Have You an Arm Like God?: A Thematic Study on the Character of the Saving Greatness of God in the Book of Job

By Jeffrey K. Wisner

Job is a person lifted out of ancient history in dramatic fashion, addressing the most basic questions of life: Is God good and just? What does it mean to possess a secure relationship with God? How can security be obtained? The suffering of Job provides the impetus for a theological debate. Jobs friends believe his sins caused his troubles. Job refuses to submit to their hypocritical diatribes. He prefers an audience with God. He presumes to indict Gods testimony of justice in the world.

After his friends exhaust their efforts, a young man confronts Jobs magisterial presentation. He challenges Jobs declarations concerning Gods person and work. He prepares him to meet with true majesty. The Lord continues to challenge from a whirlwind. His first speech reinforces His power of justice, His ability to sustain life, and His design through creation, revealing the character of a God who oversees life with good intentions.

The second speech addresses Gods ability to judge and destroy the personality of evil. The center of this speech reveals a Messianic expression of hope. The way in which God introduces this testimony reinforces the understanding this Coming One is God Himself. The knowledge gained by Job propels him into a spirit of praise and worship, preparing him to minister as a priest for his erring friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512707199

Jeffrey K. Wisner

This study on Job began as a thesis project for seminary in 1982. During research, the Lord awakened a new interpretive perspective regarding the Lord’s speeches. Through the years, further research has expanded that perspective while attempting to integrate the different sections of Job with a more logical flow. The result has produced a view of Job’s theme that magnifies the saving character of God and awakens a willingness to identify with his suffering.

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Copyright © 2015 Jeffrey K. Wisner.

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Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-0718-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-0720-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-0719-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015913194

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/31/2015

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Prologue Of Job

Chapter 2 The Exceeding Depth Of Sorrow In Job

Chapter 3 The Proposed Restoration Of Eliphaz

Chapter 4 The Caustic Response Of Job To Eliphaz

Chapter 5 Bildad’s Interaction And Job’s Response

Chapter 6 Zophar’s First Rebuke And Job’s Challenge In Return

Chapter 7 Eliphaz’ Entrenched Position With Job’s Appeal For Compassion

Chapter 8 The Second Rebuke Of Bildad And Job’s Resounding Testimony Of Faith

Chapter 9 Zophar’s Final Declaration With Job’s Thoughtful Reflection On Justice

Chapter 10 Seeking The Essence Of A Relationship With God

Chapter 11 Extolling The Greatness Of God

Chapter 12 The Testimony Of A Righteous Man Before God

Chapter 13 Elihu’s Confrontation With Job

Chapter 14 Elihu’s Continuing Rebuke

Chapter 15 The Magnificence Of God’s Saving Presence Revealed Through Creation

Chapter 16 The Specific Revelation Of God’s Future Saving Work

Chapter 17 Job’s Magnificent Testimony Of Praise

Chapter 18 The Vindication And Restoration Of Job

Chapter 19 Relating The Theme Of Job To The Rest Of Scripture And History

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have been blessed with a wonderful family that displays loving support and encouragement in my life. The Lord has given to me a wife who loves me tenderly and exhorts me to fight the good fight of faith. Long ago as I worked to complete seminary training, she faithfully typed my thesis project on Job without the benefit of computer technology. It had to be typed perfectly without the use of white-out for mistakes. She managed this without complaint while concentrating on raising our 4 young children at the time and overseeing a household that involved extra borders. The struggles of life have never led her to encourage me to doubt the goodness of God much in the same vein as Job’s wife at one point did with him.

Nancy and I have raised 10 children, 6 boys and 4 girls. This has helped us identify in a small manner with the circumstances of Job. There have been times when my enthusiasm for the book of Job has been balanced with hesitancy lest the full measure of Job’s experience intrude upon our lives. The full measure of the blessing of God is sought without reserve, no matter how He chooses to bring this blessing.

Our children and grandchildren are a gift from the Lord. Our family has learned to be devoted to one another in ways that mirror the display and support of Job’s family gatherings for one another. I am grateful for the support of each one of them. I am amazed at the grace of God that works His transforming power in the life of each one of them. I have sought to pour my life into each of them on a level that captures the concern of Job in regards to his children. I trust their lives completely into the hand of God. May He extend His power through them in ways that go far beyond my limited influence.

I want to thank our dear friend Tami Cooper who spent extra time helping with the editing process. She is clothed with honesty and skill. Her encouragement through each step in helping me develop greater communication skill has been invaluable. I am also grateful for the friends who have taken the time to read my thoughts and respond to the unique theology being proposed. I am always challenged particularly by my closest friend Robbie over the years who functions by adding discipline according to the proverb of iron sharpening iron in our relationship. We rejoice together in seeing God’s Word come alive with greater meaning and impact. My church family has patiently endured my teaching on Job, asking pertinent questions. My church leadership has graciously given me time to work on producing this book on Job.

More than anything, I trust the Lord with this work. His grace has opened my heart to see the majesty of His saving work with Job so that I echo Job’s exclamation: I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. I have come to believe that God in His greatness can use even the most timid of His children in ways beyond their normal capacity: Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us (Eph. 3:20). He has caused my heart to believe this faithful effort on understanding Job will stimulate a world concerning the greatness of His saving work in Jesus Christ. May His name be lifted on high and unite those who look for and love His appearing (2Tim. 4:8).

INTRODUCTION

THE LASTING INTEREST IN THE BOOK OF JOB

T he book of Job has fascinated writers of every age. It contains a power of expression that remains unrivaled in the history of literature. It combines a style of prose and poetry that reveals a highly structured drama surrounding a portion of the life of a unique man. A multiplicity of suggested thematic material has challenged the hearts and minds of the greatest theologians and thinkers of the ages. The book explores the nature of man’s relationship with God, the purpose of suffering in the development of a life, the impact and character of evil confronting those who seek to live a good life, and the greatness of God’s sovereign oversight which promotes life for mankind. At the heart of its presentation is the question, what does it mean to live a good life before God? And flowing from this, what can man expect from God as a result of this commitment? No greater questions have demanded the attention of mankind, or have shaped the development of its history.

Perhaps the greatest struggle encompassing the book of Job involves the discovery of its main theme. Numerous commentators have offered perspectives which seek to handle the difficulty of the text and the ordering of the parts of the drama. In the process of attempting to tease out a prominent theme, many of these authors remove portions of the book, emend a number of places in the text, or rearrange sections in order to serve preconceived notions of how the book should fit together. The result of such effort has a tendency to baffle rather than clarify. The book remains shrouded with a certain amount of mystery as to its ultimate meaning and purpose.

This present writing is one more effort to grasp the majesty of the book of Job and give it a sense of completion and understanding. The perspective offered is born out of years of reflection, enabled by the efforts of those far more gifted in the original languages. It is offered as an encouragement for greater study concerning the nature and character of the God who has given us life in Jesus. It is presented with the hope that Jesus Christ will be exalted as the only true way of salvation. May the Lord use these words in a manner that glorifies Himself and brings many to a saving relationship with His Son Jesus, the true Coming One.

The Description of the Book of Job

Job is the story of a good man who has a good relationship with God, but seems abandoned by God into the hands of a wicked instigator of evil. He is exposed to face the enormity of trouble and sorrow without any seeming support from God. His own wife sees his troubles and reasons in her heart that Job has been abandoned by God. Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die (2:9). The intensity of the sorrow brought upon Job drives him down a path of hopelessness. At the height of his physical suffering, he wishes he had never been born. In the depth of his despair, he longs for death but finds no peace in his pursuit. Job feels abandoned and betrayed by the God he has come to trust. His whole world has been turned inside out. He has no sure foundation, no sense of purpose that produces for him a reason to live out his days. Is life worth living in the midst of such suffering? Does God have a proper control over life? Does God even care about what is happening to him?

Job has friends who come to him from some distance and sit with him for seven days and seven nights (2:11-13). They are shocked by his appearance. When he finally speaks, they are appalled at his outburst. They recognize a man on the brink of destruction. They feel a responsibility to guide Job back to a place of security. They begin a series of extended confrontations which seek to lead Job to return to the faith and hope he at one time possessed. Their explanation for his present trouble conjures the belief that he has committed some form of heinous sin deserving the judgment he is receiving. Job knows nothing of such sin. The opening two chapters of the book of Job highlight Job’s innocence. Nothing is known about the apparent wager God has made with Satan over the life of Job. Their furtive explanations are resisted by Job. The result of their dialogue takes Job even deeper into seeking to understand the relationship a man has with God, even to the point of questioning God’s judgment and His actions.

The unfolding dialogue between Job and his friends intensifies. They insist upon the reality of Job’s guilt. They do so to the point of describing ways Job must have failed in his duties before God and man, none of which are supported in reality. In a vociferous contrast, Job struggles to understand life and the unexplained injustice of God’s oversight that seems to dominate the good and bad alike. Job is shaken out of his commitment of allowing darkness to swallow his existence and discovers a renewed desire for answers. He raises strong issues about God’s activity in reference to mankind and what it means to be able to enter into God’s presence and make his case before God. Job pursues God with a persistence that believes God will mold and shape his experiences as gold tried by fire (23:10). In the end, Job relies upon the confidence he places in his own life of integrity to insure for himself a proper audience with God. Behold, here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written, surely I would carry it on my shoulder, I would bind it to myself like a crown. I would declare to Him the number of my steps; like a prince I would approach Him (31:35-37).

An emotional high resonates within the reader in support of Job at the conclusion of his last speech. He refuses to cower beneath the ill-conceived explanations of his friends. They weave a lie for him to embrace in order to placate the anger of God. He refuses to bite into that lie as an easy way to produce safe results. Some commentators suggest the book of Job should end in a satisfactory manner at this point. Job is at the height of his confidence. He has thwarted the useless bantering of the three friends. The answer to his problem has even been proposed by Job in chapter 28 through the description and importance of wisdom, …and to man He said, behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding (28:28).

The book fails to end at this point. It is natural in the flow of the drama to desire for the Lord to appear and offer an explanation for what has happened and reveal His support of His servant Job. Neither of these happens in a manner that pleases on the surface. Before God speaks, a young man dominates the conversation with Job. The part he plays in the development of thought is criticized by conservative scholars and liberals alike. Very few readers appreciate the character this young man displays. He is motivated by anger and demands an audience. In a kind of audacious manner, he implies his speaking is a result of the movement of the Spirit of God upon his heart (32:8). While giving vent to his perspective, he encourages Job to speak. He demands a proper response from Job. Very little time is wasted in waiting for Job’s response (33:32-33). Many say he offers counsel no different than the previous three friends. Throughout his confrontation Job remains silent, which seems out of place for the character of Job. Toward the end of his monologue he focuses upon the magnificence of God’s power in creation. In an intriguing manner, his description paves the way for the Lord’s speeches.

The natural climax of the book is anticipated through the speeches of the Lord. Their manner of presentation and subject matter have at times confused and left too many unanswered questions. The Lord directs His speeches to Job from a whirlwind. No tender, comforting approach assuages Job’s grief. No direct answer addresses the suffering which dominates the story line. Instead, the Lord indicts Job, demanding, gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! (38:3). The Lord presents a long series of questions which bombard Job in ways that leave him speechless. The questions are beyond Job’s capacity to respond. The questions of God act in a way that crushes the obstinate insistence of Job for answers about God’s justice. Job responds at the end of this speech in a subdued manner. Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth (40:4-5). For some commentators, this falls short of the complete expression of repentance given later in 42:2-6. Job seems resistant and in need of further confrontation from God. It comes in the form of two giant beasts, which reinforce Job’s lack of ability to control creation.

Two supposed beasts dominate the last speech of the Lord. Their identity is fraught with uncertainty, corresponding in every detail to nothing in the known animal kingdom. Their application to Job and his situation is likewise confusing. The beasts have been portrayed by some commentators as the hippopotamus and crocodile, or as dinosaurs and even mythical creatures. Throughout the presentation, the emphasis being reinforced declares that no one can control these beasts for his own purposes. Job is criticized for imagining he could even try. Lay your hand on him; remember the battle; you will not do it again! (41:8). The final presentation of Leviathan is long and drawn out, picturing the image of a dragon. The last words speak of him being king over all the sons of pride (41:34). The full purpose of the length and description of this one particular beast defies full understanding.

Following the Lord’s second speech, the response of Job reveals one of the most prominent statements of faith in Scripture. I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted (42:2). The imaginative power revealed through Job’s response demands closer scrutiny as to its meaning and why he is dominated by such enthusiasm. His understanding seems to have grown. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You (42:5). Job confirms his repentance. The expression of his repentance moves him from the place of sorrow, wallowing in ashes, to a place of preparation for ministry to his friends.

The last portion of the book of Job returns him to a state of blessedness. This touches a cord of expectation in the heart of the reader who longs for a good ending for a good man. The concluding remarks by God raise a number of unsettling questions. What did Job speak that was right in opposition to the three friends (42:7)? Didn’t they both see God in much the same way? Why wasn’t the young man Elihu addressed at this time too? Is God choosing to ignore someone who was long-winded? How does the doubling of Job’s blessing after his expression of repentance fit in with the improper view of the three friends? Does that indicate they were right in saying Job caused some of his own trouble? How does the final description of Job, particularly the mentioning of his daughters, fit in with the overall theme? Job gives his daughters an inheritance along with the sons which is quite unique in the cultural context.

The book of Job offers an adventure which plumbs the heart of what it means to relate in a personal manner to the majesty of God. Through the prism of the intensity of Job’s struggle is displayed all the great theological principles which impact life: the reality of evil; the sinfulness of man; the sovereign greatness, power, and creativity of God; the application of the justice of God; the significance of grace and mercy with God; the hope of a final judgment of God; the importance of faith and trust in God. This is not an easy book to grasp. It demands hard work in its reading and searching for understanding and application. Its creative presentation has garnered a lasting fascination for the ambitious who yearn to understand what it means to relate to and know God in an intimate manner.

Personal Journey in the study of Job

I felt led by the Lord in seminary to study the book of Job. I was in a class on Old Testament Introduction. Students were required to choose topics to write papers from a list of subjects given by our teacher. I felt a strange providence leading me to Job. Every other subject matter was taken before me but one. The subject I chose asked for a discussion of the theme of Job. The task was quite daunting. While working the grave yard shift at the Post Office, I would listen for hours to the flow of Job from an old 1950’s audio tape version of the King James presented by Alexander Scorby. As I became immersed in listening, the drama unfolded with emotional power. I felt compelled to wrestle through each section seeking to capture the transition in thought. I came to realize the whole book hung on a right interpretation of the Lord’s speeches. Everything flowed towards their climatic revelation. I began to question the common understanding of what God was doing in these speeches. Was God crushing Job with knowledge too great for him to know? Perhaps God was revealing something new that awakened Job from discouragement and allowed him to put all the pieces together and make a satisfying application to his life.

I often found that many of the commentaries had done excellent work in discussing the flow of the main body of the text. When they came to the Lord’s speeches, their effort seemed hurried and perfunctory. Frances Andersen sought in an imaginative manner to show how the Lord’s speeches become a kind of playful dialogue walking Job through creation, portraying the wonder and care written into creation, impressing upon Job what a splendid thing it is to be a man.¹ It almost gave the impression God was emphasizing to Job: Calm down, I have everything under control. That sort of attitude worked itself into the explanation of the text. The impression remained most people didn’t know how to deal with the Lord’s speeches so they glossed over trying to discover any deeper meaning or more complete connection to the rest of the book. Most of these persuasions leave one with an unsettled feeling that something is missing.

Added to the dilemma surrounding the Lord’s speeches is the importance of the young man Elihu. What a swing of emotion is captured either in support for the young man or complete dismissal of his significance in the writing. I was struck by the beauty and power of Elihu’s description at the end of his speeches and how they fit in with the intensity of the final revelation of the Lord? How could Elihu be dismissed with such disdain? If Elihu is wrong in his discussion, why is so much space given to him? Why does the Lord not mention him at the end with the indictment of the other friends? Such silence is disturbing.

In the midst of focused study on Job, I woke up one Sunday morning preparing for worship with our church family. A lingering praise song from sleep helped transition me into the day: I … will … bless the Lord, and give … him … glory … O, I … will … bless His name, and give … Him … Glory. I continued humming the song as my conscious mind began to focus. I sat at my desk in my bedroom. In the spirit of this window of joy I began to translate from the Hebrew section of Job 40:15- Job 41:1-3. The English version is Job 41:9-11. A flash of insight gripped my heart as I saw something different for the first time. It was not what I would call a divine revelation. I felt my mind being opened to an understanding which I was being led to receive and couldn’t grasp on my own. I would call this the illumination of the Spirit. A cry welled up from my soul giving vent to this exclamation: This is it. This is the key. I saw something that pieced everything together, the declaration of a Coming One. God was revealing to Job the nature of a person who would be able to confront the proud autonomy of Leviathan. I connected this person with the Prophesy from Genesis 3:15. God Himself would destroy the ultimate expression and source of evil by means of the appearance of a Coming One. That Coming One is God! The coming Messiah would effectively take care of what appeared as indestructible to man. It was a promise by God to do what God suggested no man could do in Chapter 40:8-14. It was a promise of the destruction of Leviathan set in the middle of a long, drawn out description of only one mythological animal named in the text as Leviathan. The term Behemoth is used in a different manner altogether.

Why did I see it in this manner? Was I forcing something into the text that I wanted to see? That is often what happens in seeking to discover meaning within a difficult text. The English translations of these verses change the pronouns. It is done in order to try and accommodate the preceding context. Job is told he has no ability to fight Leviathan. Lay your hand on him; remember the battle, you will not do it again! (41:8). Following this statement is the literal translation, Behold, His hope (expectation) has been made false (has proven false). Is he not at His appearance cast down (thrown down, destroyed). The following verse is also literally translated: No one (There is none) so cruel (fierce) that arouses Him. Most commentators refer the following verses to God. Who then is he that can stand before Me? Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine (41:11). The text in the Hebrew is difficult. Some scholars are willing to rearrange or emend the text in order for it to make more sense. It is all very confusing until it is placed into the context of the book as a whole in seeking to understand the theme of Job.

While studying Job’s theme in seminary, I never felt comfortable with several of the common approaches. The major approaches address either the suffering of a righteous man, the greatness of the sovereignty of God, or the misplaced wisdom of man in opposition to the greatness of God’s wisdom. More prominently, the book is emphasizing something that involves the nature of what it means to relate personally to God. How can a man experience security in his relationship with God? When God responds to Job at the end of the book, something clicks in Job after the second speech in a way that sends Job into a stratosphere of praise. The normal interpretation which suggests God presents two unusual animals in this last speech never thrilled my soul in the same way it touches Job. It is true, I was not listening to God speak to me from a whirlwind. The normal interpretation of these animals seemed no different than what was happening in the first speech. I kept asking myself what was different which generated such enthusiasm from Job?

I felt led to view the whole passage from 40:16- 41:34 as describing the character of a personal being called Leviathan, so named in 41:1. Within that passage is revealed a proud, self-willed creature who imagines being able to confirm his every desire. That creature describes the character of everything set in opposition to God and man. The second speech began to take on mythic proportions. It was revealing far more in the nature of its description than a mere animal which could be pinpointed upon the earth. The influence of the nature of this different perspective has grown over the years as I have been introduced to other authors who have wrestled with the Hebrew text and its implications. I have drawn upon the insight of others but have used their perspectives with my own imaginative understanding. I have been graciously questioned by some close friends over my yearning to make everything in Job come out into a neat and logical conclusion.² It is not my intention to do this at the expense of handling accurately the text of Job. For me, the lasting quality of Job requires seeking a renewed view of what God was doing in the life of Job and his friends, and consequently in the life of those exposed to Job’s life. Why did God choose to use Job in this manner? What was God seeking to teach mankind at the time of Job’s life? What does this say to us in our present time?

A great amount of skepticism dominates biblical interpretation in regards to how much understanding the earlier generations received in reference to the truths of the coming Messiah and the unfolding importance of His work. Much of this surrounds the concept of progressive revelation. How much did Old Testament believers know about the plan of God? There is danger in seeking to read New Testament Theology back into an Old Testament predicament. Over a period of years, that daunting concern no longer frightens me. There are passages of Scripture that inform the reader of a considerable amount. The book of Isaiah describes a child to be given who reveals the characteristics of God (Isaiah 9:6) and performs a ministry as a sacrifice for sin (Isaiah 53). All of that is vividly seen and applied to Jesus for eyes that can see, even though it is at least 700 years before the ministry of Jesus. A world of unbelief constantly refuses to embrace what is clearly prophesied in the text of Holy Scripture. It is not my intention to impose a private interpretation based upon some kind of personal revelation from God. I believe in the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Proper biblical interpretation must demand careful reflection involving many disciplines of thought and research. Those disciplines must complement each other while promoting proper application to real world situations.

Throughout this writing I have used the New American Standard Bible (NASB) as my translation of preference. There are specific times I translate the Hebrew in as literal a fashion as I am capable of doing. I have not sought to explain every word or phrase in Job. At times I skip over sections with minimal comment. My purpose in writing is to discover the transition in thought from one person to the next while seeking to give greater meaning to the flow within the structure. Great difficulty abounds in seeking to understand the flow and the logical connection between the speakers and the various sections.

My children love to watch Monk, a detective series in which Monk uncovers the killer and brings him or her to justice. Often times Monk will share rather openly whom he believes the killer to be. At times he will reveal his intention to the individual he believes has committed the crime by saying something to this effect, I know you did it. I just don’t know how it was done yet. The show is based upon putting facts together which point to the conclusion already given. Using this kind of approach, I have suggested a particular interpretation concerning a portion of the Lord’s second speech. I want to put the facts together throughout the book of Job in such a fashion so as to show the strong possible support for a Messianic reference to a Coming One revealed by God in His second speech. That person will ultimately confound and destroy evil and injustice that plagues much of life. It is my passionate desire for this book to be used to present the greater truth of the good news that finds fulfillment in the death and resurrection of Jesus, who is the only one able to destroy the works of Satan (1John 3:8). He declared, I am way the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me (John 14:6).

History and Theme

Whether or not Job is a real person has been debated and oftentimes cast aside as an unimportant issue. A few, ancient historical documents present a hazy acknowledgment of the character of a great man who suffered deeply. None of the secular references capture the full testimony of what is presented in the book of Job. The unique style of writing suggests Job was a myth that some unknown poet used to flesh out his artistic zeal. The book of Job manifests a high degree of structure. There is a prose opening to the book and a prose epilogue. A number of items in these sections have the appearance of being orchestrated for literary effect. The mention of Job’s wealth at the beginning reveals the extent of the Lord’s blessing upon his life. The doubling of this at the end reinforces in a pronounced way the renewed care of God. Job is also given ten more children which completes the image of double blessing. The number of years Job is given at the end of his life suggests a doubling aspect to the fullness of his time on earth, leading to a guess of his age during his time of trial.

All of this is intricately structured and has the appearance of being molded in the form of a parable rather than declaring something that is grounded in history. The majority of the book is written in the Hebrew style of poetry. It is quite improbable for Job to carry on a debate with his friends in the exalted elegance presented. Poetry captures the emotions. It demands greater internal reflection from the reader. Job is structured carefully into three rounds of speeches, with each of the friends taking turns speaking in the midst of Job’s responses. Job is a literary masterpiece. Perhaps in the minds of some, the figure of Job was some unknown sufferer from the ancient past with a vague history who has become immortalized through the poetic license displayed through this writing. This perspective misconstrues the impact of the rest of Scripture.

Other parts of Scripture strongly emphasize the person of Job as someone who is real, whose struggle with life truly existed. He is described as possessing a priestly kind of ministry, who endured through suffering (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; James 5:11). These references lend support to the belief Job is not some mythical figure, but a man of flesh and blood who lived before God and experienced the trials attributed to him. Even with these notations, the history of Job can be reasoned away as a parable or a myth through suggesting a real person was lionized beyond history to formulate an effective lesson.

My understanding of the book demands a real person who experienced the suffering attributed to him in the story. All the people involved were real. The young man Elihu is given a family name (32:2). There is no reason for this within the story itself unless his introduction places him in the context of a people to be remembered. The issues which arise as a result of the trouble coming upon Job become essential for the people living at the time of Job. The friends of Job at the end of the book faced the real wrath of God which their actions demanded. The book of Job is not some allegory written at the time of Israel’s exile in order to warn the nation concerning the foolishness of putting faith in something other than God. However, there are theological issues brought up through the book which impress themselves upon the reader with a timeless application.

The greatest emphasis in dating the book of Job must come from an understanding of its theme. Why was the book written? What is the real dilemma it seeks to address? A number of prominent themes vie for attention: philosophical questions about suffering, deeper reflection on the sovereignty of God, or understanding the true nature of wisdom. If any of these is the theme, the date of writing could easily be attributed to times when Israel faced unexplained troubles. Whatever theme proposed must carefully weave every section of Job into a significant whole.

Suffering dominates much of the movement of the book. Oftentimes, the young man Elihu is brought forward to emphasize how suffering is used to discipline the people of God in order to protect and more strongly establish them in the presence of God. Such controversy surrounds the interpretation of his part in the story. To suggest this is the reason for the book would imply Job was failing in the way he was living his life. God had to bring this kind of suffering into his life in order to discipline him and put him back on a proper pathway. This in effect denies the opening chapters and God’s declaration concerning Job. It makes the accusations of the friends appear as if they were right all along in their condemnation of Job. Such an emphasis makes the Lord’s speeches a kind of addendum to the book rather than the appropriate climax to everything which has gone on before. But if the Lord’s speeches are the climax, God never addresses the issue of suffering directly in what He declares. The manner of His speaking becomes a kind of crushing of Job within the display of His sovereign power, imposing the effect that Job has no right to ask any questions over how God functions in creation. That picture of God leaves a believer with a perspective of the greatness of God’s power, but nothing regarding what Job is truly seeking through the intensity of his questions: pity, compassion and understanding concerning God’s workings.

Wisdom is a popular theme in the book of Job. God’s wisdom is greater than man’s. Every one of the speakers seeks to describe his own version of what is happening in Job’s life. Each fails to realize God is doing something far greater through His sovereign oversight. The speeches of God at the end become a proclamation that His wisdom is supreme and can be trusted. Through a series of questions, Job is bombarded with his own incomplete understanding of how God fits creation together. Through experiencing the majesty of God’s revelation and hearing of the things he cannot know or control, Job is taught to rely upon God’s wisdom rather than the shortsightedness of man’s.

Job’s response to God far exceeds the justification of this as a theme. His response speaks of enlightenment, of seeing something he missed before. His passion for greater understanding demands something beyond what he has previously accepted. Job’s testimony in Chapter 28 reveals his commitment to the recognition of the principle of the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Job has already lived this principle of life (1:1). If all God is doing in His final speech is emphasizing the greatness of His wisdom, thereby calling mankind to respect this by living in the fear of the Lord, then the testimony by God concerning Job in the first place was wrong (1:8). What God does in the epilogue confuses the situation. Why single Job out among his friends as speaking what is right in opposition to them? Why make them perform sacrifices and solicit Job’s prayers in a priestly manner? Why does God reward Job again in the end which would seem to cause them to fall right back into their improper theology of the good being blessed and the bad receiving judgment? Why does Job mention in the end his daughters receiving an inheritance? How do these actions enhance a theme which ties everything that is happening in the book back into the idea of exalting God’s wisdom?

The theme of Job involves something far more profound. It must take into account the depth of Job’s desire to experience the blessing of God in a full manner. Job longs for a renewed security with God! He cries out for a renewed relationship with God. He longs for answers to be given to him which will solidify this relationship. The theme of the book of Job magnifies the character of a saving God. It shatters any recalcitrant suggestion involving man’s capability. Salvation is in God alone. It is a simple and foundational truth needing to be constantly reinforced. Is God great in salvation? Can God bring His own through the valley of the shadow of death? What is the foundation of our trust in this God of salvation? Do we trust in the strength of our own arm? Or do we trust in the character of God who reveals through creation and the promise of a Coming One the depth of His capacity to destroy evil and establish justice? Job and his friends need to understand the nature of the security of what it means to have a true relationship with God. It is not based on our ability to earn the right to receive His grace. It is based on trusting in the fullness of His character and work. God is great. His greatness is never more prominent than when He brings to completion His saving work in those who truly belong to Him.

The great temptation in working through Job in our present day attitude