The Book of Job

After the David Story, Hilldale "Great Books 101" course moves onto the ancient story of Job. Some say it is the earliest book in the Bible chronologically. Since it covered just about the whole book, I did not read the excerpt provided from Hillsdale. I had just read Job earlier this year, so I listened to the lecture, but I did not re-read the book.

The lecture was fascinating. Dr. Sundahl made the point that Job was beset by the "conventional wisdom" of his friends and the society's understanding of God as a God of retributive justice. That is the good are rewarded and the bad punished. But God is doing something else behind the scenes and He wants Job to catch a glimpse of it.

The story opens in a courtroom of sorts with the Devil going before God and asking to be allowed to strike at Job. Although Job is not aware of this, he does feel a sense that his situation is undeserved. He finally gets to the conclusion that he needs an advocate, someone to plead his case before a holy God, before Whom, he cannot be allowed to stand. In Job, we see a celebration of someone who speaks out against the common perception of God and demands that He live up to what His sense of grace and mercy require.

Finally, God reveals Himself to be bigger and more inscrutable than even Job imagined. Job does not get his answers. He does not get his arbiter, yet. That is to come. But he gets to see God. He knows God is just and will ultimately provide for the unfairness Job has experienced. Unbeknownst to Job, God, "in the fullness of time" will send His Son, Jesus. In Him, all of Job's questions will be answered. He will not only advocate for Job, but he will pay the price for all of Job's sins. He will bring about ultimate Justice, as well as Mercy and Grace.

The book ends enigmatically, leaving Job face down before God and with no answers. This is because it is not the end of the story. The best is yet to come.


Discussion Questions from the course:

1 According to Dr. Sundahl, what is the job of the Book of Job? 


The job of the book of Job is to upend conventional wisdom. The book of Job must be Christianized to make any sense. Without the knowledge that Christ will come and redeem mankind, the book seems random and unexplainable. God seems capricious and malevolent. He is playing with a man's life for no apparent reason. But what if, God is actually revealing to Job the need for a Savior? Dr. Sundahl points out that Job comes to the conclusion that he has no arbiter, no way to argue his case and no one to argue it for him. God has given the Jewish people a prelude to what is to come. He has shown that their conventional idea of a God who simply rewards the good and punishes the bad is flawed and misses true picture of who God is. God knows that, contrary to Job's assertion, none of us are blameless. Life is full of injustice because Satan roams to and fro. All of humanity is in need of a Redeemer, so Job is given insight into this need to enlighten the people of Israel.  

2 How is the Book of Job connected with the wisdom of the New Testament? 


Wisdom is defined by the ancients as understanding the nature of cause and effect. In the book of Job, conventional wisdom is that bad behavior leads to bad results and vice versa for good behavior. But God sees a bigger picture. "No one is righteous, no not one." Therefore our sin has caused us to need a Savior. The effect is the coming of Christ. The New Testament reveals that true wisdom is that which comes from God above. His ways and and His thoughts are wise. We are blind men stumbling in the dark compared to His wisdom. This is greater wisdom and more true than what Job's friends have been spouting. Without Christ in the picture, we are doomed to a false belief about the nature of sin and God's justice. Jesus Christ becomes the Wisdom of God personified.

3 What does the metaphor of the tree have to do with hope?


Job talks about a tree that can be cut down, yet return. Conventional wisdom says man dies and is no more or goes o the place of Sheol. But the New Testament introduces the concept of Resurrection. This is what Job is tapping into with his tree metaphor. He’s thinking that man should be able to rise again like a tree after being cut down. 

4 What can the Book of Job teach us about wisdom today?


Today we see Job as a man given a glimpse of God’s ultimate plan and Truth as he struggles to understand what is happening. I think this can teach us that true wisdom can be found in the struggle. As we wrestle with questions of ultimate justice, God can help us to catch a glimpse of what He is up to.