When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king. – Genesis 36:33

Today's Scripture Reading (October 17, 2024): Genesis 36

His name was Jobab ben-Zerah. He reigned in Edom while the children of Israel were still receiving the privileged treatment in Egypt; this would be before the Israelites became enslaved, as recorded in the Book of Exodus.

Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country" (Exodus 1:8-10).

Before Israel became enslaved, long before they escaped Egypt and moved into Canaan, before the Judges came to power in Israel, and about eight hundred years before Saul would become King, Edom enjoyed the reign of Jobab ben Zerah. The era of Jobab ben Zerah is a time hidden in the dark creases of history. We don't know much about this era. And so, all we can do is take what we have that tells us about this time and what other historians in antiquity have written and guess how this time presented itself and who these people were. What makes Jobab ben-Zerah important is that some have come to believe that this Edomite King was the actual person behind the story of Job. Not all biblical scholars agree, but enough do to suggest that we need to be at least aware of the possibility.

Among the negatives, and probably the most crucial reason why Jobab is not Job, is that the time frame is slightly off. Most agree that Job was a contemporary of Abraham, Esau's grandfather. But even this is a guess.

However, there are also many reasons why we might entertain the idea that Job and Jobab are the same person. Edom, the nation of Jobab ben-Zerah, occupied the same area as the Land of Uz, the home of Job. Job was also said to be the wealthiest person in the world, and his position as King of Edom would explain the reason and origin of that wealth.

But whether we accept Jobab as Job is a personal decision. While it might be fun to entertain the idea of being able to place Job firmly into this era of history, as well as into the Royal history of Edom, whether Job is Jobab or not essentially doesn't matter. We still have the story of Job, a good man who suffered much during his life as well as the story of Jobab, who reigned as King in the early days of the Kingdom of Edom. The confirmation or separation of these stories does not change the stories themselves. And Job, even if he is not Jobab, still has much that we need to learn from him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 37