It points forward to the sufferings of Jesus, just like the sufferings of the

Psalmists point forward to the sufferings of Jesus.

The sufferings of Jesus are worse than the sufferings of Joe, but also that it overflows,

just like the sufferings of Jesus overflow into the sufferings of Jesus people.

There's a sense in which Job goes through something which helps to prepare us for what we should expect in Christ.

So it's not just an old story with all its puzzles. It really is,

in one sense, Jesus' story and our story.

The book of Job has to be one of the most challenging books of the Bible, a book that

often leaves us confused

and maybe even a little discouraged. What did Job, a righteous man, do to deserve so much suffering?

Why would God give Satan so much power over his life, and what did it all accomplish in the

end? In short, why did God let Job suffer so deeply?

And sometimes we go on to wonder, if God allowed that for Job, will he allow that for

me as well?

In our interview today, I'm talking with Christopher Ash, writer in residence at Tyndale House

and Cambridge, and the author of

Trusting God in the Darkness, a guide to understanding the Book of Job. Let's get started.

Well, Christopher, thank you so much for joining me again on the Crossway podcast. It's very good to be with you, Matt.

So the book of Job, it's a pretty well-known, but arguably a pretty misunderstood book

of the Bible. And the basic story is obviously very familiar. So we have this righteous

man, Job, and he's a man whom Satan targets for destruction almost.

It feels like he has just got this vendetta against him.

...