Preliminary Thoughts on the Book of Job
In the Book of Job, God rebukes Job’s friends for speaking what is not right, and he commends Job for speaking what is right. Does God’s rebuke mean that everything the friends say is wrong? That can’t be the case, because the Psalmist says many of the same things. How should we interpret the book, then?
The debate seems to be based on two basic arguments. Job’s friends argue that “if certain things happen, then the person they happen to is a wicked person who needs to repent.” Job argues, “God is the controller of all things. The bad things that have happened to me should not happen to a righteous man. I am a righteous man. God must have done these things, and He should stop.”
The friends say many right things, but they are wrong about their conclusion that Job is, therefore, a wicked man—or at least must repent of something for which he is being punished. Job continually contends that he is righteous, which the opening of the story supports, when God Himself says that Job is blameless and upright, a man who fears the Lord.
The key to interpreting the book seems to be in the Lord’s answer to Job. He says,
“Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . .
“Or who shut in the sea with doors . . . ?
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began . . .?
“Have you entered the springs of the sea . . . ?
“Where is the way to the dwelling of light . . . ?
“Have you entered the treasury of snow . . . ?
“Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water . . . ?
“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion? . . .
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you? . . .
“Can you hunt the prey for the lion . . . ?
“Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young . . . ?
“Who set the wild donkey free . . . ?
“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you . . . ?
“Have you given the horse strength . . . ?
“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
Does the eagle mount up at your command,
And make its nest on high?”
- (Job 38:2 – 39:27)
These questions all have the same answer: No. Job was not there when the mountains were set in their place. Job did not bind the cluster of the Pleiades or loose the belt of Orion. Job’s wisdom does nothing for the hawk, nor does his command give flight to the eagle. But what is the point of all this? What does it have to do with Job’s comments about God?
The next few verses hold the key. The first verse of chapter forty is especially important, because it states very clearly what God is questioning Job for: “Should the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it” (italics mine). Job had turned from acceptance in his initial response to affliction, to questioning God, to rebuking God. Now God calls Job to answer for rebuking Him.
Job responds to God’s questioning by saying that he is vile and will not answer. And the Lord questions him further—“Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me” (40:7). The same phrase as at the first questioning. The line of questioning that follows is more direct than the first, and it answers all of Job’s questions:
Would you indeed annul my judgment?
Would you condemn me that you may be justified?
- (Job 40:8)
Job was willing to sacrifice the Lord and His good name in order to justify himself. Think hard about that! What the Lord’s question indicates is that Job was doing that very thing: He was justifying himself at God’s expense! God continues:
Have you an arm like God?
Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
And array yourself with glory and beauty.
Disperse the rage of your wrath;
Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;
Tread down the wicked in their place.
Hide them in the dust together,
Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
- (Job 40:9-13)
One who is willing to condemn God to justify himself ought to have the strength to match his words. He needs to be able to put his muscle where his mouth is. My paraphrase of God’s questions to Job is this: “Can you do what the Almighty can do? . . . If so, then why are you still sitting there in the dust and ashes? Why do you still have boils all over your skin? Come on! Raise yourself up! Make yourself pretty! Heal yourself! Array yourself with glory! Can you do what God can do? Then clean yourself up, and dress yourself in fine clothing. And you are angry, I can tell: So take out your anger on someone or something. Humble the proud, and tread down the wicked in their place. If you are so righteous, why don’t you deal with the wicked? If you are so great, why are you still dirty? Why are you still covered with sores? Clean yourself up. Array yourself with glory. Clothe yourself with beautiful garments. Make yourself majestic. If you are as great as God, if you are so righteous, why can’t you even care for your own needs and restore yourself to splendor?” God seems to be leveling his sharpest barbs of sarcasm at Job. God’s reasoning seems to be this: If you, Job, are great enough to condemn me, then why don’t you do something about it? Why are you still living in ruin?
The next verse gives the conclusion to God’s barbs. If you can do all these things, “then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you” (40:14). If Job can do all these things, then God the Almighty will tell him that he is great enough to save himself. The point is clear, however: You who are not great enough to save yourself still condemn me.
From this point God moves on to describe a great creature that He made, and which is greater than Job: the behemoth, “which I made along with you” (15). God made both Job and this creature, and yet this creature “is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, thought he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare” (23-24). God now returns to his questions: “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? (41:1). He continues his line of rhetorical questioning: Can you do these things? “Lay your hand on him,” He says. “Remember the battle—never do it again!” (8). If you’ve ever tried to lay your hand on Leviathan, you know you don’t want to do that again! “Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; shall on not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up” (9-10a). The Leviathan is so great that no one would dare to rouse him.
From this God concludes: “Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine” (10b-11). These questions are very pointed—at Job. They speak directly to Job’s words and actions: Job tried to stand against God and he sought payment from God. But Job’s initial response to adversity was the right one: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” Everything is God’s, anyway.
Posted by Courtney Huntington at June 30, 2003 01:38 AM
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I enjoyed your web sermon on Job. You might be interested in this website and just released book
http://www.bookofjob.org
It has received high praise from scholars. "Very impressive, authoritative," (David Clines); "Extremely well written grabbing the interest of many educated folk." (Normal Habel); "A perspective and analysis meriting serious consideration." (Gerald Janzen)
Robert Sutherland, St.Stephen's Anglican, Thunder Bay