Great Lives: Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance

I must have been sent the wrong book. Very disappointed. It said Job, but was not what I ordered and the cover looked like a rat had chewed on it.

This is one book I would recommend to anyone who is going through some tough times and wondering where is God. This book gave me great hope to know that God is still in control of our lives.

Swindoll has delivered a message of dignity not pity. He has given the reader a taste of the bitter reality which Job faced. Swindoll not only connects the reader to Job but also to modern/contemporary times and application. Swindoll comforts the reader by letting him know it's perfectly acceptable and normal to feel hurt, betrayed, frustrated, and victimized during hard-times; he offers the reader hope to hang on. This book should be required for all people who have never suffered or expierenced loss prior to offering their well-intentioned reasons, formulas, advice and "comfort". Swindoll has not only brought out the integrity and endurance of Job but also the dignity of Job in suffering. A must read for those going into (or active therein) ministry.

Swindoll has such a gift for bringing people to life. Whether or not we beat up ourselves during severe trials, or it is left to "well-meaning" friends to take on that responsibility, this book gives encouragement and direction to our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. If you're going through a trial - or should I say WHEN you go through a trial that hurts - and hurts bad, give this book a read.

Once again, Chuck Swindoll has written a fine book on a particular biblical character and shows how we can learn from the person's example (bad and good). Consistent with his other books, Swindoll pulls no punches in describing Job's character, his circumstances, and the people around him. Since the Bible also pulls no punches, Swindoll's writing style is particularly enjoyable and challenging.Among the important points Swindoll covers include:1. Mark of a true friend.2. Job challenged his accusers at the appropriate time.3. Like Job, you sometimes have to be direct and blunt with graceless people who do not have a clue.3. Jesus often suffered false accusations.4. Sometimes we just have to tune others out and focus on what God says about us and our circumstances (sometimes God has to tell us things we do not want to hear but need to).5. Integrity is all that matters and 3 things to learn from Job's integrity.6. Characteristics of a broken heart.7. Excellent advice for staying young as you age.8. 7 lessons Job teachers us about God.In my humble opinion, the person who is most brokenhearted and hopeless will benefit most from the book - the self-sufficient or self-confident need not waste their time (the Bible says a lot about confidence in God instead of self). In other words, readers who need encouragment will be uplifted the most.Read, enjoy, and be encouraged!

As he has done with other Great Lives biblical biographies (see David, Esther, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, and Paul), Charles R. Swindoll provides a deep look at Job. This is not a biblical biographical fictionalized account of the bible. Instead, he furbishes a study starting with the Old Testament passages that first paint a picture of a pious, happy and successful person until "Sahtan" challenges God to test the holiness of Job by stripping away his life. Job becomes the victim of the ultimate test of humankind's faith in God when even the Lord apparently abandoned him. Will he lose his belief, as he suffers from one Sahtan atrocity after another; or will his faith enable him to endure?Mr. Swindoll goes over the passages with a fine toothcomb providing modern day examples to explain the underlying lessons of Job. Most people who have read the biblical book find it difficult to accept why God would allow such an extreme experiment especially on a good person. Besides providing obvious insight into Job, Mr. Swindoll offers intriguing insight into the key "characters" who star in this drama and a theory as to why the events occurred. Biblical readers will appreciate this powerful deep look into Job, a man with the fortitude to endure incredibly devilish torture.Harriet Klausner