The Book of Job's Wisdom on How God Runs the World

Summary

This video explores the wisdom books of the Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Proverbs teaches that the world is ordered by God's justice, where good is rewarded and evil is punished. Ecclesiastes challenges this by observing life's unpredictability, and Job delves deeper into questioning God's justice. Job, a righteous man, faces immense suffering, which leads to a dialogue between him and his friends about divine justice. In the end, God reveals His wisdom through the complexity of the universe, showing that human understanding is limited. Job’s story emphasizes trusting God's wisdom despite life's hardships.

Takeaways

• 📖 The Bible's wisdom literature includes Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job, each offering different perspectives on wisdom.
• 🧐 Proverbs presents a world where God is just, and the righteous are rewarded, while the wicked are punished.
• 🤔 Ecclesiastes challenges this, showing that life is unpredictable and not always fair, making people question God's justice.
• 🌩️ Job explores this question further, beginning with a story where God allows the Satan to test Job's faith through suffering.
• 😔 Job loses everything despite being righteous, yet he continues to praise God initially, revealing his deep devotion.
• 💬 Job's friends believe his suffering is due to sin, but Job defends his innocence, leading to a long debate in Hebrew poetry.
• 🌪️ God appears in a storm to Job but doesn't directly answer his questions. Instead, He shows Job the vastness and complexity of the universe.
• 🦖 God introduces two powerful beasts, emphasizing that even dangerous things are part of His good creation, beyond human understanding.
• 🙏 Job is humbled, realizing that God's wisdom is far beyond human comprehension, and he learns to trust God despite his suffering.
• 🎁 In the end, God restores double of everything Job lost, not as a reward, but as a gift from God's wisdom, leaving Job at peace.

Q & A

What are the three books in the Bible that are considered wisdom literature?

The three books of wisdom literature in the Bible are Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job.

What lesson does the book of Proverbs teach about God’s justice?

The book of Proverbs teaches that God is wise and just, and the world is ordered so that the righteous are rewarded, and the wicked are punished.

How does Ecclesiastes challenge the view presented in Proverbs?

Ecclesiastes observes that people don't always get what they deserve, as life is unpredictable and not always fair.

What question does the book of Job explore regarding God's nature?

The book of Job explores whether God is truly wise and just, especially in the face of human suffering.

Who is 'The Satan' in the book of Job, and what role does he play?

In the book of Job, 'The Satan' is an angelic being whose name means 'the one who is opposed.' He questions Job’s righteousness, suggesting Job is only good because God rewards him.

What does God allow 'The Satan' to do to Job, and why?

God allows 'The Satan' to inflict suffering on Job to test whether Job’s loyalty is genuine, not based on rewards.

How does Job react to his suffering initially, and how does his attitude change later?

Initially, Job praises God despite his suffering. However, by chapter 3, Job expresses his deep devastation, cursing the day he was born.

What is the central argument between Job and his friends throughout the book?

Job’s friends argue that Job must have sinned to deserve such suffering, while Job defends his innocence, asserting he did nothing wrong.

How does God respond to Job’s demand for an explanation for his suffering?

God responds by showing Job the vastness and complexity of the universe, demonstrating that His wisdom surpasses human understanding, without giving a direct answer.

What lesson does the book of Job ultimately teach about trusting God's wisdom?

The book teaches that while humans may not understand why suffering occurs, they can trust in God's wisdom, which operates on a scale far beyond human comprehension.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding the Wisdom Books of the Bible

This paragraph introduces the three wisdom books of the Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. It begins by summarizing Proverbs, which teaches that God is wise and just, with a world where the righteous are rewarded, and the wicked are punished. However, Ecclesiastes presents a contrasting view, where the world is unpredictable, and people don't always get what they deserve. This raises questions about whether God is truly just. The story of Job is then introduced as an exploration of these doubts, starting with a scene in heaven where God allows 'the Satan' to test Job's loyalty by inflicting suffering upon him. Despite losing everything, Job initially remains faithful to God, although his internal struggles soon emerge.

05:04

🌩️ Job's Suffering and His Friends' Accusations

The second paragraph dives deeper into Job’s suffering and his interactions with his friends. After Job’s immense loss, his friends arrive and insist that he must have committed some grievous sin to deserve such punishment, based on their belief in God's justice. The following chapters consist of poetic dialogues where Job defends his innocence while his friends speculate about his potential wrongdoings. Despite being innocent, Job experiences emotional turmoil, vacillating between confidence in God's justice and accusations of God's unfairness. Eventually, Job demands that God explain himself.

🌪️ God Responds to Job Through a Storm

This paragraph explains how God finally responds to Job, appearing in the form of a storm cloud. However, instead of answering Job’s demand directly or explaining the conversation with 'the Satan,' God takes Job on a grand tour of the universe. He illustrates the complexity and intricacy of creation, asking Job if he could possibly comprehend or manage the universe. This tour highlights how God's wisdom governs even the most dangerous and chaotic elements of the world, which are still part of his good creation. God's message is clear: Job cannot grasp the full scope of God’s wisdom and justice.

🤲 Job's Humility and God's Gift

The final paragraph reflects on where Job's experience leaves him. Job never learns why he suffered but comes to a place of humility, trusting in God's wisdom despite not understanding it. Surprisingly, God restores double of what Job lost, though this isn't framed as a reward for passing a test. Instead, it seems to be a gift from God, given out of His wisdom. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the overall message of the wisdom literature: life is complex and unpredictable, but living in fear of the Lord and trusting in His wisdom is key to navigating it. The video ends with an invitation to explore more Bible project videos and support their mission.

Keywords

💡Wisdom Literature

Wisdom literature refers to a category of books in the Bible that seek to explore the nature of wisdom and how to live a good life. In this video, the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are identified as part of this category. These books provide different perspectives on how God's wisdom interacts with human existence, particularly in the areas of justice, suffering, and the unpredictability of life.

💡Proverbs

Proverbs is one of the wisdom books in the Bible that teaches that the world is orderly and just, where the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished. It reflects a worldview that suggests people generally get what they deserve, thus promoting moral behavior as a means of living in harmony with God's justice.

💡Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is another book of wisdom in the Bible that challenges the simple idea of divine justice presented in Proverbs. It suggests that life is unpredictable and often unjust, comparing the fleeting and incomprehensible nature of life to smoke. This challenges the notion that good behavior always leads to good outcomes, prompting deeper questions about God's wisdom.

💡Job

Job is the third book of wisdom literature and focuses on the story of a man named Job who suffers greatly despite being righteous. The book explores the question of why bad things happen to good people, challenging the belief that suffering is always a punishment for sin. It highlights the complexity of God's wisdom and suggests that human beings may not always understand the reasons behind their experiences.

💡Satan (The Adversary)

In the book of Job, 'The Satan' is depicted as an angelic being whose role is to challenge God's policies by questioning the righteousness of human beings. Satan suggests that Job only serves God because of the blessings he receives, implying that without those blessings, Job would curse God. This figure plays a pivotal role in the narrative by instigating the trials that Job endures, serving as a tool to explore deeper questions about faith and justice.

💡God's Justice

God's justice is a central theme throughout the wisdom books, especially in Job. While Proverbs suggests that God administers justice in a straightforward, reward-and-punishment manner, Job's experience reveals a more complex and dynamic view. God’s actions are rooted in a wisdom far beyond human comprehension, which suggests that His decisions are just, even when they seem unfair from a human perspective.

💡Suffering

Suffering is a major theme in the book of Job, where the protagonist experiences great loss and pain despite being innocent. The video explores how Job's suffering is not a result of personal sin but a test allowed by God. This challenges the simplistic belief that suffering is always a punishment for wrongdoing, encouraging readers to trust in God's wisdom even in the face of unexplained pain.

💡Divine Wisdom

Divine wisdom refers to God’s ability to understand and manage the vast complexity of the universe. In the video, God gives Job a virtual tour of the cosmos to show him how intricate and interconnected all things are. This highlights the idea that human beings cannot fully grasp God's wisdom, particularly when it comes to matters of justice and suffering.

💡Restoration

At the end of the book of Job, God restores to Job double of what he had lost. This act is not presented as a reward for passing a test but rather as a gift from God. The restoration symbolizes a return to peace and trust in God's wisdom, showing that despite Job’s suffering, his relationship with God is deepened.

💡Fear of the Lord

Fear of the Lord is a recurring concept in wisdom literature, referring to a reverent respect for God's authority and wisdom. In the book of Job, this fear grows as Job learns to trust in God’s wisdom despite not fully understanding it. The concept emphasizes humility and faith in God’s greater plan, which remains beyond human comprehension.

Highlights

Proverbs teaches that God is wise and just, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.

Ecclesiastes questions whether life is always fair, observing that the world is unpredictable and hard to comprehend.

The book of Job explores the question of God's wisdom and justice in the midst of suffering.

Job is described as a righteous man, and God allows Satan to test him by inflicting suffering.

Despite losing everything, Job initially praises God but later expresses deep anguish.

Job's friends insist that his suffering must be a result of sin, but Job maintains his innocence.

Job accuses God of being unfair and demands an explanation for his suffering.

God responds by taking Job on a virtual tour of the universe, showing him its complexity.

God emphasizes that His wisdom is beyond human understanding, managing the intricate details of the universe.

God presents two powerful and dangerous beasts as part of His good creation, emphasizing the complexity of His world.

Job realizes his limitations in understanding God's wisdom and accepts his place in the universe with humility.

God restores Job's fortunes, doubling what he had lost, but this is not presented as a reward for passing a test.

The restoration is framed as a gift from God, given in His wisdom, for reasons beyond human comprehension.

Job's journey leads him to trust in God's wisdom, regardless of whether he faces good or bad circumstances.

The Bible's wisdom literature—Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job—offers a holistic view of living wisely in a complex world.

Transcripts

There are three books in the Bible known as the wisdom literature

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job

The first proverbs showed us that God is wise and just

Yeah we learned that God has ordered the world so that it's fair

the righteous are rewarded the wicked are punished

in other words you get what you deserve.

But then we meet Ecclesiastes who observes people don't always get what they deserve

Yeah he said the world isn't always fair.

The life is unpredictable and hard to comprehend just like smoke.

And this makes you wonder okay well is God wise and just?

Exactly and so it's that question that is being

explored in the final book of wisdom Job.

Alright let's dive in.

So Job begins with the strange story that takes place up in the heavens which are described

something like a heavenly command center.

So God is there with these angelic creatures called the sons of God and

they're all their reporting for duty.

And God points out this guy Job his servant showing our righteous and good he is.

Then one of these angelic creatures approaches He's referred to in Hebrew as

The Satan.

The Satan, who is this?

Well, this word is actually a title which literally means the one who is opposed.

So out of this whole crew he is the one questioning how God is running the world.

And he proposes that Job might not actually love God

that he's only a good person because God rewards him.

If God were to take away all of the good things he gave to Job then

we would see his true colors.

So he thinks Job is just working the system?

That's exactly right. Maybe he's obeying just to get what he wants.

So God agrees to this experiment and allows the Satan to

inflict suffering on Job.

And Job losses everyone and everything that he cares about. It is devastating.

And remember he deserves none of this God himself said so

The remarkable thing is that in the midst of all this suffering,

Job still praises God.

At least for chapters one and two.

But then in chapter 3 we find out how he's really feeling inside.

He unleashes this poem that reveals this devastation.

It's a long elaborate curse on the day that he was born

After this some of Job's friends come to visit him

to offer their help and all of them are like

Job, you must have done something horribly wrong to deserve this.

After all, we know God is just and we know the world is ordered by God's justice and fairness

so you must be getting what you deserve.

And for the next thirty four chapters the friends and Job go back and forth

in very dense Hebrew poetry.

His friends keep speculating about why God might have sent such suffering

and even start making up lists of hypothetical sins that Job must have committed.

But after each accusation Job defends his innocence.

And Job is innocent.

He is! He's also on an emotional roller coaster

At some moments he's very confident that God is still wise and just.

Yet in other moments he's doubting God's goodness.

He even comes to accuse God of being reckless unfair and corrupt.

So by the end of the dialogue Job demands that God come and explain himself in person.

And God does so he comes in the form of a great storm cloud

Now God doesn't give Job a direct answer.

He doesn't tell Job about the conversation with the Satan

Yeah he does something very different . He takes Job on a virtual tour of the universe.

He shows Job how grand the world is.

And he asked him if he's even capable of running it or

understanding it just for a day .

He shows how much detail there is in the world.

Things that we might see every day but really don't understand at all.

But God does he knows it all intimately.

He pays attention to the beauty and operations of the universe in ways that we haven't even imagined

and in places that we will never see.

Then to conclude God shows Job two wonderous beasts and

brags about how great they are.

Yeah they are dangerous.

I mean they would kill you without even thinking about it

And God says they're not evil.

They're actually a part of his good world.

And then that's it that's God's whole defense.

It's kind of weird. I mean what was this all about?

It seems to be this. From Job's point of view it looks like God is not just.

But God's perspective is infinitely bigger.

He is dynamically interacting with a whole universe of complexity when he makes decisions.

And this is what God calls his wisdom.

So Job asking God to defend himself is actually kind of absurd.

He couldn't comprehend this kind of complexity even if he wanted to.

So where does this leave us?

Well, leaves Job in a place of humility. He never learned why he suffered.

And yet he's able to live in peace and in the fear of the Lord

But that's not where the book ends because after this God restores to Job double everything he had lost.

And this again is surprising. I mean, is this a reward, is God saying

"Congratulations Job you passed this elaborate test."

No I mean the whole book just made the

point that Job losing everything was not a punishment and so now getting it back isn't a reward.

So why does he get it back?

Apparently God in His wisdom decided to give Job a gift

we don't know why but what we do know is that

Job is now the kind of person who no matter what comes

good or bad he can trust God's wisdom

And that's the book of Job and the end of our wisdom series.

These biblical books of wisdom are amazing.

Each one offers a unique perspective on the good life.

And you need to hear all of them together

as you learn to live with wisdom and in the fear of the Lord

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