There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job 1:1
There are many theological “scholars” who believe the entire book of Job to be an allegory. They believe it to be a story of a fictitious man made up to tell a spiritual truth. But there was a land of Uz which was named after a man called Uz.
“And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.”
Genesis 10:23.Also, “The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.”
Genesis 36:28.
Uz was most likely in Arabia and near the Tigris River.
If the book of Job is an allegory, then why do others (even God) speak of him as a man held in high esteem? Look at the following examples:
“Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 14:14;“Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.”
Ezekiel 14:20.And James in James 5:11 says,
“Behold, we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
That Job was a real man who lived in a real place is accepted by all, but those who would desire to tear the Word of God to shreds due to their unbelief and rebellion.
Notice what the Word of God says about Job: he was “perfect and upright.” He was blameless. His integrity was flawless. It was also said of Job that he feared God. Job worshiped God with the highest reverence. He was in awe of God and honored Him with his worship. Finally, it says that he “eschewed” (this means he stayed away from evil) with every ounce of energy that he had. We are instructed in God’s Word to be and do the same. We are to “abstain from the very appearance of evil.” Paul says that we are to be blameless. Jesus said that we are to light and salt to the world, but we cannot be so if we continually allow sin to stain our lives.
As we look more into the life of Job, we may not understand all that takes place but we will see that God always has things in control. Amen and amen.
