22 - Job

Chapters 1-2

1. Job is a blameless, righteous, and really wealthy man. He has a big family and huge possessions and land. He always offered burnt offerings because his children may have sinned.
2. Satan when talking to God, accuses Job of only being a good servant because of his material possessions. And Satan says that if God removes all of Job’s material possessions, Job will curse God.
3. God allows Satan to remove everything from Job, but not touch him. Then, all of Job’s material possessions are destroyed, robbed, his servants killed and all of his children die in an accident.
4. Job, in severe distress, worships God, and doesn’t curse God or sin.
5. After failing, Satan comes back to God, saying that Job will curse Him if he bodily suffers. God allows Satan to continue, as long as Job continues alive.
6. Job is afflicted with a severe skin disease, with constant pain, weight loss, cracking skin and severe itching.
7. Job’s wife seeing his agony tells him to curse God, so that He may punish Job with death, which would be preferable to living in this situation. A sort of Euthanasia.
8. Job denies his wife suggestions and does not sin.
9. Job’s three friends, when they heard of what happened, go visit Job.

I have really enjoyed the Book of Job. It is mostly written as poetry, in a very elegant and well-written way. The author is unknown, but he certainly is a literary master. Reading it feels like watching a tragic theatrical piece, with some sprinkles of humor along the way. The Book of Job narrates a story around a deep philosophical question: Why innocent people suffer?

This question is known in philosophy as the problem of evil. Why evil and suffering exist in a universe created by an all-powerful, all-knowing, good God? The premises of the Book of Job are perfect to explore this issue, because we know from the beginning that Job is completely blameless, he will indeed suffer without cause.

On the question of historicity, it seems most scholars believe the Book of Job is mostly a didactic work, that explore abstract ideas and concepts in a concrete setting. Although it may have some historical basis, God interaction with “the Ardiversary” do not conform to what is expected from testimony of witnesses, and the dialogues between Job and his friends do not follow dynamics of spoken conversations.

That said, again, I really like it, it is a pleasure to read it.

Job is a righteous and blameless man, a servant of the Lord. He is a rich man, with a big family and a lot of material possessions. Without cause, Job suffers. The context of how this happens is a “contest” between God and “Satan”. “Satan” in Hebrew is a legal term for “Adversary” or “Accuser”. Satan is the one who will accuse Job of worshipping the God only for selfish reasons, challenging God’s knowledge of Job’s motives.

In these series of contests, Satan will talk to God, accusing Job and trying to put him in a situation where he, the devil says, will turn against God. Job doesn’t turn against God in his suffering, though. In the following chapters, there will be dialogue between Job and his friends on why this is happening to him.

One parallel I found interesting is how Satan tries to make Job sin through his wife (the suggestion of Euthanasia), just like the serpent made Adam sin through Eve (Gen 3:1-6).

Applications:

• In our suffering, we should turn towards God, because He cares about us, will not abandon us, and will ultimately provide for us. But God will give what we need in the moment He judges is right. We must abandon our pride, persist in our prayers, and God will provide in the right moment, not in the moment that we want.
• Sin leads to brokenness. We must root out sin from our lives. We can only turn away from sin by strengthening our spiritual lives, acquiring wisdom and knowledge. And the basis of the spiritual lives is faith, and the fear of the Lord.

Chapters 3-4

1. Job 3: Upon severe distress, death seems preferable to life, as Job curses the day of his birth, saying that it would have been better to have died at birth or by miscarriage than living like this. He questions why his mother’s knees and breasts “received” him. He sees death as a quiet place of rest where he’ll be relieved of his sufferings.

2. Job 4: Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends espouses the view that suffering is a result of sin.

3. He says that Job, despite having instructed people in the past, now, when he is the one suffering, he is being impatient.

4. Job’s fear of God should be his confidence, and his integrity, his hope.

5. No innocent person has ever perished, and those who sow trouble reap the same.

6. No one is perfectly righteous before God, not even His Angels.

Curse in the text comes from the Hebrew word “revile” or “treat as worthless”.

Eliphaz abides by the principle of retribution: where God will retribute people based on their behavior: if they sin, they suffer; if they are righteous, they reap good material rewards. Thus, according to Eliphaz, Job’s current suffering is the result of (unrepented) sin.

My guess is that Eliphaz will be proven wrong. Not all suffering is a result of sin. Suffering itself is a result of sin, and because we live in a broken and sinful world, we suffer. But not all individual suffering is the result of retribution of a committed sin.

Here some proposed questions from the Bible I’m reading:

Job 3:1-10. In cursing the day of his birth—an event long past—what is Job really cursing? Assuming that a curse is a prayer that evil might befall someone or something, how likely is it that God would answer such a prayer?

Job is cursing his life. Or, at least his own current state of affairs. I do think God is not likely to anwer a prayer to take away the life of someone, specially if it’s their own life.

Job 3:11-13. What is the attraction of death among those who entertain suicidal thoughts? How does Job’s vision of death compare with your own?

I’m a little bit dyslexic, so I initially that it was asking how Job’s suicidal thoughts compared to my own xD, and it hit right at home.

Having suffered from suicidal thoughts myself, Job conveys a similar feeling that I had: it’s more about the desire of ending the suffering. Job envisions death as a peaceful, quiet sleep, where he will finally be able to rest. Job has a similar “line of thinking” that many in depression/suicidal episodes hold: I’m currently in pain; If I cease to exist, there won’t be no pain; Thus, it is preferrable to cease to exist.

I do think, though, that Eliphaz has a point. Faith (fear of God, as he describes it, Job 4:6) in the Lord should be the cornerstone of our lives. And only through the supernatural virtue of faith, we can develop the other theologal virtues of charity (love) and hope. And a glimmer of hope, sometimes, is all we need to see, to believe that there’s something better after this. And because I believe, I can pass through it.

Today I read about the life of Saint Emmanuel. He was a martyr of the fourth century. Because of his christianity, he refused to worship the Roman sun god, and the emperor ordered torture and death to him and his brothers.

Being the firstborn, Emmanuel was pierced with an iron nail in each shoulder, and another nail was driven through from ear to ear. Sharp splinters were also driven under the nails of his hands and feet. During the tortures, the brothers glorified God and prayed as if they did not feel pain. Finally, the Martyrs were beheaded, and Julian ordered that their bodies be burned

When I hear the martyrs’ stories, I think about my own failings as a christian. These people endured tremendous suffering for their faith. They could just deny Christ, and they wouldn’t go through all of this. But they didn’t. They didn’t betray Christ and His Church. Christianity is not a hippie religion, it is a deeply radical religion, and it shouldn’t be easy.

Lord, please give me a faith like Saint Emmanuel had. Saint Emmanuel, pray for me.

Job 3:16. How do you respond when someone miscarries a pregnancy? How do you respond when someone chooses to abort a child? If there is a difference in your response, why?

Fortunately, I have had only few cases. The first was a coworker’s wife had a miscarriage, and he really wanted to be a father. He was extremely sad, crying, and it was visible the depths of despair of a father that had lost his child. I was sadden to know that that happened to him.

The second was more indirect. I met a girl while travelling that told the story of how her best friend had an abortion because she accidently got pregnant from her boyfriend. She still lived with their parents and didn’t told them.

I was sad to hear the story. Perplexed at the naturality of the girl telling the story (she was from Switzerland, the law is probably more flexible than in Brazil). An internal outrage to hear that the coward boyfriend incentivized this, because he “wasn’t ready to be a father”. Screaming internally to him: “Be a man and grow up! This is your responsability, and you should deal with this like a man!“.

I myself was a product of an “accident”, and I am extremely happy that my dad was not a coward, did not take the easy out, did not kill me, did not abandon me, and, on the contrary, raised me up as a single father. A real MAN. One of the characteristic I most value in a person, but especially in men, is the courage in trial times to raise up to their responsibility.

Job 4:1—5:27. According to St. Ambrose, why is Job’s third “trial by words” not a trivial one?

The trial by words by St. Ambrose is that after losing all his belongings (including his family) and his own health, Job has to endure the harsh words of accusations of wrongdoing by his friends. And this is not easy, because harsh speech, especially when we’re already distressed, is psychologically hard and hurtful, and poses a significant burden on the listener.

Job 4:12-21. What does Eliphaz claim to have received? Of what did it assure him? Why is man a lesser being than the angels here?

Eliphaz claims to have received revelation that not even angels are perfect as God is perfect. Man is a lesser being because we have physical bodies that are weak and makes our lives fragile.

Job 4:3-5. Eliphaz accuses Job of failing to heed his own advice. Under what circumstances might you have been guilty of applying a double standard, one to others’ behavior and another to your own? Did your behavior change when you became aware of it?

In the sins and behaviors of the flesh, is extremely difficult to heed our own advices. I do find the “me” of the weekend having trouble following the advice and moral standards of the “me” of tuesday.

Job 4:8. Eliphaz seems to quote a proverb, similar to “Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind” (Hos 8:7). In your experience, how true is this? What exceptions have you noticed?

It is true, but not necessarily in the retribution sense. It is clear that good and virtuous decisions help you in the future and sin and bad decisions lead to a path of brokeness. But there are always external factors we can’t control.

Chapters 5-6

1. Eliphaz continues his speech; He argues that eventually, God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.
2. Eliphaz also defends that suffering is sometimes a corrective action in response to sin; and that God disciplines man for his own moral and spiritual good. And if we accept God’s corrective discipline, He will be ready to heal us up.
3. Job feel abandoned by his friends as they judge him with harsh words, while he has not asked them to alleviate his suffering. Job’s friends are as dear to him as brothers, which make the severity of their words even more painful.
4. Job still thinks it would be better to God kill him than continue to suffer.
5. Job is suffering but knows of no wrongdoing he has committed. He is willing to acknowledge and repent of any error, but he needs to know what transgression he has committed.

Eliphaz is indeed a wise man, he spouses good and important principles we should always keep in mind, but he fails to see that these don’t apply to the situation as Job’s suffering is not the result of God’s corrective discipline.

It is also interesting to see how some experiences are just universal, even throughout time. Job didn’t need or want finger-pointing and harsh words in this moment, he wanted to be consoled, listened by his dear friends, whom he considers brothers.

Job 5:18 What does it mean to “seek God”? How does one seek him? How does one know when he has found him?

To seek God is to form and strengthen a personal relationship with God. One seeks God through prayer. One knows when he has found Him by the fruits of this relationship in his own life.

Job 5:17a Why would a person whom God reproves be happy? According to the note for this verse, what is the purpose of God’s discipline? Aside from physical suffering, how might his discipline reveal itself in one’s life?

Because God’s reprimand is a source of improvement in one’s moral and spiritual life. Just like a father’s corrective discipline is necessary for the good development of a child, God’s corrective discipline is also necessary for us.

Chapters 7-8

In Chapter 7, Job continues his speech, responding to Eliphaz:

1. But now, he doesn’t have any hope of being recovered. (Job 7:7)
2. Job expects his life to end shortly, and because of that, he will continue to complain and speak about his pain. (Job 7:11)
3. Job asks why God pays so much attention to men, but differently from other parts of the Bible where this is cherished (like the Psalms), the pain and suffering clouds Job’s judgment, and can only see God looking at men to punish their sins. (Job 7:17)
4. Job still inquiries God on what he did to justify his suffering (Job 7:20)

In Chapter 8, another friend of Job speaks, Bildad:

1. Bildad reprehends Job’s words.
2. Bildad makes basically the same point as Eliphaz, saying that God would not let a truly upright and blameless man suffer.
3. Bildad, though, offers a little piece of hope, saying that Job will recover and his latter days will be great, and he’ll have laughter once again.

Chapters 9-10

1. Job recognizes the omnipotence, wisdom and might of God.
2. And because of that, he feels impotent, because although he knows he is innocent, how can one says that God is wrong?
3. Therefore, he can only appeal to his mercy.
4. Job feels that God is responsible for his suffering, but complaining is useless because there is no one above God to “judge” the cause. He also feels that God is responsible for the suffering and injustices of the world.

Allegorical sense:

1. Job 9:8 God lordship is shown by his might against the forces of nature, one of them, over the sea: “trampled the waves of the sea”. In Matthew, Jesus’ power over the sea culminate in the disciples realizing he was really the Son of God.
2. Job 10:8-11 Reference to the creation of men by clay.

Moral sense:

1. God is not the source or cause of suffering, but he does allow us to suffer.
2. In suffering, it’s hard to remember God’s justice and goodness.

Difficult questions to answer later (TODO):

1. 9:22-24. In view of the many genocidal events of the past century, how would you answer Job’s question in v. 24?
2. 10:2. When it seems that God will not give reasons for the bad things that “happen, what challenges to faith are likely to arise? How can a faithful Christian protect his faith at such a time?
3. 10:18-22. People suffering from depression may think or speak as Job does here. If reason and persuasion do not lift their spirits, what kind of human interaction might? How would you encourage someone who is going through a “down” spell?

Chapters 11-12

Another friend of Job speaks this time, Zophar. Zophar delivers a harsh speech, accusing Job of “babbling” and “mockery”. Zophar emphasizes God’s limitless might and wisdom, and that not even the scale of creation can be compared to the scale of God’s “limits”. Zophar doesn’t believe Job is blameless and says that God asks of him less than he truly deserves. If Job repents (“set your heart alright”), there will be hope and this all will pass.

Job answers with frustration and sarcasm (Job 12:2). He feels unheard, as his friends treat his claims of innocence as ignorance of wisdom, but he is trained in wisdom just as they are and understand that God is almighty over all creation.

Chapters 13-14

Job continues his speech to his friends, pressing on the point that he knows about wisdom as much as they do, and with their speeches, they are being “worthless physicians” (Job 13:4). Job accuses his friends of “partiality”, because they are not examining fairly the facts. Instead, they have this pre-conceived notion that God rewards and punishes good and evil acts in this life. To hold this notion, Job’s friends have to lie, by accusing fair men that suffer with impiety or iniquity. Job believes God reproves of his friends’ behavior because they are not treating him fairly.

Job then prays to God for him to reveal what are his sins. He does believe that he sinned in his youth, but he maintains a clear conscience and doesn’t know what his transgressions are.

Job questions God why He judges humans so harshly, as they live so little, and are poisoned by original sin (Job 14:4 “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?”). In Job 14:7-17, he considers the possibility of life after death, just as a cut-down tree can sprout again. He is pessimistic about this possibility in the following verses.

Moral sense:

1. In this life, as a consequence of original sin, we can never be totally pure or clean. We should take that into account so we can recognize our own iniquity and improve and at the same time recognize God’s mercy that accepts us even in our broken state.

Anagogical sense:

1. Job ponders at the question of an after-life and bodily resurrection. Things that, by divine revelation, we know to be true today.
2. He also defines a characteristic of heaven (Job 14:17): “my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.”. Being united with God in heaven, we will have had all of our transgressions forgiven and iniquities forgotten.

Chapters 15-16

Eliphaz then answers Job by saying that his speech is evidence of his iniquity, because he is not being fearful of God, and that his lips is condemning him, not his friends. He thinks Job’s defensive posture is him turning away from God. Then, he exposes the consequences of being a wicked man, and the punishments that are brought forth.

Job responds by calling their friends “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2) and that their advice is “windy words” (Job 16:3). He says that if his friends were in his place, he could do the same thing they’re doing to him, or he could help them with his words, lessening their pain.

Job then reaffirms his innocence, and pictures not him going against God as Eliphaz suggested, but God like a warrior going against him. He describes all the physical suffering he has passed and says that he is innocent.

Chapters 17-18

Job continues his complaint, with a self-defeating posture. He prays to God to send him a message to give him confirmation about anything, and he thinks God has closed of his friends’ minds about Job’s situation. He thinks his friends are not being wise, and also doesn’t thing there is hope for him.

Bildad responds offended by Job’s words, asking why would Job think they are stupid. He then rebukes Job who thinks God is tearing him apart, saying that Job is the one tearing himself apart in anger. He then continues basically the same point that the wicked are punished, but in his examples of punishments, he says things which Job is suffering right now suck as skin disease and leaving no descendants.

Chapters 19-20

Chapter 19 is a cry of sadness by Job. He primarily talks about his sadness on how the people that he loved and cared about - his wife, intimate friends, his servants, young children - all seem to despise him. He calls out his friends for only making the situation worse, because even if it were true that he is guilty, God is already punishing him, he doesn’t need his friends to do the same. At the end, though, Job demonstrates hope, calling God his “Redeemer” and that in the end, He will be at his side. He also warns his friends that their way of speaking about him may bring God’s judgement against them.

Zophar gets offended by Job’s proposition of God’s judgement against him. Then, he gives a speech on how the pleasure of sin is short, and that the wicked quickly perish. God’s wrath against the wicked is inevitable and unstoppable.

Allegorical sense:

1. Christ is the living Redeemer, that by his incarnation and resurrection, has come to save us all and wants to be at our side if we freely accept him.
2. The pleasure of sin is an illusion; It is not a lasting pleasure that leads us to the ultimate good. Although sinners may enjoy a life of carnal pleasures in this life, the godless shall not inherit heaven.

Chapters 21-22

Job responds by saying that the wicked, in contrast to what their friends say, often prosper. There are a lot of wicked people, godless people that reach old ages, have power, have wealth, and have kids. Job disputes the idea of strict correlation between morality and temporal fortunes.

Eliphaz continues with the accusations, and accuses Job of several sins against charity, like withholding bread from the hungry. Eliphaz argues that the wicked’s prosperity is fleeting, and that judgement comes. He urges Job to repent, and his advice on repenting (Job 22:21-27) is actually good, although it does not apply in this circumstance: seeking peace with God, take his words to the heart, remove unrighteousness, value God more the gold, spend time in prayer.

Chapters 23-24

Job is confident that, if he could state his case to God, he would be acquitted. Job affirms Divine Sovereignty (Job 23:13): God does what he wants, and Job is scared of what he has on his plans for him.

Job sees God as paying no attention to the suffering of innocent people when He permits it to continue. This is also seen as a refutation of the temporal retributive principle. He also points that the wicked exploit the vulnerable without retribution and sometimes live long lives, which refutes his friends also.

Chapters 25-26

Bildad responds saying that no one or nothing can compare to God’s greatness, then how does a man can be “clean” before God? He refuses to believe Job’s innocence.

Job answers questioning, rhetorically, what did his friends do to help him, who has no power and no strength. Then, he continues talking about how God’s power manifests in the natural world.

Chapters 27-28

Job swears that he’ll not lie, and that he is innocent, and that he doesn’t feel any guilt inside him.

In chapter 28, he gives a long speech about wisdom, and compares it to precious medals, but says that none of the precious metals are comparable in their value to wisdom. Connection with Proverbs 3:13-15 which says similarly.

Job finishes by saying that only God has the way to wisdom, and has revealed it to men: Wisdom is the Fear of the Lord and departure from evil.

Chapters 29-30

In chapter 29, Job reflects on his past days, when things were better, “when God was with him”. And how he was righteous and wise, and generous with those who needed help. But now, there is only suffering, and all the poor and necessitated now disdain him because of his situation.

Chapters 31-32

Job reasserts his integrity, saying he has not committed iniquity, such as:

1. Lustful gazes
2. Being deceitful in business
3. Adultery
4. Despising, maltreatment of his servants
5. Ignoring people in need (the poor, the hungry, the widow)
6. Idolatry
7. Rejoicing in the suffering of the enemy And proclaims self-curses if he has indeed committed them.

Elihu, the youngest, makes his first speech. He is angry at Job for saying he is just before the Lord. And angry at Job’s friends for not giving a real answer, only accusing Job of wrongdoing.

He asserts that wisdom comes not from age, but from God. And basically gives a huge preamble that he will speak, and sees himself as an impartial judge.

Worthy passages:

1. Job 31:15 “Did not he who made me in the womb make him?”
   1. Master and servants are equal in dignity
2. Job 32:8-9 “But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right”

Chapters 33-34

Key themes:

1. Elihu thinks Job is not innocent, focuses on repent so he can be returned to God’s light.
2. Elihu also believes in the retribution principle in this life.
3. Elihu twisted Job’s words to mean that Job doesn’t believe in Divine justice.

Key passages:

1. Job 33:23 Angels as mediators
2. Job 34:11 Men are judged by their works, also see Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; Mt 16:27; Rom 2:6; 1 Pet 1:17

Chapters 35-36

Key verses:

1. Job 35:6-7 God is not affected by our wickedness nor by our righteousness.
2. Job 35:9-16 Elihu argues that God is not indifferent to the cries of the oppressed, it is men that are proud and forgetful of all that God has done to them. If God doesn’t answer, it is due to men’s lack of trust in God.
3. Job 36:5-15 God uses suffering as a teaching instrument. The just, if they hear and obey God, will be restored and rewarded. Because of this, Job should endure the suffering with patience.
4. Job 36:22-33 God is beyond human understanding, but we can contemplate his greatness and power through creation.

Moral sense:

1. Give praise to God, and not only ask for things.

Chapters 37-38

Elihu continues his speech on God’s power drawing analogies with the forces of nature. He says that God is the cause of all the natural laws and of mighty events such as rain and thunder. Elihu argues that God cannot be judged my men, as our finite minds cannot comprehend his greatness. He ends by saying that wisdom is fear of the Lord.

The Lord answers Job. In this first speech, he inquires Job, with the purpose of inducing humility by a series of rhetorical questions on the creation of the world and how nature works, demonstrating God’s power and might and Job’s littleness.

Chapters 39-40

I’ll have to comeback to this later, don’t understand it fully.

God continues to make rhetorical statements that show his might and infinite wisdom. It seems that the point is that Job (and us) can’t comprehend all of “God’s business”. We can’t grasp all the consequences and ramifications.

Fr Mike talks about the redemptive role of suffering, but I don’t fully grasp what this is.

Chapters 41-42

The Book of Job addresses the problem of evil, but doesn’t answers it. It is quite a journey, indeed. The answer of the problem of evil is God itself, apparently.

God is operating on a vastly more complex set of decisions He has to make that we can’t comprehend or grasp. Job is humbled by this reality, and is in peace with his suffering, because he knows he can’t understand.

God reprehends Job’s friends for not speaking the truth, and commands them to do a burnt offering sacrifice and ask for the prayer (intercession) of Job.

The Lord then gives Job twice as much as he had before.