Job in the rubble of a collapsed building

Bible character overview - Job

Written by: My Store Admin

June 3, 2024

Time to read 4 min

Introduction:

Welcome to an insightful character overview of Job. Here you'll learn about who Job was, what he did, and his strengths and weaknesses. Also, we have provided questions related to the story of Job to provoke thought. They can also be used for personal/small-group studies.

Who was Job from the Bible?

Key facts

When: roughly around 2000 - 1600 B.C
Where: Uz
Name meaning: 'Persecuted'

Glimpse: Job is a wealthy and righteous man who has everything going for him. However, he caught the eye of not only God, but Satan who goes to God to accuse Job of only loving God because his life is so good. So God allows Satan to do what he wants to Job causing him to curse the day that he was born. Yet Job remained faithful and God turned everything back around.

Satan attacks Job

Job was a wealthy man living in a land called Uz. He was described as "blameless and upright," with a large family and everything he could ever need. One day, Satan appeared before God, accusing Job of only loving Him because of the abundant blessings in his life. Despite these accusations, God had faith in Job and allowed Satan to wreak havoc in Job's life, except harming Job himself.

One day, four different messengers came to Job with terrible news: his livestock, servants, and ten of his children had all been killed. Job was devastated; he tore his clothes and shaved his head in mourning. However, instead of cursing God, he praised Him, saying:

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord."
(Job 1:21)

Questions

→ What blessings have you received from God in your life?

→ What do they tell you about God's nature?

"In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong"

Job 1:22

Job is troubled

Satan then appeared before God again, asserting that if Job's flesh and bones were afflicted, he would surely curse God. The Lord granted Satan permission to afflict Job, except by taking his life. Satan then struck Job with painful sores all over his body.

Job's wife then said to him in Job 2:9, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" However, Job replied in verse 10, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

Questions

→ Why is it so important to never blame God, even in our worst times?

→ Why do you think God allows these things to happen?

"So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.''

Job 2:7-8

Double portion

Despite all this, Job did not sin. Job's three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—came to visit him and spent many days discussing and speculating about the reasons behind Job's sudden misfortunes. Job grew increasingly frustrated with their conclusions. A fourth friend, Elihu, also offered his perspective, but none of them truly grasped the cause of Job's suffering.

Finally, God intervened and provided Job with a profound insight into His boundless power and wisdom, highlighting the vast difference between God's infinite understanding and Job's limited perspective.

In the end, God restored Job's fortunes and blessed him with twice as much as he had before.

Questions

→ Why is it important to surround yourself with people who will encourage you?

→ Do you feel that you have a good support system now?

“ So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.”

Job 2:13

Strengths:

Steadfast: Even in the face of destruction, he remained faithful to God and did not blame Him
Blessed: Job started out very blessed and ended very blessed as a testament to his character
Righteousness: His righteousness caught the attention of heaven and hell

Weaknesses:

Bad friends: His friends probably didn't help the situation but made it worse for Job
Lack of understanding: In Job 38 we see God enlighten Job to His omnipotence so that Job can see that these things are far outside of what he can comprehend

Conclusion

We learn from Job that God gives and He can take away. But God never does so in vain and always has a plan. Job through it all stays righteous and therefore is rewarded in the end. But imagine being so righteous that all of heaven and hell knows your name, that Satan himself comes before God to accuse you. God is our protector and our strength. Nothing gets to us without going through Him first and so we must place our faith and our trust in Him.

''For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life''

John 3:16

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The Author: OluKoye Williams

Koye Williams is the creator of the international game biblebumps. His mission is to see the people of the Bible brought to life in a new and exciting way whilst also providing opportunities to spend quality time with the family.

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