Jewish Insights on Job: “The Book of Job is
the story of . . . Job, and his acceptance of the sufferings God brings
upon him and his family. To some sages . . . Job is to be regarded as
one of the few truly God-fearing men of the Bible, the most pious
non-Jew whoever lived. To others he was a blasphemer.” “The Talmud
states that Moses wrote the Book of Job, and records a difference of
opinion as to whether Job ever really existed, or whether the story is
a parable.” “The Book of Job . . . is a profound expression of religious
experience written by an unknown poetic genius, probably around the
fifth century B.C.E. The problem posed by the book is how to reconcile
seemingly unjustified suffering with belief in God who is all-powerful
and just.”
A Look at Job’s Home: “Job, like Abraham, had open doors on
all four sides of his house so that strangers might have easy access.
Breaches of hospitality . . . were considered punishable offenses.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Complain to God? “The book's hero, the gentile Job (whose name
possibly derives from ay'av --- ("where father?") was an inhabitant of
the land of Uz; his wealth in livestock and slaves exceeded that of any
other man among the Edomites. . . . the story tells how Job loses all
his property, his children and then his health and is reduced to disease
and ruin. Yet in his suffering he utters no word of complaint against
God. "God commends his stoic humility and restores him to wealth and
health.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
The Book of Job Makes Three Main Points: “. . .that there is
no causal connection between earthly suffering and moral evil (that is,
the good may suffer at least as much as the bad), that the vast beauty,
power and complexity of Nature are a proof of an omnipotent order
beyond human understanding, and that the gulf between man's actual fate
and what he thinks he deserves is a fact about which God prefers to
remain silent.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Jewish Doubts on Job: “Job's patience in his suffering has
become proverbial and the phrase "the patience of Job" is used to refer
to anyone with a great deal of patience. In the aggadah, most references
to the Book of Job do not consider its hero to have been a real person.
Job's sufferings are considered to be a test rather than a punishment,
and he is frequently compared with Abraham, who was also tested.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Is There a Satan? “In its original application in the Bible,
"Satan" appears not as a proper name, but rather as a common noun
denoting an adversary who opposes or obstructs. Its related verb also
has the function of describing the actions of an antagonist in the most
general sense. However, in the later books of the Bible (Zechariah and
Job), "The Satan" can be found as the accepted name of a particular
angel --- a prosecutor in the heavenly court. Thus it is "The Satan" who
asks for and is given permission by God to test Job's piety by
inflicting upon him a whole series of personal ordeals. He is, however,
definitely subordinate to God . . .” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Suffering: “If God is all-powerful and good, as Judaism claims
He is, how is it possible that He allows His creatures to suffer? This
is not a new problem. The Bible is aware that suffering and pain are
characteristic of human existence and many of the books of the Bible are
concerned about the theological issues involved. The Book of Habakkuk,
when it deals with one of the aspects of the problem, says that "the
righteous man must live by his faith." This seems to mean that it is
beyond the ability of human intelligence to understand the question and
that man must have faith that God is doing the right thing . . .”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Responsibility of Suffering: “The rabbis of the Talmud and the
medieval Jewish philosophers were also troubled about the problem of
suffering. Some thinkers suggested that the innocent suffer in this
world so that their share in the world to come will be greater, but
other philosophers rejected this idea. Another solution suggested was
that suffering comes on a man in order to warn him to mend his ways and
that "when a man sees that he is suffering, let him examine his deeds."
The rabbis of the Talmud believed that it is a great religious virtue to
bear one's suffering "with love," i.e., patiently and without becoming
rebellious.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Judaism Absolutely Forbids Inflicting Suffering: “. . . on
other people and even on animals. Also, no man may ignore the suffering
of others but must do everything in his power to help remedy the
situation. This applies to physical suffering, to poverty and to
psychological suffering. Furthermore, no man has the right to enjoy
himself if the rest of the community is suffering.” (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
How Does Atonement Fit In? In Judaism today, there is a
definite trend away from an atonement of our sins by someone else.
Obviously, the effort to steer away from Jesus who paid the ransom as
the atoner has amplified this. That is probably why the Book of Job in
Jewish thought is viewed as is expressed above. The Latter-day Saint
view is beautifully expressed as follows.
Do You Accept Job’s Lesson on Atonement? “When the prophets
speak of an infinite atonement, they mean just that. Its effects cover
all men, the earth itself and all forms of life thereon, and reach out
into the endless expanses of eternity. "The word atonement,” it is
written in the Compendium, "signifies deliverance, through the offering
of a ransom, from the penalty of a broken law. The sense is expressed in
Job 33:24: `Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a
ransom.' As effected by Jesus Christ, it signifies the deliverance,
through his death and resurrection, of the earth and everything
pertaining to it, from the power which death has obtained over them
through the transgression of Adam. Redemption from death, through the
sufferings of Christ, is for all men, both the righteous and the wicked;
for this earth, and for all things created upon it." (Compendium pp.
8-9.)” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Pg.64)