Job's character is marked by his piety and concern for others, as he regularly offered sacrifices on behalf of his children, fearing they might have sinned (Job 1:5).

The Testing of Job

The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Satan challenges Job's integrity, suggesting that his righteousness is merely a result of his prosperity. God permits Satan to test Job, stripping him of his wealth, children, and health. Despite these severe losses, Job's response is one of profound faith: "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).

Dialogue and Reflection

Throughout the dialogues with his friends, Job maintains his innocence and questions the justice of his suffering. His friends, adhering to the retributive justice principle, argue that his suffering must be a consequence of sin. Job, however, insists on his righteousness and seeks an audience with God to understand his plight. This discourse highlights the tension between wealth, righteousness, and divine justice.

God's Response and Restoration

God eventually responds to Job, not by explaining the reasons for his suffering, but by revealing His own majesty and sovereignty. Job acknowledges his limitations and repents in humility: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3). God then restores Job's fortunes, granting him twice as much as he had before. Job's wealth is described in even greater terms, with "fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys" (Job 42:12). He is also blessed with seven sons and three daughters, and he lived to see four generations (Job 42:13-16).

Theological Implications

Job's account challenges simplistic equations of wealth with divine favor and suffering with divine disfavor. It underscores the complexity of God's governance and the mystery of human suffering. Job's wealth, both before and after his trials, serves as a backdrop to the deeper spiritual truths about faith, integrity, and the inscrutable wisdom of God. The narrative affirms that true righteousness is not contingent upon material wealth but is rooted in a steadfast relationship with God, regardless of life's circumstances.

Nave's Topical Index

Job 1:3
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Rich Sinner Dying, Psalm 49 6 9 Eccl. 8 8 Job 3 14 15
... Hymns. Book 1. Hymn 1:24. The rich sinner dying, Psalm 49. 6 9. Eccl. 8.
8. Job 3. 14 15. 1 In vain the wealthy mortals toil, And ...
/.../watts/hymns and spiritual songs/hymn 1 24 the rich sinner.htm

The Rich Sinner Dying. Psa. 49:6,9; Eccl. 8:8; Job 3:14,15.
... HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS IN THREE BOOKS. HYMN 24 The rich sinner dying. Psa.
49:6,9; Eccl. 8:8; Job 3:14,15. LM The rich sinner dying. ...
/.../watts/the psalms and hymns of isaac watts/hymn 24 the rich sinner.htm

The Duty of Remembering the Poor
... with Job. As long as Job was rich, Job caused much envy in Satan, but he
never made him so angry as when he was poor. It was then ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the duty of remembering the.htm

Here Followeth the History of Job
... He was a great man and rich among all the men of the orient ... When they had thus feasted
each other, Job sent to them and blessed and sanctified them, and rising ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here followeth the history of.htm

Job's Regret and Our Own
... Moreover, Job had lost divine communion: so it seems, for he mourned the days of
his ... has lost it, has a bitterer cause for regret than if, being rich, he had ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/jobs regret and our own.htm

The Story of Job
... Then Job began to speak and said ... have slept and been at rest With kings and counsellors
of earth, Who built themselves great pyramids; With princes rich in gold ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the story of job.htm

Job
... of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed
the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/job.htm

To Prevent any one from Being Checked in the Exercise of Mercy...
... For those three royal friends of Job declared him to be a sinner, because they saw
that he, after being rich, became poor; that after having many children, he ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xii to prevent any.htm

That the Saints Lose Nothing in Losing Temporal Goods.
... apostle, who himself was poor without, but rich within,"that is to say, if they
used the world as not using it,"could say in the words of Job, heavily tried ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 10 that the saints lose.htm

Job's Sure Knowledge
... Job, in the midst of his false friends, had One whom he called his kinsman. ... Many
a time, when a rich man has poor relations, he is half ashamed of the kinship ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 50 1904/jobs sure knowledge.htm