The Book of Job: Structure & Message

The book of Job offers a three-fold thematic scheme that supports the central claim of the Pentateuch, the claim found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and known to the Jews as “the Shema,” a verse that declares the God of Israel is one, true and living God, a theme that undergirds all of the historical books as well. Thus, the foundational theme of Job is the central claim of the Pentateuch, a theme shared by all books of the Holy Scriptures. The secondary, structural theme of the book of Job supports the primary theme of the Old Testament books of Hebrew poetry, wisdom literature, and laments (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Song of Solomon, and Psalms) by stating that God offers man divine to guide him his walk with God. The third theme declares that man is called to love God with all of his heart. In the book of Proverbs, he fulfills this calling by understanding the divine proverbs given to Solomon and following the path of wisdom in the fear the Lord, while the book of Job serves as an example of man’s efforts to walk in divine wisdom in the fear of God, yet in need of a Redeemer. The application of this third theme for today’s reader can be seen in the fact that divine wisdom always points us to Christ, who alone was able to walk in perfect understand of the divine wisdom of God the Father. With Job as our example, we are to endeavour to walk in divine wisdom through the leadership of the Holy Spirit as we grow into a mature relationship of loving God with all of our mind. The book of Job testifies to the fact that man, in his best display of righteousness, is yet in need of a Redeemer, as was Job. There was no other man in ancient history that walked upright before God as Job walked before Him. However, in the midst of his trial, his cry to justify himself before God only brought a divine dialogue in which God justified no man; rather He revealed to Job his weakness and frailty among His creation. As a result, Job acknowledges his own need of redemption. The book of Job also shows us that any man in any time in history or in any place on earth, under any circumstances, can know, seek, and find God Himself. Perhaps the most often question regarding the book of Job is why he suffered, being a righteous man. In other words, what was the purpose of this experience in the life of Job? We find a clue in the only New Testament reference to Job, where the epistle of James says, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (Jam 5:11) The New Testament tells us to look at the last chapter of the book, at Job’s ability to endure, and the Lord’s ability to restore. He served as an example to his generation of God’s ability to restore a person under any circumstance, who had undergone any situation that life could bring his way. God allowed Job to be tested so that Job could declare to his generation and the generations following of God’s power to restore, to heal, and to prosper His children. Because Job was perfect and upright (Job 1:1), and because he was turned over to Satan to endure suffering (Job 1:12; 2:6), he serves as a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Passion of Jesus was unjustified in that Christ was sinless; yet, the Father turned Him over to judgment so that he could bear the sins of mankind. In a similar manner, Job was turned over to suffering for a season, although he was upright before God. His three friends accused him wrongly, failing to understand the necessity of Job’s suffering and redemption. In this act of condemning their friend, they sinned (Job 42:7-9). God’s remedy for their redemption was Job’s intercession for them. Job’s position as an intercessor in behalf of God serves as a type and figure of Christ Jesus (Heb 7:25). Job’s restoration symbolizes Christ’s exaltation and glorification before the Throne of God. Job’s double portion of blessings testified of divine approval before the eyes of his generation. Therefore, his uprightness, his suffering, his intercession for sins, and his prosperity all reflect the full redemption that comes through Christ Jesus our Lord. We find a similar example of an upright man in the life of Abraham. The father of our faith became a living testimony of how to walk by faith. He showed us how to walk out this life of faith in God’s Word with no other evidence than the spoken Word of God. Sometimes in today’s world, God chooses to raise up a person who can serve as a testimony of faith. In order to be this type of witness, God must take this person through a trial of faith. It was thirty-nine years from the time Abraham obeyed God and moved into the Promised Land until the time he offered up Isaac upon the altar. It took Abraham forty years to get to the place where God could test His faith at a level that would serve as a testimony for mankind. Abraham demonstrated on Mount Moriah what it looked like to obey God, what it looked like while against hope a man believes in hope, what it looks like to be not weak in the faith, what it looks like to considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: what it looks like to stagger not at the promise of God through unbelief; but to be strong in faith, giving glory to God; what it looks like to be fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Thus, Abraham became our example, “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him.” (Rom 4:23) With Job, we want to ask the question, “Was the tragedy that happened to Job of God or of the devil?” Job did not ask this question. Rather, he said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) As with Abraham, he gave glory to God. Job was called out by God to serve as a testimony to his generation as well as the following generations that every human being, even at his best, stands in need of redemption before a mighty God, and the only way to accept mankind was through an intercessor, of which Jesus Christ will become our great intercessor, as Job qualified to intercede for his friends through his sufferings because of his righteousness.

This paper analyzes the translator's treatment of Iob's suffering under the headings: 1. G's enhancement of the general and religious portrait of Iob; 2. The Lord's ways in the world, in a larger sense; 3. G's portrayal of the friends' role, antagonists; 4. G's presentation of Iob's suffering and of his response to it; 5. The Lord's concern for Iob in his suffering. It is now in print: “How the translator of Old Greek Job understood Job’s suffering,” in XVII Congress of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studes. Aberdeen, 2019. Edited by Gideon R, Kotzé, Michaël N. van der Meer, and Martin Rösel. SBLSCS 76. Atlanta; SBL Press, 2022. Pp. 636-63.

Common understandings of the books of Job and Deuteronomy cast them as contradictory documents. Some scholarship concurs with this view. Despite this understanding, scholarship has not thoroughly investigated the relationship of these two texts. The book of Job carries allusion and references to much literature in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East. In this thesis, I argue that the speeches of the character Job create a constructive dialogue with the book of Deuteronomy. While the views of the books are not identical, I argue that the speeches of Job largely evidence affirmation of Deuteronomy rather than derision or deconstruction. In order to demonstrate this claim, I examine the views of socio-religious expectations and retributive justice exhibited in each book. After these investigations, I examine the many intertextual connections between the speeches of Job and Deuteronomy. Three conclusions emerge from the study. (1) The socio-religious expectations, especially social ethics, of the book of Job are strikingly similar to Deuteronomy's expectations. It is possible that the author(s) of the book of Job used Deuteronomy as source material. (2) The views of retributive justice in the speeches of Job and Deuteronomy are similar, as opposed to popular belief. (3) Rhetorical analysis of Job's uses of allusions and references to Deuteronomy reveals far more affirmation and agreement than disagreement and derision. Intertextual Discourse and the Problem of God The Intersection of the Speeches of Job and Deuteronomy

2013

Human suffering is a universally rampant reality. Sages and commoners alike attempted to unravel the mysteries of suffering. An Indian legend of Harichandra shares the same thematic world of innocent suffering, experienced by Job. Yet, due to their underlying theological notions and worldviews, the responses of their lead characters differ: the former towards despair and latter toward trust in God. This article encourages Indian interpreters to utilize indigenous examples to appeal to the Indian audience, while being devoted to the uniqueness of the Biblical message.

religions, 2019

This article deals with a synchronic reading of the book and investigates the history of ideas such as anthropology and cosmology. It highlights the various positions within the dialog and ideas such as anthropology and cosmology. It highlights the various positions within the dialog and characterizes the prologue as a prefiguration of the contributions to the debate. Finally, it outlines characterizes the prologue as a prefiguration of the contributions to the debate. Finally, it outlines the the internal connection of prologue, dialog and epilog vis-à-vis divine justice and human fate internal connection of prologue, dialog and epilog vis-à-vis divine justice and human fate.