Job 3 begins the lengthy dialogue that will occupy most of the book of Job. It is a dialogue with dark overtones—focusing on such difficult subjects as suffering and retribution—which are protracted by its poetic qualities. Grueling subjects are joined to graceful phrases, and the speakers take time to develop their points.

The end result is about 35 chapters of Job’s debate with his friends. This dialogue is not always easy to follow, and it is not the stretch of Scripture that many people instinctively turn to for their morning devotions. Many commentators seem to struggle through the debate out of a sense of duty while hurrying to the conclusion of the story.

However, it is within this dialogue that we more clearly begin to see the shadow of Christ in the figure of Job. Since all of Scripture—every word—is inspired by God and profitable for us, we can be certain that this debate between Job and his friends is an essential part of Scripture, and an ...