Book of Job Unfolded

The Old Testament testifies that suffering comes when people forsake God—not just Israel, but any nation that rejected the Most High faced destruction and ruin. The Book of Job shows that saints also suffer severely, not as punishment for evil, but as discipline designed to foster greater faithfulness. This is the central theme of The Book of Job Unfolded, a topical rather than verse-by-verse look at one of the Bible's most unique stories.

William Henry Green, an ordained Presbyterian minister, taught Biblical and Oriental literature at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1851 till his death in 1900. This commentary (revised and edited by Michael J. McHugh, but not substantially different from the original) is both scholarly and practical in its investigation of a man the Jews called a prophet among the Gentiles.

Green discusses Satan's presence in the narrative, Job's three friends, and the Book of Job's relation to the rest of Scripture, but he always returns to what he sees as the focus of the story—the importance of holiness in the lives of believers. Happiness, he says, isn't an outward emotion so much as an inward state reflective of one's character; the greater the character, the greater the sense of happiness. So while Job's situation grows worse, his goodness provides a balancing circumspection.

This revision is part of the Christian Liberty Press Bible curriculum, but the level of Green's thought and prose makes it just as useful and appealing to adults. Many students will need to look words up, but these aren't dry facts; Green writes with vigor and elegance, a trait he observes in the Book of Job with its poetry and deeply intellectual content. An outline of Job is included in the back, with comprehension questions after each chapter, making this a great option for family devotions as well.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.