Jensens survey of the old testament adam 147
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During the early years of Israel’s kingdom,
God inspired a few writers to compose for
Scripture some poems, songs, and dialogues
re ecting the meditations and questions of
their hearts and minds. These are the ve
books which comprise the third section of
our English Old Testament, called the
“Poetical Books.” The books are Job, Psalms,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of
Solomon.1 Psalms is the example par.
excellence of Hebrew poetry. Job, Proverbs,
and Ecclesiastes are usually classi ed
contentwise
as
“Wisdom
Literature,”
because their message represents the wise
observations and interpretations of everyday
life.
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
1. There, are poetical passages in other parts
of the Old Testament as well. (E.g., Exod 15;
Deut 32; Judg 5; 2 Sam 22; Hab 3. See The
Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p. 671, for a
list of shorter poems.)
15
Job: Knowing God Better Through Adversity
The book of Job answers questions asked
by people who believe in God but who are
stunned or mysti ed by the complex
problem of pain. Here are some of those
questions:
Does justice triumph?
Is God intimately concerned about the lives
of His children?
Why are some godly people crushed with
tragedy?
What are the enduring values of life?
Is Satan real?
Is there a life beyond the grave?
The very fact that God inspired a book
like Job to be written and included in the
canon of the Holy Bible is strong evidence of
His love for His children. This book records
His perfect answers to the many agonizing
questions about life. Through those answers,
severe trials and testings in life take on a
new quality and Peter’s words, bringing
Christ into the picture, shine forth in all
their splendor: “That the proof of your faith,
being more precious than gold which is
perishable, even though tested by re, may
be found to result in praise and glory and
honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1
Pet 1:7).
I. PREPARATION FOR STUDY
Job is the rst of the ve poetical books.2
Therefore, it is helpful to become
acquainted with the various aspects of
poetic literature, so the language and style
of these five books will be more intelligible.
