My appreciation for Job is no doubt tied to the admiration I have for an Old Testament professor whose life work was on Job. His love for the book infected me. Maybe I can entice you to read through it with me.
Job is one of only two places in the Old Testament where Satan acts independent of God's instructions. Even here, Satan can do nothing without God's full approval and license.
The question raised in the book is whether Job appreciates God because of the things God has given him, or if Job is devoted to God because God is God.
It is a good question. One we need to ask ourselves.
There are many things to be learned from reading Job. One of them is to realize that the complexity of why things happen is beyond our comprehension. There are some chains of events which are so interwoven and so far reaching that only God could pull them apart and say "This leads to that....." The Book of Job encourages us to appreciate the mind of God and its ability to comprehend the things which are beyond us. There is also a critique in this - that we will only became frustrated and seem foolish when we attempt to get above our limitations.
I turn to God because God is God. I turn to God for reminders that the creation is whole and one and good - even when my little piece of it may be in an uproar. This is the witness of Job. This is why I appreciate the book so much.
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