This book tells a story of job who is loyal and obedient to god but has to go through much suffering. That fact, combined with the prominence of suffering in job, has led many interpreters in christian history to interpret job in terms of the suffering servant of isaiah 53. But as he is an upright man who experiences suffering, job begins to see that the lords righteousness does require a final reckoning after the grave. Archer and others see the book of job as the oldest book in the bible gleason l. Job never lost his faith in god, even under the most heartbreaking circumstances that tested him to his core. This is the theological and ethical question being explored in the poetic dialogues to follow in job 327. Nevertheless, job reiterates his innocence of wrong. As a christian teacher, theologian, and student of scripture, this blog is an extension of my passion for sharing gods word and the knowledge of christ. Bildad the shuhite is the next of jobs friends to speak, but like eliphaz before him, his understanding of justice causes him to wrongly doubt jobs innocence.
Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering. The friends insist alike that job cannot really be just, as he claims to be, otherwise he would not be suffering as he is. God said to satan, you have moved me against him, to destroy him without cause job 2. The book of job opens with god testifying to jobs integrity and faith to satan. The book presents a deep view of suffering, and jobs experience teaches that humanity must rest in faith and be resigned to the incomprehensible ways of god. An entire book of the bible is written to establish that not all suffering is a direct result of sin. They had not been correct about gods motives and involvement in jobs suffering. It would seem, however, that the question raised by job is both deeper and broader than the question of how to account for the infliction of physical adversity on the innocent. Select the basic errors with which god charged jobs three friends. He therein discovers love, because an essential aspect of love is obedience. Is god to be held to a strict set of regulations based on human interpretations of his relationship with mankind. Throughout his argument he justifies that gods way of doing things is outside the comprehension of the human mind. That pattern reflects certain assumptions with respect to the book of job job 1, not the least of which is the supposition that job actually deals, to.
The book of job is a fascinating study of the jewish grasp of the. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo gutierrez and wow, was this one a doozy. Job is a just and upright man who fears and worships god. Gustavo gutierrez, a leading liberation theologian, in on job. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a. But to say this is not to limit the relevance of the book, for joblike suffering is. The biblical book of job addresses the problem of suffering in a way that is superior to the way moderns tend to talk about it in three ways. Yes, the innocent suffer see job 12, but god can redeem that suffering. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author. Jobs innocence must be vindicated, and the fact that there is little hope that it will happen in his lifetime does not mean the lord is overlooking him. First, he uses pain and suffering to draw us to himself so that we will cling to him. Doc job on the suffering of the innocent robyn cordle. They had not agreed on what was wrong, rather each took his own opinion.
To make matter worse, jobs friends, who come to comfort him, accuse and condemn him as a sinner. The bulk of the book is the kjv version of job without chapter and verse broken into seven parts. Learning from the suffering of job united church of god. These characters are all about asking questions to get their listeners thinkingthey dont really want an answer. What we have seen so far, then, is that jobs suffering has a twofold explanation. The book of job and the problem of suffering bitesized. Thomas discusses the impossibility of contending with god. An examination of all of the stories, fables, proverbs, and histories of the bible, the book of job is one of the most compelling due to its unique literary style and the complex treatment of the issue of suffering. The theme of the book would seem to be the challenge of jobs innocence not in action or way of life, but in jobs innocence of faith in yahweh.
Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent sheds light upon some of the various meanings of the book of job. My expectations were set by my casual reading of a difficult book. May 08, 2020 a twofold purpose of suffering in job s life. Major purposes of the book of job preaching source. Blake apparently identified with job, as he spent his lifetime unrecognized and impoverished.
One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1. In so doing, this difficult and challenging book speaks in clear and strengthening ways to christians suffering and trying to remain faithful in their agony. What we readers know is that jobs suffering arises because satan the devil has challenged god, asserting that job is only faithful because of gods goodness to him, and that he. The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. While most people who have a problem with the book of job dwell on his suffering, ultimately, jobs suffering was merely a backdrop to the true plot of the story. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. According to the sacred writer, the truly wise man should realize that the fear of the lord, that is wisdom. Job said, he breaks me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause job 9. You will find bible commentary, doctrinal discussion, teaching aids, and more. What we have seen so far, then, is that job s suffering has a twofold explanation.
Of course, there is a backstory to all of this a backstory of which job is never made aware. As all books of the bible, the book of job is very complex. Job, who is sure in his innocence, does everything in order to serve god as good as possible. Our loving and merciful god has a perfect plan to use that suffering to accomplish his threefold purpose. Preparing for unit 2 bible test flashcards quizlet. The book treats two major themes and many other minor ones, both in the narrative framework of the prologue chaps. William blakes illustrations of the book of job wikipedia. Knowing his own innocence, job is tormented with the problem of his suffering. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel. The book of job and the paradox of suffering my jewish learning. A key to understanding the first theme of the book is to notice the debate between god and satan in heaven and how it. The book of job was an important influence upon blakes writings and art. God himself is eye witness to jobs innocence and the purity of his prayers.
Alternate views are given in edouard dhorme, a commentary on the book of job nashville. The sequence changes with the appearance of a fourth speaker, elihu, who accuses job of arrogant pride. The book of job and the problem of suffering bitesized exegesis. Gustavo sees job s authors as emphasizing job s faith which is disinterested, for nothing. Many times it has been said that job suffered without cause. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The aramaisms in the hebrew of the book of job, which increase significantly in the elihu speeches, would tend to confirm this exilic or post exilic date. Human beings are unable to understand why the righteous suffer job 28. May 20, 2017 the book of job introduces us to a man who, by gods own admission, is blameless and upright and who suffers for no reason job 2. I didnt think wed take it chapter by chapter, almost verse by verse, but we have. God needed his most righteous servant to understand that his blessing wasnt a result of jobs performance, but rather, a demonstration of gods grace. The first three sections i am counting the foreword as one give additional general insight into job, the relevancy of the different characters and famous quotations from job. The book of job introduces us to a man who, by gods own admission, is blameless and upright and who suffers for no reason job 2.
List of books and articles about book of job online. The book of job, one of the wisdom books of the bible, deals with two issues crucial to every person. The book of job is included among the wisdom writings precisely because it teaches man that pain and suffering are a mystery of divine wisdom. This passage highlights one of the book of jobs best style choices. It is noticeable, when the book of job is compared with other old testament treatments of the problem of suffering, how the treatments of this problem increase during the exilic age. Oct 22, 2018 thus for gutierrez, the innocence that job vigorously claims for himself helps christians to understand the innocence of an oppressed and believing people amid the situation of suffering and death that has been forced upon it gustavo gutierrez, on job. This part of the bible touches fundamental question of guilt, punishment, justice, good and evil. Job is an unlikely candidate because the books message rests on jobs ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. Literary analysis on the book of job 3072 words pages.
The book of job is a series of dialogues that explore the problem of suffering. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. Harold bloom has interpreted blakes most famous lyric, the tyger, as a revision of gods rhetorical questions in the book of job concerning behemoth and leviathan. Job recognizes his mistake of falling into distress because of his suffering. Essay on the holy bible suffering and the book of job. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 3 undeserved suffering, therefore, serves as a dependable, useful model12 for the believer of any generation in dealing with the problem of theodicy. They had not spoken up soon enough, letting job suffer in silence for seven days. More often than not, when the question of innocent. Though the word innocent disturbs some, it is used here in the sense of innocence of any wrongdoing as the base for the suffering job endured, not innocence in. The book of job is a fascinating study of the jewish grasp of the problem of good and evil in the period following the babylonian captivity. Job lived one hundred and forty years, seeing four generations of children and grandchildren. Here is a theological reflectioncumcommentary on the book of job by the founder of liberation theology. But this story is about more than just mass destruction. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent in the book of job.
More often than not, when the question of innocent suffering arises, the book of job enters the conversation. Christ told his apostles that, if they loved him, they would keep his. Here is a theological reflectioncumcommentary on the book of. Sep 09, 2012 the book of job is a part of the old testament. The books theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central character, job, who attempts to understand. Gustavo says that this disinterested religion alone is true religion. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. What we readers know is that jobs suffering arises because satan the devil has challenged god, asserting that job is only faithful because of gods goodness to him, and that he can make job curse god to his face job 1.
Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent in the book of job in gutierrezs analysis on the book of job, the justice of god seems to be the primary issue of his argument. Elihu realized that job was so obsessed with his innocence job 33. And knowing this, in response, god is jobs advocate and testifies to his innocence. Jan 02, 2020 god restored jobs fortunes twofold job 42. Contending with god by derek thomas from the book of job. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel coalition. This time, job is arguing that by the rules of that logic, god shouldnt be punishing him. How adequately does the book of job deal with the problem of innocent suffering. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. Gustavo sees jobs authors as emphasizing jobs faith which is disinterested, for nothing.
The sufferings of job were then seen as a prefigurement or even a prediction of the sufferings of christ. Jobs burden, reconciling unimaginable suffering with the idea of a just god, is a task one that few preachers or academics are bold enough to tackle. The book of job narrates how these times of suffering are temporary 42. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. Gods answer to the problem of undeserved suffering grand rapids.
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