Pastor Jasmine Brady | Bible Reading Podcast Episode #95 | October 27, 2025
This summary synthesizes theological insights from the books of Job and Acts, focusing on trusting God during suffering, the function of Old Testament wisdom literature, and the continuous, unhindered spread of the New Testament gospel.
Part 1: Wrestling with Suffering – Insights from the Book of Job
The Book of Job is a foundational text in the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, which also includes Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Job explores the complex reality that righteous individuals sometimes suffer, challenging simplistic theological explanations.
The Structure and Purpose of Job
The Book of Job is written in Hebrew, with approximately 90% of the text composed in poetry, featuring rare words and vivid imagery, demonstrating poetic genius.
The structure of the book includes:
- Prologue (Chapters 1–2): This opens with a heavenly courtroom scene where God calls the divine council together. God points out Job, described as a man of moral integrity, upright, and blameless. Satan, the accuser, suggests that if God removes the hedge around Job, he will curse God. God trusts Job and allows Satan to test his faith.
- Job’s Lament (Chapter 3): After his suffering begins, Job opens his mouth and expresses deep emotional pain, regretting that he was ever born.
- Cycles of Dialogues (Chapters 4–31): This section, which can sometimes feel tedious, works out very important points. It largely consists of conversations between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.
Trusting God When Explanations Fail
Job suffered immense loss, including his children, wealth (livestock), and health (afflicted with sores). His friends represent a retributive justice theology, believing that God’s people prosper and bad people suffer. Since Job was suffering, his friends assumed he must have sinned.
Job wrestles with these deep questions, recognizing that his suffering does not line up with his righteous life. The sources stress that wrestling with God, asking questions, and lamenting is acceptable.
Key lessons for the believer in suffering:
- Never Leave the Conversation: It is crucial to determine in your heart to never leave the conversation with God but to always trust Him, especially when human explanations fail.
- Wrestling Yields Depth: Just as Jacob wrestled with an angel and his name was changed to Israel, and the prophet Habakkuk wrestled with God over His methods, good can emerge from this spiritual struggle. Wrestling with God leads to wisdom, truth, and peace, and ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Deeper Faith: When believers wrestle with God and refuse to give up, they gain a deeper, more precious, and fought-for faith.
- Divine Assurance: God will meet the believer in suffering and stretch out His hand, helping them walk on the water in the midst of their storm.
Job and Wisdom Literature Context
Job contrasts with other Wisdom Literature:
- Proverbs provides many possibilities and probabilities (“if you do this, this will happen”), but they are not promises.
- Job focuses on a man who lived righteously but still suffered.
- Ecclesiastes ultimately concludes that the point of everything is to love God and to trust Him in the midst of every situation and circumstance.
The ultimate message goes back to Romans 8:28: “All things work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to his purpose”.
Part 2: The Unhindered Spread of the Gospel in Acts
The Book of Acts, often called Acts of the Apostles, is the second volume written by Luke, following his Gospel. The ascension of Jesus is central to Luke’s narrative, concluding the Gospel of Luke and beginning the Book of Acts. Both volumes are addressed to Theophilos.