Job is a person lifted out of ancient history in dramatic fashion, addressing the most basic questions of life: Is God good and just? What does it mean to possess a secure relationship with God? How can security be obtained? The suffering of Job provides the impetus for a theological debate. Job's friends believe his sins caused his troubles. Job refuses to submit to their hypocritical diatribes. He prefers an audience with God. He presumes to indict God's testimony of justice in the world.
After his friends exhaust their efforts, a young man confronts Job's magisterial presentation. He challenges Job's declarations concerning God's person and work. He prepares him to meet with true majesty. The Lord continues to challenge from a whirlwind. His first speech reinforces His power of justice, His ability to sustain life, and His design through creation, revealing the character of a God who oversees life with good intentions.
The second speech addresses God's ability to judge and destroy the personality of evil. The center of this speech reveals a Messianic expression of hope. The way in which God introduces this testimony reinforces the understanding this Coming One is God Himself. The knowledge gained by Job propels him into a spirit of praise and worship, preparing him to minister as a priest for his erring friends.
