Hello Andrew;

Great to see that you are looking at Job's experience in a new light.. How is one to understand a scenario where the Almighty God, the all Loving Creator sits in conference with the Darkness, Satan, bargaining and betting over the well being of a faithful servant of His?

If we take this story literally, it's absurd to say the least and contrary to the Nature of an All loving God. The more one reflects on this story, in the literal sense, the more one encounters gaps in one's understanding of God.

My reflections on Biblical stories like this and others such as the Tower of Babel have strengthened my conviction in the fact that these stories are not meant to be taking literally. The Bible is primarily a spiritual book. Thus, the writings in It are meant to speak to the inner core of man, his spirit. As such, these writings presupposed that the spirit sees in pictures. They are to be understood as pictures being passed on to us. It is then that we can draw the lesson inherent in them.

I am not religious. I am also not an atheist, and I have found some of these pictorial writings to be full of wisdom. Most importantly, they have also deepened my belief in God, Almighty. One just have to dig deep into the stories to see what was being conveyed to us.

You must have guessed that I have had cause to reflect on this particular experience and others.

I have actually written a piece on my perception. It's posted on my website; www.pathtothetruth.com and titled "Job's experience."

You can read it, if you wish to and lets share our thoughts.