“Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?” (Job 4:17)

The term “eloah” seems to be a variation on the more common term, “elohim,” and is universally translated generically as “God.” What is particularly noteworthy is that of the 58 times it occurs in Scripture, 41 are in the book of Job. Scholars widely believe that Job lived before the time of Abraham, probably after the tower of Babel incident. He lived for well over 140 years (Job 42:16), a longevity that was on par with the time of the patriarchs. But there is no mention of the Mosaic Law or the Levitical priesthood. There is no clear mention in the book of his being a Jew. However, the writing of the book may have taken place much later, and on the question of authorship scholars disagree: some believe it was Job himself who penned it, while others think its poetic form points to Solomon. Its divine inspiration is verified by the apostle Paul, who quotes from it as Scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:19-20, where he puts it on the same level as the Book of Psalms, and James refers to Job as an historical character in James 5:11.

Job wrestled with Eloah, plumbing the depths of the Almighty about the meaning of life and its suffering. He did not see the events of his misery as the result of fate, but as the cause being Eloah, that is, the God of the universe. In his first mention of God by this term, we find Job cursing the day he was born:

Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born, and the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’ “May that day be darkness; let not God [Eloah] above care for it, nor light shine on it.’” (Job 3:1–4)

Though he cursed the day he was born, and though he was tempted by his wife to curse God (Job 2:9), Job refused to curse his Creator! Whatever we say about Job, he was a man of spiritual integrity and honesty (Job 2:9). In the end, like a dog chasing a car doesn’t know what to do when the cars stops, Job was completely dumbfounded when Eloah stopped and graced him with a response. With his proverbial tail between his legs, Job answered:

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.” Then Job answered the LORD and said, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?” (Job 40:2-4).

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Lord God Eloah, I submit my deepest anguish to You, in honesty and integrity.