Job is the first of the poetic books appearing in the Old Testament, and the most ancient of them.
As there are no references to contemporary historical occurrences, it isn't possible to know the precise date when the events mentioned in the book took place. But, Job's long life of close to 200 years, the measure of his wealth in livestock rather than gold and silver, the musical instruments (21:12) and the forms of money (42:11), his priestly office within his family including offering of sacrifices, no references to Israel, the law of Moses or the tabernacle, the social unit of patriarchal family-clan, the Chaldeans in the book being still nomads, not city dwellers, the use of the characteristic patriarchal name for God, Shaddai ("the Almighty") and the rare use of Yahweh ("the Lord"), together indicate that Job, a historical person (James 5:11), must have lived at or even before the time of Abraham.
There is no indication in the Bible as to who wrote the book, or textual hints as to his identity. It may have been written by Job himself or his friend Elihu, and preserved down the generations until it was incorporated with the Hebrew holy books. Even a gentile authorship is suggested by some commentators because of the non-Hebraic cultural background of the book.
It was probably written after the events recorded in it, because some of them wouldn't have been known at the time they took place, such as those in heaven.
On the other hand, the book may have been written much later after the events. They can have become known through the revelation of God to inspired Bible authors like Moses, who had conversations with the Lord some seven centuries later (i.e. Exodus 33:11), or even David or Solomon who lived nearly twelve centuries later.
There are a number of statements in the book which point to an advanced knowledge of science, such as:
The book starts by explaining the testing of Job, followed by a debate between Job and his friends, an intervention by Elihu, the revelation of the Lord to Job and ends with an epilogue describing his triumph. There are some important lessons to be learned from the book of Job, even though it does not give a complete explanation for all human suffering but, as James puts it: "You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord: that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful" (James 5:11b).
Job was a man who was probably exposed to a greater variety of catastrophes in one day than any other person who has ever lived. The Lord did not bring them about, but gave Satan permission and power to release them upon Job in order to prove that his godliness was genuine and not dependent upon the blessings he received from God.
Job lived in the land of Uz, also mentioned in Jeremiah 25:19, 20 and Lamentations 4:21, but its exact location is uncertain. It had plentiful pastures and crops (Job 1:3), it was near a desert (Job 1:19), and was close enough to the Sabeans and Chaldeans to be raided (Job 1:14-17). Most scholars believe Uz was located east of the Jordan River near Canaan (today's Israel) in the land of Edom (kingdom of Jordan today), which is adjacent to Midian where Moses lived for forty years and it is conceivable that Moses obtained a record of the dialogue left by Job or Elihu at that time.
Job was "perfect and upright - both fearing God, and turning aside from evil" (Young's Literal Translation). The prophet Ezekiel (contemporary of Daniel) places two other men, Noah and Daniel, alongside Job as men of outstanding righteousness (chapter 14:14, 20). This is the standard which each Christian is urged to maintain:
"beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1);
"all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work". (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
"Abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13).
Job was blessed with a perfect number of sons (7) and a fulness of daughters (3) and he was the greatest of all the people of the East, with a huge stock of animals and a very large household. No doubt, he was a very important person in his time.
Job was not only God fearing and wary of evil practices himself, but he was concerned for the salvation of his children.
His sons enjoyed a good life as children of a very wealthy father, and hosted feasts in their houses, each on his appointed day, to which they invited their three sisters to share in the celebrations, eating and drinking with them.
Job as the father of the family was concerned lest during such festivities his sons might have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. So at the end of the days of feasting he would send and sanctify them, and rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. This he did regularly.
The danger of frivolous and even sacrilegious talk when even generally godly people are feasting and making merry is ever present even in our days.
In his evening meditation on Christmas Day, C H Spurgeon makes a good application for us:
"What the patriarch did early in the morning, after the family festivities, it will be well for the believer to do for himself ere he rests tonight. Amid the cheerfulness of household gatherings it is easy to slide into sinful levities, and to forget our avowed character as Christians. It ought not to be so, but so it is, that our days of feasting are very seldom days of sanctified enjoyment, but too frequently degenerate into unhallowed mirth … Holy gratitude should be quite as purifying an element as grief. Alas! For our poor hearts, that facts prove that the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting. Come, believer, in what have you sinned today? Have you been even as others in idle words and loose speeches? Then confess the sin, and fly to the sacrifice. The sacrifice sanctifies. The precious blood of the Lamb slain removes the guilt, and purges away the defilement of our sins of ignorance and carelessness" (CHS Morning and Evening p.721).
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.
3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify 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 sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.