it is not a literary demonstration of anythingIt absolutely is . The author is giving examples of how righteous job was by what he did . There ' s no way it could not have been a literary demonstration . People sacrificed animals in those days , when the Bible says that Job sacrificed it means that Job sacrificed . Yeah , that ' s kind of my point . Sure Job was righteous , that is what his friends failed to understand , but he had allowed fear in , he had allowed an opening in the hedge of protection that Satan spoke to God about . No , that defeats the purpose of writing the book of Job at all . Job did not allow an opening in the hedge of protection . The purpose of the book is to discuss why bad things happen , and why they happen even to the righteous . If something that Job thought or did allowed it to happen i . e . fear , worry , concern for his children , then the book serves no purpose . The book aims to answer the problem of pain , why does evil exist . Your arguments about Job fall into the same arguments that his friends make against Job . That Job must have done something to deserve the pain he received . Job must have doubted , he must have feared , he must have merited this divine punishment for some reason . But again and again Job replies no . Job did no thing to deserve this pain . He did not thing that allowed an opening in the hedge of protection . If you want to understand job , you must also read its ending , where there is an answer . Read Job 40 , 41 , and 42 , when God answers Job . Job 4216 I know that you can do all things no purpose of yours can be thwarted . 3 You asked , ' Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge ? ' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand , things too wonderful for me to know . 4 You said , ' Listen now , and I will speak I will question you , and you shall answer me . ' 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you . 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes .