David W. Smith

The Book of Job and the Mission of God

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“What has the book of Job to do with the mission of God? Not very much, it would seem, given the frequent neglect of it in missionary literature, both at a popular level and, more surprisingly, in mission studies scholarship. The profound questions raised by Job do not appear to fit comfortably within hermeneutical approaches to the Bible stressing the progress and triumph of God’s mission. Which is one reason why Job’s name dare not be spoken in mission studies—until now! Tim Davy not only believes that the bypassing of Job is a mistake, but that in a broken world in which the very questions asked by Job resonate more clearly than ever, it constitutes an indispensable dimension of missionary theology, which in fact lacks authenticity without it. Davy’s splendid book, which tackles this subject from many different angles, will make a unique contribution to both missiology and biblical studies, enriching both disciplines and enlarging and deepening the theological foundations of mission in the twenty-first century. It is warmly commended.”