The book of Job describes the experiences and trials of one of God’s followers, Job, and the faithfulness with which he clung to God, even during hardships he did not understand and despite the urgings of those closest to him. Job’s faithfulness is ultimately rewarded beyond what he had lost.

The book of Job is framed by two “conversations” between God and Satan, in which God asks Satan if he knows of Job, who he describes as His faithful follower (Job 1:8, 2:3). Satan responds that Job’s faithfulness is based on his worldly success, and that if negative experiences were to happen to Job, he would turn against God (Job 1:9-11, Job 2:4-5). Satan then leaves God’s presence to inflict difficulties on Job, supposedly to prove his point, but is first limited by God in the extent to which he may actually harm Job (Job 1:12, 2:6-7).

These “conversations” should be taken as allegorical pictures, or figurative language. This means the conversations did not literally happen as recorded but are meant as pictures to convey certain key concepts. God intends the Bible to be understood by His human creation. The Bible teaches mankind important aspects about God, such as His wisdom, justice, love and power, but God exists on a completely different plane of existence – the divine plane; the highest plane of existence. God’s angelic creation, including the fallen Satan, exist on a spiritual plane, also different from mankind’s existence. Human minds are incapable of fully understanding planes of existence so fundamentally different from their own. The author of the book of Job therefore uses concepts that humans are familiar with, such as an assembly and a conversation, as framing sequences for the subsequent chapters. Although the conversation may be figurative, it nevertheless conveys several truths that are integral to the lessons of Job’s experiences.

A first point highlighted by the conversation is that while God may permit even His most faithful followers to have difficult experiences, God Himself is not the cause of those experiences. This is illustrated in Job 1:12, when after their figurative conversation, Satan “went forth from the presence of the Lord,” implying that the subsequent events in verses 13-22 were orchestrated by Satan. This is even more explicitly described in Job 2:7, where, after leaving the presence of the Lord, Satan causes Job to break out in boils. In both cases, even though the “conversation” should be taken as figurative, the point that God is not the cause of Job’s trying experiences is demonstrated.

A second point illustrated in the allegorical conversation is that God has complete control over Satan’s influence on His followers. This is described in Job 1:12 and 2:6, which describe, in the figurative conversation, God limiting Satan’s ability to harm Job. This thought is repeated in 1 John 4:4, which assures those who are of God that He is greater than the influences of the world.

A third point illustrated in the allegorical conversation is that God recognizes those who are faithful to him. In Job 1:8, the figurative conversation records God acknowledging Job as “an upright man” that “feareth God” and “escheweth evil.” This same thought is repeated in 2 Timothy 2:19, which assures us that God knows those who are His.

Lastly, a fourth point illustrated in the allegorical conversation is that Satan’s influence is pervasive and ever ready to deceive and corrupt God’s followers. This is illustrated in Job 1:7 and Job 2:2, where Satan is described as “going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it.” This thought is also given in 1 Peter 5:8, among admonitions to maintain godly behavior, because the adversary’s influences are ever working against God’s followers.

The verses of Job 1:6-12 and Job 2:1-7 have very similar, even exact wordings. Perhaps the repetition helps to indicate that these “conversations” aren’t meant to be taken literally, but are, instead, figurative language. If the conversations were literal conversations, it seems unlikely that the same exact literal words and actions would have been so identically repeated across the two separate conversations. Additionally, repetition also helps to highlight the points outlined about, helping the reader to understand the context of the events of the book, while phrasing them in a manner familiar to human experience.

These two allegorical conversations, as well as the poetic language used by the book’s author, have led to some questioning about whether Job was an actual person or whether the book of Job is a figurative account in its entirety. Many Bible Students tend to favor the belief that Job was an actual person who did endure the experiences portrayed in the book and who remained faithful to God through them. This is in part based on Job being referred to in other scriptures such as Ezekiel 14:14, where he is cited alongside other biblical men generally believed as actual men, such as Noah and Daniel. James 5:11 also refers to Job and his patience.

The overall lesson of Job’s experiences is one that is difficult for some to always understand but is essential for those who seek to faithfully serve God. God does not cause tragedies and difficulties to happen to His followers. This is logical and self-evident. As the epitome of justice, goodness and love, it is unreasonable to think God is capable of evil or negative actions. However, God does permit difficult circumstances to happen to even His most faithful followers. Perhaps the most obvious case of this is Jesus. Being God’s only begotten son (John 1:18), and also perfectly obedient to his Father (Philippians 2:8), Jesus was greatly loved by God (Matthew 3:17). Even so, God allowed Jesus to become human, endure suffering and persecution, and eventually be put to death in an excruciatingly painful manner. For his faithfulness and perfect obedience, even through the most difficult circumstances, God highly exalted Jesus and rewarded him beyond imagination (Philippians 2:9-11). It is the same with God’s consecrated followers even today (Matthew 10:24). Job was rewarded for his faithfulness through his trying circumstances with blessings that exceeded what he began with (Job 42:12). Those who remain faithful to their consecration vows to God throughout their present lives are also promised a reward grander than any experience they may be permitted to have (Revelation 2:10). 

Additional Resources:
Blog post:  Why did God allow Satan to harm Job?
PDF article: Why God Permits Evil
Video sermon: The Lion’s Roar