As we have mentioned on this blog in previous posts, the book of Job is widely recognized in scholarly circles as the oldest document in the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, its perspective on the topics of righteousness, suffering, and blessings is unique among the Hebrew canon. The standard formula of blessings for following God's Law and suffering for failure to do so is conspicuously absent from this book. The book is NOT set in the land of Israel, the main characters are Gentile, Torah and the covenant with Israel are not mentioned, and the author(s) of the book is/are completely disinterested in a historical context for the story. And, finally, the book underscores the differences between the Divine perspective on these matters with human ones. In other words, the book of Job is a metaphor for the way in which the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) was written - providing us with a mixture of both perspectives (Divine and human)!
Among his remarks about Job in his textbook on The Bible, Bart Ehrman wrote: The "problem of suffering" is a perennial problem, especially for those who believe that there is a good and powerful God who is in control of this world. If he is, why is it that the righteous suffer? One can understand why sinners suffer: God must be punishing them. But if God is in control, and he is able to accomplish whatever he desires, and he desires only what is good for his people-why do his people suffer, especially when they do what he has asked them to do? This is a problem that has numerous solutions to it-some of which are probably occurring to you right now, as you think the answer is all too obvious. But to deep thinkers, the answer has never been obvious, and the obvious answers are probably not the right answers. In some ways, that is the overarching message of Job. This observation by Ehrman is reinforced by God's challenge to Job.
In the thirty-eighth chapter of the book, we read: Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy? (Verses 1-7, NLT) In other words, God's perspective is so expansive and ours is so limited that it is inevitable that our speculation(s) about the problem of suffering will fall miserably short in trying to explain the phenomenon. After all, God has been there from the beginning and has seen EVERYTHING that has happened and has the ability to see ALL of the outcomes of the choices which all of us make continuously!
Now, Jews have traditionally divided the Hebrew Bible into three categories of literature: Law, Prophets, and Writings. Job, of course, belongs to the "Writings" category and is considered part of the "wisdom" genre of biblical literature. In this connection, it is also interesting to note that Job is one of the most uniquely organized books of Scripture. To be clear, the organization of the book is both sophisticated and complex. Consider the following brief outline of the book:
Prologue: Job's Dilemma
I. The Perspectives of Job and his friends (or The Debates, Part 1)
A. Eliphaz
1) God blesses the righteous
2) Job's response
B. Bildad
1) Job must have sinned
2) Job's response
C. Zophar
1) Job should accept responsibility for what happened to him
2) Job's response
II. The Perspectives of Job and his friends (or The Debates, Part 2)
A. Eliphaz
1) Why aren't you afraid to question God?
2) Job's response
B. Bildad
1) The wicked are punished for their sins
2) Job's response
C. Zophar
1) The wicked only prosper temporarily
2) Job's response
III. The Perspectives of Job and his friends (or The Debates, Part 3)
A. Eliphaz
1) People and their righteousness are of no use to God
2) Job's response
B. Bildad
1) Humans are incapable of righteousness
2) Job's response
IV. Job presents his defense of his integrity and his longing for God's favor
V. The Discourses of Elihu
VI. The Discourses of God and Job's replies to them
Epilogue: God's restoration of Job
Hence, we see that the book of Job is an invitation to have faith in God's judgment - to trust in his perspective! We also see in this book a righteousness that is NOT dependent on the commandments of Torah and is available to Gentiles! The book also portrays Satan as the "accuser" of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), the promoter of death and suffering, and anticipates humanity's need for an Advocate and Savior. Moreover, the message about faith in God's judgment foreshadows the work and message of the Messiah and the New Testament - trusting in God for the ultimate outcome!
Sources:
Bible Project video presentation on Job
The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction by Bart D. Ehrman, Oxford University Press, 2018
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