Rose: Review – The Remarkable Record of Job

Author:  Dr. Henry M. Morris
Publisher: Master Books

The discussion found in Dr. Henry Morris’s book The Remarkable Record of Job dives into certain details and overarching messages from the book of Job. In this little work, Morris tackles the history of the book, the references to the early parts of Scripture—what Morris calls “scientific insights”—the words of Job’s friends, the message the book has to offer us from creation, Messianic prophecy, and other interesting topics on the Book of Job. Overall, I found the book to be decently written. It is brief enough to be read in a short amount of time and Morris does give the reader much to think about. He offers explanations one may not have previously considered and proposes questions that are at least worth asking. I do think this is a book worth reading, especially for pastors wishing to do a longterm study on the Book of Job.

Nevertheless, I did draw some distinct concerns from the book. Morris frequently makes certain claims I do not believe can be made absolutely. Some examples are on the nature of the Nephilim, what Job did or did not know, the nature of the earth prior to the flood, the length of Job’s suffering, the person of Nimrod and the impact of Babel, and others. It is not that I think he could not be correct, but he leaves little room for argument. For these reasons, I think this book is best read along with the text of Job and with a decent understanding of doctrine.

Regarding content, I had expected there to be more depth on the words of Job’s friends. He does address Eliphaz and makes some claims on the origin of his message. However, he mainly deals with an overall picture rather than dealing with individual claims. For me, I wish he had either made this a detailed discussion on the entire text of Job or simply dissected certain scientific or Messianic passages in more depth and mostly avoided the arguments of Job’s friends.

Instead, Morris seems to jump from topic to topic in each chapter. All of what he writes is interesting, but I was looking for more. And along those lines, Morris makes claims about science but does not reference every instance found in the book of Job nor talks on the ones he provides for very long. I expected there to be more depth on the wonders of creation, more breadth of insight into what the book of Job provides. It is not that what Morris provides is not helpful, it just is not as detailed as I would have hoped, or even expected from Morris.

But the overall message of the book was both fascinating and important. The message of creation and the foretellings of a Messiah in the book of Job are seldom discussed. There is little wonder why Morris chose the name for his book that he did. I could see someone taking individual chapters, broadening them, and using them for a Bible study or sermon series on the book of Job.

For instance, one could talk on the number of references in the book of Job to Genesis and what that means. Additionally, the Messianic references are most helpful to Christians who should know the entire bible is Christocentric and how Job fits that picture. Morris also provides a helpful background when Job lived and when the book was written and how that fits with the rest of the Bible.

I do think The Remarkable Record of Job is worth reading, but I think it should be approached with both an open mind and a skeptical eye. I do not think I would give this book to a young Christian. I think the book is interesting as it provided some insights that help me look at Job in a new light and help me better connect Job with the rest of Scripture and with the storyline of the book of Job itself. And quite frankly, I enjoy studying science and scripture, a topic this book provided (Prov. 1:7). I think this book would be best utilized by pastors and small group leaders looking to do an in-depth study on a book of the Bible that is too often overlooked. 

Blessings to you and yours,

~Rose