It’s been said, “The traditional phrase, ‘the patience of Job,’ might better be [stated] as ‘the patience of the reader of Job.’” Maybe there’s truth to that. Reading Job is hard, but it can be immensely rewarding. Here are five pointers to help you mine its rich treasures.

Editors’ note: 

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We believe all Scripture is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16–17). But some books in the Bible present us with more difficulties than others.

To read Job well, you need to be prepared, for it is, in many ways, a difficult book.

Job Is a Hard Book

Job is hard because it deals with a hard subject—suffering. And Job suffers terribly. His wealth, children, and health—not to mention his status in the community—are all violently snatched away. This is gut-wrenching stuff, not for the faint of heart.

Job is hard because it doesn’t necessarily give us the answers we want. We want to know why good and godly people suffer, and the book leaves that question entirely unaddressed. In fact, God’s own role in Job’s calamity is nothing but disconcerting.

Job is hard because much of the book is in the words of Job’s friends, whom God will ultimately declare wrong in their speech. So how are you supposed to know what to believe? And, if you’re attempting to preach from the book, how can you build a sermon on their mistaken opinions? 

And what about Job himself? In the seemingly endless dialogues, Job’s way of talking to God seems more petulant than patient.

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