Prayers of Job: Wrestling with God (Introduction)

Job is a different kind of book than those we have studied before. It falls into the genre of “Wisdom Literature”—that is, writings that address the big pictures of life: why are we here? What is our purpose? What is the nature of evil? Why do humans suffer?

In the ancient world, we find two ways of approaching these subjects. One is much like we would do today: a set of arguments, observations, or directions for life. Proverbs is a biblical version of this. But ancient people also addressed these questions by telling stories.

Unlike the previous books we have studied, Job does not contain historical figures we know about (kings, prophets, leaders), it does not have a specific geographical setting or time. This makes sense because those things are unimportant for this kind of writing. Instead, what matters is what the story means.

Job is also unusual in that it begins and ends with a narrative, but the bulk of the book is cast in poetic musings. It begins by introducing Job to us—a truly good man who does everything possible to follow God’s ways. He even offers sacrifices for his children after they throw parties, just in case someone sinned.

Because he is such a good man, God has blessed him with a large family, wealth, and status in his town. This was a common, general belief in the ancient world. If you were a good person and did right, then good things would happen to you.

But the writer of Job knew that wasn’t always true. Sometimes good people suffered terribly. The story of Job attempts to address that question, and all the questions it raises about life, God, and meaning.

Satan confronts God about Job. “Of course he worships you: look how you have blessed him and protect him! Take away some of that, and he’ll turn on you.”

The rest of the book is about just that: as Job’s life gets worse and worse, he goes from saying “God gives and God takes away” to “I demand God answer why he is doing this to me!” Along the way, Job’s friends have different answers and advice, none of which Job accepts because they are flawed, simple answers to the suffering of good people. Meanwhile, God is silent through it all.

Until the end. God appears and takes Job on a tour of the universe. It is so vast and complex that a human cannot understand it all. Job is overwhelmed at his frailty and smallness, and decides that trusting God, who does know, is the best a human can do—even in the face of tremendous and unwarranted suffering. Knowing that God loves him and is sovereign is the best he can do, and Job accepts that.

Themes

While many people would say that Job addresses the “problem” of suffering, the major theological issue is “why would anyone worship God?” This is the question that Satan is asking, suggesting that piety is only practiced by those with good lives. Furthermore, it raises the question whether one should worship God unconditionally. This leads to many other questions—questions many believers do not ask (or perhaps don’t want to ask):

How should one act when suffering (towards God, towards others?) Job’s friends recommend humility and prayer, but Job believes one should confront God.
Why does suffering occur (there is no one answer: judgment, warning, discipline, teaching, something to be endured in a fallen world?)
Is there a tension (or contradiction) between what “all believers know” and what life’s experience might be? Job’s friends propose all the stock answers and advice; Job rejects it because he says it is not his experience.
Where does one find wisdom (answers to the more significant questions of life)? God? The Bible? Experience? The words of older people?

It is interesting to note that no answers are given to these questions, except perhaps the last one. Even that is not entirely an answer—wisdom comes from God, but humans cannot always fathom it. As for the other questions, explanations are put forth but questioned and critiqued. This is a biblical book that asks the reader to join in! Think on these things. Pray, debate, question, argue, consider—and do it all with some humility.

Prayers

There are 28 prayer passages in Job. Some of these belong to the same scene or dialog, and so we will examine them together. Some are actual prayers, others are merely observations about prayer.

Every type of prayer appears except thanksgiving.

It is no surprise that most prayers are petitions: eighteen. These are crying out to God for help, or discussing the act of crying out to God, or observing that God does not answer the petitions. (Job 30.19–23; Job 34.31–32; Job 35.12–13).

There are also five prayers I will label as laments, though perhaps they are a unique form of lament. They flow from the petitions, and Job criticizes God, but he is still talking to him (an important lesson we will address later). (7.11-21; 9.15-19; 10.2-22; 13/20-14.22; 27.1-4, 80-10).

There are two prayers of confession and repentance (34.31-33; 42.1-6, 8) and two curse-prayers (1.10-11; 3.4-22), though the first one is Satan saying that, if Job suffers, he will curse God. (He was right). There are also two prayers of intercession (3.4-22 and 42.1-6, 8) and two prayer-vows (22.17, 26-27 and 27.1-4, 8-10).

There is only one praise and one blessing. The first appears at the end (36.13-14, 24-25) and the latter at the beginning.

Application

The book of Job is unusual because it is mostly poetry, it is wisdom literature, it is the story of a man who’s life raises questions for all of us, and it does not give easy answers to the questions it raises.

Because of this, we can expect the prayers to be unusual as well and provide some insights into the practice of prayer that our previous studies have neglected.