Subtitle: There was only one Job.
Excerpt: Theology on the Lighter Side – In the world of the Book of Job, there were no job markets or wage-based labor as there is today. However, losing your job and the economy falling apart were very real threats. In…
Theology on the Lighter Side – In the world of the Book of Job, there were no job markets or wage-based labor as there is today. However, losing your job and the economy falling apart were very real threats. In the past, people in the Near East typically lived in households, owned land, and raised animals and crops instead of working for someone else. A person’s survival depended mostly on their family and the things they could do together. Losing those resources didn’t just mean being “between jobs”; it meant being completely vulnerable, both socially and economically.
Job himself is a good example of this. People talk about his wealth in terms of herds, flocks, servants, and his status in the household. These were not extras; they were the basis of his business life. Job lost all of his means of production in one day when God allowed Satan access to use raiders to steal his animals and a natural disaster to kill his servants and family. This scenario is like a huge business failure, going bankrupt, and losing your social standing all at once. He had no job market, insurance, or government safety net outside the company.
The Bible also points out that many people in ancient times were always at risk. The book of Job talks about taking care of the poor, widows, and orphans, as not having stable protection. People who didn’t have a strong family structure were always in danger in a household-based economy. A widow who lost her husband might also lose her land and protection. An orphan lacked inherited power or sustenance. So, poverty was about more than low wages; it was also about dysfunctional or nonexistent households.
People sell their labor for money in the capitalistic system of today. That system was very weak in Job’s world. Again, most people worked on their family’s land, cared for their animals, or engaged in trades directly related to their homes. Famine, raids, debt, illness, or the death of a provider could all lead to economic disaster. When these happened, survival often depended on the kindness of strangers or family members (Ruth 3:13).
The Book of Job was much more than an example of the employment practices of the time. It was a picture of the impact of decisions made in Heaven as they applied to mankind. God chose Job to demonstrate to us that one can lose everything in this life and yet not lose the most precious gift ever offered … a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org