The book of Job as found in the Bible is a long, hard-to-understand, and perplexing book in the Old Testament. What jumps out right away is that Job is an innocent man. He remains faithful to his wife, his family, and God. From the very first verse, the book establishes that Job did nothing wrong to bring on the calamities that fall upon him.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. Job 1:1 ESV

Job the Gentile

Historically this book is set somewhere in the period between Noah and Abraham. One might even think of Job as a Gentile peer living a similar life to Abraham. He has a large household with many sheep and oxen. Unlike Abraham, who had no land and lived in tents, Job lived in a set location and built homes for his family.

In the introduction we find a few descriptions of Job that give us a sense of him as a man.

Blameless Priest

The first description of Job is that he is blameless. This word means he is a wholesome, plain, quiet man. The same word describes Jacob when the text compares him to his warrior and loud brother.

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Genesis 25:27 ESV

Blameless here does not mean perfect. No man has ever lived a perfect life, but Job is a quiet man who thinks and contemplates. He dwells on the things of God, which propels him to act as priest for his own family. Job is a blameless man.

And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. Job 1:5 ESV

Upright King

The second description of Job is that he is upright. We take the plain, contemplative, priestly man who is Job and see him also as a righteous man who follows after the Lord. He does not just think about God. He thinks rightly about God.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 2 Kings 22:2 ESV

In the books of Kings and Chronicles, all the good kings are described as upright. Men who walked in the same way as King David. Job, as the tribal leader and a king of his time, lived an upright life and did what was right in the eyes of God.

Feared God

The third description of Job is that he is a man who fears God. Much of the Bible is about understanding, respecting, and being in awe of the God who made us. It is no surprise to find a man who is blameless and upright also placing his hope, reverence, and trust in the Lord.

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Psalms 147:11 ESV

One of the benefits of being a reverent, yielded man to the things of God is that God Himself takes pleasure in such a man. If you want God’s attention, then fearing Him in the best sense of the word will set God’s love upon you.

Turned from Evil

Finally, Job is described as turning from evil. It may seem redundant because of course a blameless, upright man who fears God would turn from evil, but there are degrees of righteousness. One gets the sense that Job went out of his way to avoid even the appearance of evil things.

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:7 ESV

Job as found in the Bible sought wisdom not from the world but from God. This wise priestly king, a patriarch blessed by God and a benefit to everyone around him, becomes famous not by his good works and good character but because of the suffering that comes his way.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 ESV