I was looking at the book of Job as I was preparing for a lesson I'm going to teach and the thought came to me: when did the events of Job occur? Do you believe the events in the book of Job took place pre-flood or post flood?
From what I see in studying the scriptures, the events of that book not only took place post-flood, but they also took place many years after the time of Noah! In fact, from what I see, the events of the book of Job took place after Abraham, after Isaac, and after Jacob, and even after Jacob gave birth to the 12 tribes. Although most of the references to the name Job are in the book of Job, there are other references to that name in the scriptures. The very first reference to that name is found in the very first book of the bible, the book of Genesis, and no doubt (at least in my mind) this is the same person spoken of in the book of Job (both Ezekiel and James mentions him also). The book of Genesis is introducing him to us!
Genesis 46:1
And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
(Be aware also, as is the custom in scripture, some people also have "aliases,” or different names or spellings of their names in scripture, such as Peter, Cephas, Simon, etc. The same is also true for Job; he is also known as "Jashub.")
Numbers 26:23-25
Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites: Of Jashub [Job], the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred.
1 Chronicles 7:1
Now the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub [Job], and Shimron, four.
Anyway, notice that the very first time we see Job mentioned is in Genesis 46, and he is said to be one of the sons of Issachar. Who is Issachar? he is a very important son of Jacob, and one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Genesis 30:16-18; 35:23
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:
The tribe of Issachar is renown in scripture as being one of the few in Israel that actually had a clue spiritually speaking!
1 Chronicles 12:32
And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
So it looks as if Job is a grandson of Jacob, being a son, of Jacob's son, Issachar. And as such, it is no marvel that he is the godly man that he is said to be seeing he is in the line of Issachar.
Another clue to when these events take place is when we read the entire context of Gen 46. In context, Job is first mentioned as one of the souls that go down into Egypt with Jacob during the days of Joseph.
Genesis 46:1-3; 6-7
And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
This is when we are first introduced to Job...
Genesis 46:13
And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
(Again, every other reference to this name "Job" is in reference to the "Job" of the book of Job, so I am convinced that this is no different!)
So with all this said, it is my opinion from scripture that the “events of the book of Job” took place sometime after Israel went into Egypt with all his family, and some time before God had Moses write the book of Genesis 400+ years later. So assuming Job is a young boy/man when he travels with his entire extended family to Egypt, sometime later when he grew up and had his own family, he apparently left Egypt—no doubt, as a man who understood the times, seeing the trouble coming for his people as the Egyptians begin leaving the "knowledge" of uncle Joseph over time, and growing more contentious with the Hebrew people. Job would have been free to leave at time before the Pharaoh who knew not Joseph showed up. (Egypt represents the world, and he would have been "separating from the world” like the godly man he was). And he ended up heading East, closer to what would later be "Jerusalem," the city of God. That is where we pick up his account. And that is where all his brethren, the sons of Issachar would end up when they got into the land in Joshua.
Job 1:3
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Joshua 17:10
Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.
Hopefully this helps!
†††
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No comments:
Post a Comment