As a literary piece, the brief prologue and epilogue are written in prose while the rest of the book are in poetic form. From a theatrical standpoint, it seems to be a bet between God and Satan—Job being the unfortunate deck on which the cosmic gamble is played out. From a philosophical perspective, the debates between Job and his friends brought out the futility and limitations of human reasoning, secular wisdom, and even scholastic theology.
Job's friends meant well but their advices were more harmful than helpful to Job, and led to three cycles of theological debate over God's justice and mercy. Despite his bitter rantings, Job never repudiated his faith and trust in the LORD, and though he misunderstood God's mercy, it did not tarnish His name or nature. Conversely, Job's three friends oversimplified God's justice in view of the former's misfortune and as a consequence represented Him as the author of suffering. Theological truth spoken without compassion for the sufferer always distort the image of God.
The best and safest stance is that of Elihu's view—that there is no straight answer to the question of suffering, but anyone undergoing it ought to be humble and submit to God's process of purifying his life and faith through the crucible of fire.
Job could not see the why, but he knew the who and refused to let the present suffering cloud his mind and displace his focus. And he passed the test with flying colors. Indeed, the fear of the LORD is wisdom (Job 28:28).
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