I think it'd be good if we took some time to first know a little bit about the book of Job.

I know I already said this, but there's really quite a bit here that I believe God has in store for us.

I want to begin with what I'll call fast facts concerning the book of Job. And the first of

which is, and this is really interesting, is that it's believed to be the oldest book in the Bible.

Now, even tonight, beginning in chapter 1, we're going to see a number of details that are going to sort of date the book of Job,

as some believe even during the patriarchal age, which means that he would have been a contemporary

of Abraham. Some even believe that it's very possible that he even predated Abraham. Now, the reason

that's interesting is because if that's true, and I believe it is, that it is the oldest book

in the Bible and that Joe potentially predated Abraham. Think about this. The first book recorded that we have in the

canon of scripture is about suffering. Think about that. It's also believed that, and this is very

possible, and I am of the belief that this is true, that Job actually lived in what we know today as Petra in modern

day Jordan. For those of you who have ever been to Petra, that in and of itself is quite fascinating.

It is a massive rock city. And Job, as we're going to see, was extremely wealthy. God had prospered him

exceedingly abundantly, and it would make sense that a man like this would have lived in a place

like that. Another fast fact is that Job is the first of the poetic books. We started off with

the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Then we

went into the historical books beginning with First and Second Samuel 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles.

No, I missed a couple in there.

Joshua, judges, and Ruth first.

Then 1st and 2nd Samuel.

Boy, it's all a blur now.

Then 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles,

...