The Book of Job and the Mission of God

“This wide-ranging and insightful survey illuminates rich biblical themes that undergird missional theology and praxis. This is a major and welcome contribution to both a biblical theology of mission and a missional hermeneutic of Scripture.”


—Christopher J. H. Wright, Langham Partnership, author of The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative





“Tim Davy’s brilliant book takes the reader on a life-or-death journey through the land of Uz. This text is a must-read in the growing field of missional hermeneutics and biblical studies as it creatively and thoroughly bridges the gaps between theology, Bible, and missiology.”


—C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell, Redcliffe College, and the Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance





“This is a carefully researched and accessible book on why and how we can read Job with a missional lens. Tim Davy offers us a fresh approach with his missional reflection on Job. He also aligns it with our universal human experience as he explores questions of unjust suffering, lament, social justice, the nature of who God is, and the issue of poverty. This makes it a book for our times and will challenge some of our assumptions about both God and mission.”


—Cathy Ross, Church Mission Society, Oxford, United Kingdom





“It is wonderful to see a missional hermeneutic developing among both biblical and mission scholars in the last three or four decades. Tim Davy has played a role in this development and now to see him push this into the wisdom literature and particularly the neglected book of Job is particularly gratifying. This book is a great example of how a missional hermeneutic can open up new insights into Scripture.”


—Michael W. Goheen, Missional Training Center, Phoenix, and Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis





“The book of Job is a key resource for thinking about how God acts in ways which we could not expect, and in contexts outside his special covenants. I am delighted that Tim Davy’s work is being published, and trust that it will stimulate many more readings in places where people are agonizing like Job or providing unsatisfactory answers like the ‘comforters.’”


—Ida Glaser, Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies





“A wonderfully fresh approach to mission which takes seriously the pain of the world and our responsibility to bring this to God. At a time when other, very powerful theologies are promising untold prosperity, The Book of Job and the Mission of God provides us with an alternative narrative, a way of asking the big questions, and ultimately a plea to advocate for the poor. By looking at the world through tears, Tim Davy has taken Nicholas Wolterstorff’s advice to heart, and in the process has offered us perspectives from the biblical text we could not otherwise see. A fascinating read.”


—Ian Stackhouse, Guildford Baptist Church, United Kingdom, author of Praying Psalms and Letters to a Young Pastor





“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.”


—David W. Smith, University of Aberdeen, author of Mission After Christendom and Seeking A City With Foundations





“With lucidity and insight, Tim Davy offers something lacking in the scholarship until now: the missional significance of the book of Job within the grand narrative of the Bible. Readers will find here how missional hermeneutics facilitates a fruitful reading of the book of Job. This is an enlightening book—academically substantial, exegetically rigorous, theologically robust, hermeneutically sound, and spiritually enriching.”


—Alison Lo, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Bethel Seminary, Minnesota