Thursday, January 27, 2011

Was Job a Real Person?

One of the most disappointing things to me as a Christian is when another Christian does not take the word of God literally.  To me it's a no-brainer.  There is no way the Bible would have survived intact for as long as it has if it were not absolutely inspired by the Creator of the Universe himself.  Not to mention the fact that the Bible was written over the span of hundreds of years, across continents, by many authors, and yet it tells the same story and does not contradict itself.  My faith depends on the Word of God being true and infallible, and there is no question in my mind that it is.

With that being said, one of my biggest pet peeves is the idea that Job, was not a real person.  I was told this at a more liberal university, and I have actually heard preachers preach this.  This deeply saddens me because the story of Job, if true, paints such a beautiful picture of God's sovereignty and dealing with suffering in a godly manner.  If Job is not true, then it's merely a story from which we can learn a moral. There is more peace in the sufferings I go through in knowing that Job was a real man, and suffered in a real way.  The following are just a few reasons why I believe this to be true.

  • Job was mentioned by name, the book doesn't merely begin: There was once a man who had a lot of money, a big family, health, and then lost it all.  The book begins: "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job."  If God had intended this book to be an allegory He would not have specifically named this man, I believe He would have spoken in more general terms.  
  • Job is mentioned other places in the Bible, in several cases alongside people whose existence is not questioned.  If Job were not a real person he would not be mentioned in the same breath as Noah or other people who are found in the Bible. (Gen 46:13 Ez 14:14 James 5:11)
  • God has the ability to inspire any person at any time to record His Word.  Much of the debate surrounding if Job were a real person is because no one is truly sure who wrote Job.  It could have been Moses, Solomon, or maybe Job himself.  It doesn't particularly matter, because ultimately it is a record of true events God wanted included in His scriptures. 

My rant is over for now..........

4 comments:

  1. Kasey, love the rant. You are so right Job was a real person.

    Tracy
    http://tracyscoffeecafe.wordpress.com/

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  2. Good points! I'm a firm believer in the truth of II Peter--"For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." I enjoy reading through your blog, though I don't always comment. What classes do you teach at the Bible college?

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  3. Depending on the semester I teach either Music history, hymnology, piano pedagogy,Music appreciation, or theory. It's a lot of fun and only 2 hours a week so I'm not separated from my little ones that much.

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  4. Newest follower from the blog hop! Great post (rant) :-)..Job was a real person and what he went through was real.
    Looking forward to reading more

    would love for you to stop by and follow back :-)

    http://singlemominspiration.blogspot.com/

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Please be kind when commenting, I don't mind differing views but all mean spirited and hateful comments get the ax!