Wisdom of Job
Notes
Transcript
Wisdom of Job
Wisdom of Job
We have spent the last several months going through the book of Job.
I am happy to have done it, but it was the most challenging text that I have had the privilege of teaching through.
For me, there were many things left on the table that I just did not have time to cover.
And I am convinced that a proper exploration of Job would likely take several years.
There are few drawbacks to discovering what Job is all about:
Drawbacks to Job:
No one can say, certainly me, what the Book of Job is all about. As soon as we think it has been mastered, it surprises us.
Its meaning varies from reader to reader. Wisdom scripture works with the mind of the reader and our lived experiences.
But there are a few things that we need to cover from the opening chapters.
What am I to do when I am suffering?
If possible, and by all means, let the patience of Job be your model.
But, when that fails, let the grief, anger, and impatience of Job direct itself and yourself toward God.
Encountering God in your suffering can resolve the tension.
PRACTICAL USE:
Job can be like a Psalm
Job 7:11-16 ““Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me? When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.”
The Moral Order of the Cosmos
Is there any rule where goodness is rewarded and wickedness is punished?
The opening of Job confirms the theology of Retribution. Job is wealthy, wise, and righteous.
But the theology of Retribution is immediately tested.
PRACTICAL USE:
Examine this in your life. Do you believe that goodness is rewarded and wickedness is punished, right away?
Do you believe your moral failings cause you to suffer immediate consequences?
The Friends all believe that suffering is a result of sin
Eliphaz: The innocent never suffer forever, “What innocent man ever perished, where were the upright ever annihilated?” (4:7) For him, Job is one of the innocent, so whatever Job did must be trivial, so just fess up, no big deal and this can be over.
Bildad: More convinced of Retribution because he has seen Job’s children die, cut off in their prime. “You sons sinned against him, so he has abandoned them to the power of their guilt.” (8:4) Job is alive, so his sin is not so great. Just fess up.
Zophar: Job is suffering because of hidden sin and Job refuses to acknowledge it. If only the truth were known, it would show that Job is a worse sinner than anyone suspects, “If only God would tell you…you would know that He extracts of you less than your guilt deserves.” (11:5-6)
Elihu: God speaks through terror to make you confess to your sin. “He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me.’” (33:27) Suffering is an instrument of divine communication. (everything happens for a reason…)
In short:
Eliphaz redefines innocent to mean, “well, hardly ever wicked”
Bildad says retribution is flexible, “if you are not extremely wicked, you don’t actually die”
Zophar says that God’s retribution includes mercy, “it is less than what you deserve.”
PRACTICAL USE:
God judged this belief system as WRONG. (Not true about me)
Required a huge sacrifice and Job to pray for them for God to relent from his Hot Nose!
Job on the other hand:
He is confused, flexible, and experimental. It is as if his theology, not God, has been a lie his entire life.
Initial resolution, “Yahweh has given and Yahweh has taken away; blessed be Yahweh’s name” (1:21, 2:10)
Midpoint resolution, “No doubt God will slay me; I have no hope; yet I will defend my ways to his face.” (13:15)
Final resolution, “I know that my redeemer lives” (19:25)
PRACTICAL USE:
Job desires to die
But you never get the indication that he will TAKE HIS OWN LIFE
HIS LIFE is in the HAND OF GOD at ALL TIMES
Which is why he can make a complaint
At the conclusion, the author sets a trap for the reader:
Retribution: Job has suffered unfairly. He is innocent and he is compensated double for his suffering. So, are the innocent rewarded?
While that may be interesting, for me, the most interesting thing is how RETRIBUTION affects our view of Jesus and how can a man be perfect?
The first sentence of the book depicts Job as “blameless and upright” conventionally translated as “perfect.” How can a human be perfect?
How can someone be wholly free of sin?
None is righteous, no, not one. All have sinned.
Certainly Paul understood his Hebrew Bible.
So, theologians jump through hoops to define what blameless and upright mean, indicating that there was some sin in Job’s life (just as his friends did), so he is, in some way, to blame for his misfortunes.
Job argues with what he has done, as if he has merited blessing in his life by what he has done. This would be “works” theology, and runs counter, somewhat, to NT teaching.
But, have you picked up on a primary problem for traditional Christian theology?
About this Clines says,
If Jesus is to be judged by the conventional doctrine of retribution—which the friends of Job uphold—he is the chiefest of sinners; it is only when the conception of innocent suffering that any theological significance can be attributed to the death of Jesus.
Why should we be surprised that the satan goes after Jesus, even up to his death.
Jesus proves God’s judgment correct, and renders evil powerless over (NOT ELIMINATE) loyal believers.
It is in Job’s suffering where he can say, “now my eye has seen you.” (42:5)
God speaks from a whirl-wind type of storm.
Job does not fear it, he is comforted when God appears like a storm.
He is blessed, regardless of the form God takes in his life.
God speaking from a storm is a really important image.
It is incumbent upon us to listen IN SPITE of what WE SEE.
REALLY IMPORTANT:
Innocent suffering WAS NEVER EXPLAINED
God NEVER answers him, God is SILENT in regards to HIS SUFFERING
Yet, God is DEFENDING Job’s life
Evil is not allowed to take his life, in this instance
YOU MAY NEVER get a detailed EXPLANATION
Ask yourself, is that okay?
Can I trust God to bring justice on Evil in his time?
You can infer there is intelligent evil that may be acting against you
You can infer there is human evil that may be acting against you
You can infer there are animals and storms of NATURE that may be acting against you
JESUS becomes for us an innocent one that HAS SUFFERED to the EXTREME.
That is why the NT writers can quote the Hebrew Bible saying,
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
Whenever we need help
NOT
Whenever we need an explanation