Job and Economic Justice

Although the book of Job is found just before Psalms in the Bible (as it is essentially a poem and is therefore grouped with other poetic works), chronologically it should appear much earlier. Job was probably born about the same time as Abraham, and therefore knew God outside of the context of the Abrahamic covenant.



Job was a good man (Job 1:1). He was also a very rich man (1:3) in a land where there was much poverty (22:6-9). How did Job acquire such wealth? He suggests that his wealth came from the LORD (1:21) but it is likely that hard work and shrewd investment (either by himself or his ancestors) played a part. It is implied, however, that his wealth was not acquired through dishonest gain.

Would we have seen such wealth inequality in the creation counterfactual? Perhaps not, but Job was described as “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (1:1) without having relinquished his relative wealth. Nevertheless, as Job defends himself in chapter 31, we see that he practised philanthropy (31:16-17) and hospitality (31:31-32), he used his prominent social status to advocate justice (31:21), he was honest in his transactions (31:38-40) and he did not put his trust in his wealth (31:24-25).

When Job lost everything he had (including his children and his health), he turned to God. Job’s friends made the assumption that he must have done something deserving of punishment (see for example 4:7-9, 34:10-11) and therefore needs to repent and beg for mercy (8:5-7, 11:13-15). Presumably, this was a common belief of the time regarding divine justice. But Job noted that the wicked often don’t receive punishment (21:7-16).

At the end of the story, the LORD restored Job’s prosperity and gave him back double his previous possessions (42:10). Again, it’s unclear how that apparently sudden accumulation of wealth actually came about but it reinforces the truth that “the LORD [gives] and the LORD [takes] away” (1:21).

The story of Job raises all sorts of questions about the justice of God, questions that will come up repeatedly over the course of the Old Testament. Although God himself did not take away Job’s wealth or inflict his suffering, he allowed it (1:9-12, 2:4-7). And God was certainly the one who blessed Job at the end of the story. In a fallen world, good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. But, in the midst of apparent injustice, this story encourages us to accept and admire the majesty and sovereign power of God. Chapters 40 and 41 paint a wonderful picture of the greatness of the LORD and our insignificance in comparison.

Meanwhile, as we reflect on our own lives, the inference from Job is that it is not wrong to be wealthy and enjoy a good life, and that indeed can be a reward for finding favour in God’s eyes. However, we must be careful that we do not become one of the wicked who “spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace” (21:13) by following Job’s example of acting with integrity and justice at all times and being merciful to the poor and needy in our society.