Book of Job - Biblical Allegory
Job's tale is one of the most accessible Biblical allegories. An honorable, just, pious man loses everything: his ten children, his wife, his entire estate, and on top of it all is inflicted with a horrendous skin disease that leaves him crippled. All this was done as a challenge and a test of his faith. The Book of Job opens with a conversation between God and Satan, who together enter into a sort of mean bet in which Job's life is at stake. Satan wants to prove to God that Job will "curse thee to thy face" if some trauma should befall him (1: 11). But God refutes this and tells Satan he will gladly test his faithful servant. At first Job seems at peace with his loss, saying "the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away," (1: 21). He remains steadfast in his love and fear of God. "Job did not sin or charge God with wrong," (1: 22). But as his suffering intensifies with a further challenge from Satan, Job laments his situation and boldly questions the ways of the Lord. Although his friends try to council Job and warn him of his potential arrogance and ignorance of the ways of God, Job remains true to both himself and to his God. The Book of Job has a happy ending in which a pleased God restores Job's fortune as a reward for his steadfastness. The book also sends a profound message to its readers and reflects the Hebrew concept of deity described throughout the Old Testament.
Asserting his righteousness and absence of sin, Job wonders why the Almighty would curse him so profoundly. Immediately, his friends Eli'phaz the Te'manite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zpohar the Na'amathite scold Job for being impatient and impertinent. Their roles are partly to antagonize poor Job, who must defend himself to them in addition to dealing with his loss. Despite their scoldings, Job continues to indulge in complaints and lamentations that seem appropriate, given his situation; his whining is justified and though he seems angry with God he does not disown his faith.
Each of the three friends echo the same sentiment: that Job must have sinned at some point. They refuse to believe that Job is blameless and instead instruct him to repent. The Book of Job examines the origin and nature of both sin and suffering. Whereas suffering could be considered a direct result of having sinned, Job teaches that suffering is universal and not necessarily dependent on prior transgressions. Job also proves the validity of faith and trust in God and shows that anger at God, when rightly placed, is often justified. Furthermore, God's disappointment with Job's friends exhibits an appreciation for Job's bold questioning: his friends believed that Job should cease his inquiry. Fearing God, therefore, may entail a direct…
