The book of Job in the Holy Bible is the story of a righteous man, living in the land of Uz, whose faith is tested by God and Satan. The author of the text is unknown, although due to the changes of voice within the narrative it is very likely that the book had multiple authors over time. The exact period, however, is also unknown, and the ambiguity of the historical context and the original writer parallels the nature of its conclusion. God's severe punishment of Job is arranged solely to gamble Satan; The Devil wonders if Job will keep his faith when God gets rid of his servants, his livestock, and his ten children in the space of one day. That said, God believes Job is one of His most faithful servants and insists that the his faith will not waver in the face of adversity. After the fact, Job, a man who never puts a foot out of line, immediately wonders why so much evil could have befallen someone as good as him. In response, Job weeps and gathers his friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu. Job discusses his destiny with them. God and Satan look on, with God hoping that Job will keep his faith, and Satan wanting Job to curse God himself, Satan says, "Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." [ 1]. Job comes close to losing his faith after being questioned and accused by his friends, but he maintains it throughout the narrative, proving that God is right about his bet with Satan. Although Job continually challenges God to give him his day in court, at no point did Job curse God to his face, as was predicted by Satan, so God must be right in thinking that Job was too devout in his faith. curse him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To understand Job's demands to go to court against God, it is critical to first understand the judicial culture of the time. At the gates of the city, the elders gathered and formed a court; the court would hear cases brought to them by the people. Job states: “But I would speak to the Almighty, and I would plead my case with God.”[2] By saying this, Job is challenging God's judgment, not God's power, and desires to see him in court. Additionally, Job remains in awe of God, for example, he emphasizes that he would approach God as if he were a king.[3] Job maintains respect and faith in God, as evidenced by Job's language, regardless of his other requests to God. Nonetheless, Job shows that he thinks he is perfect and more powerful than he actually is, as emphasized by Elihu.[4] Since this is not right in God's eyes, Elihu is not obligated to pay homage to God later. In response to Job's claims of being completely righteous, God says to Job: “'Will the critic contend with the Almighty?' Whoever argues with God must answer.”[5] God gives Job the opportunity to take him to court, but he never actually argues a case, because he knows he cannot defeat God. Evidently Job never curses God, but only tries to test his power by taking him to court. Job questions God throughout the book, but his faith remains steadfast; he only questions him, but he always believes in God, a crucial distinction. Job says, “Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked in the darkness; when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent; when the Almighty was still with me".[6] Job claims that at one point he was loved by 42:8
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