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Job and the Problem of Evil and Suffering
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has
been thus destroyed yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall
behold, and not another, My heart faints within me! (Job 19:25-27)
A study guide on Job and Suffering for MINTS students
Rev. Stanislav AlexievSofia-Bulgaria
Email: [email protected]
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL SEMINARY14401 Old Cutler Road
Miami, FL 33158
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mints.edu
Table of ContentsPreface
Lesson One: Introduction, Author, Date, Place in the Canon, Purpose,
Setting, Distinctive, Emphases, and Outline
Lesson Two: Introduction to Wisdom Literature and Hebrew Poetry
Lesson Three: Job: Chapters One and Two ~ the Prologue
Lesson Four: The Dialogues of Job and His Three Counselors (Job 3:1-37:24)
Lesson Five: God’s Speech (Job 38:1-42:6)
Lesson Six: Theological Message and Relation of the Book to the Rest of
Scripture
Lesson Seven: The Problem of Evil, the View of the Unbeliever, the View of
Mainstream Judaism, the View of the Eastern Orthodox Church,
and the View of the Scripture
Lesson Eight: Job in the Life of the Believer in the Twenty-first Century
General Bibliography
Biography
Instructor’s Manual
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Preface
This course provides a basic introduction to the book of Job in the Old Testament. It provides
us with many insights into the nature of God and man as well as the wonder of God’s plan of
salvation. This portion of Scripture gives voice to all the reactions of God’s people to life in a
Fallen world where God is still sovereign and gracious: from the shouts of joy to the silence
of suffering. It explores life’s deepest questions and gives practical wisdom for everyday life.
Above all, it points us to Christ, who has become for us wisdom from God, and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).
This course was written with the hope that it might help students come to know the wonder of
our great God (Job 42: 1–6), whom to know is life eternal. John 17:3: And this is eternal life,
that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent . The
course can either be used as a biblical exposition or it can be used as a practical ministry
course dealing with suffering in general.
Introduction
The purpose of this course is to provide the students with an introduction to the book of Job
and the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament.
Course Content
The course will be divided up into eight sections of unequal length. The sections will deal
with the author, date, setting/location, the purpose of the book, issues particular to Job,
suffering and the Divine presence, our response to difficulties in life, the theological message
and the relation of the book to the rest of Scripture, and the application of the book to our
situation today.
Course Materials
For an introduction to Job please see Longmann III and Dillard’s work, An Introduction to the
Old Testament. We suggest also: The Crook in the Lot by Thomas Boston or The Mystery of
Evil and God by John Young available online and in pdf format.
Course Objectives
The major objective of the course is for the students to interact with the content and questions
raised in the Book of Job. We want to explore not only the theological themes, but their
emotional impact in the lives of believers as well. We also want to explore the application of
this portion of God’s Word in ministry contexts.
Requirements
Participation (15%): One point may be given for each class hour attended.
Homework (15%): Two points may be given for each homework assignment for the eight
lessons. Homework involves answering all the questions at the end of
each lesson. If all homework assignments are completed, an extra point is
awarded at the end of the course.
Readings (20%): Students will read 300 pages for BA. The material read must be received
prior approval from the course facilitator.
Special Project (25%): Students will write a paper on one of the following two topics:
1) What do people in my congregation need to know about the question of
suffering, why is that important for them, and how would you present that
knowledge to them? Or 2) Why is the question of suffering important for
our congregations and how might this question come to expression in the
life and practice of both believers and our congregations (i.e. what are
some practical ways for this question to impact our lives and what we do
as congregations)? Papers for Bachelor level students will be 5-8 pages.
Exam (25%): The student will demonstrate his/her understanding of the main concepts and
content of the course materials by taking a written exam at the completion
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of the course. The exam will be a selection of twenty questions taken from
the questions at the end of each of the eight lessons.
The course facilitator will set the date of the exam.
Benefits
Students will examine the practical relevance of this portion of Scripture for life in our current
postmodern world. They will also be exposed to the treasure-chest of valuable pastoral
applications found in these books.
Lesson One: Introduction, Author, Date and Place in the Canon;
Purpose and Settings, Distinctive Emphases and Outline
Mark A. Copeland notes that the Book of Job has long been praised as a masterpiece of
literature, illustrating his point with the following quotes: 1
"Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to
me to retain one work only, I should save Job. (Victor Hugo)
...the greatest poem, whether of ancient or modern literature.
(Tennyson)
The Book of Job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of the most wonderful
productions of any age or of any language. (Daniel Webster)”
He goes on to ask: “What is it about the book that prompts such praise? Most Christians
don't feel that way about the Book of Job. Perhaps it is because many tend to neglect the Old
Testament altogether. Yet Paul wrote of the value of the Old Testament scriptures:
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Rom. 15:4).
The Old Testament was written for our learning, that it provides patience and comfort, and as
such can be a source of hope. This is especially true with the story of Job, to whom James
referred when seeking to instill patience (Jas. 5:10, 11). The Book of Job is often neglected,
and yet it presents a valuable lesson and is so highly praised by even people of the world,
Christians should certainly take the time to study this portion of God's Word!2
1. Author and Date of Writing3
Who wrote the book, and when? No one really knows. Jewish tradition attributes the book to
Moses, and other authors have been suggested (Job, Elihu, Solomon, Isaiah, Hezekiah, and
Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe). "All that can be said with certainty is that the author was a loyal
1 http://executableoutlines.com/pdf/job_sg.pdf2 Ibid. 33 For more, see Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. III 10–13
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Hebrew who was not strictly bound by the popular creed that assumed suffering was always
the direct result of sin."4 Because the author is unknown, it's date has been hotly debated
among scholars. Some think it was written before Moses (pre 1500 B.C.), while others put it
at the time of Solomon (ca. 900 B.C.), and some even as late as the Babylonian Exile or later
(post 600 B.C.).
The uncertainty of author and date does not nullify the book's inspiration, for it is affirmed in
the New Testament. Paul quotes from it on several occasions in his writings (cf. 1 Cor. 3: 19
with Job 5:13 and Rom. 11:35 with Job 41:11). For the Christian who accepts the inspiration
of the New Testament, such evidence is sufficient.
2. Job in the Old Testament Canon
Job is the first of five books commonly referred to as "The Books of Poetry." These include
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. They have this title because they
are written in poetic style in contrast to the narrative style of most other books, they are also
often referred to as "Wisdom Literature."5
The Psalms, the Proverbs, and even the Book of Daniel were not considered canon from the
day they were given. Just when did they become canon? At this point, it is important to make
a distinction between canonical treatment and canonical acceptance. Before the first century
A.D., the Psalms were well established in the Hebrew community; being used by all the
people for the worship of God. The teachers of the people used them to encourage them and
often spoke concerning them. Much the same was done with the books of Job, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, and the book of Daniel. Even the Song of Songs had a place in Hebrew worship;
being read often at weddings, as with the book of Ruth.
Thus, the books were treated as canon for many years. In 90 A.D., however, the Council of
Jamnia formally adopted them as canonical Hebrew Scripture and declaring that the tanakh
(canon) was complete and it was the entirety of the revelation of God to His people
concerning His promise.
4 http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/job/job-introduction.html5 Ibid. 4
It is always a good principle to see how much biblical revelation would be lost if one of the
books of the Bible would be removed from the Canon of Scripture. In the case of the Book of
Job, the loss would be immense.
First of all, The Problem of Pain, to use the title of C. S. Lewis’ book, would remain as
incomprehensible to us as it was to Job as he went through his afflictions. Second, we would
miss the background against which every human life develops on earth. Third, we would fail
to understand the important role every individual plays in the cosmic struggle between God
and Satan. Finally, would be unable to comprehend that man is more than a pawn in a chess
game played between God and Satan.
3. Purpose, Occasion, and Background
The book of Job addresses a universal problem for all people of all faith perspectives, even for
those who believe that the world is the result of impersonal forces operating in a
predetermined manner. The author of Job specifically addresses those who believe in a
personal Creator, known by the name Yahweh (the LORD), according to his self-revelation. His
work is simply about God and man; it was written to those who struggle with the justice of a
sovereign God in a world filled with suffering.
The author does not provide a theodicy in the sense of defending the justice of God. Job’s
friends serve as a foil to that end. Their wisdom is a human effort to resolve this dilemma, but
as far as the author is concerned, these efforts fail. God also declares that the friends are in the
wrong (42:8). Elihu’s intervention probes further, but neither is he the intermediary whom Job
seeks. The author is concerned about the triumph of faith in a time of suffering. To this end
his hero succeeds. Job can triumphantly declare, I know that my Redeemer lives (19:25). Job’s
resolve to love and trust the one who seems to attack him as an enemy is evident throughout.
The problem of suffering is timeless, whether national or individual. It is therefore not helpful
to infer specific national settings that might have inspired the book of Job, whatever proposed
relationships may be observed to books such as Deuteronomy and Isaiah. The author is
careful not to allow his reflections to be limited by a particular set of circumstances.
The wisdom writers of Israel worked within their own context of thought and worldview.
Though they did use sayings and works from other cultures, particularly Egypt, they wrote to
articulate their own faith for their people, who were the primary readers. At the same time,
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they considered their thoughts applicable to all people of all times: Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth
shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding (Ps. 49:1–3). A
universal and timeless perspective is deliberately conveyed by the selection of a non-Israelite
hero, the intentional avoidance of the Israelite name for God in the poetic section from
chapter 3 onwards, until God speaks (except for the reference to Isa. 41:20 in Job 12:9), and
the relative absence of any specific historical allusions.
4. Setting
As already indicated, the Israelite author presents Job as a person living in Uz, which is
outside the borders of Israel itself. His piety (1:1) exemplifies the ideal in Israelite wisdom,
and he invokes the name of Yahweh (1:21). At the same time, his relationship to Abraham’s
offspring remains a mystery. The events of the book seem to be set in the times of the
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The way Ezekiel 14:14, 20 refer to Job along with two
others apparently from ancient times enhances this impression. So do the favorite names for
the deity, ‘God’ (Hb. Eloah, the singular of Elohim) and ‘the Almighty’ (Hb. Shadday), which
seem more suited to the days before Exodus 3:14; 6:3 (the name Yahweh, the LORD, appears
only in Job 1–2, and 38–42, with one lone exception in the middle of the book in 12:9).
The prophet Ezekiel mentions Job along with Noah and Daniel, impling that Job was a real
person. This is also the implication of James 5:11: Behold, we consider those blessed who
remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose
of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. At the same time, the author has
supplied many details for the sake of his literary presentation: the question of whether Job and
his friends actually spoke exalted poetry to each other is not important to the author’s
purposes.
5. Distinctive Emphasis
Among the wisdom writings of the Old Testament (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes) the book of
Job stands with Ecclesiastes as an exploration of the limits and proper uses of conventional,
proverbial wisdom. Conventional proverbial wisdom describes the ideals of life and gives
guidance for navigating through the normal course of human experience. Yet it is possible to
misunderstand and wrongly to appropriate proverbial wisdom as though the ideal and the
ordinary were always applicable. For instance, the writer of Proverbs 22: 29 stated that: a
skilled man . . . will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. This proverb
describes the way life ‘ought’ (in a perfect world) to be and, indeed, sometimes is, but it does
not deal with the reality that many highly skilled people go unnoticed. Many circumstances
arise that call for deeper reflection and struggle beyond the guidance of proverbial wisdom.
This is especially true of the suffering of the righteous. The book of Job counters a niave
reliance on proverbial wisdom by wrestling with questions raised about the goodness and
justice of God as he allows his faithful people to suffer.
The book of Job presents at least three possible explanations for the suffering of the righteous.
First, God is not just and good. The faithful endure hardship because God is at least partly
evil. The book rejects this possibility, forcefully affirming God's goodness in the prologue and
epilogue. The prologue depicts Job's affirmation of God's goodness in the midst of suffering
(Job 1: 1–2: 13), and in the epilogue (Job 42: 7-17) God honors Job's trust in his goodness and
justice by restoring him.
Second, the righteous suffer because God is not sovereign, and suffering is beyond his
control. Yet the book of Job also dismisses this possibility, attesting that God is omnipotent
and all-powerful and that he sovereignly controls all things (Job 37: 14 – 24; 42: 2).
Third, God is both good and sovereign, but mere creatures cannot always understand the
outworkings of his sovereign goodness. His ways are so far beyond human analysis that they
cannot be fully fathomed (Job 28). In Job's case, the opening chapter gives readers a tiny
glimpse into God's reasons for Job's suffering. God and Satan were engaged in a challenge
that involved the testing of Job's faith. Yet, as in most cases, Job suffered without a hint of
what was going on in heaven (even the reader is left wondering how Satan entered heaven to
challenge God, and why God agreed to test Job). Although God welcomes the laments and
cries of his people (Job 36: 14, 15), the righteous understand themselves and God aright when
they balance their honest complaints with humility and reverence for God (Job 28: 28).
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This perspective on suffering develops slowly as the book unfolds. The prologue provides a
heavenly viewpoint (Job 1: 1–2: 13). God chose Job to be one of his suffering servants, an
instrument through whom he would accomplish a spiritual triumph: Have you considered my
servant Job? (Job 1: 8; 2: 3). The accuser (Satan) falsely accused Job of serving God only on
account of the material blessings he enjoyed (Job 1: 9-11). So Job was granted the dubious
honor of being tested to see whether he would remain true to God even when all was taken
away and only horrible suffering became his daily lot in life.
While the prologue gives us a heavenly perspective, the Dialogues present an earthly outlook
(Job 3: 1-27: 23). Like most people who suffer, Job knew nothing about what took place in the
divine council. He struggled with his friends' misuse of conventional proverbial wisdom as
they claimed that all suffering is a direct result of human sin (compare John 9: 2). Job's
counselors believed that Job's affliction was in proportion to his sin. But as the book explains,
they were wrong. They commonly misunderstood and misapplied Scripture and even Job
himself fell into this trap. As a result, neither Job nor his friends are trustworthy as
independent sources of Old Testament or Christian theology. When Job or the counselors are
in agreement with normative theology, their statements can be accepted. But when their
theology runs counter to that of the rest of Scripture, it must be rejected as erroneous.
As Job confronted his heartless friends, he said some things for which he later had to repent
(Job 42: 5, 6). He believed deeply that the counselors were wrong but could offer no
alternative explanation as to why a righteous person should suffer so much while the godless
around him enjoyed health and material blessings (Job 12: 6).
Like the psalmists, Job habitually complained to God in the language of a legal dispute. Job
wrestled with God and shared openly with him his every doubt and fear. His relationship with
God was vibrant, while his friends reduced their faith to platitudes. They were insensitive and
theologically presumptuous (Job 13:4, 5; 16: 2; 19: 21). Job was not presumptuous, as some
may suppose, when he called for vindication. Even as he imagined God as angry with him, he
clung to the resolution that God is just and would provide a Vindicator, a Champion, a
Redeemer (Job 16: 19–21; 19: 23-27).
Where is wisdom found? In that magnificent Wisdom Poem in chapters 28: 1 – 28 that plays
on the theme of the dialogues regarding what is hidden and what is revealed, Job reflects on
the value, mystery, and place of wisdom. The poem is structured around a question that is
repeated with slight variation: But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of
understanding? (28:12-20). Although man has shown great skill in mining the earth for its
hidden and valuable resources (vv. 1-11), where is he to look for wisdom, which is beyond
measure in its value and outside of the sphere of mere discovery (vv. 12 – 22)? God is the one
who knows its place and by whom wisdom is both given and governed (vv. 23–28).
Interpreters have questioned whether chapter 28 is actually Job’s speech, since it might appear
to dampen the weight of God’s response in chapters 38-41. However, even though the poem
appears to be self-contained, the description of wisdom in the chapter is consistent with the
grounds for Job’s lament. It represents what will be shown to be true of him in the end: Job is
not reproved because he has promoted folly (unlike his friends) but rather because the
inferences he has drawn from wisdom have not properly reflected what he is able to know in
light of what he believes to be true.
This hope became a reality when God appeared in the storm (Job 38: 1 41: 34). Job was not
rebuked as one suffering for his sins but was humbled before the Lord as one who struggled
too much for his own vindication and not enough for God's vindication (Job 38: 2; 42: 2, 3).
Job never found out precisely why he was suffering, only that his pain was within the scope of
God's sovereign will and that God expected his trust and loyalty. After his eyes had seen the
Lord and he had repented in dust and ashes, Job came to understand the good news that God
sits sovereignly on his throne and that he does finally reward those who hold fast to him
through periods of distress.
As Matthew Henry rightly putted out: “This noble poem presents to us, in very clear and
lively characters, these five things among others: a monument of primitive theology...a
specimen of Gentile piety...an exposition of the book of Providence...a great example of
patience...an illustrious type of Christ.”6
6. Brief Outline 7
I. JOB'S DISTRESS (1-3)
6 Henry 12–137Adapted from Warren Wiersbe’s The Wiersbe Bible Commentary
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A. HIS PROSPERITY (1:1-5)
B. HIS ADVERSITY (1:6-2:13)
C. HIS PERPLEXITY (3)
II. JOB'S DEFENSE (4-37)
A. THE FIRST ROUND (4-14)
1. Eliphaz (4-5) and Job's reply (6-7)
2. Bildad (8) and Job's reply (9-10)
3. Zophar (11) and Job's reply (12-14)
B. THE SECOND ROUND (15-21)
1. Eliphaz (15) and Job's reply (16-17)
2. Bildad (18) and Job's reply (19)
3. Zophar (20) and Job's reply (21)
C. THE THIRD ROUND (22-37)
1. Eliphaz (22) and Job's reply (23-24)
2. Bildad (25) and Job's reply (26-31)
3. Wisdom Poem – (28)
D. YOUNG ELIHU SPEAKS (32-37)
1. Contradicting Job's friends (32)
2. Contradicting Job himself (33)
3. Proclaiming God's justice, goodness, and majesty (34-37)
III. JOB'S DELIVERANCE (38-42)
A. GOD HUMBLES JOB (38:1-42:6)
1. Through questions too great to answer (38:1-41:34)
2. Job acknowledges his inability to understand (42:1-6)
B. GOD HONORS JOB (42:7-17)
1. God rebukes his critics (42:7-10)
2. God restores his wealth (42:11-17)
Lesson One Questions1. What did Victor Hugo says about the Book of Job?
2. Who is the author of Job?
3. What is the earliest date of Job given in this textbook?
4. Where is the place of Job in the Old Testament Canon?
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5. In which books of the Bible is Job mentioned?
6. List the three possible explanations for the suffering of the righteous.
7. What perspective does the prologue of Job give?
8. When did the hope become reality?
9. List the three main sections into which the book is divided.
10. What is specific in the ‘Wisdom Poem’ in Job ch. 28?
Lesson Two: Introduction to Wisdom Literature and Hebrew Poetry8
When we speak of ‘wisdom’ in western way of thinking, we often think in a rational way.
When the people from the Ancient Near East speak about ‘wisdom,’ they speak of a way of
behavior or experience. How do we face the difficulties in life? What do we have to think
8 From the unpublished MINTS textbook of Rev. William Traub on Job
about the illnesses? Would the injustice in the society influence our inner being? Is sickness
result from our sin? Does God punish us when we suffer? Is love something that we have to
experience? Those are the questions that the wisdom literature addresses.
1. Introduction to Wisdom Literature: Location in the Canon
We begin by considering where the Wisdom and Poetry are located within the overall canon
of the Old Testament and what the implications of that location are. Traub says9 that five of
the books known as Poetic Books (i.e. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of
Songs) are found in the third section the Biblia Hebraica (BH), the standard Hebrew text of
the Old Testament. This third section is known as the Writings (K’tubim). The Greek term for
this section of the canon is the Hagiographa, or Holy Writings. The other two sections of the
Hebrew Old Testament are the Law (Thorah) consisting of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers and Deuteronomy and the Prophets (Neveim) consisting of the Former Prophets
(Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) and Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book
of the Twelve Prophets). The Masoretes grouped Job, Proverbs and Psalms together and
called them the ‘Book of Truth,’ since the first letter of each of those books taken together
spells the Hebrew word for truth (emet). Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Lamentations were
included in the ‘Five Megilloth’ (scroll, megilah): Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes and Esther. Each of these five books was read at an important Jewish festival: 1)
Song of Songs at the Passover, as an allusion to the normative Jewish interpretation of the
book that emphasized the love between the Lord and Israel. Since the Passover
commemorated the formalization of that special relationship, the Song seemed appropriate; 2)
Ruth at Pentecost; 3) Lamentations at the Feast of the Ninth of Ab (Th’sah b’Av),
commemorating the destruction of both Temples; note that Lamentations was not coupled
with Jeremiah but included in the Writings; 4) Ecclesiastes at the Feast of Tabernacles –
seems inconsistent with the joy associated with this feast; and 5) Esther at Purim. In
summary, the books we know as ‘Wisdom Literature’ or the ‘Poetic Books’ were found in the
last section of the Hebrew Old Testament and in a different order than we have them in our
translations today.
It is significant that “Wisdom Literature” comes toward the end of the process of revelation in
the Old Testament. In other words, there has been a lot of revelation which has proceeded it 9 bid. 24, 25
17
and which must be taken into consideration when seeking to interpret it. We must always let
Scripture interpret Scripture, especially when it comes to Wisdom Literature and the Poetic
Books, since these book presuppose the vast majority of the Old Testament as their
foundation. The location of Wisdom Literature also indicates that it is a balance over against
the emphases of both the Law and the Prophets. In other words, we cannot have a full picture
of who God is and what He is doing in history or creation without these books.
2. Biblical Wisdom Literature in the Ancient Near East
Traub10 also underlines that Israel’s Wisdom Literature did not develop in isolation from their
Ancient Near Eastern neighbors, nor did it originate within the nation of Israel itself. Rather,
Israel borrowed from an existing wisdom tradition, but used it within the context of its own
very particular theology. Signs of influence from earlier cultures exist for practically all the
literature of the Hebrew Bible. The history of Israel, presented in Scripture, gives a basis for
this. Abraham came from Mesopotamia. Israel lived over 400 years in Egypt and then settled
in Canaan. Hebrew Wisdom Literature while expressing a singular devotion to Yahweh, used
the literary forms common to their heritage. Israel’s unique contributions to theology and
culture flow out of the special content and themes of biblical literature, but its form show
parallels with all the surrounding cultures.
There are numerous parallels between the Wisdom and Poetic Literature of Israel and that of
Egypt, Canaan and Mesopotamia. We do not have the time to go into these parallels here, but
you should be aware of them.
3. Wisdom Literature in Scripture11
Here we need only note that the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes form the core books
of Wisdom Literature in Scripture. In addition to these books Wisdom Literature is scattered
throughout the rest of the Old Testament. In the Torah, we see wisdom in both Genesis and
Deuteronomy. In Genesis, wisdom is emphasized in the Story of Joseph (Gen. 37-50), where
10 From the unpublished textbook of Rev. William Traub on Job (16)11 Ibid. 16, 17
Joseph’s wisdom is a pure gift of God (Gen. 41:38-39), effected by the Spirit of God (Gen.
41:38), in one who feared God (Gen. 42:18).
As we move on to the early Prophets, Deuteronomy’s link between wisdom and obedience
continues in these books even if the word wisdom is not explicitly mentioned, cf. Joshua
23:14-16. In addition, Solomon gained his unrivaled wisdom in response to God’s offer to
grant him one request (1 Kings 3:5-14; 2 Chron. 1:7-12). It is this identification of Solomon
as the consummate wise king that leads to a natural association of Wisdom Literature with
him. The climax of which is his encounter with the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-37).
When we come to the latter Prophets, our understanding of wisdom is not furthered much.
These books borrow wisdom forms and themes but do not view wisdom in any special pattern
or form. Isaiah seems most acutely aware of wisdom traditions, where wisdom serves as the
subject of several direct statements (cf. Isa. 10:13-15; 19:11-15; 28:23-29; 40:13-14).
Jeremiah shows much the same pattern as Isaiah (cf. Jer. 8:8-9; 9:12, 23). Ezekiel has two
passages that open with introductions as proverbs, usually associated with Wisdom Literature
(cf. Ezek. 16:44; 18:2). Amos presents a series of rhetorical questions similar to those found
in Proverbs 6:27-28 (cf. Amos 3:3-8), as well as portrayals of God reminiscent to those found
in Job 38-41 (cf. Amos 5:8-15; 9:2-6). Habakkuk deals with the theodicy12 question at length,
seeking to explain apparent injustices in a world controlled by God.
The concept of wisdom does come to expression in other books in the Writings section of the
Hebrew Canon. Wisdom Psalms can be seen as an expression of the deepest needs of the
believer. The Psalms are full of expressions of Israelite Wisdom, for example Psalms 18, 19,
73, 90, 119 and many others.
4. Three Approaches to Define Wisdom
Traub13 starts with an important question: How is ‘wisdom’ defined in Scripture? What
constitutes ‘wisdom’ in the Old Testament, i.e. what characteristics mark out a text as
belonging to ‘wisdom’?
12 The term theodicy comes from the Greek terms for God (theos) and justice (dikeœ), meaning literally the justice of God, and has to do with the question of evil in the world, i.e. if God is just, why is there evil and suffering in the world?13 Traub 16-19
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It is important to note that Job was not described as being wise, but rather as righteous or
pious (Job 1:1):
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and
upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil…
His struggle was not for wisdom, but with God’s refusal to explain the suffering of the
righteous, i.e. with the question of whether God is just or not in His dealings with man. In Job
wisdom expresses the human struggle for understanding of ultimate issues and concentrates
on human response to God rather than on God’s personal activity. Yet, elsewhere in Job it is
God’s revelation of Himself (chaps. 38-42), which brings Job to the point of understanding.
Job’s wisdom comes not through human device or natural revelation, but rather through an act
of God, His special revelation. Wisdom involves not only the human struggle for religious
discernment, but also the intervention of God, providing answers and silencing complaints. In
other words, wisdom depends on God’s self-revelation!
According to Traub,14 there are eleven specific terms that are used in the Old Testament to
convey the notion of wisdom. Naturally, there is some overlap in the meanings of these
words, but they do give us a full picture of what is intended when the Bible speaks of wisdom.
The first term is wisdom, which refers, first of all, to the state of ‘being wise,’ understood as
something objectively determinable, whose effectual presence makes other activities possible,
and whose absence prohibits other actions (Job 1: 10). It is in this sense that it is used of God
as a divine attribute and by which wisdom is personified and of man, where its fundamental
principle is to fear God and know the Lord (Job 28).
The second term is generally translated as understanding. The verb form is used more widely
to mean consider, discern, perceive (with the senses), know (with the mind), observe, and
distinguish.
The third term used to convey the notion of wisdom is to know. The verb means to perceive,
to know, but not merely in the intellectual sense (the verb is also used of a man “knowing”
his wife such that she conceives and bears a child). But it also means to discern between good 14 Ibid. 17
and evil, i.e. to make ethical decisions; a wise person ‘knows’ God (Job 19:25; 21:14; Ps.
94:10).
The fourth term is translated counsel. The noun form means counsel, as in a counsel for war),
plan, purpose, advice (Job 4: 1, 2).
The fifth expression used to express what Scripture means by wisdom is prudence or insight.
The verb form means to be prudent in the sense of being discreet, watchful, attentive and
careful. It conveys the notion of looking at, giving attention to, pondering, having insight,
comprehension or understanding (see Jer. 9:23-24; Ps. 111:10; Job 34:27; Prov. 1:3; 3:3;
10:19; 13:15; 15:24; 19:11; 21:16).
The sixth expression is learning or teaching. The noun form means, in a subjective sense,
instruction, as personal acquirement or, in an objective sense, teaching, as thing taught (see
Isa. 29:24: Prov. 1:5; 7:21: 9:9; 16:21, 23).
The seventh term used to denote wisdom in the Old Testament is the word instruction or
discipline. The verb form and the noun form denote correction that results in education. The
theological basis for discipline is grounded in the covenant relationship that Yahweh
establishes with his people. God’s corrective discipline seeks the reformation of the people
(see Lev. 26:18; Prov. 1:2, 7, 8; 3:11; 4:1, 13; 5:23; 6:23; 8:10; 10:17; 12:1; 13:18, 24; 15:10,
32-33; 16:22; 22:15; 23:12, 13).
Guidance is the eighth term used to expand our understanding of what Scripture means by
wisdom. This noun means good advice, wise counsel, guidance, skill, and counsel (Prov. 1:5;
11:14; 12:5; 20:18; 24:6).
The ninth term for wisdom generally has a negative connotation in our usage today, but in
Scripture it has a positive focus. It is the word reproof. The verb form means decide, judge,
appoint, show to be right, prove, convince, convict, reprove, chide, and correct, rebuke. The
noun form means argument, impeachment, spoken by lips and mouth, reproof, chiding,
correction, rebuke (Ps. 50:7; Prov. 1:23, 25; 3:11-12; 6:23; 10:17; 12:1; 13:18; 15:10, 31;
27:5; 29:1, 15; Mic. 6:2).
21
The tenth word used to express what wisdom means is prudence or judgment. It is a word
that can either mean, positively, prudence or, negatively, shrewdness (Prov. 12:16, 23; 13:16;
14:8, 15; 15:5; 19:25; 22:3).
Finally, Traub claims, the word uprightness is also used to convey the notion of wisdom.15 It
is used to describe the teacher or student as upright. The verb form means to go straight
(along the way/path), be straight, be pleasing, agreeable, right, and, in an ethical sense,
straightforward, upright, to make smooth, straight. The noun form means straightness,
uprightness, what is due, right. The overwhelming majority of passages using these words do
so in the context of doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord (Job 1:1; Prov. 3:6; 4:11; 12:15;
14:2, 9, 12; 15:21).
By way of summary of all these terms, we need to point out several things. First is what
wisdom is not. Biblical wisdom is not a pragmatic approach to life which focuses on
‘whatever works.’ Nor is it a mystic contemplation of such things as one hand clapping (a
favorite Buddhist tool to achieve wisdom) or reflection into the so-called mysteries of the
universe. It is certainly not a mystical introspection looking deep inside of one’s self for
‘answers to life.’ It does not involve ‘finding one’s self’ or looking within. It is also not a
rational abstraction and contemplation of matters. Biblical wisdom is not a philosophical
pursuit. And lastly, it is not a scientific approach, seeking to objectify the world. It is not
contrary to science and in fact makes use of observation and discernment. Biblical wisdom
involves seeing the world as God’s creation and seeking to reflect the order God has revealed
in His creation.
In addition, biblical wisdom has a large verbal element. Wisdom comes, among other ways,
through the presentation of advice, primarily from the Lord, but also from others. This
contrasts sharply with the notion that wisdom comes primarily from individual introspection,
meditation, or activity. Wisdom comes through engagement of the whole person in acts of life
and in conjunction with others in community. It is this verbal aspect of wisdom in the Old
Testament that should remind us of the connection between Christ, as the Word (Logos/logo),
and as God’s Wisdom! God communicates His Wisdom to us in the Person of His Son, not in
some abstract philosophical concepts, nor through inward looking introspection!
15 Ibid. 17
Traub notes that the meaning of wisdom is to be found in the person and work of Jesus Christ! 16 Christ and He alone embodies all that is meant by wisdom. It is especially in the cross that
we see this wisdom portrayed for all to see… perfect obedience to the point of death. Why?
So that the Father might be both just and the justifier of those who, in themselves were fools
in sinful rebellion against Him. Biblical wisdom is focused on becoming conformed to Christ,
something we cannot do on our own but for which we must depend totally on the grace of
God (Isa. 11:1-5; Luke 2:40; 1 Cor. 1:20-24, 26-31; Rev. 5:12). This is also the reason why in
the Orthodox tradition the Lord Jesus Christ is called God’s Personifite Wisdom.
5. Introduction to Hebrew Poetry 17
Hebrew poetry is very structured and very different than modern poetry and unless we
understand its structure we will never be able to properly understand and interpret it in the
Old Testament. We must also understand and appreciate the theological intention of Hebrew
poetry so that we can give full expression to that purpose in our interpretation of Scripture.
The Genre: How do we define poetry? Originally Western concepts (including Bulgarian
poetic concept) of poetry related to the ancient Greek concept of a poet. Poet is one who does,
acts, makes poems, a poet. The root word, poiesis means doing, working, creating, which had
to do with any artful use of language and could apply to all literature in a broad sense and to
poetry in particular. Broadly, we can define poetry as literature, which expresses human
experience in, a condensed and concentrated language of some form.
As we think about Biblical poetry, we need to be aware of the distinctions between Hebrew
and Western poetry. First of all, Hebrew poetry was often sung. It was often tied to public
performances. The contexts for those performances included worship, prophecy, instruction,
community meetings, weddings, festivals, work, royal ceremonies. Such sung poetry was of
more cultural significance than our current ‘folk songs.’ Biblical poetry also reflected an
interaction between man and God. On the one hand, it was used by the Prophets to
communicate God’s Word to man; on the other, it was used by man to praise and worship the
Lord.
16 Ibid. 18 17 Ibid. 24–26
23
We have to know that the Hebrew culture was largely oral. Hence they conceived of their
poetic literature in an oral manner, rather than in written form. That does not mean that they
didn’t write down their poetry. Rather, it means that in biblical culture, the verbal abilities
(i.e. poetic composition) of the poet were viewed as the result of special divine contact (cf.
Moses, David, and Solomon). These individuals were given special recognition, because they
were seen as communicators of divine truth who had received revelation. Also, while we tend
to view poetry analytically (i.e. we analyze the forms used, the imagery, etc.) in biblical
culture, poetic devices weren’t analyzed. Rather poetry was viewed in terms of its efficacy
rather than its design, i.e. did the poetry effect what it set out to do. Finally while we view
poetry primarily as a literary experience, sometimes having little to do with our every day
lives. Biblically however, it was viewed as a world-ordering event, i.e. it helped God’s people
order their lives in terms of who God had revealed Himself to be.
5.1. Biblical Poetry in the Context of the Ancient Near East
Much the same can be said here as was said regarding the relationship between Wisdom
Literature in Scripture and that of surrounding cultures. Biblical writers borrowed common
poetic forms to create their works, but the topics and theology were decidedly different.18
5.2. Poetic Literature in Scripture
The section of the Hebrew Canon known as the ‘Writings’ can be divided into three sections:
1) Wisdom – Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, 2) Poetry – Psalms, Song of Songs, Lamentations,
and 3) History – Ruth, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles.19 The core Poetic Books
in Scripture consist of Psalms, Song of Songs, and Lamentations. The canon does not contain
all Israel’s poetry. There are indications that point to older collections not included in
Scripture (see Josh. 10:12-13; Num. 21:14-15). Qumran and other Jewish documents also
indicate later poetry.
5.3. Poetry in the Rest of the Hebrew Canon20
18Once again, for more on the poetic forms from other parts of the Ancient Near East, see James B. Pritchard. Ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3rd. ed., Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. 421-425, 467-47119 Ibid. 26, 2720 Ibid. 27
As we look at each section of the Hebrew Canon, poetry can be found. In the Torah, poetry
commonly occurs in units of speech. In Genesis, the speech of various subjects conveys God’s
Word. Many poems in Genesis occur in the form of blessings. The only exception to the
short poems in Genesis is the longer blessings of Jacob in Genesis 49. In Exodus we also
see a similar pattern of short poetic sections. There are two major exceptions: the Song of
Moses in Exodus 15 and the account of the regulations for the community dictated to Moses
by God in Exodus 20:1-23:22, the core of the Law, which was God’s direct revelation, is
expressed as poetry! In Leviticus, due to the extensive legal language, we don’t find much
poetry. Numbers contains numerous poetic units, especially in the form of blessings such as
the divine affirmation of Moses’ special status (Num. 12:3-5) and a formal description of the
Lord (Num. 14:18). The entire book of Deuteronomy represents the speech of Moses and is
generally communicated in a narrative style. However, when Deuteronomy quotes
individuals in the course of the narrative, it casts their speech in poetic form. There are also
certain legal units which demonstrate poetic form (e.g., Deut. 5:6-21). The curses and
blessings (perhaps due to their more liturgical setting) are poetry (Deut. 27:15-26; 28:1-6).
Deuteronomy 32 and 33 each contain lengthy poetic units pronounced by Moses.
According to Traub,21 when we move into the early Prophets, this pattern changes. Joshua
and Judges, in spite of other literary similarities with Deuteronomy, contain little poetic
dialogue and no poetic legal material. There are several interesting poetic sections in Judges:
the Song of Deborah (Judg. 5), a fable (9:8-15); Samson’s riddle (Judg. 15:16). There is little
poetic material in the books of Samuel. However, the thanksgiving of Hannah (1 Sam. 2), the
speech connected with David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17), the lament of David over Saul and
Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:19-27), a hymn identical to Psalm 18 (2 Sam. 22), and the so-called “last
words of David” (2 Sam. 23:1-7) all show signs of being poetry. Poetry appears in critical
passages in the book of Kings. The blessing and prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the
temple evidence poetic structure (1 Kings 8:12-13). The dialogue between Rehoboam, his
counselors and subjects following Solomon’s death is expressed as a prophetic oracle in
poetic form (1 Kings 12). In 2 Kings 3:16-19, the playing of musicians prompted Elisha’s
prophecy, which surely fit within a melody. Interestingly, the challenges from Assyria
comprise a three-part poetic interchange: 1) the representative of Assyria taunts the Israelites
using poetic language (2 Kings 19:19-35); 2) Hezekiah’s prayer for God’s help also in poetic
21 Ibid. 27, 28
25
language (2 Kings 19:15-19); and 3) Isaiah’s pronouncement in answer to Hezekiah’s prayer
is also in poetic form (2 Kings 19:21-28).
The Latter Prophets, differ from the Law and Former Prophets in that poetry does not simply
support and reinforce narrative.22 Rather poetry serves as the basic literary form with
historical explanations providing the framework. Prophecy consists of the communication of
divine messages, which assume the forms of poetic expressions known as prophetic oracles,
the prophets were poets as they communicated God’s Word to His people! Isaiah contains
some of the most carefully crafted poetry in Scripture (cf. Isa. 61:1-3). In Isaiah 1-39, the
poetry expresses divine displeasure against rebellious Judah and national neighbors. In Isaiah
40-55 the note of comfort and hope to the nation in exile comes from almost every oracle.
Finally, in Isaiah 56-66 a mixture of judgment and promise expresses the ups and downs of
morals and morale for the exiles. The poetry of Isaiah is among the best in Scripture in terms
of literariness, complexity of structure and sensitive development of images. Little of the
book exhibits prose structure. Jeremiah includes scattered prose passages interspersed with
poetic oracles. Only Jeremiah 32-44 lacks poetry. Ezekiel in contrast to both Isaiah and
Jeremiah makes use of more prose than poetry. Ezekiel’s oracles consist more of measured
prose with a looser formal structure (e.g., Ezek. 6:3-4). Allegorical images occur in Ezekiel
19:1-14 (the lioness and the vine); 15:1-8 (the worthless vine); 23:1-49 (Ohola and Oholibah);
and 31:2-18 (the cedar). These allegories show identical style, yet were clearly developed as
individual units. The visions of Ezekiel 36-48 also use similar poetic structure. All the
Prophets in the Book of the Twelve include poetry. Haggai and Malachi contain the least
convincing units, while Hosea and Amos present lawsuit formulas occurring in the Major
Prophets. In Hosea this takes the form of the covenant lawsuit (cf. esp. Hos. 4:1-6), depicting
Israel’s rebellion as tragic infidelity to God’s proven love. The poetry of Joel shares with
Zephaniah prophetic poetry of a type known as apocalyptic, which looks to the future and
God’s ultimate plans for the world, with its characteristic ‘Day of the Lord’ expression.
Obadiah is an oracle against Edom in anticipation of its final destruction. Nahum portrays a
similar end for Nineveh. Micah is more positive, with smaller poems and a more formal
organization. It opens with judgment oracles and ends with the anticipation of a bright future
for God’s people. Habakkuk’s poetry questions the justice of divine guidance, similar to the
way Job does. Jonah contains a single unit of poetry: the song of thanksgiving in chapter two 22 Ibid. 28
from the belly of the fish. The visions of Zechariah contain poetic themes and forms showing
apocalyptic concerns.
As Traub points out,23 we also find varying amounts poetry in the other ‘Writing’ books. The
wisdom of the book of Proverbs assumes a poetic form. Hymns to wisdom (e.g., Prov. 8:1-
36) and similar units make up its most poetic portions. Job contains measured prose
throughout, with the exception of the prologue and epilogue, which reveal no poetic form.
Ecclesiastes shows the least poetic connections in its overall form and cannot easily be
categorized as either poetry or prose. It strings together many minute poetic sayings of only a
few lines. The ‘time to’poem (Ecc. 3:1-9) and the collection of proverbs (chapters 7, 10, and
11) are the longer poetic sections. Ruth contains only two brief poetic units (Ruth 1:16-17, 20-
21). The speeches of Boaz appear as stylized prose that approaches poetry. Esther, by contrast
is story narrative throughout and is the most consistently prose work in the Old Testament.
Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles contain very little poetry. Daniel presents numerous poetic
compositions. Daniel gives thanks for God’s interpretation of a dream (Dan. 2:20-23).
Nebuchadnezzar’s proclamation demanding worship of the statue assumes poetic form (Dan.
3:4-6). The account of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream shows poetic form (Dan. 4:10-17; [Heb. 4:7-
14]). Not surprisingly Nebuchadnezzar’s praise of Daniel’s God also takes on poetic form
(Dan. 4:34-35, 37; [Heb. 4:31-32, 34]). Chapters 7-12 contain apocalyptic visions showing a
preference for alliteration but are not really in poetic form.
We may find poetic works in the Ancient Near East as well. There are many remains in Egypt,
Babylon and Mesopotamia. Maybe the most famous is the Epos of Gilgamesh, where
similarly to Job the question of justice is raised.
6. Structure of the Hebrew Poetry24
Parallelism refers to the correspondence which occurs between the phrases of a poetic line
and it can take many forms.
‘A’ Line: One complete parallelism we will call a line.
23 Ibid. 2824 Ibid. 29–31
27
‘B’ Phrase: Each line will contain two, sometimes three, and rarely four or more poetic
phrases or cola.
If a line has two phrases it is called a bicolon; three phrases are called a tricolon. Poetic lines
with only one phrase, called monocola, also occur. The first colon of a line is usually marked
as ‘A,’ the second ‘B,’ the third ‘C,’ and so on, for reference purposes.
6.1. Connection between the Phrases
Generally in Hebrew poetry the second phrase is related in meaning to the first. Importantly,
the second phrase always carries forward or advances the thought found in the first phrase in
some way. A good example of this is found in Job chapter 7, where we see the gradation in
the prayer of Job. One after another his arguments are built upon the previous ones.
6.2. Categories of Parallelism
6.2.1. Synonymous Parallelism
This is the repetition of the same thought in two different phrases using two different, yet
closely related sets of words (synonyms). An example is Job 9: 20: Though I were righteous,
my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.
6.2.2. Antithetic Parallelism
In Antithetic Parallelism, the same thought is expressed using antonyms rather than
synonyms; the same thought is expressed from two different and often opposite perspectives.
The Book of Proverbs is full of antithetical parallelism, since one of the main purposes of the
book is to contrast the traits and rewards of two opposite classes of people: the wicked and
righteous, the foolish and the wise. An example is Job 10:12, 13: You have granted me life
and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit. And these things You have hidden in Your
heart; I know that this was with You...
6.2.3. Comparative Parallelism
This form draws explicitly on an analogy, i.e. one of the phrases in a comparative line will use
a word of comparison (like, as) in order to bring together two thoughts from different areas of
life in order to illustrate a theological or thematic teaching (Job 41: 24, 30).
6.2.4. Repetitive Parallelism
Repetitive parallelism begins with a statement in the first phrase which is partially repeated in
the second but carried further than it would be in synonymous parallelism. Each additional
phrase expands the meaning in some way (Job 41: 12–34).
6.2.5. Pivot Parallelism
This is a highly sophisticated type of parallelism, where one word or clause in the middle of
the line and which might and should be read with both the A and B phrases links the two
together, even though it isn’t repeated. Example Job 1:8: Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have
you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and
upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.
6.2.6. Elipsis
Frequently, in Hebrew poetry, the second phrase will omit a part of the first phrase with the
understanding that the omitted part of the first clause is to be read into the second clause. We
have already seen in pivotal Parallelism. This parallelism using omission is called ellipsis.
Usually, it is the verb that is omitted. The effect of ellipsis is to bind two phrases more
closely together. An ellipsis is similar to a pivot parallelism in both omit a portion of the
parallelism, which is understood and could be read to complete the parallelism. In Job 3: 20
Job asks, Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul…
6.2.7. Chiastic Parallelism (Chiasm)
The name chiasm comes from the name of the Greek letter chi (X) which is in the form of two
crossing lines (a large X). When diagramed, a chiastic line will take the form of an X:
(AB:B’A’). An example is found in Job 28: 12, 28.
29
A B
B' A'
In conclusion, Hebrew poetry is characterized by numerous and varied forms of parallelism.
The depth and texture of the meaning of a particular verse or poem is determined by how the
various lines and phrases relate to each other. The first thing you must do with poetry, is to
look for the parallelism. Is it synonymous, antithetical, emblematic, etc., and that will enable
you to begin to interpret each individual line properly.
6.3. Secondary Poetic Devices
Just as in western poetry, where numerous literary tools express our thoughts (such as rhyme;
rhetorical questions, indirect or direct speech, etc.), in Hebrew poetry there are other devices
which can be used to help the poet be more effective in communicating his or her thoughts.
We will discus three main techniques here.
6.3.1. Inclusio
This is associated with parallelism in that it involves repetition in a poem in a way which
binds its parts together. In an inclusio however it is not repetition between phrases in a line,
but rather a repetition that opens and closes a poem, like parenthesis around the entire poem.
An inclusio gives the reader a sense of closure, of having read a complete poem. It gives the
poem a sense of unity and sets the mood for the whole poem. An example is Job 28: 12, 28:
But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? The fear of the Lord—
that is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding.
6.3.2. Acrostic
An acrostic poem is one in which the first letter of each line, taken together, forms a
recognizable pattern. All the examples in Scripture follow the order of the Hebrew alphabet.
The author is not aware of any acrostic in Job.
6.3.3. Numerical Patterns
There are passages in Hebrew poetry where a list of things is enumerated for comparison. An
example is Job 5: 19–27.
6.4. Imagery
In addition to parallelism, the second major character of Hebrew poetry is the use of imagery
of all sorts.
6.4.1. Types of Images25
6.4.1.1. Simile
Imagery evokes pictures in our minds by means of a comparison, i.e. the author compares a
truth with something else so that we can better understand it. When this comparison is explicit
through the use of either ‘like’ or ‘as’ it is called a simile. Biblical poetry makes extensive use
of simile. An example is Job 41: 1–34.
6.4.1.2. Metaphor
A metaphor, by contrast, is a comparison which is implicit, i.e. it is a comparison without the
mention of ‘like’ or ‘as.” It is simply understood that the reader will see the comparison being
made without the explicit signal used in a simile. A metaphor communicates a more vivid
image than a simile because it is implicit and draws the comparison more closely. Sometimes
we need to be careful not to interpret a metaphor literally. An example is found in Job 28.
6.4.2. How an Image Works
According to Traub,26 an image compares two things that are similar in some ways but
dissimilar in other ways. The dissimilarity is what surprises us and causes us to take notice.
Then we search for the similarity. Images are not as precise as literal language and hence do 25 Traub 31
26 Ibid. 32
31
not reduce easily to statements of fact. But precision is different than accuracy. A metaphor
can be less precise than a literal statement, but nonetheless accurate. To say “my enemy is
ruthless and cruel” is more precise than to say “my enemy is a lion,” but both are accurate
when considering the intended meaning. In using images, what is lost in precision, is gained
in vividness of expression. Also images speak to us more fully than literal language. They
stir our emotions, stimulate our imaginations and help us discover some new aspect of the
objects compared. Imagery also helps us remember things. The contrast between the reality
and the image fixes the truth in our minds.
6.5 Suggestions for Reading Hebrew Poems
In order to gain from the rhetorical devices, Traub recommends the following:27 Examine the
relationships between the lines for similarities and differences. On the basis of these
similarities and differences, divide the lines into phrases (bicola and tricola). Ask how the
second phrase carries forward the thought of the first. Don’t force the similarities (or
differences), not every phrase in a poem will be parallel with another, some will be more
parallel than others. Be aware that an image is likely to exist and so it is impossible or absurd
to interpret a word, sentence or section literally. Be sensitive to imagery comparing one thing
to another – whether via simile or metaphor. Identify the comparison which is being made by
use of imagery. Think seriously about the comparison – in what ways are the two things alike
and in what ways are they different? Be aware of possible cultural differences which might
help understand imagery. Finally, be sure to note what effect the poem has on your emotions.
Lesson Two Questions1. What is the significance of Wisdom and Poetic literature?
2. What is the placement of the Wisdom literature in the Hebrew Canon and what
difference it makes in regard to Law and Prophets?
3. Do the similarities of the biblical Wisdom and Poetry with texts from the Ancient Near
East means that the biblical authors are just taken from these texts? If, yes, why? If
not, why not?
4. Where is the majority of Wisdom poetry found in the Old Testament?
5. Which are the core Poetic books in the Bible?
6. What is the meaning of metaphor in the Bible?
27 Ibid. 33
7. Write down at least three of the terms used for Wisdom in the Old Testament.
8. Explain the following poetic devices used in the OT and give an example of each:
inclusio, numerical patterns.
9. What is the main structure of Hebrew poetry?
10. Give one suggestion of how to read Hebrew Wisdom.
33
Lesson Three: Job, The Prologue28
The Hidden Background
Job’s prologue sets the stage for all that follows, and there are several important matters
which we need to note in this section. The text first of all gives us a description of the main
character, Job. We are told that Job lived in Uz to the East of the Jordan River, Edom, i.e. not
traditional Israel. The root word can also mean counsel or plan, a fitting place for some to live
who is engaged in a discussion concerning wisdom. Job is described as being blameless. The
Hebrew root word means to be complete and is used of perfect animals acceptable for use in
sacrifice; the idea is of someone who is consistently faithful. He is also said to be upright this
word means straight or smooth, right, pleasing, just. Here we must reflect on the implications
for the New Testament. One of the most significant descriptions of Job is that he feared God
(Elohim). This description must be set into the context of the Old Testament where it is the
fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. What is being said here is that Job is an
example of a biblically wise man; he fears God; he reverences God; he worships God, an
important point as we move through this book. This expression occurs again in Job 28:28.
Parallel with ‘fearing God,’ is the fact that Job is turns from evil. In other words, he departs
from evil; he goes out of his way to avoid evil. Next, we’re told that Job was the greatest of
all the men of the East. Again, this is a reference to non-traditional Israel. He was wealthy
and powerful and had a wonderful family. As the description continues, we are told that Job
acts as priest for his family, literally, that he consecrates them by offering burnt offerings on
their behalf just in case they have cursed God! Job is acting as a priest before the institution
of the Priesthood during the time of Moses.29 The word used here for consecrate means to
make holy, to set apart as something belonging exclusively to the Lord! Job sets apart his
family as belonging exclusively to the Lord! He does this by offering burnt offerings, which
were the kind of offering in which the entire sacrificial animal was consumed in the fire.
These priestly acts of Job were costly and religiously significant. He did it in case his
children had sinned and cursed God. In a few verses we will learn that this is exactly what
28 This section is based on the unpublished MINTS textbook of Rev. William Traub on Job (44 – 47).29 Matthew Henry would say even more: “Job, like Abraham, had an altar for his family, on which, it is likely, he offered sacrifice daily; but, on this extraordinary occasion, he offered more sacrifices than usual, and with more solemnity, according to the number of them all, one for each child. Parents should be particular in their addresses to God for the several branches of their family. "For this child I prayed, according to its particular temper, genius, and condition," to which the prayers, as well as the endeavours, must be accommodated” (Vol. III, page. 18).
Satan wants Job himself to do, to curse God. It is what his wife will urge him to do later. Yet
here Job is offering sacrifices in case his children have sinned! We see just how contrary this
is to Job’s character! With this description, we see Job as not only a man of God, in general,
but an exemplary man of God, an exemplary wise man of God, who worships the Lord in
every way.
Traub points out30 that the text moves on and presents two tests with which Job is confronted.
At the outset, we must note the striking parallel of the scene of the first and second tests (1:1-
13 and 2:1-7). In these two passages, there are phrases which are repeated, either word for
word or by using similar language. This underscores the close tie between these two tests,
uniting them into one unit. Satan appears before God; God requires Satan to give an
accounting of his whereabouts and then draws Satan’s attention to Job; Satan then asks God to
inflict harm on Job; God then gives Satan permission to do what he wants with limits; Satan
then leaves and suffering is inflicted on Job. The tests are set in the presence of God, where
the Sons of God, the angels, have gathered to present themselves for the Lord. The term used
here normally depicts servants coming before their master in order to serve him. Satan is
among those who come before the Lord God. The word Satan means adversary, one who is
hostile to, opposed to, an opponent (Zech. 3:1-2; Matt. 4:10; 2 Cor. 11:14; Rev. 12:90). We
need to see clearly here that, while Satan is portrayed as having extraordinary power,
Scripture always pictures him as defeated and subservient to Christ, never as equal to or as a
rival power to that of God. We also note that it is the Lord who initiates the entire matter, not
Satan. In fact, God holds Satan accountable for his activity. The Lord asks Satan if he had
considered His servant Job. The word used for consider here literally means have you set
your heart on and can be used in the sense of laying your hands on someone/something for
violent purposes. This is what Satan does; he seeks to do violence to God’s people. God then
repeats the previous description of Job to reinforce his innocence and establish his character
as pleasing to God. In the second test (Job 2:3), God adds that Job still holds fast his integrity
(which is the same root as for blameless), even though Satan had incited God against him.
Literally, this is saying that Satan instigated or misled God to swallow up or destroy Job and
this without cause, literally for nothing. From this we see that Satan’s purpose was to get the
Lord to destroy Job. Satan couldn’t do that on his own; he had to involve God in his
destructive plan. We also see that there was absolutely no cause for God to inflict any harm
on Job. This fact must be kept in mind as we work our way through the numerous dialogues 30 Ibid. 44
35
that make up the book of Job. Job was innocent. His suffering had nothing to do with his
guilt or sin.
When we come to the first test,31 we see that Satan suggests that Job fears God for ulterior
motives. In other words, Job fears God not out of true reverence, but for the blessings he gets
out of it. This is the question around which the book of Job will revolve and involves both the
fear of God (wisdom) and the motives to that fear. Is the motive a cause/effect blessing for
good/punishment for evil, or is God sovereign in His dealings with man? Does Job fear God
because things are going well for him or because of his faith in God? We must ask ourselves
this same question: why do we serve God?
According to Traub,32 in the first test (Job 1:12), Satan is given permission to touch all that
Job has; family and possessions, but is barred from effecting Job’s personal well-being. In the
second test (Job 2:6), Satan is given permission to inflict suffering on Job personally, but here
again a limit is set. He is not allowed to kill Job. However, we need to note the audacity of
Satan. He asks God to do his bidding in both tests (Job 1:11; 2:5). Satan’s objective was that
Job would curse God to His face; to move Job from the fear of God to cursing God; from
wisdom to folly. And he sought to involve God in his devious and destructive plan.
Amazingly, the Lord allows Satan’s requests.33 But He does set conditions in both tests. In
both cases Satan must receive God’s permission and God sets limits. God remains sovereign
in everything that takes place. Satan is not some independent power; rather, he is completely
under God’s rule. That brings up the second major theme of the book: the question of
evil/suffering in the world. Is God responsible for suffering? If so, how do we explain it?
Following the first exchange between God and Satan, the text describes the horror of the loss
inflicted on Job. He loses all he has. Not only his possessions, but all his children and their
families – gone in one crushing day! Then, in the second test, Job experiences pain
personally in his body. From Job 7:5 we learn that the boils that covered Job had become
31 Ibid. 4432 Ibid. 4533 Matthew Henry says on that: “...He did it for his own glory, the honour of Job, the explanation of Providence, and the encouragement of his afflicted people in all ages, to make a case which, being adjudged, might be a useful precedent. He suffered Job to be tried, as he suffered Peter to be sifted, but took care that his faith should not fail (Luke xxii. 32) and then the trial of it was found unto praise, and honour, and glory, 1 Pet. i. 7” (Vol. III, 23, 24).
infested with maggots which were eating away his flesh. How would you feel? What would
you do?
What is Job’s reaction to the loss of everything he had except his wife? He tears his robe,
shaves his head, and falls to the ground. He prostrates himself in a posture of submission and
humility and worships! The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, Blessed be the Name of the
Lord (Job 1: 21). He blesses the Name of the Lord! Job’s reaction should take our breath
away and we need to remember it as we move through the rest of the book; we need to recall
Job’s basic reaction as he wrestles with the question of why this is happening to him. All
Job’s comments must be set in the context of a man who in the face of unmitigated horror and
suffering, who worships his God! In response to the second test, Job’s wife asks him if he is
still going to hold on to his integrity i.e. his trust in the Lord which controls all his actions.
She urges him to do exactly what Satan wanted: curse God and die! But Job rebukes her for
being foolish, that is, not wise. Job again basically repeats what he had said earlier: Shall we
accept good from God and not accept adversity? He doesn’t sin, he holds fast to his God. He
maintains his faith in God in spite of his suffering.
Then comes the three friends, each from his own place: Eliphaz The Temanite (his name
means “God is fine gold”); Bildad the Shuhite (the root word for his name means to sink
down and is used of depression of mind); and Zophar the Naamathite (the root word used for
his name means to depart early, to skip about, or of a bird making a chirping noise). These
three come to sympathize and comfort Job. Their intentions were noble and good. The word
used here for sympathize (lanud) means to wander to and for, show grief, lament, console and
expresses the notion that they were truly beside themselves with grief over Job’s situation and
suffering. The word used for comfort means to be sorry, console, be moved to pity, have
compassion, comfort. They were truly interested in helping Job. The text tells us that they
didn’t even recognize Job. His affliction has marred his appearance beyond recognition.
Here we can think of Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant, Christ, in Isaiah 53:2-3. So
what do they do? They simply wept, tore their robes, put dust on their heads and sat with Job
in complete solidarity with him and his sufferings. They spent seven days and nights in total
silence, probably the best things they could do.
At this point, the text presents us with a lament from Job. This lament is basically a long wish
that he had never been born, because then he wouldn’t be suffering as he was. It is not a ‘why
37
me’ cry of self-pity. It is a simple acknowledgement that he is suffering and wished he had
never been born. It is not a wish that he would die, but an expression of his intense agony!
With this, the scene is set for the real wrestling with the inter-related questions which this
scene as put before us: First, the question of wisdom/fear of the Lord is wisdom directly
linked to the cause-effect relationship of blessing for good and cursing for evil, or is it a
matter of what we today might call ‘conviction of the heart.’ And second, the question of
suffering: Is God the ultimate cause and if so, what does that say about Him and how do we
react to that?
If we learn nothing else from the entire book, we see clearly here that sin is not the cause of
Job’s suffering.34 Even though one might argue that, the responses Job voices following the
opening section of the book at least border on sin. Here, at the outset, he is portrayed as
innocent, righteous. We see nothing but God’s praise of Job (Job 1:8; 2:3). It is precisely his
innocence that exposed him to the whole ordeal. Job is portrayed as the innocent sufferer.
The cause of Job’s suffering was more than Satan’s accusation. He was suffering to vindicate
more than himself, since he was innocent. He was vindicating God’s trust in him! He was
not so much abandoned by God, but supremely honored by God. As we work through the
book of Job, we must constantly ask ourselves: Is this how we view the suffering we face? Is
it a test to vindicate God’s trust in us? Or do we feel deserted by God and fear that others
would see us as somehow no longer in good standing with Him?
From this first episode we must also first and foremost see God’s absolute sovereignty! The
angels and even the Adversary himself must present themselves before God to report on their
activities!35 This is further emphasized by the fact that, in Hebrew, the word Satan is not
treated as a name but as a common noun, ‘the Satan,’ to indicate the place he occupies in the
total scheme of things. In a trial at law, the Satan, or adversary, is a term for an accuser or
prosecutor. In the prologue of Job, this creature’s cynicism fits him to produce the most
damning charge that can be brought. He is here no academic ‘devil’s advocate,’ but is the real
thing. If Satan can prove God’s finest man to be a hypocrite, no-one’s sincerity will be
credible. However, if he fails, he will have demonstrated by his attempt, that there is such a
thing as pure godliness; pure devotion to the Lord. The text in no way presents two basically
equal powers: God and Satan. Rather God is absolutely sovereign, in control of all things!
34 Ibid. 4635Ibid. 46
This is extremely important to remember as we move through all the questioning of the
dialogues, which must be set in the context of God’s total control! We will return to this plain
fact when we get to Yahweh’s speeches toward the end of the book, where He shows Himself
to be the Sovereign via all the questions he poses to Job.
What the prologue of Job makes clear is that God is not abdicating to Satan. Rather, He is
granting His permission! It is God who sets the limits; He is in control of the entire process!
Too be sure, the conditions Satan gets are optimal, everything allowed except killing Job (Job
2:6). But they are conditions set by God! And in the end, it is God who calls a halt to the
whole affair, just as He will do at the end of all time! What a source of comfort and hope
when we (or a member of our congregation) are in the midst of suffering.
The prologue of Job pulls back the curtain,36 allowing us to peer into the very real spiritual
realm lying behind our earthly existence, something seldom done in Scripture. We might wish
that God, in His omnipotence, would stamp out evil in an awesome display of power,
slamming Satan in the pit of Hell forever for his brashness and effrontery but He doesn’t do
that! We see God choosing to wrestle with evil, to do so in weakness rather than strength and
using frail human beings more often than miracles! Here, he is relying on Job to prove Him
right; later He will rely on His Only Son to prove Him right through the weakness of the
Cross. In Job and in the Cross of Christ we see the Sovereign God allowing His servant to be
exposed to the power of the Accuser! Why? What purpose of God does this serve? Can you
begin to formulate an answer? That is what this whole book is about and we will return to
this theme in the next chapter.
Lesson Three Questions1. What is the first thing we learn from the Prologue?
2. What are the two tests with which Job is confronted mentioned in the Book of Job?
3. What are the specifics in the first test?
4. What are the specifics in the second test?
5. With what is Job wrestling in his lament?
36 Ibid. 47
39
6. Which clearly is NOT the cause of Job’s suffering?
7. What must we first and foremost see in the Prologue?
8. What is the place of Satan in the Prologue?
9. Who sets the conditions in the Prologue?
10. What do we see in Job and in the Cross of Christ?
Lesson Four: The Dialogues between Job and His Counselors (Job
3:1-37:24)37
Due to space we cannot analyze each of the speeches in the dialogues. What we will attempt
to do, however, is to briefly summarize the message of Job’s friends and then take a look at
how Job responds to them.
The speeches of Job’s friends are found in the following texts: Eliphaz: Job 4:1-5:27; 15:1-35;
22:1-30; Bildad: Job 8:1-22; 18:1-21; 25:1-6; Zophar: Job 11:1-20; 20:1-29; and Elihu: Job
32:1-37:24. Positively, we can say that these friends are not hypocrites who are there merely
to gloat over Job in his sufferings (Job 2:11). Probably the best thing they did is to sit silently
for seven days and nights! They weren’t heretics offering blatantly false doctrines, nor were
they fools babbling utter nonsense. The New Testament even views the words of Eliphaz as
Scripture (Job 5:13; 1 Cor. 3:19; Job 5:17; Heb. 12:5). They all believed in the one God who
is all-powerful, wholly just, quick to restore the penitent and bless the teachable. Their
outlook is consistent with the warnings of the Law (especially in Deuteronomy), the wisdom
of Proverbs and the moral standpoint of the Prophets.
However, both Job and God view them as miserable comforters who did neither brought
comfort, nor spoke rightly concerning God (Job 16:2; 42:7-9).38 The basic error of Job’s
friends is that they overestimate their ability to understand the truth, misapplying what they
think they know and closing their minds to anything that might contradict their assumptions.
The book of Job is not an attack on familiar doctrines such as God’s justice and goodness, His
care for the righteous and punishment of the wicked, or the general law that what one sows
one reaps. Rather, through the words of Job’s friends, it is a warning against the arrogance of
those who would pontificate about the application of these otherwise true biblical doctrines as
though life was merely a mechanical application of divine principles removed from the God
who instituted those principles. It is a warning against misrepresenting God and misjudging
fellow man in the process, seeking to justify one’s own position. The opening scenes in
heaven as well as the words of the Lord toward the end of the book make several things clear.
37 From the unpublished MINTS textbook of Rev. William Traub on Job. pages. 47 – 49.38 Henry writes on this: “Job having warmly given vent to his passion, and so broken the ice, his friends here come gravely to give vent to their judgment upon his case, which perhaps they had communicated to one another apart, compared notes upon it and talked it over among themselves, and found they were all agreed in their verdict, that Job's afflictions certainly proved him to be a hypocrite...” - Vol. III, page. 53 (www.ccel.irg)
41
First is the reality of how small a part of any situation we truly comprehend. This is where
wisdom begins; with an admission of how small and ignorant we are as creatures. It also
shows us how much of what we do see, we ignore or distort through preconceptions. Wisdom
involves acknowledging our sinful distortion of God’s truth. And finally, it shows us how
unwise it is to extrapolate from our elementary grasp of truth to a greater reality. Wisdom
ceases to try to play God and allows Him His rightful place.
The words of Job’s friends stray ever more from reality in their pursuit of fixed ideas of
suffering as punitive. They are shocked, not shaken, by Job’s denials that he deserves his
sufferings.39 Then they turn from gentle suggestions about some hidden sin, to stern rebukes
and finally to inventing a catalogue of fictitious crimes for him to ‘confess’ (Job 22:5-9). In
addition, they paint idealized pictures of a world of prosperous saints and destitute sinners,
completely ignoring all contrary examples that might, and actually do, exist and contradict
their own false view. In their pious attempt to magnify God’s holiness, they add that He
distrusts the angels, and regards humanity as worms and maggots (Job 15:15-16; 25:5-6). No
wonder, then, that, in the epilogue, God charges them with folly (with all which that implies)
and slander (Job 42:8). The lesson of Job here is that we must be careful when speaking for or
about God, that we don’t overstep our bounds (Job 13:7-9). This is a lesson which everyone
who proclaims God’s word must take to heart. As God’s spokesmen we must be extremely
careful what we say on His behalf! God must remain fully sovereign! That is the heart of the
wisdom of the book of Job!
There are six main speeches of Job’s: The First Cycle (Job 6:1-7:21; 9:1-10:22; 12:1-14:22);
The Second Cycle (Job 16:1-17:16; 19:1-29; 21:1-34); The Third Cycle (Job 23:1-24:25;
26:1-14; 27:1-23); The Poem on Wisdom (Job 28:1-28); The Closing Monologue (Job 29:1-
31:40) and Job’s Response to the Lord (Job 40:3-5; 42:1-6). To understand Job’s situation, we
need to see that he felt himself to be under attack on two fronts: from his friends and from his
God. We will consider each in turn.
From the very outset Job finds his friends exasperating, because he is wrestling with a
question which to their minds he has no right to ask. In their thinking, it was a simple matter
of logic: God punishes sinners, Job is suffering, and hence, Job must have sinned. To ask why
God is doing this is not allowed! For them, the question he should be asking is: What have I 39 Ibid. 48
done. But the one he is asking is: What has God done? Or why is God doing this? Job is hurt
by their fault-finding; their failure to allow his agony (Job 6:24-29). He responds with
sarcasm: (Job 26:2-3). He also accuses them: (Job 13:4) and reproaches them (Job 16:4-5;
19:21-22; 21:34). The consistent reaction of Job to the attempts of his friends to explain
things to him is to reject what they have to say! He never gives in, even for a moment. He
consistently rejects their counsel, even though he raises questions of his own and finds no
satisfying answer.
But it isn’t merely these frail human counselors with their hurtful advice which adds to Job’s
suffering. It is the remembered intimacy with God, which he had enjoyed, but is now turned
to what he sees as cruelty, that really troubles him (Job 29:4; 30:21).40 It is because of this
that he cannot suffer in silence like an animal or stoic philosopher. He must find out what has
happened between him and God; what happened to their relationship. “Silence is no
solution!” exalts Traub.41 We see the effects of this on Job: the tossing and turning, the
nightmares, the longing for death, sickness, bitterness and the thought that every terror comes
directly from the Lord – his former friend! (Job 7:13-14; 17-18) Job’s protest grows in
intensity all the way to his final words before Elihu’s speeches. But he does not retract, as
Satan had hoped! Nowhere does he turn round and say: I want no more of God! Rather, his
initial longing to be left in peace becomes a growing desire to fight his way through to his
God and lay everything out before Him! This question about wisdom becomes a struggle of
faith. From chapter 9 onwards, some of his most moving words evidence both a shrinking
from and longing for this confrontation with the Lord: (Job 9:3; 23:3-4, 8, 10; 31:37). Job
realizes that, even if he could win the argument, ultimately, God would have the last word
(Job 9:33; 23:13-15). Yet, in all his back and forth between hope and despair; in all his
stubborn claims, he consistently refuses to confess to some manufactured offense and
maintains his own innocence and his trust in his God! (Job 13:15; 27:5) With all this, the
book of Job makes quite plain that Satan’s wager has failed. The more Job argues his case,
the more he tightens his grip on what he has always believed and the more persistently he
seeks his way back into fellowship with his God! What seems to sustain Job throughout his
suffering is the conviction that God was compassionate and that His strange wrath cannot last
forever (Job 10:8-13; 14:13-15). For Job, throughout his ordeal, God was his anchor and his
appeal is always to God Himself to be his surety (Job 17:3; 19:19-21).42 It is this hope of a
40 Ibid. 4841 Ibid.42 Traub 49
43
day (whether in this life or the one to come, as we will see), when all would be well again; a
day when his relationship with his God would be fully restored that holds him amid the flood
of questions and suffering! It is his faith that God Himself would be his witness in heaven
(16:19), not some unidentified third party, to which he looks in faith. It is this that serves as
the background for his greatest statement of all, his faith that he would one day see, with his
own eyes, his Redeemer! (Job 19:25-27) This statement makes clear not only that Job is
certain of his vindication, but also that he is equally certain that it will bring him face to fact
with breathless awe, “my heart faints,” with his Redeemer and God! Job believes that he will
be resurrected from the dead and will see his Redeemer! This is not to be understood in some
metaphorical sense, but as physical resurrection and physical sight! It is this faith that
sustains him amid his suffering! It is the certainty that even if he dies in this suffering, one
day he will be raised from the dead and restored to fellowship with his God through the
person of his Redeemer! This is the wisdom which the book of Job is driving home to us:
faith in God; faith in the Redeemer; faith in the Resurrection! It is the same message of Paul
in Romans!
Elihu Re-Considered43
Whereas Job’s three friends tend to offer the wisdom of the elders, Elihu seems to claim some
sort of divine inspiration. Note, for example Job 32:8, But it is the spirit in a man, the breath
of the Almighty, that gives him insight. Here we may see that the phrase ‘the spirit in man,’
correspond with ‘the breath of the Almighty,’ and it seems to be referring to the insight that
the human spirit receives from the Spirit of God. We may conclude that, ‘the breath of the
Almighty,’ gives human beings life, and also inspires the human spirit with insight … This
way Elihu seems to be asserting that, having been inspired by the Spirit of God, he has insight
that may be trusted despite his youth.
We also note Job 32:18. Elihu cannot help but speak, for the Spirit within me compels me. It
appears that Elihu is here referring to the Spirit of God, says Ritsman.44 We may compare
Elihu’s testimony with that of the prophet Jeremiah: „If I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak
any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I am
weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot“ (Jer. 20:9). Elihu compares himself to a new
43 This section is influenced by Ritsman’s work, Wisdom Literature, pages 133–136, www.courses.mints.edu.44 Ibid. 133
wineskin that is ready to burst (32:18-19), he must express his divinely inspired insights. To
the above passages we may add the following: Elihu continued to speak: “Bear with me a
little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said on God’s behalf. I receive my
knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker. Be assured that my words are not
false; one who possesses full knowledge is with you.” (36:1-4) We must also bear in mind the
fact that the name, “Elihu,” means, “he is my God,” and suggests that he functions as the
Lord’s forerunner.
Indeed, says Ritsman,45 Elihu’s speeches and counsel to Job anticipate that of the Lord
Himself. Compare the words of Elihu recorded in Job 34:17 with the word of the Lord
recorded in Job 40:8, Elihu asks: Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the
just and mighty One? (34:17) Later the Lord asks Job, Would you discredit my justice? Would
you condemn me so that you might be justified? (40:8).
Again, compare the words of Elihu recorded in Job 34:35 and Job 35:16 with the word of the
Lord recorded in Job 38:2, Elihu says, Job speaks without knowledge, his words lack insight
(34:35). Job therefore opens his mouth with worthless speech, he multiplies words without
knowledge (35:16). The Lord asks, Who is this who darkens deliberations with words that
lack knowledge? (38:2).
Ritsman also notes that whereas Job makes a rebuttal to each of the speeches of his three
friends, he makes no response to Elihu’s speeches.46 On the contrary, he is reduced to silence,
such will be the same response he has in the presence of the Lord: Then Job answered
Jehovah by saying, ’I am insignificant, how can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth.
I have spoken once, but I cannot answer—twice, but I will [say] nothing more (40:3-5). Henry
writes: “In most disputes the strife is who shall have the last word. Job's friends had, in this
controversy, tamely yielded it to Job, and then he to Elihu. But, after all the wranglings of the
counsel at bar, the judge upon the bench must have the last word; so God had here, and so he
will have in every controversy, for every man's judgment proceeds from him and by his
definitive sentence every man must stand or fall and every cause be won or lost.”47
45 Ibid. 134 46 Ibid.47 http://forums.delphiforums.com/thebagfny/messages?msg=6.2994
45
Asserting that he is speaking on God’s behalf (36:2), what message does Elihu have for Job?
When Job’s three friends are reduced to silence, Elihu steps forward (32:1-5), his anger is
aroused against Job for justifying himself rather than God (vs. 2). The Lord Himself will bring
the same charge against Job; He will inquire of Job, Would you condemn me so that you might
be justified? (40:8b.) Thus, unlike Job’s three friends, Elihu does not charge that Job is
suffering because of some unrepented sin he has committed; rather, Elihu is warning Job to
beware that he does not allow himself to respond to his suffering in a sinful way. Job is
especially in danger of putting greater trust in his own righteousness than in the Lord, and
thereby developing an attitude of self-righteousness by which Job views himself as being
more righteous than God.
Elihu will go on to caution Job that if his present tendency toward selfrighteousness is not
checked, it will eventually lead him to assume the same position as the scoffer. In 34:5-6 he
proceeds to give an outline of Job’s position: Job maintains that he is righteous, but God has
denied him justice (vs. 5). Job maintains that he is not being treated as a righteous man, he is
suffering affliction, a treatment that is expected to be inflicted upon the unrighteous. Job
protests that he is considered to be a liar; although he has not committed a transgression,
God’s arrows inflict an incurable wound (vs. 6). God disregards Job’s righteous conduct and
ignores his pleas of innocence, treating Job as though he were a liar when he proclaims
himself to be innocent and righteous. According to Elihu, says Ritsman,48 Job draws the
conclusion, It is of no benefit to a man when he tries to please God (vs. 9). Since God insists
on treating the righteous in the same way as the wicked—disregarding their righteous lifestyle
and ignoring their pleas of innocence—there is no value in serving God by living a life of
devotion to His commandments; there is no personal benefit (no profit) to be derived from
such a life. Elihu charges that by entertaining such an attitude, Job is putting himself in league
with evildoers and wicked men (34:7-9). Wicked men utter a similar sentiment as that
attributed to Job in verse 9; the wicked calculate devotion to God in terms of the personal
benefit (the profit) to be derived from such devotion, and conclude that such devotion is not
worth their effort: They say to God, ‘Get away from us! We have no desire to know your ways.
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What will we gain by praying to him?’
(21:14-15). The wicked do not view devotion to God as the basic purpose and fulfillment of
man’s existence, a devotion that shall certainly be honored by God in His justice and
righteousness.
48 Ibid. 135
Elihu seems to accuse Job of arrogantly waiting for God to act (35:14b).49 Job is depicted as
having presented his case to the Lord and now, in a self-righteous and defiant manner, he
waits for God to answer, challenging God to act in the way Job thinks fitting. However, it is
possible to understand 35:14b in a different way. Rather than viewing this statement as Elihu’s
interpretation of Job’s position, namely, that Job is waiting for the Lord in the sense of
defiantly challenging Him to act; this statement may be taken as Elihu’s counsel
parenthetically offered to Job, exhorting Job to wait for God’s answer. As these words
indicate; “[when you say that your] case is before him and you are waiting for him.” The
Hebrew text is very terse, it literally reads, “case is before him and you wait for him.” The
New American Standard Bible gives the translation, The case is before him, and you must
wait for him! Job protests that he has received no answer from God; indeed, Job asserts that
he does not see God (35:14a). Job maintains that he is unaware of any response from God.
Elihu now exhorts Job to wait, to be patient, for the cause is before Him (35:14b). God is
aware of Job’s plight, He has full knowledge of Job’s condition, and in due time He will act in
accordance with His divine righteousness. As we shall see, Elihu’s prophecy proves to be true.
Elihu serves the function of preparing Job to meet God; he is a type of Elijah who prepares
the way of the Lord. In this regard, consider Malachi 3:13-18, 4:5-6, You have said harsh
things against me,” says Jehovah. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ “You have
said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going
about like mourners before Jehovah of hosts? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly
the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.” Then those who feared
Jehovah talked with each other, and Jehovah listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was
written in his presence concerning those who feared Jehovah and honored his name. “They
will be mine,” declares Jehovah of hosts, “in the day when I make up my treasured
possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And
you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who
serve God and those who do not … See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great
and dreadful day of Jehovah comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and
the hearts of the children to the fathers ….
49 Ibid. 135
47
In Malachi 3:13-15, we find that the people are wrestling with the same question as Job was,50
namely, “Where is God’s justice?” In Malachi 3:16-18 we find that despite the questions that
perplex them, like Job, those who fear the Lord remain steadfast, and the Lord pledges to
honor them in the day of His appearing. Then, from Malachi 4:5-6, we learn that prior to the
day of His appearing, and in preparation for it, the Lord promises to send ‘Elijah.’ In a similar
way, Elihu’s role is to prepare Job for the theophany that is about to take place. Job has
maintained his integrity in spite of the calamities he has suffered and the false counsel he has
received. But as he is tempted to succumb to the attitude of self-righteousness, and its fateful
consequences, Elihu appears with a timely rebuke so that he does not falter. Then,
immediately following Elihu’s speeches, the Lord, Himself, suddenly appears out of the
tempest (38:1).
Lesson Four Questions1. Who are the three counsellors of Job?
2. In how many cycles do they speak? Give Bible verses.
3. Give one of their main mistakes of thinking?
4. What did they think of Job?
5. The logic of which other Wisdom Book do they follow?
6. Give the main argument of Job in his defense?
7. Who is Elihu?
8. Is he different in his approach to Job and in what way?
9. Why Job is suffering, according to Elihu?
10. What must Job do, according to Elihu?
50 Ibid. 136
Lesson Five: God’s Speech (38:1-42:6)51
The words of Yahweh’s speech must be seen as the climax of the book. After all the back and
forth between Job and his friends is spent without coming to any satisfactory conclusion or
solution, finally God speaks! God reveals Himself! Interestingly, The Lord answers no one
except Job! The only thing he says about the first three friends in the Epilogue is that they
spewed folly and slander. The fact that God answers at all is itself a confirmation of sorts of
Job’s faith and proof that He would not remain totally elusive and unapproachable! God does
answer! He doesn’t remain mystically silent! He answers out of the whirlwind, signifying
power that man cannot control. This answer is not one given as a defense, but rather an
answer demonstrating uncontrollable power and might!
Job had imagined that he would bombard God with questions if he were given the chance.
But when the Lord finally speaks, it is He who asks a stream of unanswerable questions. He
really never gives Job a direct answer. Instead, he heaps one unanswerable question after
another on Job, with the specific purpose of demonstrating that He alone is Sovereign and that
wisdom belongs to Him alone!
God’s questions52 start with the far-flung reaches of time and space and moves ever closer, yet
always remaining in areas beyond man’s knowledge! What is significant here is first of all
that God doesn’t really answer Job’s question, and He doesn’t interact with the assertions of
the friends about Job’s sufferings in the slightest! He totally changes the subject. This
demonstrates not only that Job and his friends have found the wrong answers, but also, and
more importantly, that they have been asking the wrong questions. God kindly, almost
playfully or mockingly, puts Job in his place here (Job 38:19-21). God’s answer enlarges Job’s
horizon by setting before him the majesty, beauty, and wonder of creation, inviting him to
explore in his mind the great context in which he exists! The intent of God here is to reassure
him that his Creator is unimaginably wise and of infinite resources. In doing this, it also
reminds Job that he is but a creature; that God alone is the Creator! God’s answer makes
plain that Job’s immediate situation and circumstance is not the center of the universe! That
ultimately, it isn’t about him! It’s about God. About His sovereignty! About His all-
51 Influenced by the unpublished MINTS textbook of Rev. William Traub on the book of Job (49, 50). 52 Ibid. 49, 50
49
encompassing wisdom! All man’s supposed wisdom is derivative from God’s wisdom. We
are not the source; God is! This is what the book of Job is teaching us!
While the first part of God’s answer (Job 38:1-40:2) has made Job face his inevitable
ignorance, the second part of God’s answer (Job 40:6-41:34) confronts Job with his very real
smallness or insignificance; his inability to play God and put the world to right (Job 40:12;
14)! According to Traub,53 the fact that God’s answer ends with a description of two
‘monsters’ (whatever they may represent, and the speculations are numerous), God totally
ignores the myriad of questions which had been asked by Job. Although this might seem
strange, the effect is to cut us down to size, treating us not as philosophers (thinking we
deserve an answer) but as children (‘sons of pride;’ see Job 41:34), limited in mind, puny in
body. It shows us that our first and fundamental grasp of truth must be to know the difference
between our place and God’s and to accept it; to acknowledge the distinction between the
Creator and the creature. Had God here presented some defense of His ways for our approval,
i.e. had he sought to answer all the questions of Job and his friends, it would imply that He
was accountable to us, and not we to Him! To demand this accounting of God would be to
commit the same sin as Adam! God’s answer is: Look at who I am and what I have done!
His answer is: I am sovereign, trust in me!
Next Traub considers how Job replies.54 Job, who refused to be muzzled by his friends, now
completely surrenders. He responds with complete repentance! Job finally “gets it” and what
does he do? He repents, openly acknowledging his sin and his arrogance to talk about
something about which he knew nothing (Job 40:3-5; 42:1-6). The word used here for
insignificant means to be trifling, small and slight. He says that he will lay his hand on his
mouth and not answer. He is silent because he realizes he has no answer. Confronted with
who God is, what else is there to do? Yet how often to we try? How often to people want to
continue to argue with God? Job acknowledges that God can do all things and cannot be
thwarted. In other words, he acknowledges that God is absolutely sovereign! He confesses
that he said things he didn’t understand. But then he moves on from an admission of his own
ignorance and arrogance and comes to the real point. He asks God to instruct him. He
acknowledges he doesn’t have the answers and then Job seeks them from God!
53 Ibid. 49, 5054 Ibid. 49, 50
The last words of Job in response to God are that he retracts and repents in dust and ashes. 55
The word for retract (emaas) means to despise and reject. The word used for repent means to
be sorry, to be moved to sorrow, show grief. But it can also mean to show pity, to have
compassion. In the verb form used here it has a passive sense; to allow oneself to be pitied, to
allow oneself to be shown compassion. The root means to restore to life. Job seeks God’s
pity or compassion – God’s grace, for only that will restore him to life, to fellowship with his
God. This is the true beginning of wisdom! Repentance and faith!
This is the message of Job.56 This is the wisdom it seeks to teach each of us! When
confronted with life’s mysteries; when drowning in life’s suffering, acknowledge God for who
He is and submit to His sovereign hand in repentance and faith; plead for His mercy and
grace. That is true Biblical wisdom! It is the message that runs throughout Scripture! It is
the gospel! Our only hope rests not in our circumstances or our own efforts, but in our
Redeemer and the grace of God found in Him alone!
Epilogue (Job 42:7-17)57
As we come to the conclusion of the book of Job, the author once more returns to prose. The
first thing that takes place in the epilogue is God’s judgment on Job’s friends and God’s
acknowledgement of Job (Job 42:7). Next the text tells us that Job is to be the intercessor for
his friends (Job 42:8). He had been a priest for his family at the outset of the book (Job 1:5)
and here, at the conclusion, we see him once more acting as a priest. The friends make the
sacrifice (Job 42:8-9), because it was they who had sinned, not Job. Job prays for them (think
about this: after all the things of which they had accused Job!). God says that He will accept
Job so that He doesn’t do to the friends the things their folly deserves (Job 42:8). The word
that is used here for accept is found in an odd construction (im phanaiv esa). It literally
means ‘if your face I lift up,’ not ‘if his face’ as we might expect. The idea is that God, on the
basis of Job’s intercession, accepts the friends – Job acts here as a type of Christ, interceding
for them. The root word for accept (nasa) is used often in Scripture in the sense of to forgive
sin (see Num. 14:18; Mic. 7:18; Ps 25:18; 32:1, 5; 85:3). The result of Job’s intercession is
that God won’t do to the friends as their folly deserves. In other words, God won’t do to them
what they had been advocating (sin results in punishment). He shows them mercy even 55 Ibid. 49, 50 56 Ibid. 49, 50 57 From the unpublished textbook of Rev. William Traub on Job (50, 51).
51
though their words about God were not right and deserved punishment! God demonstrates
His sovereignty, by acting ‘out of character’ from the way the friends expected; He acts with
mercy and grace in spite of their arrogance! You have to love the irony of God’s mercy here!
By doing this, God vindicates Job before his accusers.
According to Traub,58 the ending of the book also fits with Job’s own desire. It wasn’t
restoration of wealth that he sought, but rather the restoration of his relationship with his God.
He sought vindication from God that things were again in order between them and he receives
that here. It is only after this vindication, that the fortunes of Job are restored. Some would
say that the ‘happy end’ is, in a sense, a justification of the whole retribution theology Job’s
friends had been advocating all along. There is no explicit statement here at the end of the
book of Job itself about that, however, we need to go back and recall how steadfastly Job
refused the retribution theology of his friends and how, in the end, God vindicates Job’s
position and shows mercy to the friends, demonstrating the error of retribution theology. The
fact that the restoration is an expression of the grace and mercy of God is confirmed in James
5:11. Job endured; he remained faithful. It wasn’t a matter of what he earned or cause and
effect. It was about the faithfulness of Job, in spite of al that happened! But also we see here
that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy! It isn’t about what’s deserved or earned, it’s
about the grace and mercy of God! Wisdom lays hold of the grace and mercy of God and
holds fast, no matter what the circumstance. That is the message of the Book of Job!
58 Ibid. 50, 51
Lesson Five Questions:1. How we must understand God’s speech in the Book of Job?
2. How God answered to the questions of Job?
3. How many parts He uses to build up His argument?
4. Describe the answer of God.
5. What is Job’s response?
6. On what teaches us Job’s response? Explain.
7. What is the purpose of the Epilogue?
8. What type of genre does the author use in the Epilogue?
9. Why Job's counselors had to sacrifice to God?
10. How does the Book of Job end?
53
Lesson Six: Theological Message and Relation to the Rest of
Scripture59
1. Job in the Rest of Scripture
Interestingly, we don’t have any quotes of Job elsewhere in Scripture, nor do we have many, if
any at all, allusions to Job. However, the New Testament views the words of Eliphaz as
Scripture (Job 5:13; 1 Cor. 3:19; Job 5:17; Heb. 12:5).
2. God’s Weakness
As has already been mentioned, we might wish God, in His omnipotence, would stamp out
evil in an awesome display of power. In the context of Job that would result in slamming
Satan in the pit of Hell forever for his brashness and effrontery. But God doesn’t do that!
God chooses to engage with evil from a position of weakness rather than power. Why is that?
What purpose of God does this serve? In Job, Satan is granted permission to afflict Job. In
the New Testament (see Luke 22:31), Satan is still seeking permission to sift God’s people.
This points to the reality that we are in a spiritual battle and that the forces arrayed against us
are mighty (see Eph. 6:12), but we learn from Job that those spiritual forces are constrained
by God’s permission and sovereign control! And we must never forget that!
The Father, who allowed Satan to test Job, sent His Only Son to face Satan’s tests – not only
in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11), but ultimately the Cross! Why asks Traub?60 Because only
in this way, could Satan be defeated! When, by God’s grace, believers place their trust in
Christ, the Crucified One, in complete submission to the Father, Satan looses all hold on
them! It is then no longer a matter of convenience, but rather of conscience or conviction! It
is a matter of faith in the Redeemer! It is only through the weakness of the Cross that the
power of God’s grace comes to full expression!
59 From the unpublished MINTS textbook of Rev. William Traub on the book of Job (51 – 55)60 Ibid. 51
3. Divine Wisdom/Justice
While set in the context of human suffering, the leading question, as we move through the
book of Job is: Who is wise? It is this question which guides the theology of the book of Job
(Job 28:12). Even though virtually all of the characters claim to understand true wisdom, it is
only at the end that God speaks to settle the issue once and for all. There is no contest; no
human has a legitimate claim. God alone is the source of all wisdom, and He distributes
wisdom as He sees fit through His self-revelation.
The proper human response, according to William Traub61 to God’s self-revelation is
repentance and submission (Job 42:5). This is an unpopular interpretation in our day and age
on various levels. The correct interpretation of the book of Job, however, must be that Job, no
matter how correct his defense against the three “friends” was or how much he had suffered,
Job came to a heartfelt repentance of his own impatience toward God and his arrogance in
thinking he knew more than he did. This interpretation reflects the attitude of reverence
toward God seen in the other portions of Scripture and described as true wisdom. When God
says that Job has spoken what is right (Job 42:7), it probably refers not only to Job’s defense,
but primarily to his repentance in response to God’s Word. Man is not autonomous. He has no
right to question God. He is not the source of wisdom. Man’s reason alone (or his experience
alone) is totally inadequate to understand the complexities of creation! Our knowledge is
derivative of God’s and we must bow in submission to Him and His wisdom, if we are to be
truly wise.
4. Human Suffering
God answers Job’s question of why he suffers in an indirect way by answering the more
important question of sovereignty! None of us can escape suffering in this life,62 and we will
all ultimately face the question of our plight, the brevity of our life; the insignificance of our
life; the futility of human existence. As John Calvin puts it: “Death is common to all, and the
children of God are condemned to ignominy and tortures just as criminals are; but God makes
the distinction between them, inasmuch as He cannot deny His truth.”63 But the real question
we should be asking, the question Job drills home to us, is who is on the throne and what is
61 Ibid. 5262 Ibid. 5263 http://www.bartleby.com/268/7/10.html
55
our attitude toward Him – regardless of our situation, be it one of ease or one of intense
suffering? To quote Calvin again: “In a word, nothing that we do will be approved of God if
we are not thoroughly persuaded that it is for Him and His cause we suffer persecution and
the world is our enemy. “64 Job teaches that God is in control and that our response, no matter
what the situation, should be one of repentance, faith and worship. The book of Job never
paints a picture of God’s sovereignty as brute force, or blind power. We have seen how Job
holds fast to the certainty that God is a God of mercy and compassion. That was his hope
throughout his suffering. Not that he would be relieved of the suffering in this life, but that
God was merciful and would one day restore him to fellowship with Him, even if that was
after his death (hence Job’s faith in the resurrection). The notion of delayed mercy is
introduced by the book of Job. In other words, Job believed that he would see his Redeemer,
even after he died; that God would show mercy and restore the relationship even after death
and he might not experience it in this life. Yet he remained faithful.
Job does reject the common notion of retribution.65 This notion was repeatedly presented by
Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar and is summed up in the phrase: If you sin, then you will suffer.
Yet we must admit that, to a certain extent, this notion is true and biblical. The covenant
provides the framework for this by establishing laws, which, if obeyed, will result in
blessings, but if disobeyed, will result in curses (Deut. 28:1-2, 15). The books of history in
Scripture subtly teach that it was the sins of the Kings that led to the Exile, in precise
fulfillment, as we’ll see when we come to the Book of Lamentations, of the covenant curses
found in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Proverbs teaches that those who follow God’s way, the way
of wisdom, will live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil (Prov. 1:33).
However, Job’s ‘friends’ went too far in their interpretation of this biblical truth. They
reversed the cause and effect and believed: if you suffer, then you have sinned. Hence, for
them, all suffering is to be explained by sin. In other words, the friends believed that all
suffering is justly deserved because of personal sin. The book of Job is a divine corrective of
this error! It guards against the mechanical application of a proper Biblical retribution
theology, by showing us a man who suffers for a reason other than his sin. This same truth is
confirmed in the New Testament (John 9:1-3). The difficult truth of Job and John 9 is that
God is glorified through the suffering of his faithful servants! Job does not attempt to explain
all the reasons for suffering in the world, but it does reject the retribution theory as the only
explanation. It establishes that while personal sin may be one reason for suffering, it is not the 64 Traub 5265 Ibid. 52
only reason for suffering in the world. God, in His sovereignty might have other reasons
about which we know nothing.
5. Bodily Resurrection and the Redeemer66
The book of Job clearly teaches the physical resurrection from the dead and ties that truth
with faith in the Redeemer (Job 19:25-27)! Without faith in a personal Redeemer, the
resurrection is meaningless.
Job speaks of ‘my Redeemer’ in Job 19:25. This expression demonstrates a very close
personal tie with the Redeemer. This is not some abstract concept. There is a relationship. A
redeemer is a kinsman,67 a blood relative, who purchases his relative out of bondage, setting
him or her free. This concept is beautifully portrayed in the story of Ruth and Boaz. It is also
one of Isaiah’s favorite descriptions of God (see Isa. 44:24; 54:5, 8). The notion of a
Redeemer is further developed in the book of Job by the words of Elihu in Job 33:23-28.
These words not only speak of redemption, but of resurrection and intercession (note the
parallel with what Job does at the end of the book when he intercedes for his friends in Job
42:8). For Job this expression meant that he believed that one day, the Lord would restore
him to fellowship with Him! Redemption in Scripture always carries the notion of
movement.68 From bondage to freedom; from sin to salvation and here where it is from
estrangement to restored fellowship. The whole point here is that Job longs to see his
Redeemer face to face, to be restored to fellowship with Him! His heart faints at the thought!
Do you sense Job’s yearning here? It isn’t release from suffering, per se, but rather a longing
to see his God! How he longed to hear the message of the angels that first Christmas: For
today in the City of David there has been born for you, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Lk.
2:11)! Christ is the Redeemer Job longed for!
Job states clearly that even after the dissolution of his flesh, i.e. his death, he will see his God
(Job 19:26)! He will see God with his own eyes (Job 19:27). This is not merely through ‘the
eyes of faith’ as neo-orthodox theologians following Barth and Bultmann claim! The book of
Job teaches a physical resurrection, not merely some philosophical or spiritual resurrection; an
overcoming of adversity; a hope that all will work out in the end. Job knows/believes that one
66 Traub 53 67 Ibid. 5368 Ibid. 53
57
day – even if it is well after he is dead – he will stand once more before his God to worship
Him! There is no hint here that Job is seeking to escape his suffering. Nor is there any hint
here that everything will work out. Rather it is the truth that in the midst of his very real
agony, Job has set his heart on his Redeemer and the truth that one-day he will behold the One
he loves and serves! That is the message of Job!
6. Justification by Faith69
Can we speak of the notion of justification by faith in the book of Job? On the one hand,
there is no mention of justification by faith in the book of Job, at least not in the way the New
Testament expresses it, i.e. the just shall live by faith (cf. Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb.
10:38). However, understood correctly, the theme of the book of Job, with all its focus on
wisdom and suffering, is really about the question of justification and is teaching the same
thing as the New Testameny, namely that the just live by faith, not works!
There are several explicit references to justification found in throughout the book. Eliphaz
asks (Job 4:17): Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? Job
himself expresses the question of how one can be right before God in Job 9:2. Bildad also
asks (Job 25:4): How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born
of woman? Elihu gets angry at Job because he thought Job was trying to justify himself
before God (Job 32:2). You will notice here that these references, with the exception of the
remarks from Elihu, are in the form of a question. There is no explicit answer given to the
question of whether a man can be just with God? However the question appears again and
again in the dialogues.
The Book of Job also addresses the question of justification indirectly via the approach of
Job’s friends.70 Their allegiance to a distorted view of retribution is really the flip side of
works righteousness. What the friends were saying is, if you are suffering, you must have
sinned. Suffering was the result of sinful human deeds, just as blessings were the result of
human good deeds. It was a two-way cause-and-effect relationship. Works righteousness
teaches that if a person does good, he or she will be rewarded on the basis of what was done.
Job’s friends were really advocating a kind of works righteousness in reverse. A notion which
Scripture nowhere teaches. But the book of Job, by confounding the false notion of retribution 69 Traub 53, 5470 Ibid. 53
presented by the friends also confounds the notion of works righteous. Ultimately, it isn’t
what we do, but what God does that counts! It isn’t about works, but about grace!
The book also implies the doctrine of justification by faith alone in the example of Job.71 He
maintains his faith in the Lord throughout the book, refusing to yield to the notion of
retribution theology advocated by his friends. In the end, Job’s response of abject repentance,
with its acknowledgement of complete inability to attain wisdom points to the fact that
salvation is by God alone. This is so because, in Old Testament terms, wisdom is parallel to,
although not quite the same as, salvation. The book of Job is an Old Testament way of saying
that salvation is by faith alone through faith alone. Job certainly had faith in Christ alone!72
Finally, we need to ask whether, in the book of Job, anyone can be justified. We’ve already
seen that this question is posed several times in the book of Job. Following one of Bildad’s
speeches, Job does agree with him that no one can be righteous before God (Job 9:2). In fact,
Job goes on to suggest that even though he views himself as guiltless, God will condemn him
(Job 9:20-24). Here we see an indication that ultimately, God would be just by allowing
everyone to be condemned, since all are guilty in His sight. Both the guiltless and wicked,
humanly speaking, will be destroyed, because all have sinned, as Paul will say in Romans.
On the one hand, Job had a good insight here. Ultimately, God has the right to destroy
everyone! He is the Holy Creator! We are all sinful creatures deserving nothing but His wrath.
When God finally does speak, rather than answering Job’s questions, he goes to the heart of
the matter: the question of justification (Job 40:8). Will man condemn God in order to justify
himself? We will accept God’s judgment on us, as those guilty in His sight or will we form
our own judgment of ourselves, that we are innocent? To declare our own righteousness is to
condemn God! God alone can declare someone just and that is not dependent on what we do
or don’t do! That is the message of the Book of Job! That message is picked up by the
Apostle Paul as he wrestles with the question of how can the Holy God justify anyone in the
letter to the Romans (Rom. 3:21-28). We are justified before God, not because of good deeds
we have done. Or, if we use the language of the Book of Job, we are only justified by God,
not through any amount of suffering that we might endure. None of us could ever meet God’s
standard of good. However, justification is found, not in what we do or don’t do, but rather
through the righteous life and atoning suffering on the Cross, done on our behalf! It is His
71 Ibid. 54 72 Ibid. 55
59
perfect obedience, His faithful keeping of the Covenant of Works as our Covenant Head, by
which God can declare us righteous before Him! It is only as we are in Christ, redeemed by
His grace that we can be justified! The Father accounts the perfect obedience of the Son to
our account and on that basis alone, declares us just before Him! It is only because the Father
poured out all the wrath which our sinful rebellion deserved on His Sinless Son, that allows
Him to pronounce us just! The Holy God shows Himself to be both just and the justifier of
sinners through the perfect obedience, suffering, and death of Christ. One can imagine that
this is what Job had in mind when, amid his suffering he says that he will see his Redeemer!
He is saying that it isn’t his deeds, or his life that matters. Rather it is his Redeemer and all
that He would do on his behalf to restore fellowship with the Father, for which that he longs!
The message of Job is the same as the message of the New Testament!
7. Christ
Job was, among other things, is a type of Christ in terms of wisdom. Job was seeking
wisdom, seeking the fear of the Lord, with all its implications for a proper relationship with
God. Yet Job overstepped his knowledge, thinking himself to be wiser than he was. God had
to come and ask the numerous questions in Job 38-42 in order to humble Job, to show him
that he didn’t know everything. In fact he knew precious little and needed to repent of his
arrogance and submit to the Lord in reliance on His wisdom. But think about the questions
Yahweh asks Job. How would Christ have answered the very same questions? (Job 38:4-7;
40:10-14). Christ was right there with the Father as the foundations of creation were laid; He
is the Creator! He could have answered God.
According to Traub,73 Job was also a type of Christ in his suffering. We see God’s love
toward his sinful creatures in His sending His Son to die on the cross! Jesus is the true
innocent sufferer; the only one completely without sin! He voluntarily (as opposed to Job)
submits Himself to suffering for the benefit of His elect people! To be sure, as with all human
types, Job is imperfect. He needed to repent, because he presumed to know things that he
didn’t and this led him to become arrogant. Christ, on the other hand, was the perfect
sufferer; the Lamb who went to the slaughter without protest (cf. Isa. 53:7), willingly, in
perfect obedience to the Father. He wrestled with the horror and weight of His suffering in
the Garden of Gethsemane, where he asked that, if it was possible, the cup of suffering be 73 Ibid. 55
taken from Him. Yet He concluded that prayer by saying, Not My will, but Your will be done
(cf. Luke 22:42)! The fact that Christ came to take on Himself the undeserved consequences
of evil is the answer to Job and all those like him who suffer unjustly. Christ experienced the
horror of human suffering at its worst and did so without complaining. He did so, not in some
stoic coldness, but out of obedience to and faith in His Father and His love for His people,
who would not be saved in any other way! The early Church commonly read the book of Job
during Passion week as a reflection of the tie between Job and the sufferings of Christ. To be
sure, Christ’s death on the cross did not bring an end to suffering in the world. To say, as those
who promote a prosperity gospel, that Christians can expect to escape suffering or pain
somehow as believers is a perversion of the gospel! In fact, we as believers are to be
characterized by our sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
Lesson Six Questions:1. Is God weak in the face of evil?
2. Why then the Father allowed Christ to endure suffering on the Cross?
3. How does Job relate to the Divine wisdom?
4. How does Job relate to the Divine justice?
5. How does Job relate to the Doctrine of Justification by Faith?
6. How does Job relate to the human suffering?
7. How does Job relate to the bodily resurrection?
8. How does Job relate to the Redeemer?
9. How does Job relate to Christ?
10. When did the Early Church recite portions of the Book of Job?
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Lesson Seven: Job in the Life of the Believer in the 21st Century
1. Practical Theology
What advice can/should we give to those facing suffering? What kinds of things can we tell
people when they are suffering? What happens when things don’t turn out well? What
happens when we die? Is all lost? Or is God still on the throne? How do we react?
We should never, on the basis of Romans 8:28, advocate Christian stoicism, or Christian
fatalism, toughing it out, and trying to ignore the pain as though the suffering were somehow
good in themselves. Rather we should see suffering for what it is, pain, agony, loss, hurt and
horror. In addition, we should look at it through the tears to the Redeemer! It is setting our
suffering hearts on Christ, crying out to Him!
Nor should we advocate triumphalism, where everything ends well. This point is clearly made
in Ecclesiastes and Lamentations. Life in a fallen world involves suffering and pain! This is
reality! Facing suffering, not in some escapist way, but realizing that it might not cease until
death comes!
If we don’t learn anything else from the book of Job, it is that, amid suffering, questions could
be asked, as long as they are asked in faith and humility.
2. How Do We View All That the Lord Has Given Us?
In order to answer this question, we must include absolutely everything, beginning with life
itself and including health, family, possessions, prosperity, gifts, experience, friends and other
blessings.
In the summer of 2013 my father got brain hemorrhage and we had to go through very hard
times, taking care for him. He was in the Hospital for about a month lying on the hospital bed.
I had to do everything for him. Then, when he was ready to go home due to the brain surgery,
he had severe mental problems. Now his physical health was restored, but his mental health
was not. My mother has to take care for him and she now endures the difficulties brought on
by his mental state. It is a great loss for us as a family, because my father was always very
strong person and at least my mother could rely on him. I have to ask myself a question, could
I respond to that reality and cite Job 1:210, The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed
be the Name of the Lord? Could I mean every word of that from the bottom of my heart? Can
we say that of our attitude toward all that the Lord has given us, including our family
members and even our life itself? Have we really begun to see the reality that all we have and
are as gifts of the Lord? What implications does this have in the lives of our congregations?
3. The Role of Satan in Suffering74
“Suffering is at the heart of the Book of Job,” writes T. Longman75. He continues, “The issue
of the suffering of the innocent person propels the story and is theologically important, but the
question ‘Who is wise?’ takes precedence in the unfolding of the plot.” We agree that
suffering is not the overarching theme, although it obviously plays a very significant role in
the book. However, we differ with Longman when he maintains that wisdom is the main
theme.
On the contrary, the overarching theme of the Book of Job is providing the correct answer to
the question, Why should a man serve God? Or, to put it another way, What is the motivation
of true devotion? We appreciate the way in which Ritsman, quoting Kinder writes76:
“… in [the Book of] Job … what faces us … is the urgent problem of divine justice. The title
of this chapter [referring to the present chapter in his book, entitled, The Book of Job: A
World Well Managed?] draws attention to that disturbing, indeed presumptuous, question
about God. But in parallel with it, and hidden from the characters of the story, there is an
equally unsettling question about man. In the human scene, is there any such thing as
disinterested virtue? Does God’s finest servant, his boasted showpiece, Job, serve him for
conscience or convenience? It is this that sets the story in motion. This theme is evident out
the very outset of the book when Satan raises the question, “Does Job fear God for no
reason?” (1:9) He then proceeds to submit his thesis that Job only serves God for the material
benefits to be derived from such devotion (1:10-11.) This overarching theme, introduced in
the opening chapter of the book, comes to a climax in the closing chapter when the LORD
74 Ritsman Wisdom Literature, 775 Ibid76 http://biblestudycourses.org/job-bible-study-courses/introduction-to-job/75 bid. 139
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honors Job for having, in contrast to all others, articulated and exemplified the correct answer
to the question, What is the motivation of true devotion?”77
The Lord publicly vindicates Job; in contrast to his three companions, Job is commended for
having spoken of God “what is right” (42:8.) Although Job has had moments of wavering
doubt as to the justice of God, and although he was in danger of developing a self-righteous
attitude that would have caused him to disparage God’s righteousness, nevertheless, Job has
spoken “what is right” and, despite his moments of wavering, he has not recanted. The thing
that is right, which Job has spoken of God, is expressed in Job 1:21, [Job] said, Naked I came
from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken
away, blessed be the name of Jehovah. Job’s testimony may be summarizes as follows: (1) all
the good, the blessing, the benefits we experience are bestowed upon us by the Lord and are
subject to His sovereign discretion: “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away;” (2) despite
the change in our earthly circumstances the Lord (Jehovah) ever remains the faithful
covenant-keeping God: He is Jehovah—it is significant that Job identifies God by His
covenantal name, Jehovah (cp. Deut. 7:9); and (3) it is our moral obligation to honor the Lord
and render devotion unto Him as an end in itself (cp. Eccl. 12:13,) not merely when or
because we are the recipients of temporal blessings, or in an effort to induce the Lord to
bestow such blessings upon us. Despite his trials Job still proclaims, Blessed be the name of
Jehovah (Job 1: 21).
In contrast to Job’s God-honoring testimony is the counsel of his wife Then his wife said to
him, ‘Are you still maintaining your integrity? Renounce God and die!’ (Job 2:9). Her
position is self-centered and utilitarian—as opposed to being God-centered and truly pious, or
devotional. In her opinion, devotion is to be rendered unto God, not as an end in itself, not as
the supreme purpose of man’s existence, but as a means of gaining temporal benefits from
God—if God withholds the blessing, one should renounce his devotion to God, even if it
means suffering God’s curse. Note that the counsel given by Job’s wife is the same position as
that of the wicked and ungodly: They say to God, ‘Get away from us! We have no desire to
know your ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? What will we gain by praying
to him?’ (Job 21:14-15). Like that of Job’s wife, their position is self-centered and utilitarian,
just as Satan had charged man’s religion to be, as opposed to being God-centered and truly
pious, or devotional.77 Ibid.
The Lord goes on to charge Job’s three companions with folly (42:8); the same charge Job had
earlier brought against his wife (2:10a.) Whether knowingly or unintentionally, the three
would-be comforters have given Job counsel that is basically the same as that given by his
wife. Throughout the book the three companions have urged Job to confess whatever sin he
may have committed, assuring him that by so doing he will once again receive temporal
blessings and benefits from the Lord. They are actually tempting Job to be dishonest and
sacrifice his integrity (his devotion to God) by confessing to sin he has not committed in order
to receive the restoration of temporal blessings and benefits from the Lord. It seems to us that
their exhortations to repentance become a temptation by encouraging Job to seek God for
reward, not for God himself, as if he repents, he will escape his suffering and will receive
God’s blessing. That way tempts Job to use God for personal gain. If Job followed the advice,
he will accept Satan’s proposition that human beings are totally self-serving in their worship
of God (Job 1: 9–11).
Ritsman argues that the overarching theme of the Book of Job is providing the correct answer
to the question, “Why should a man serve God?”78 The correct answer to that question is the
answer that Job alone offers and exhibits in his life. True devotion stems from the awareness
that the Lord is our God and the whole purpose of our existence is to serve Him: Now all has
been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for
this is the [whole] duty of man (Eccl. 12:13.) True devotion is accompanied by the confidence
that, because the Lord is both good and just, He will eventually and inevitably honor those
who honor Him: Jehovah, the God of Israel, declares … ‘those who honor me I will honor’ (1
Sam. 2:30b).
4. God’s Use of Suffering
Suffering does, indeed, play a major role in the Book of Job, says Ritsman.79 From the book
we learn two things about suffering. It is God’s prerogative to employ suffering (1) as a means
of punishing the guilty and (2) as a means of proving (by testing) the devotion of the
righteous. The first aspect of suffering, namely, that it is used by God as a means of punishing
the guilty, was well-known to Job’s friends. This was their operative definition of suffering;
78 Ibid. 14179 Ibid. 142
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they were unaware of any other purpose for which the Lord might employ suffering.
Consequently, because of their limited view of suffering, they tragically misinterpreted Job’s
plight and, ironically, as noted above, their efforts to elicit repentance from Job actually
became an occasion of temptation to him—the temptation to gain restoration at the expense of
his integrity.
The other aspect of suffering, although unknown to Job’s friends, is revealed to the reader at
the very outset of the book. We find the Lord inviting Satan to consider the life and character
of this man Job, whom the Lord describes as “my servant.” We then find Satan responding
with the request that Job’s faith and integrity be put to the test—that Job’s identity as a servant
of the Lord be verified or proven. The Lord grants Satan’s request, putting Job’s devotion (as
well as the Lord’s claim on behalf of His servant) to the test, and He does so by means of
suffering. Throughout the course of the book we find that Job—by the grace of God at work
in him—meets the challenge and proves to be a true servant of the Lord. Thus we see that in
the life of Job, as well as in the life of Christ (note again the striking parallel between the
opening chapters of Job and the account of Jesus’ baptism and subsequent temptations), the
Lord exercises His divine prerogative to employ suffering as the instrument by which He tests
and verifies the devotion of His servants. The Apostle Peter informs us that each and every
Christian may expect to find his devotion tested in ways similar to that of Job (1 Pet. 1:6-7).
5. The Final Resolution in the Suffering: God’s Justice Revealed
“Does the Book of Job come to any resolution concerning the justice of God?” asks
Ritsman.80 One answer, which we may dismiss as soon as we have presented it, asserts that
God is not bound by justice. This is the view propounded by Tsevat whose thesis is that God
by His speeches at the end of the book is destroying Job’s assumption that justice is the moral
cornerstone of the universe. Justice is only man’s obligation, in man’s affairs, not God’s in His
affairs—though justice is an option open to Him. Besides justice and injustice Tsevat claims
that there is a third concept he calls “nonjustice.” He suggests that the One who speaks to Job
in the theophany is neither a just nor an unjust god, He is simply God. Thus, the Book of Job
“de-moralizes” the world, that is to say, it renders the world amoral. Tsevat believes that his
understanding of the book opens the way to a loftier form of religion and morality, one that is
80 Ibid. 142
purely disinterested in results. In this “loftier” form of morality a man would do what is good
simply because it is good, not for the sake of being rewarded for doing so.
But in the process of praising the morality of doing good for its own sake, and of stressing
that the Book of Job denies that a man gets what he deserves for his conduct, Tsevat, says
Ritsman,81 has caused the author of the book to ease the tension between ultimate justice and
present experience by “shattering” (as Tsevat admits) “a central biblical doctrine.” The amoral
God he finds in the Book of Job is one whose thoughts and ways are not simply higher than
man’s, but alien to them, as well as being alien to his revelation of himself throughout the
whole of Scripture!
This is what may be called the view that God’s justice is not comprehensible to man. As
Kidner remarks, expressed in various ways, it is probably the widest consensus on the final
message of the Book of Job. This view is perhaps most eloquently expressed by Ritsman in
quoting E. J. Young: “By constant appeal to the creation and the incomprehensible nature of
the created universe, God brings to the fore the infinite, absolute distance between the Creator
and the creature. Man, being a creature and hence finite, cannot comprehend the infinite
wisdom of God or the mystery of His rule … Job is more and more abased to the point where
he sees that it is futile for man to think that he can penetrate the mysteries of God’s
providential dealings with His creatures. He [Job] has found peace—a God-given peace—
even though all his questions have not been answered … Job now sees that God is sovereign.
Job and his sufferings have their place in God’s all-wise, incomprehensible disposition of
things. All is well. Why should Job seek to penetrate the mystery? God is upon the throne.
That is enough.”82
However, when we examine more closely the concluding chapters of the Book of Job, we
discover that there is, indeed, a resolution! Ironically, the key to understanding the final
resolution of the book is to be found in what does not happen when Job encounters the Lord
in the theophany. In these concluding chapters of the book Job is not only confronted by God
as the all-wise Creator and the caring Sustainer of His creation; Job is also confronted by God
as the faithful covenant Lord. When He confronts Job, God reveals Himself by His covenant
name: “JEHOVAH answered Job” (38:1.) We should remind ourselves of God’s testimony
81 Ibid. 14382 Ibid.
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recorded in Deuteronomy 7:9, Know therefore that Jehovah your God is God; he is the
faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him
and keep his commandments.
When He appears in the theophany, the Lord answered Job “out of the storm.” It appears that
the storm-like form of God’s coming down from heaven is an indication that he is coming in
judgment, note, for example, Pslam 18 and 29, and especially Nahum 1:2-6. Now observe
what does not happen: although the Lord (Jehovah) answers Job “out of the storm” (38:1), Job
is not swept away! The significance of this is two-fold. First, it means that Job is justified
before God: Job’s standing before the Lord as He manifests Himself in the storm of divine
judgment demonstrates Job’s innocence, his righteousness. This becomes evident in the light
of such a passage as Proverbs 10:25, “When the storm has swept past, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.” Second, it means that God is justified before the world:
Job’s standing before the storm demonstrates God’s justice, God’s righteousness; it
demonstrates that God does make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. Here
we may take note of the Lord’s testimony recorded in Malachi 3:17-18, referring to the
righteous, the Lord declares, “They will be mine,” declares Jehovah of hosts, “in the day
when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man
spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous
and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Although Job is
reduced to silence, he does not tremble in terror. Because of his devotion to God—and that
produced in him by the grace of God—God has made Job to stand secure. Here in the case of
Job we see an instance of that to which the Apostle Paul testifies in Romans 14:4, Who are
you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand,
for the Lord is able to make him stand. From Job’s encounter with the Lord (Jehovah,) let us
learn to put our confidence in the Lord; because He is our faithful covenant God.
6. Conclusion
From the Book of Job we learn that God, in His justice, does not exempt His servants from
suffering. In contrast, as we have seen, suffering plays a vital role in verifying, or,
authenticating, His servants’ devotion. On the contrary, God manifests His justice by
abundantly rewarding His servants for faithfully sustaining any divinely appointed suffering
to which He may deem it necessary to subject them (Job 42:10-17). Now, as Ritsman says,83
the loss of one’s beloved children (1:18-19) cannot really be made up for by double the
number of other children. But this, too, is eventually resolved by means of the final
resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13-18). With regard to which, even in patriarchal times Abraham had
some comprehension, according to the writer to the Hebrews (Heb. 11:17-19).
In fact, we as believers are to be characterized by our sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
Something which many believers in our day have to live with day in and day out, but we often
forget (see Rom. 8:17; 1 Cor. 1:5-7; Phil. 1:29; 3:10; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2:3; 1 Pet. 2:20; 3:14, 17;
4:13). As John Calvin writes: “Since it is our duty to suffer, we ought humbly to submit; as it
is the will of God that his church be subjected to such conditions that even as the plough
passes over the field, so should the ungodly have leave to pass their sword over us all from the
least to the greatest. If that condition is hard and painful, let us be satisfied that our Heavenly
Father, in exposing us to death, turns it our eternal welfare. And indeed it is better for us to
suffer for his name, without flinching, than to possess his word without being visited by
affliction. For in prosperity we do not experience the worth of his assistance and the power of
his Spirit, as when we are oppressed by men. That seems strange to us; but he who sees more
clearly than we, knows far better what is advantageous to us.”84
Lesson Seven Questions
1. What advice can/should we give to those facing suffering?
83 Ibid. 14384 http://theaquilareport.com/john-calvin-encouraging-words-to-suffering-believers/
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2. How do we view all that the Lord has given us?
3. What is the role of Satan and the usage of suffering?
4. Is Satan free to rule over us?
5. How does God use suffering?
6. What is the final resolution in the suffering?
7. How God’s justice is revealed?
8. What does Moses say about God in Deuteronomy 7: 9?
9. What is the Apostle Paul's view of God’s character found in Romans 14?
10.What is the conclusion from this lesson?
Lesson Eight: The Problem of Evil
The problem of evil is an important topic in apologetics and in practical and pastoral theology.
The ‘problem’ is one of the most frequently cited objections to Christianity and is one of the
most frequent pastoral issues ministers deal with. In the Bulgarian situation we do not see
many answers to that topic. In this lesson we will try to see how the question of evil is
presented in secular Bulgarian unbelieving society, in Judaism today, in the Eastern Orthodox
dogmatic and finally, how the problem of evil is dealt with in Scripture.
1. Evil and the Secular Unbeliever in Bulgaria
In my country to be an unbeliever is a fashion. During the Communist times it was said that
the religion is the opium for the masses. Today we have real problem as after the fall of the
Soviet Regime we have a vacuum for values and moral standards. This is precisely the
problem of the unbeliever and the Evil today. None can do justice in the society, because of
the lack of the moral values.
Beside that we have a problem in my country of defining evil. What is Evil for the
unbelieving Bulgaria? As a nation we do not know, because we do not have the standard, any
absolutes to define evil. The greatest lie in the life of the secular Bulgarian is to think that they
know what and how to define these terms.
Why they are upset then? And toward whom? If there is no God, why blaming Him? On
which basis the unbeliever is judging God, if he believes God does not exists?
At the end of the day the unbeliever is left without the ability to know what is good or evil
and so he cannot influence evil in society. That is why we have such high crime, we have
mafia in our country and injustice is widespread.
2. The View of Mainstream Judaism
Throughout history, Jews have addressed the relation between God, evil, and human suffering
by demonstrating a spectrum between those who defend, justify, or accept God's relationship
to evil and those who refuse to ascribe any positive meaning for the presence of evil in the
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world, even reaching the extreme of protesting against God on behalf of their respective
communities. Yet in between those extremes exist the bulk of Jewish responses to evil. Here
visions of God's omnipotence, omnipresence, and goodness are radically compromised and
God's relationship to evil is blurred in the face of unjustified suffering, illustrating the
continually swinging pendulum between theodicy and antitheodicy throughout history.
In the Rabbinic period between 70-500 A.D, the rabbis constructed a theodicy by arguing that
God created every human being with a yetser tov or ‘good urge,’ and the yetser ha-ra, ‘bad
urge.’ They asserted that both urges were necessary because the bad urge provided individuals
with the libido or energy that they needed to use for productive purposes like building houses,
marriage, having children, and conducting business. However, if not channeled in the
appropriate way, the yetser ha-ra could become the source of evil. The rabbis also tried to
explain why the righteous suffer by arguing that if a righteous person suffers in this world, he
or she will be rewarded in olam ha-bah, the world to come, when all the righteous souls will
be reunited with their bodies after the Messiah comes.
However, the rabbis also demonstrated a tension between theodicy and antitheodicy by
constructing a counter-lawsuit similar to that of Job in Lamentations Rabbah, a commentary
to the biblical Book of Lamentations, that laments the destruction of the First and Second
Temples. In their commentary on Lamentations, the rabbis interspersed examples of Israel's
guilt for the destruction of both Temples, based on a rejection of God, failure to study Torah,
and ethical and cultic violations. There is a heavenly trial scene in which Israel's advocates—
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Rachel—actually turn the trial on its head by moving from
divine judgment to solidarity with Israel in its suffering over against a defensive God.
Abraham reaffirms Israel's zealous observance of the Torah, and the trial reaches a climax
with Moses' appeal to the absence of divine justice, using the Leviticus law on slaughtering of
animals against its supposed author. Finally, Rachel cites an absence of divine mercy, with the
conclusion of the story faulting God and forcing the withdrawal of God's complaint against
Israel.
The tension between theodicy and antitheodicy reached its extremes following the Holocaust
when Jewish theologians were faced with the tremendously difficult task of affirming their
covenant with God while recognizing that the same God of Sinai is also the God of
Auschwitz. Their responses span the spectrum of theodicy to antitheodicy.
In After Auschwitz,85Richard Rubenstein constructed a complete anti-theodicy by rejecting
what he considered to be the traditional Jewish portrayal of an omnipotent and transcendent
biblical God for whom the Holocaust would be a punishment for Jewish sins. He concludes
that we now live in the age of the death of the historical God.
3. The View of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Christians express the same range of beliefs about suffering and the
problem of evil as the majority of other Christian traditions do. The Eastern Orthodox
tradition interprets the story of Adam and Eve in the characteristic Christian manner, as a
story in which God's cherished creatures, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God's one command,
thereby imposing their own will in place of God's. As a punishment, God expelled Adam and
Eve from paradise, sending them into the world where they and their descendants would
suffer pain, disease, and death. While some Christian traditions interpret this story literally,
Eastern Orthodoxy interprets it symbolically, meaning that while it did not literally happen,
rather it is full of religious truth. It describes the human condition, especially the presence of a
barrier between God and humanity.
Eastern Orthodox belief share the western idea of original sin. In the Orthodox view, all of
creation, living and dead, visible and invisible, is holistically connected. What affects one
creature affects all creatures. Therefore, the suffering and mortality imposed on Adam and
Eve as punishment for their sin is shared by all of creation. However, the Orthodox tradition
does not share the Augustinian idea of original guilt. While all of creation suffers the
consequences of the first humans' sin, no other creature is guilty of that sin. All share,
however, in the legacy of the fall from paradise. We all suffer disease and death, and we are
all compelled by our own wills and desires, rather than God's. But we don't inherit Adam's
guilt. So, for example, the Orthodox tradition does not teach that unbaptized infants will be
sent to eternal fire and damnation.
Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that nothing is greater than God, including evil. Evil results from
the free will of God's creation, and the evil one, Satan, was once good. His name was Lucifer,
or light-bearer, and the Orthodox tradition likens him to the morning star. But he also opposed 85 First and Second Editions, 1966, 1992See www.wikipedia.com; http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0017_0_17125.html
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his own will to God's will, and found himself in darkness. Orthodoxy teaches that Satan is not
as powerful as God but Satan's particular talent is falsehood, so he is able to convince people
that he is as powerful as God. Eastern Orthodoxy is very optimistic in its outlook, teaching
that the triumph of good over evil on the Last Day is a certainty.
Eastern Orthodox Christians wonder why God would allow evil to exist in the first place, and
conclude that this is a mystery. Their interpretation of the scriptures supports this conclusion.
Still, Orthodoxy rejects quietism, as it believes that true love expresses itself in action. In the
face of great suffering or evil, the Christian is called to help. Like Alyosha Karamazov in
Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov,86 we do not wait for an explanation of great
evil or a justification of God's plan. We are called to keep the commandments to love God and
our neighbor. Evil is a practical problem for the Christian, who finds ways to alleviate
suffering and reinforce God's love and goodness in the world.
4. What the Scripture Says about the Problem of Evil?87
Zugg in Apolgetics notes that the problem of evil demands88 a humble, careful and scriptural
approach and our approach must be framed around the word of God. He continues: “suffering,
evil and sin touch upon the deep things of God; things that have not fully been revealed to us.
Moses says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are
revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law”
(Deut. 29:29). The things that have been given to us we are to explore for our sakes and for
our children’s sakes, but we must respect that some thing have not been revealed to us.”89
These things represent the deep things of God–mysteries as to His nature, His attributes and
His control over history. When dealing with these, we need to be careful and tread carefully.
4.1. Biblical Solutions to the Problem of Evil
The discussion on evil in the world is complex as it related to God’s attributes, particularly his
sovereignty, justice and goodness. The Bible does not provide us with a single teaching on
this area; rather, the issue is addressed in a number of passages thought the whole bible. The
86 www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/free_ebooks/The_Brothers_Karamazov_NT.pdf87 From the unpublished MINTS textbook of Rev. Dr. Julian Zugg on Apologetics (www.zugg.org).88 Ibid. 71, 7289 Ibid. 72
Bible also warns us that we cannot answer every question about God, as Deuteronomy
reminds us that some things belong to God and he will never reveal them to us. (Deut 29:29).
4.2. God is Fully in Control of Both Evil and Good
The Scriptures90 make it clear that God is fully in control of all good and evil actions that
occur. Texts such as Genesis 50:20 and Acts 2:23, 4:27 show all actions occur according to
His purpose. There is no act, good or evil, that is outside the will of God. If we lose a child or
a wife dies, even in these extreme cases, we can say that these events are subject to God’s
will.
4.3. The Limitation of our Knowledge
The fact that God does not justify His actions to men and that we do not know all the facts
about every situation is powerfully made in Job. Job teaches that God’s ways are inscrutable
and Job contains a powerful warning about judging God.
As to Job, Zugg91 notes that God does not tell Job about the sequence of events that led to his
suffering. God rebukes Job for claiming that He, God, was unjust. It is vital to note what God
does and does not tell Job. When God comes to Job, Job is no longer asking the questions;
rather, it is God who asks the questions. God questions Job, forcing Job to realize how little he
actually knows (38:4-5). God having established His preeminence once, then does it again. In
40:6-41:34, He questions Job a second time. Job‘s response is telling (42:3-6). Job had begun
by bringing charges against God. In response God points out Job’s inadequacy and sin. Job is
forced to admit that in his relationship with God, God is the master and he is the servant. Job
is not God’s equal and so he has no right to question God. Job repents.
It is important to note that God does not explain Himself to Job.92 He never explains to Job
the real reason behind his suffering. Instead, He justifies His actions by references to His
power, might and omnipotence. Once God has established this, the implication is clear: Job
does not have the authority to demand a response. By refusing to explain the true nature of the
trial, God asserts His own Sovereignty and Glory. As the master, He has the right to do
90 Ibid. 7291 Ibid. 7392 Ibid.
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whatever He likes. The Master does not have to justify His actions to His servant. God’s
words to Job demand that on the question of Job’s sufferings, Job has to trust Him. God
shows Job how great He is but He never answers Job’s real question. By doing so, God keeps
His status as God and He demands Job follow Him by faith.
According to Zugg93, Job teaches us a number of things. First, we are not God. Second, we
need to be careful in posing questions of Him. Third, in our sufferings we will not know
everything and we might never be told the real reason. Fourth, God calls Job to trust His
character. We are called to trust in His character, not understand Him. Finally, we must also
note that the Scriptures do say that the latter end of Job was better than the former end. Job
42:12 -15 states:
Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had
fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one
thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called
the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the
third Keren-happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the
daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
Also we may see in many passages in the Scripture that God is always just, and that in many
cases, we are the ones who are unjust. In Ezekiel 18:25 God says, Yet you say, ‘The way of the
Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways
which are not fair? He is only the Right One! That is why He is Just. The Justice of God is
also seen in Romans 9:14-23.94
Romans 9 is an important passage dealing with God’s sovereignty, goodness, justice and the
problem of evil.
Paul writes this section in a question and answer format–an imaginary protagonist asks the
questions and Paul responds. In this series of questions the specific question here is, If God is
totally free, in deciding who He will chose and who He will reject, can He still be righteous if
He elects some for death? Further, if God is sovereign, can men still be held accountable for
the actions they take?
93 Ibid. 7494 Zugg, Foundations of Apologetics, 76
The argument goes like that, What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?
Certainly not (Rom. 9:14).
In this section Paul raises a question of God’s own righteousness. If God, by nothing except
His own free choice, determines who will be saved and who will be rejected, can we say that
God is acting righteously if He elects some to evil purposes? Paul’s answer is clear: Even
though God chooses, He is not unrighteousness. In verses 10-13, Paul laid down a general
principle, a pattern that is repeated throughout the Scriptures. Pharaoh is a specific
illustration. In making his points Paul is careful only to quote God’s own words about
Himself, thus strengthening his case.
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of
him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. (Rom. 9: 15)
The basis of God‘s compassion is found in His own free choice, nothing more nor less. The
reason for the choice is found in God. Paul stresses also that the true reason that any are
blessed is not based upon the individual, “it is not of him who wills” (inner desire) “nor of
him who runs” (outward acting of that desire). The verses make it clear that the true reason
for any blessing is to be found in the free choice of God alone. These verses also imply God’s
sovereignty in these matters.
Paul goes on also to say:
For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may
show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 18 Therefore He
has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. (Rom. 9: 17)
As Zugg points out,95 in Romans 9:17 Paul stresses that God raised up Pharaoh for a purpose.
While we often run to the issue of God’s own hardening of Pharaoh, Paul’s principle stress is
on God’s will and purpose, not the hardening. God raises Pharaoh “For this purpose.” Paul
also shows God’s motive: God chooses in order that His power be seen and His name
95 Ibid. 77
77
glorified. Everything that happened to Pharaoh was used to demonstrate God’s great works to
the world. Pharaoh’s resistance and hardening only make God’s actions more spectacular.
Having stressed God’s purpose in verse 17, Paul then goes on to stress His freedom in all
things in Romans 1:18.96 This verse creates a parallel. It is God who has mercy; it is God who
hardens. God is in absolute control of all events. The concept of hardening refers to making a
sinner spiritually insensitive. Although in Exodus God’s explicit reference to hardening was
only after we are told that Pharaoh had hardened his own heart, this is not Paul’s thrust here.
Further, it is unclear that that conclusion can even be drawn from Exodus itself. Romans 9:18
tells us that God is not constrained by any act or consideration other than His own will. The
hardening indicated here is a sovereign act of God.
Here is how Paul defends his point:
Romans 9:19: You will say to me then, ’Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His
will?’
In Romans 9:17, 18 Paul demonstrated the absolute sovereignty of God over every aspect,
good and evil. He showed that God controls all events for His own purpose. These truths raise
the next question: if this is true, how can God still find fault when men do what they have
been chosen to do? Evil men are only acting according to God’s will.
Romans 9:20: But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed
say to him who formed it, ’Why have you made me like this?’
Paul’s reply, that they have no right to argue in this way with God, is a direct challenge to
men. Paul begins with the phrase “O man” drawing a contrast between created man and God,
the creature and the Creator. Having established the subordinate–the lesser status of man in
his argument–he then builds upon it arguing that man has no right to challenge God as to His
actions. God has the absolute right to do as He wishes.
Romans 9:21: Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one
vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
96 Zugg 77
Zugg rightly points out that the use of the potter and the clay illustration was common in
Israel and in the Middle East.97 The illustration stresses the right of the potter to make
whatever he likes out of the clay. Jeremiah and Isaiah both use this metaphor (Jer. 18:1-9, Isa.
29:16, 45:9).
Isaiah 29:16: Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the thing made say of him who made it, ’He did not make me?’ Or shall the thing
formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding?’
Isaiah 45:9: Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds
of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your
handiwork say, ‘He has no hands?’
Paul uses the same logic, says Zugg,98 to show that as the potter has the right to make the clay
into anything he wishes, even so God has the right to do anything He wishes, even with men.
Paul then continues his argument.
Romans 9:22: What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He
might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared
beforehand for glory.
Verse 22 begins a conditional sentence, one that Paul does not complete. In this verse Paul
points to God’s power and the demonstration of His wrath. He says that both of these are to
show His glory to those upon whom He will have mercy (His church) His glory.
In conclusion, Romans 9:18-22 make the following points: First, God is sovereign. Second,
God acts according to His own will. Third, man has no right to question God; God is the
potter and men are like clay. Finally, the wickedness of men will be used to demonstrate
God’s glory.
97Ibid. 7898 Ibid. 78
79
According to Zugg,99 there are a number of non-biblical defenses to the issue of evil before
God, and most of these either limit God’s goodness, His wisdom or His power. The
explanations generally fail to give due weight to the biblical and exegetical evidence. In order
to be faithful before God, we must be strictly exegetical and recognize our limitations when
delving into the mysteries of God. The Eastern Orthodox tradition is far from a biblical
defenses, namely that the idea that in our inner being we have the good and the evil and we
have to fight for the good is simply pagan.
In the contrast, the Bible tells us to be careful when dealing with the issues of evil. Because
we do not have all the facts, we might make wrong judgments.100 In Romans 9 Paul teaches
that God is absolutely sovereign over all things, even the eternal destiny of both the wicked
and the righteous. He can do this as the potter has power over the clay to make it into
whatever he chooses. He does this all to His own glory. In conclusion, John Calvin says:
“...We are taught the additional lesson that believers will never be exempt from troubles and
embarrassments. God does not promise them a life of ease and luxury, but deliverance from
their tribulations.”101
Lesson Eight Questions 1. Describe the problem of evil in secular Bulgaria according to the textbook.
2. What is the main concept of Jewish view of suffering?
4. What is the Eastern Orthodox view of God and evil, explain?
5. What is the non-believer’s view of evil?
6. Is God fully in control of good and evil? Give some Bible verses.
7. What does Ezekiel 18:25 say about the ways of the Lord?
8. In Romans 9, what point does Paul make in respect of the sovereignty of God and
the eternal destiny of men.
9. What is said about God in potter and the clay illustration in Isaiah and Ezekiel?
10. In Romans 9, what are God’s purposes for which He works all things?
99Ibid.100 Ibid. 79101 www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/haddington-house-journal/13_137.pdf
81
Bibliography
Anderson, Fransis I. Job. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. London: IVP, 1976.
Archer, G.L., Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Sixth Printing. Chicago: Moody Press, 1970.
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgaretnsia. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgeselschaft, 1990.
Bruce, F.F. The Poetry of the Old Testament. The New Bible Commentary. Eeerdmans Publishing. 1972.
Copeland, Mark. The Book of Job. Executable Outlines. Mark A.Copeland, 2006.Web.
Davidson, F. Ed. London: The New Bible Commentary. The Inter-Varsity Fellowship,October 1967.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Planet PDF, nd. Web.
Gruden, Wayne. (General Editor) ESV Study Bible. Good News Publishers. 2008
Hartley, John E. “The Book of Job.” The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988.
Longman, Trempler III and Raymond B. Dillard. An Introduction to the Old Testament; Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI; Second Edition 2006.
Pritchard, James B. ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3rd ed.Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.
Ritsman, Don. Psalms and Wisdom Literature. MINTS Textbooks. (http://courses.mints.edu/?s=ritsman) (date of entry – 11. 02. 2015)
Rubenstein, Richard L. After Auschwitz: History, Theology, a nd Contemporary Judaism. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992. Print.
The Holy Bible English Standard Version. Wheaton: Good News Publishing, 2008.
Sproul. R. C. (General Editor).The New Geneva Study Bible (NKJV). Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
Traub, William. Wisdom Literature. MINTS Textbook.
Tsevat, Matitiahu. The Meaning of the Book of Job. Jersey City: Ktav Publishing, 1981. Print.
Young, E.J. An Introduction to the Old Testament; Fourth Printing. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1969.
Young, John. The Mystery; Evil and God. London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1856. Web.
Zugg, Julian Michael. Foundations of Apologetics. (www.courses.mints.edu; www.zugg.org)
Recommended Internet Sites:
http://www.bartleby.com/268/7/10.html (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
http://biblestudycourses.org/job-bible-study-courses/introduction-to-job/ (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
http://forums.delphiforums.com/thebagfny/messages?msg=6.2994 (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/free_ebooks/The_Brothers_Karamazov_NT.pdf (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
www.thirdmill.org (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
http://theaquilareport.com/john-calvin-encouraging-words-to-suffering-believers/ (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
http://www.ccel.org (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0017_0_17125.html (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
www.theopedia.com/Development_of_the_canon (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
www.wikipedia.com (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
Thomas Boston - http://grace-ebooks.com/library/Thomas%20Boston/TB_Crook%20in%20the%20Lot%20The.pdf; (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/haddington-house-journal/13_137.pdf (date of entry 11. 02. 2015)
Biography
83
My name is Stanislav Yovchev Alexiev. I was born in 1972 in North East Bulgaria. I came
from a non-Christian family. My parents’ relatives belonged to the Communist Party. In 1989
the freedom came. In 1991 I became a Christian. Then I went to study Theology in the Capital
of Bulgaria – Sofia. In 1997 I started to serve to the Union of Evangelical Congregational
Churches in Bulgaria as a lay preacher in a city called Rousse – on the border with Romania.
At the same time I started serving the Lord among the Bulgarian Jewish people with a mission
called Christian Witness to Israel. In 2008 I was ordained as a Minister of the Word in our
Denomination. At present I am the secretary of our Union and an elder in the main
Congregational church in the country, located in Sofia. I am married to my wife Margarita and
we have two children – our daughter Tzveta, and our son Julian.
