The honor of being God’s servant is scattered throughout the Scriptures. Moses was named a servant of the Lord, who even mediated, much like Job, between God and those who had done foolishly (Heb. 3:5). Christ himself is referred to as “my servant” who would be pierced for our transgressions (Isa. 52:13).

I had a problem with the book of Job. I couldn’t shake one question off my mind as I read. I held tight to the beautiful pictures of Job’s faith and trust throughout the book, yet God’s final speech left me a little confused. Where was the comforter? Where was the compassion of the gentle and lowly Christ who wept at his friend’s tomb? I agreed that God was worthy of all power and glory, and Job needed to be humbled, but still I yearned for a glimpse of the compassionate God I knew. Was he still there? 

Maybe you’ve found yourself wondering the same. Is the mighty God of Job who seems to play with the fate of one man’s life the same one who says he will hold his people like little lambs (Isa. 40:11)? Is he the same one who longed to gather his people like a hen gathers her chicks (Matt. 23:37)? The Scriptures tell us God doesn’t change, so why do we feel the disconnect (James 1:17)? Instead of stuffing our question to the side, we would do well to pursue it. Like Job, we should keep puzzling. For when we take a deeper look into the narrative of this ancient patriarch, we’ll discover the same gentle God and be greatly comforted in the process. 

The God of the Covenant

There’s no doubt God’s speech to Job comes with severity. In a series of questions God challenges Job in his place before the Almighty. Yet in the first words that prepare the audience for God’s entrance sits a beacon of God’s comfort that envelops the entire book. The text reads, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said” (Job 38:1, emphasis added). We read right past this phrase and miss the proclamation it makes. Instead of using Eloah or Elohim (the more typical Hebrew words for God) which have been used for most of the dialogue thus far, the writer of Job makes a stark switch and announces that it is Yahweh who answers Job out of the whirlwind. This title is the particular name for the God of Israel—the Lord of the covenant We see this name throughout the Scriptures, but notably it is the name God told Moses in response to his question of who was sending him to the Israelites (Ex. 3:14). Instead of the generalized name of God, it speaks with specificity of the God of the Bible who not only makes all things, but comes into a relationship with them, and even rescues them. It denotes a bond of faithfulness and steadfast love. 

This same term shows up in the introduction of the narrative as Satan and God dialogue (1:6-12). In these bookended uses of Yahweh, we see that the entire story of Job is enveloped by the steadfast love of God. Far from the critique of secular scholars, God doesn’t torture his servant out of rivalry. Instead he acted from the start to finish as Yahweh—the covenant keeping God. It’s this promise that keeps the Lord returning to his people throughout the entire biblical narrative, as he seeks after them and speaks tenderly to them in their rebellion and comforts all her waste places (Isa. 51:3; Hos. 2:14). 

Read More