Welcome back to the book club. I'm Michael Knowles. Gird up your loins because we are reading the

Book of Job. I am joined by Owen Anderson, professor of religion and philosophy at Arizona State University,

the author of a philosophical commentary on Job,

as well as another terrific book on natural theology.

Owen, thank you for coming on the show.

Thanks for having me. This book, maybe put the

Gospels aside for a moment. Other than that, probably my favorite book of the Bible.

I just adore the book of Job. We get so many of the

most famous lines of the Bible from Job, the Lord giveth and the Lord takeeth away and

many others and you're going to give give us a summary of what the book of

Job is where it comes in the Bible and what happens. Yeah the book of Job is

the favorite for a lot of people. It addresses a problem that we all face which is the problem of suffering and meaning.

It's part of the wisdom literature, and Job's about God's rule of the world,

and it's about whether or not it's worth it to know God and seek God.

And so the book is also about Job as God's servant.

God says this a number of times, consider my servant Job.

And it's about what it takes for Job

to come to a greater understanding of who God is

and see his own shortcoming

in not having delighted in knowing God

through all of God's wondrous works.

So what happens in terms of the plot of the book?

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