DBG - June 5 - Job 1-4

The books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations are all written as Hebrew poetry.  There are of course other portions of Scripture that contain poetry, but these are almost entirely that.  In modern English, we use patterns of rhymes and accents to add artistic beauty to our poetry.  In ancient Hebrew there is no rhyme or rhythm.  The way I like to describe it is that it rhymes ideas.  Each verse is either a couplet or triplet of ideas and imagery that enhances the meaning. 

The Book of Job is one of the most daunting books in the Bible to approach.  It is the story of the suffering of righteous Job and the search for meaning in it.  Its beauty and effectiveness are more about the journey than the answer.  Worldly wisdom and human understanding are put to the test through the perspective of Job’s friends and Job proves them all false.  It is only when God intervenes that new perspective is gained.

A few quick facts about Job:

In this chapter Job faces his first losses.

vs. 1-5 – Job (“persecuted”) lived in Uz, which is probably near Edom to the east of Israel.  We are introduced to his sterling character and vast wealth.  If there was ever a picture of blessed man, it was Job in these verses.  We also note in vs. 5 that he acted as priest for his family.  He was a spiritual man who faithfully served God.

vs. 6-12 – This is one of the strangest scenes in Scripture.  We are transported to Heaven as the angels (sons of God) present themselves before the Lord.  Among them is Satan, the old accuser of the brethren.  He has been searching for a saint to attack and God points to Job.  Satan says that if God would allow him to be attacked and loss his many blessing that Job would lose faith and curse God.  But God, knowing the heart of man, knew that Job’s faith was stronger than the fires he was to pass through.  To humiliate our adversary and to bring glory to Himself, God allows Satan to attack the possessions of Job but not the man himself.

vs. 13-19 – Blow after blow lands on poor Job.  He loses his livestock to raiders and weather.  A storm blows down the tent where his children had gathered, and all were killed.  No man has ever lost so much so quickly.

vs. 20-22 – How would Job react to such loss?  He mourns, humbles himself, and worships God.  Though he lost all he possessed he maintain his steadfast faith in God.  He did not question why.  He trusted in God’s providential care.  In Job’s reaction Satan’s accusations are proven false and God is glorified.

In this chapter Job’s health is taken and his friends arrive.

vs. 1-6 – We have another scene in Heaven just as we had in 1:6-12.  God again points out the faith of Job.  Satan replies that if he could just ruin Job’s health that Job would turn against God.  God allows Satan to attack Job, only limiting him by saying that Job could not be killed.  Again, God knew Job’s heart and that his faith was strong enough to survive even this test.  Satan would again be confounded and God glorified.

vs. 7-8 – The boils that Job is struck are reminiscent of those that struck the Egyptians in Exodus 9:9-11.  Many commentators suggest that is Elephantiasis but that is only a guess. It could be something supernatural that defies medical diagnosis.  Job sits in ashes, which is an ancient custom for mourning.  The only relief he has is to scrape his sores with a pottery shard.  Yet still his tongue refuses to curse God.

vs. 9-10 – As something of a final insult, now Job’s wife turns on him.  Perhaps Satan had spared her from direct attacks knowing she would aid in his cause. 

vs. 11-13 – We meet the first of Job’s four friends: Eliphaz (“God is his strength”),  Bildad (“son of contention”), and Zophar (“sparrow”).  A fourth named Elihu (“whose God is Jehovah”) appears in Chapter 32.  Their silence of 7 days could be in conjunction with a period of mourning (Genesis 50:10).

In this chapter Job begins to lament his existence.

vs. 1-10 – Job is the first to speak concerning his case.  He does not attack or accuse God but begins by lamenting his birth.  He wishes that he had never been born and that the anniversary of his conception to be marked as a cursed day.  It is anguish and grief that are speaking with little substance here.  He is not yet trying to understand his suffering.

vs. 11-23 – Since there is no profit in wishing he was not conceived, now he desires to have died in the womb or at birth.  It is still a useless complaint and an expression of his grief.

vs. 24-26 – Now we come to Job trying to reason out the cause of his suffering.  We must remember that he has not idea about the events in Chapters 1 and 2 concerning God and Satan.  All he knows is the terrible things that have happened to him.  Such losses were a concern that had lurked in his mind for some time before this.  He does not know the cause, but still “trouble came”.  He cannot understand why.  We begin our journey now to try to discover the answer to that question, as his friends suggest their theories and Job responds to each.

In this chapter Eliphaz begins his case against Job.

vs. 1-5 – Eliphaz begins by accusing Job of inconsistency and weakness.  He points to Job former pious actions and cannot reconcile his suffering with them.  Should he not have been stronger in the day of adversity?  Why had the one that had been a pillar of support for so many crumbled under the weight of his own affliction?

vs. 6-11 – Eliphaz accuses Job of hypocrisy.  His argument is based on the assumption that the innocent would be blessed by God and not punished like Job had been.  Therefore, Job must not be innocent.  It is the principle of Numbers 32:23 that your sin will eventually find you out. 

vs. 12-21 – Eliphaz appeals to a vision in which reinforced the idea that man could not be as holy or even holier than God.  This is at its core a true statement – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).  The problem is the assumption that follows from it: that all suffering is directly as result of personal sin.  Yes, there are wages of sin that are spiritual and eternal.  Yes, we can trace all problems in our world back to the effects of sin.  However, the logic Eliphaz is uses fails when taken to its logical limit.  If it were true that only the righteous avoided suffering, we would all still suffer because none are truly righteous.  His version of assigning guilty is not the same as used by God.  Nor does it reflect that God may exercise grace and mercy.

The Book of Job can be a daunting book to read.  You need to pay careful attention to who is speaking and what they are saying.  The arguments often build on each other as every person in the book tries to understand the reasons why saints may suffer.  I want to say at the beginning that this book is more about the journey than the destination.  We like clear, concise answers to our problems.  Sometimes there are not any.  In those cases, we must simply have faith in a God who is sovereign over all things.  We do not always have to understand, but we should always trust that God has a plan.

Our hymn today, “My Times Are in Thy Hand”, was written in 1824 by William Freeman Lloyd.  It reflects Job’s faith in God midst the losses and suffering at the beginning of his book.

My times are in Thy hand;
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul I leave
Entirely to Thy care.

My times are in Thy hand;
Whatever they may be;
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.

My times are in Thy hand;
Why should I doubt or fear?
My Father’s hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

My times are in Thy hand,
Jesus, the crucified!
Those hands my cruel sins had pierced
Are now my guard and guide.

My times are in Thy hand,
Jesus, my advocate:
Nor shall Thine hand be stretched in vain,
For me to supplicate.

My times are in Thy hand,
I’ll always trust in Thee;
And, after death, at Thy right hand
I shall forever be.