Job begins with a meeting between God and Satan (better understood here as “the tempter”). What do you notice about these beings? What are their objectives?
How does this book contextualize suffering? Is Job’s suffering deserved? How does this impact the way we talk to others who are suffering?
What does this book tell us about temptation and trial? How is Job being tested? How is Satan testing God (or do you think this is a test at all)?
Applying the Text:
Do you imagine that every story in the Bible tells us something true about the character of God? If so, what does God’s behavior here tell us? How does that shape your understanding of God or the world today?
What sort of reaction to personal tragedy does the book of Job suggest is normal, or reasonable, or desirable?
In what way could the opening of Job be useful for counseling those who are suffering in the present?