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What happened to Job in the Bible? How old was Job when he lost everything?

Job continued to endure his suffering, to hope in the merciful God. What happened to Job in the Bible? Who had given him everything and then taken everything from him to the testing of his faith? The suffering Job has to endure has a profound spiritual dimension. And the attitudes, statements, and questions. And answers that appear in the Book of Job become paradigmatic—giving meaning not only to every man’s suffering in every age—but constituting an accurate guide to spiritual life for those who seek union with God. What happened to Job in the Bible?

In the Bible, the book of the great law of suffering, Job suffered terrible torments. Job’s suffering is explained in Old Testament writing as the result of a dispute between God and Satan. In a conversation between God and Satan, job had been discussed not on earth but in heaven. When it comes to the faithful Job, with whom the Lord takes pride, Satan claims that his devotion is not gratifying. To convince him otherwise, God allows the Devil to touch first his possessions and the children of the right, and then the health of his body. So Job’s misfortunes are not the direct work of God, but only His own doing. At 70, God commanded Satan to test Job, and he lost everything. Job suffered greatly but was rewarded.

Job’s misfortunes and severe trials are not the direct work of God. But only His will demonstrate something, namely man’s devotion to his Creator.

Why did God punish Job in the Bible?

One by one, Job is put in the situation of parting with the things that broadly defined his spiritual horizon, namely wealth, children, and social position. We learn from the very first verses of the book that Job was a righteous and blameless man; he feared God and shunned what was evil. He had a large and peaceful family and great wealth. All this leads us to believe that Job had no reason to be dissatisfied with his spiritual state. What happened to Job in the Bible?

If we search the Scriptures carefully, we will find that Job was not punished but was tested for his faith. Because Satan wanted to prove to God that Job would curse God’s name when he suffered. But God had great confidence in Job and accepted the so-called bet already victorious. What happened to Job in the Bible?

Job is aware that he will see God in eternity: I know that my Redeemer is alive, and He is on the last day. He will rise again from the dust of this skin of mine that is crumbling and out of my body. I will see God. I will see Him, and my eyes will behold Him, not another’s. And for this longing, my guts yearn within me.

Biography of Job

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Biblical places from the times of Job

  1. Land of Uz- Where is Uz located nowadays?
  2. Edom- Is Edom a biblical region?

Was Job tempted or tested?  

Job’s non-suffering friends try to convince him of the unbreakable causality between his sins and the suffering he endures. Job does not claim to be sinless, but he would like to know which sins are attributable to him since he has none on his conscience.

According to biblical writings, Job was tested, not tempted. What he endured was a supreme examination of his faith. Job is handed to Satan to test him with all his evil examinations. Inquiry against Christian faith and believers in God. To break the trust that God had in Job.

After the complex tests, Job was victorious, and Satan never came near him again. God blessed him with long life. Job lived for all his years, 248, seeing his sons’ sons through to the fourth tribe, ending in old age. And now he spends in the eternal life where the years do not end, in the Father’s kingdom. 

Key Verse related to the most significant suffering of Job

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said:

“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 1:18-21 (NIV)

job in the bible

 

What did Job lose?

Job’s wife was furious and instigated her husband against God. Satan went out of the Lord’s presence and filled Job with painful boils after a while. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head. Job took a lump of clay to scratch with and sat in the ashes. Then his wife said, Are you still steadfast in your purity? Curse God and die afterward. What happened to Job in the Bible?

From the biblical accounts, we are informed that Job lost all that was most precious in the following order:

  1. Family.
  2. His wealth.
  3. His health.

But even if that was so, Job still stood saying even if he were to become all bones, he still would not turn from the path.

When the Lord had healed him of his plagues, he blessed Job’s descendants even more than his first; and his flocks were fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pairs of oxen, and a thousand herd asses. And to him were seven sons and three daughters, as he had before.

Job and Jesus. Similarities between them

Job was declared righteous by God. His is the first beautiful poetic book in a series that includes Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations of Jeremiah. Job is not a fictional character; Ezekiel remembers him in the Old Testament and Jacob in the New Testament. Job is amazed and astonished that God would allow suffering to occur to him because he knew himself to be righteous. This Old Testament character draws a thin line this Old Testament character. A thin line is drawn to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

There are many similarities between Job and Jesus. Job is the forerunner of Christ’s sufferings. He traces a path to understanding Calvary. In the following order, the similarities between the two significant biblical figures are presented:

  1. Both of them are righteous.
  2. Job and Jesus Suffered.
  3. Both Job and Jesus Fought a Spiritual Battle.
  4. Both of them were restored.

We cannot say that Job is a pattern of Jesus, but we can draw a parallel between them. And many biblical similarities between the two are identified. Jesus is the eternal son of God since Job is His creation.

Primary Takeaways

  • It is argued that characters like Melchizedek, and Abram Job, are people to whom God revealed himself directly and personally. He does not refer to the law of Moses because he lived long before that. At the time of the trial, he was 70 years old and died at 210.
  • The author of the book of Job is unknown. The most likely author seems to be Elihu. Talmudic tradition holds that Moses was the author. Other opinions state that it was written during the period of Solomon when other poetic books appeared. Different variants are that it occurred during the period of exile. Other sources point to Solomon. And some scholars go as far back as the period of exile, or the author was Jewish and bears the religious imprint of Jewish culture. It seems, however, to be written by Elihu, one of the characters in the book. With so many variations, we don’t know the truth, but we do know that God wanted the message of this book to be conveyed to us as well.
  • The length of his life is characteristic of that period. Only after his suffering did Job live another 140 years.

The Message of Job. I’d like you to see it on Amazon.

Conclusion

After all the suffering Job endured and the mercy of God. When God saw Job’s patience, after the three friends had left, God appeared in clouds and a cloud over him. Job had been lying there for seven and a half years. Only his bones and his heart remained. For his flesh was eaten by worms. And when the Creator came, Job was now wounded by his friends, scorned and reviled by his wife and everyone else. Suddenly he hears God’s voice from the clouds: Job, arises like a man, takes your garment. For it is said that He has sent him a garment of the whitest snow, and let us both warm ourselves and talk. And as a result of that talk, Job’s life was restored by the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Thank you so much for your time. If you enjoyed reading our article, play the following Quiz to test your biblical knowledge about Job

Quizlet about Job

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Bibliography

  • Greenstein, E. L. (2003). The Language of Job and Its Poetic Function. Journal of Biblical Literature122(4), 651-666.
  • Appelboom, T., Cogan, E., & Klastersky, J. (2007). The job of the Bible: Leprosy or scabies?. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine74(1), 36-39.
  • Hartley, J. E. (1988). The book of Job. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
  • Seow, C. L. (2013). Job 1-21: Interpretation and commentary (Vol. 1). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
  • Boer, R. (2012). The Immeasurably Creative Politics of Job: Antonio Negri and the Bible. Substance41(3), 93-108.