Copyright
1997MWSC/Jeanie C. Crain All rights reserved.
The Book of Job: The Mystery of Godly
Suffering
- Oldest Book in the World?
- Up-to-Date Treatise on the Pathos of Human
Experience: Wail to a God who cannot be found and a self that cannot be
escaped
- Death of Self-life
Presumptions: Two Realms
- Invisible and Visible Realm/Eternal and Temporal
- Mind and Body Dichotomy (Greek)
- Body, Soul, and Spirit Trichotomy (Hebrew)
Two Realms: (Heaven 1.6, 2.1; Earth 1.1-5,
13-22, 2.7-13)
- Greek •Hebrew
- Eternity •
Providence
- Transcendent •
Anthropomorphic
- Infinite •
Personal
- Static •Dynamic
but Linear (birth,
death, resurrection-- universal,
unified society)
Two Realms, cont., Conceptual Extremities
- Analytic Synthetic/ Analogical
- Logic/Science Imagination/ Revelation
- Knowledge Passion/Faith/Belief
- Motion Rest
- Atomicity Continuity
- Small (simple) Large
(complex)
- Singular Many
Two Realms, cont., Conceptual Extremities
- Dark Luminous
- Sensible Intelligible
- Temporal Timeless
(Paul:
For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are
eternal.)
Presumptions, cont.
- Literature and Historicity
- Ezekiel 14.14 "Though these three men,
Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it (Jerusalem), they should deliver but
their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God."
- James 5. 11 "Ye have heard of the patience
of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful
and of tender mercy."
Literature and Historicity, cont.
- Literary Form
- prose --prologue, epilogue
- rhetorical poetry--speech
Literature and Historicity, cont.
- Name of God
- Prologue, Epilogue--Yahweh
- (Yahweh--Israel, God of revelation to Moses,
prophets, Torah; modern Jewish writers use Eternal)
- Speeches--El, Eloah, Shaddai
- (El--Canaanites, king of the gods, god of
creation)
Literature and Historicity, cont.
- Place
- Uz--personal name of descendents from Edom (Gen.
36.28, II Chr. 1.42) or Aram (NE of Israel, Gen. 10.23; 22.21)
- Character
- Ancient Heroes: Job, Noah, Daniel (Ezekiel
14.14); Book itself composed 700-300 BCE
Literature and Historicity, cont.
- Symbolism
- Complete numbers: idyllic picture
- (7 sons, 3 daughters = 10; 7000 sheep, 3000
camels= 10000; 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she-asses= 10000; also 7 days
consolation)
Literature and Historicity, cont.
- Symbolism
- 2: witnesses
- 3: God
- 4: universe
- 7: 3 + 4= wholeness
- 5 and 10: fingers on one hand; double
- 12: 3 x 4 = wholeness, unity in diversity
Important Background
- History
- Civilizations
- Old Testament Structure
- Structure of Job
- Purpose
- Suffering and Human Answers
- Suffering and God’s Answer
- Comedy/Parable?
Important Background
- Broad Historical Sketch (White, 4)
- Antiquity Paleolithic Ice Age (8000 BCE)
- Abraham and Patriarchs 1750-1700 BCE Genesis
11-50
- Moses and Exodus 1290-1250 BCE Exodus-
Deuteronomy
- Joshua and Conquest of Canaan 1210 BCE Joshua
- Judges (Confederacy) 1210-1020 BCE Judges
Historical Sketch, Cont.
- Monarchy 1020-587 BCE I, II Kings
- Prophets 1250-450 BCE
- Division of Israel and Judah 922 BCE
- Babylonian Exile 587-539 BCE II Kings
- Postexilic Period 539 BCE-135 CE Ezra-Nehemiah
- Hellenism 323-63 BCE
Historical Sketch, Cont.
- Broad Historical Sketch Continued
- Maccabean Period 165-63
BCE
- The Founding of Christianity 30 CE Acts
- Paul’s Ministry 33-65 CE Acts, Letters of Paul
- Christian Literature 50-120 CE
- Completion of Bible After 100 CE
- Birth of Jesus 4 BCE Gospels
Important Civilizations of the Bible
(White 15)
- Hebrew people native to the Sumerian
civilization dating back to 3200 BCE, centered in the valley of the Tigres
and Euphrates, later named Mesopotamia by the Greeks. Abraham came from Ur
of the Chaldeans of lower Mesopotamia.
Civilizations, Cont.
- Jacob’s sons settled in Egypt at a time when the
Egyptians were dominated by the Hyksos (1750 BCE); Hebrews enslaved by
later Egyptian dynasty (1570 BCE)
- With decline of Egyptian power, Assyrians became
dominant, defeating divided Israel 721 BCE.
Important Civilizations Continued
- With decline of Assyrians came the rise of the
Babylonians (587 BCE).
- Babylonians are followed by Persians in 539 BCE.
- Greeks 323 BCE
- Romans 67 BC
Old Testament Structure
- Visual Structure:
- 5, 12 (3, 9)
- 5
- 5,12 (9, 3)
- 17 (5, 12 [9,3])
- 5
- 17 (5, 12 [9, 3])
Types Structure
- Pentateuch(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy)
- History (9 pre-exile: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I,
II Samuel, I, II Kings, I, II Chronicles 3: post-exilic: Ezra, Nehemiah,
Esther)
- Writings (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon)
Types Structure, Cont.
- Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel)
- 12 Minor Prophets (9: Pre-exilic: Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah 3: post-exilic: Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi)
Structure of Job
- Prologue (1-2)
- Job--his piety in prosperity
- Satan--his lie and malignity
- Job--his piety in adversity
- Satan--his further malignity
- Job--his piety in extremity
Structure of Job, cont.
- Dialogue (3-42.6)
- First Triad
- Eliphaz (4-7)
- Bildad (8-10)
- Zophar (11-14)
- Second Triad
- Eliphaz (15-17)
- Bildad (18-19)
- Zophar (20-21)
Structure of Job, cont.
- Third Triad
- Eliphaz (22-24)
- Bildad (25-31)
- Elihu (32-37)
- Epilogue (42. 7-17)
- Job--his proven integrity (42.7)
- Friends--their rebuked perversity (42.8)
- Job--his ended captivity (42.10)
- Family--their restored society (42.11
- Job--his final prosperity (42.12-17)
Purpose of Job
- Why does suffering happen--origin, cause, why
me?
- Ventilated, partial answers--none satisfactory
- Punishment for sin, warning against committing
sin, justification of disinterested love of God
- Is there innocent or righteous suffering?
- Speaks out clearly against cut-and-dried
theologies of guilt and punishment
Purpose of Job, cont.
- Existential: How can I suffer--what to do, what
spirit?
- calm acceptance
- speak out in anguish of spirit; complain in
bitterness of soul; direct to God
Suffering and Human Answers
- Eliphaz (eldest, wisest, wisdom of Temanite
predecessors): IF Job were not sinful, trouble would not have come.
- religious moralist; observation and experience;
apologist; philosophy
- fixed theory, narrow and rigid
- (4.7) Whoever perished being innocent; or Where
were the upright cut off?
- (5.17) Happy is the man whom God correcteth.
Suffering and Human Answers
- Bildad (forthright disclaimer, Shuhite): Job must be sinful since trouble has indeed come.
- religious legalist; tradition; lecturer; history
- rigid view of Providence
- (8.20 God will not cast away a perfect man; neither
will he uphold evil doers.)
- (8.6 If you were pure and upright, God would
awake for you.) Argues Job is a hypocrite.
Suffering and Human Answers
- Zophar (less courteous, drastic, Naamathite): Job is a sinful man and deserves
affliction.
- religious dogmatist; assumption; bigot;
orthodoxy
- too rigid view of Providence
- (20.5) narrow dogmatism: triumphing of wicked is
short.
- (11.6 What God exacts is less than you deserve.)
Suffering and Human Answers
- Job
- Round 1: God prospers the upright and punishes
the perverse. Reply: experience proves argument defective: upright yet
afflicted.
- Round 2: Eliphaz--only wicked suffer;
Bildad--the wicked always suffer; Zophar--prosperity of wicked is
short-lived; Reply: righteous suffer; wicked often escape
suffering; prosperity of wicked continues to death and children.
Suffering and Human Answers
- Job
- Round 3: Eliphaz restates theory; Bildad reendorses
theory; Zophar is silent. Job: passionately protests innocence.
- Elihu (human sympathy: new approach, appeal,
answer)
- Approach: wisdom in humans comes from God; not
given only to aged (33.6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s
stead. I also am formed of clay.")
Suffering and Human Answers
- Elihu, cont.
- Answer: 1) God is greater than mortals; mortals
have no right to require explanation of God (33.12,13). 2)Some things God
does are incomprehensible, yet God does speak. 3) God chastises (33): God
is dealing with Job to bring to higher issue.
- View of suffering: not only penal but moral; not
to requite but to restore; not to chastise but to chasten; judge’s rod and
shepherd’s goad.
Suffering and Human Answers
- Elihu, cont.
- Wrong motive: pride
- Job needs to realize impotence and ignorance
(35.13)
- Job needs to submit in patience (34: 21-3)
- Job needs to have faith in God Himself (36.5)
- Death of Self-life
- Self-goodness
- self-reason
- self-religion
- (43.6 "I abhor myself in dust and
ashes!")
Suffering and God’s Answer
- Contrast between Infinite and Finite Realms
- Natural world not ordered according to mortal
thought but ordered well and for a grand, total result
- Moral government --far more mysterious and
incomprehensible than natural world
Suffering and God’s Answer
- Speech from Whirlwind--exhibition of
transcendence, immanence, and providence
- Some things about human suffering cannot be
explained without destroying the purpose they are designed to fulfill.
- Infinite watches, hears, cares.
- Divine purpose is to bring Job to rest in God
apart from answers.
Job as Comedy, Parable?
- Comedy
- Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained?
- Three features: transformation
- Transformation--of Job’s character : gold tried
in fire
- Vindication (8) "My servant."
- Restoration (10) God gave Job twice as much as
he had before.
Job as Comedy, Parable, Cont.
- Parable
- Prologue--speaks of Eden and what humans were at
first
- Suffering Job--what humanity is at present
- Epilogue--purified and reinstated Job: what
humanity is yet to be