Commentary - Job 1:1-5

Bird's-eye view

The book of Job opens by setting a very high stage. Before the curtain is pulled back to reveal the heavenly drama, we are first introduced to the central character on earth. And what an introduction it is. Job is presented to us as the gold standard of human righteousness, a man whose piety is matched only by his prosperity. This is not accidental. The Holy Spirit wants us to understand that what is about to happen to Job is not a consequence of some secret sin or hidden hypocrisy. The foundation of the entire story is that Job is a genuinely righteous man, blessed by God in every conceivable way, who nevertheless will be subjected to the most severe testing imaginable. These first five verses establish the baseline. They are the "before" picture, showcasing a man who fears God and is therefore blessed, and who diligently shepherds his family in that same fear. Without this firm foundation, the rest of the book would collapse into a simple morality tale, which it most certainly is not.

We see Job's character defined, his wealth inventoried, and his priestly diligence described. He is a patriarch in the truest sense, governing his own life with integrity and overseeing the spiritual state of his household with constant vigilance. This introduction is designed to provoke the central question of the book: what happens when the righteous suffer? And why does God allow it? But before we can get to the why, we must be thoroughly convinced of the who. And who Job is, is a man God Himself will point to with favor.

Outline

Context In Job

These opening verses are the prologue to the grand poem that constitutes the bulk of the book. They are written in prose, providing the historical and theological framework for the poetic dialogues that follow. This section, along with the prose epilogue, acts as the bookends, giving us God's inspired perspective on the events. It is crucial to read the dialogues with Job and his friends through the lens of this introduction. The friends will argue from a rigid and wooden version of cause-and-effect theology, if you suffer, you must have sinned. But the Holy Spirit tells us up front, in no uncertain terms, that this is not the case with Job. He is blameless. This prologue disarms the central argument of the "comforters" before they even arrive on the scene. It forces the reader to look for a deeper, more profound explanation for suffering than a simple tit-for-tat system of divine justice.

Key Issues

Beginning: The Righteous Man's Portion

The modern evangelical mind is often squeamish about the connection between righteousness and material prosperity, but the Old Testament is not. The consistent pattern presented in the Scriptures, particularly in the wisdom literature, is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom leads to a well-ordered life, which in turn leads to blessing. Proverbs is filled with this. The sluggard comes to poverty, while the diligent hand makes rich. Job is presented here as the quintessential example of this principle. His impeccable character (v. 1) is directly linked to his overflowing blessings (vv. 2-3). God is not ashamed to bless His people with children, livestock, and stature.

The book of Job does not ultimately overturn this principle, it stress-tests it. It pushes it to the absolute limit. It asks what happens when the connection appears to be severed, when the most righteous man becomes the most afflicted man. But the conclusion of the book, where Job's fortunes are doubled, serves to reaffirm the basic principle in the end. God's economy is one of grace, but it is not an economy that despises tangible, earthly, created goods. Job's story begins by affirming the goodness of God's created order and the blessings that flow to those who walk in His ways.

Blameless, Upright, and Fearing God

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil.

The book begins like a historical account, grounding the story in a real place and with a real man. The land of Uz is outside the covenant line of Israel, likely in Edomite territory, immediately signaling that the wisdom and workings of God are not confined to the borders of Israel. God has His people everywhere.

Then we are given a four-fold description of Job's character, a spiritual resume of the highest order. First, he was blameless (Heb. tam). This does not mean sinless perfection. Abraham, David, and others were sinners, yet they walked blamelessly before God. Blamelessness is a forensic concept, it means integrity. It means that no legitimate charge could be laid against him. His accounts were settled, his reputation was sound. Second, he was upright (Heb. yashar). This speaks to his internal character. He was straight, not crooked. His dealings were honest because his heart was true. The blameless exterior was the product of an upright interior.

But what is the source of this blamelessness and uprightness? The text tells us. He was fearing God. This is the root of all true piety. It is not a craven, servile fear, but a reverential awe and worshipful submission to the living God. This is the fear that drives a man to obedience and away from sin. And that is the fourth description: turning away from evil. This is the practical outworking of the fear of God. True faith is not static, it is active. It makes choices. It turns from one thing and to another. Job's righteousness was not a passive state of being, but an active, daily orientation of his entire life away from evil and toward God.

The Patriarch as Priest

Job 1:2-4 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 pairs of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the sons of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

God's blessing on Job is now detailed. He has ten children, a number of completeness. Seven sons and three daughters. This is a picture of a full and flourishing covenant household. This is followed by an inventory of his immense wealth. This is real, productive, agricultural wealth. And the result of his character and God's blessing is his stature, he was the greatest of all the sons of the east. His greatness was comprehensive, it was moral, familial, and financial.

Verse four gives us a glimpse into the life of this blessed family. They are close-knit, prosperous, and they enjoy one another's company. The sons take turns hosting feasts, and they are careful to include their sisters. This is a picture of shalom. There is no hint of debauchery or wickedness here, simply the joyful partaking of God's good gifts. But it is this very scene of blessing that triggers Job's priestly concern.

Job 1:5 Now it happened when the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and set them apart as holy. And he would rise up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Here we see Job in his most crucial role, that of family priest. Before the Levitical priesthood was established, the head of the household, the father, was responsible for the spiritual state of his family. Job takes this responsibility with the utmost seriousness. After the cycle of feasting, he would consecrate his children. He would rise early, a mark of diligence, and offer burnt offerings, a recognition that sin requires atonement by blood.

And notice his reasoning. "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." He is not concerned with outward scandal, he is concerned with inward corruption. The Hebrew for "cursed God" is actually a euphemism, it literally says "blessed God." This shows a profound reverence, an unwillingness to even voice the thought of cursing God directly. Job's concern was that in their feasting, in their joy and prosperity, his children might have forgotten the Giver of the gifts. They might have sinned in their hearts through pride, frivolity, or simple forgetfulness. This is a deep and searching piety. And he did this continually. This was his regular practice. His faithfulness was not a response to crisis, it was a constant way of life.

Key Words

Blameless (tam)

The Hebrew word tam means complete, whole, or having integrity. It is used of Noah (Gen. 6:9) and is a key descriptor for the righteous man in the Psalms. It does not imply sinless perfection, but rather a wholeness of character, a life where all the pieces fit together under the lordship of God. It is a man against whom no charge of hypocrisy can stick.

Upright (yashar)

This word means straight or right. It describes a path that is not crooked or a person whose dealings are straightforward and honest. While tam can have a more external focus on reputation, yashar points to the internal moral compass that produces such a life.

Cursed (barak)

In Job 1:5, the word translated as "cursed" is the Hebrew word barak, which usually means "to bless." This is a scribal euphemism, a practice called tiqqun soferim. The scribes, out of reverence for God's name, substituted "bless" for "curse" when the object was God. It reveals the profound horror with which the biblical writers viewed blasphemy. Job's fear was that his sons had committed this most grievous sin in the secret thoughts of their hearts.

Application

The introduction to Job provides a powerful model for us, particularly for fathers. Job understood that he was the head of his household, and this meant he was responsible for its spiritual well-being. He did not outsource this duty. He rose early, he sacrificed, and he interceded for his children, covering them with his prayers and with the provision of atonement.

Furthermore, Job's concern was for the sins of the heart. It is easy for us to be content with outward conformity in our children. If they are not getting into public trouble, we breathe a sigh of relief. But Job knew that God looks on the heart. He was concerned that prosperity might lead to a subtle pride or a careless ingratitude. This is a perennial danger. In our times of blessing, we must be most vigilant, just as Job was. We must continually bring ourselves and our children before the Lord, confessing not only our obvious transgressions but also the potential for hidden sin, and pleading the sacrifice of the one true High Priest, Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses us from all sin, both seen and unseen.

Finally, Job's life demonstrates that true piety is a comprehensive affair. His fear of God informed his character, which shaped his work, which resulted in God's blessing, which he then stewarded with joyful generosity and priestly watchfulness. It was an integrated life. Our faith is not meant to be a slice of our life, but the yeast that leavens the entire loaf. May we seek to be, like Job, blameless and upright, men and women who fear God and turn away from evil in every area of our lives.