The Book of Job is thought to be the oldest book of the Bible. It is a book filled with mystery, the omnipotence of the Lord, and prophecy.

Dr. J. R. Church ( suggests that the Job of the eighteenth Book of the Bible may be the same Job listed as a son of Issachar who went with Jacob to Egypt. (Genesis 46:13) The Children of Israel lived in the Land of Goshen in the north-east corner of Egypt. If the Book of Job was written while the Children of Israel were still living in Egypt, then the Land of Uz, the place where Job dwelt, would have been to the east of the Land of Goshen. (Job 1:3) The prophet Jeremiah seems to indicate that the Land of Uz was near the cities of the Philistines, which were east of Egypt. (Jeremiah 25:20)

The mystery of Job lies in our human lack of understanding. We do not understand why the Lord allowed Job to be tested. We do not understand why the Lord would allow Satan, who is a created being, to use creation (fire from the sky and the mighty wind) as an instrument of Job’s testing.

The omnipotence of the Lord is shown by the questions He asks Job beginning with chapter thirty-eight; “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” - 38:4, “Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?” - 38:18, “Can you bind the beautiful Pleides?” - 38:31, “Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?” - 38:35. The Lord clearly demonstrates Who is in charge.

The entire Book of Job is prophetic. It is a picture of the trials of the Jewish people. It is prophetic of the End Times and the Tribulation. Three of Job’s friends come to commiserate with him. For seven days they speak not a word. There is silence. Perhaps this is a picture of the last seven days of Daniel 9:27, which represents the Tribulation. The silence may represent the great silence in Heaven before the terrible events attributed to the seventh Seal (Revelation 8:1). Just as in the End Times, after Job’s tribulations, the Lord reveals Himself.

The Book of Job is a picture of the history of the Jewish people. Job had a fine family and great riches. He lost all, but was rewarded with even more in the end. As a nation Israel had it all. They were blessed of the Lord. But they lost it all. The Lord has promised that in the end they will be rewarded with even more than they lost.

To me the summation of Job is found in Job 19:25-27; “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

Amen.