The Book of Job

Job is one of, if not THE earliest Hebrew books we have in the Old Testament! It’s been a staple and grounding for the Jewish nation, bringing deep understanding and hope through the millennia of suffering and pain they’ve experienced.

Job can be a very confusing and difficult book to read at face value, but when you take time to prepare your mind & heart, it becomes a beautiful mirror in which to process the topics like; the suffering of innocent/righteous people, God’s justice, friendships, and wisdom. You might want to skip this book, but doing so would be a tragedy for your faith.

To help, here’s a couple things to remember as you SOAP this:
1. This book is poetry - read it out loud as much as you can so you don’t miss anything
2. The book is largely a conversation - highlight who’s talking in each chapter
3. Job’s 3 friends represent “conventional/worldly wisdom” - while it might sound good, it’s not always right
4. In times of suffering and pain, it’s healthy to ask questions about your faith & God!

These are also some questions I find it helpful to ask myself while reading:
When life doesn’t go as expected, do I:
1. Accuse God?
2. Over simply my faith and God?
3. Recognize my own assumptions?
4. Keep my emotions grounded in what I know of God or lean towards what I want to be true for me or others?