A Spiritual Exercises in the Disaster: An Analysis on Job’s Suffering

Abstract

The sufferings of Job in the Book of Job have always been a hot topic among researchers. By analyzing Job's state before and after sufferings, this study attempts to reveal his growth process. Before encountering sufferings, Job was not a completely righteous man, and his faith in Yahweh was characterized by the retribution. Yahweh deliberately allowed calamities to befall Job in order to build his faith and character through sufferings. After he came to realize the truth, Job re-examined and corrected his relationship with the world. He treated his daughters with true kindness, and was encouraged by Yahweh to actively participate in the war against evil. Therefore, this study argued that Yahweh deliberately put Job in trials in order to promote him through sufferings.