Samuel E. Balentine is Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Union Presbyterian Seminary. He is the author of numerous essays and books on Job, including a major commentary (Job, 2006) and Have You Considered My Servant Job: Understanding the Biblical Archetype of Patience (2015).

What are we to think of a God who, according to the book of Job, is complicit in the death of seven sons and three daughters "for no reason" (Job 2:3)? Job's response to his friends centers the eighteen essays in this collection: "Look at me and be appalled" (Job 21:5).