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What is the Book of Job About?

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I wish I could poll the Christian world to answer the question, “What is the book of Job about?” And I would eat my freshly shorn grass clippings if I didn’t get a nearly unanimous answer: SUFFERING. But that answer would not be right. Well, it might be half-right, but not nearly so right as we’ve been led to believe.

Patty Mooney (2009), Creative Commons

Patty Mooney (2009), Creative Commons

Of course Job suffers. But the suffering itself moves off-stage after two chapters. The body of the book is written as a play in 5 acts, filled with many characters waxing eloquently about Job’s suffering. Perhaps the point is more about how to talk about suffering. And perhaps that’s why most readers race from chapter 2 to chapter 38 and never look back. Nobody, myself included, feels comfortable when talking about a real person’s real suffering.

I’ve read this book at least 25 times in my life, but until this year I’ve never taken the time to study and consider the speeches chapter-by-chapter. I can’t believe all I’ve missed.

The Setup

First, let’s not forget how Job got into this mess. Job fears God and turns away from evil (Job 1:1), and for that reason, when Satan goes looking for trouble in all the wrong places, God draws a bull’s-eye on his main man (Job 1:7-8, 2:2-3). Make no mistake: God draws Satan’s attention to Job, because Job fears God. If that fact doesn’t terrify you, I don’t know what will.

Second, consider what’s at stake here. Both the narrator (once) and God (twice) unequivocally assert Job’s fear of God (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3). And this fear is the very thing Satan calls into question: “Does Job fear God for no reason?” (Job 1:9). Satan places his bet: “Job doesn’t really fear God; he just loves the nice things God gives him. Take those things away, and his ‘fear of God’ will melt into face-to-face cursing of God” (paraphrase of Job 1:10-11, 2:4-5). God goes all in: “Game on” (Job 1:12, 2:6).

The narrator’s key question is this: Will Job still fear God when he loses everything he loves?

Job’s Fear

Job takes up his lament in chapter 3 with his own key question: Why is this happening to me? He knows nothing of God’s bet with Satan. He has no explanation for his loss, his bereavement, or his pain. He curses the day of his birth and the night of his conception (Job 3:1-7). He even asks others to join him in cursing that day and that night (Job 3:8).

But when he turns to consider God, he has no curse. He has only questions filled with dread (Job 3:20-26).

The Play’s Structure

As I mentioned, Job is a play in 5 acts, with a narrative prologue and epilogue. We struggle with this book for the same reasons we struggle with Shakespeare: it’s old, it’s a play, and it’s poetry. But delve this mine, and its riches will mesmerize you.

Narrative Prologue: Job suffers because he fears God – Job 1-2

Act I: Job curses his life, but still fears God – Job 3

Act II: Job and three friends debate over what it means to fear God – Job 4-26

Act III: Job meditates on the beginning of wisdom: the fear of God – Job 27-28

Act IV: Job delivers his concluding speech, and a fourth friend challenges him to excel still more in fearing God – Job 29-37

Act V: God shows up, and Job’s fear of him reaches new heights – Job 38:1-42:6

Narrative Epilogue: This dangerous Deity puts the fear of God in Job’s friends and implicitly takes the blame for Job’s suffering – Job 42:7-17

The prologue and epilogue obviously parallel one another. Acts I and V have much parallel language (for example, Job calls on those who rouse up Leviathan – Job 3:8, and God rouses up Leviathan – Job 41). Acts II and IV have Job interacting with his friends.

The book’s structural and thematic center lies in chapters 27-28, with Job’s condemnation of his friends and his praise of the fear of God as the beginning of wisdom.

Job’s Place in the Old Testament

The book of Job is traditionally considered one of the wisdom books. We should expect its main idea to have something to do with wisdom.

  • Proverbs describes the way of wisdom, beginning with the fear of the Lord.
  • Ecclesiastes describes the difficulty of wisdom: our duty is to fear the Lord, even when we can’t understand what God is doing under the sun.
  • Job provides a case study in the fear of the Lord despite desperate and inscrutable circumstances.

Conclusion

Yes, Job has much to say to help those who suffer. But the book’s main point is more focused: What does it mean to fear the Lord when you suffer? Next week, I’ll look more closely at the debates in Job 4-26 to show how the fear of the Lord paves the way for the amazing gospel of free grace through Jesus Christ.

Brief Update: Bad News and Good News

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First, the bad news: Sadly, I won’t have time to write new material for the blog over the next few weeks.

But, the good news: Subscribers will still get regular content on Fridays, as I plan to republish a brief series from 2015 on the book of Job. I trust it should be relevant to the current state of the world and what many of us are experiencing.

And, even more good news: The reason I won’t have time to blog over the next few weeks is that I need to put the finishing touches on my new book, due out later this year. Be on the lookout for Sowable Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Lead Bible Studies. We’re also working on a second edition of Knowable Word, with expanded content.

Theological Themes in Ezra—Nehemiah

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If you’re looking to begin a study of Ezra and Nehemiah, Russell Meek has some important background for you to consider. He places the work within its historical context before tracing out some of the main theological themes: God’s sovereignty, worship, justice, and Scripture. Here is a taste:

I think the most important theological contribution Ezra-Nehemiah makes to our cultural context is its vision of the all-encompassingness of walking with God. These books show that every aspect of life is governed by the sovereign God. And this God is concerned about all aspects of life; there is no sacred-secular divide, no distinction between religious devotion and the rest of life—food, sex, work, worship, parenting, sorrow, joy, and everything else we do and experience in this life and the next comes under the sovereign purview of our almighty, faithful, fierce, loving Father. And, really, is that not the message of the entire Bible?

Check it out!

Haggai: The Uncanny Correspondence Between Temple and People

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Thanks to Haggai’s detailed dating of his messages, we can nail him down more precisely than nearly any other book of the Bible. His four messages were delivered within a 5-month period in the year 520 BC, on August 29, October 17, December 18, and December 18 (yes, he had two messages on that day in December). In 538 BC, Persian emperor Cyrus had permitted the people of Israel to return and rebuild their holy city and temple. But 18 years later, the work was not yet complete. Haggai, along with his partner Zechariah, was sent by God to support the people in this work (Ezra 5:1-2).

Literary Markers

Haggai clearly marks the sections of his short book by means of his precise datings of his messages:

  • “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (Hag 1:1).
  • “In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (Hag 2:1).
  • “On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet” (Hag 2:10).
  • “The word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month” (Hag 2:20).

The only place he gets any fancier than simply dating and delivering his messages is in Hag 1:12-15, where he narrates the people’s response to the first message. This leads us to distinguish the first message from the remaining three, suggesting perhaps we ought to consider those three as a group. So I will treat the book in two divisions, aligning with the chapter divisions.

Image by Gavin Kadey from Pixabay

Part 1 Walkthrough

The first message is spoken directly to both the appointed governor and the high priest (Hag 1:1b), in light of the populace’s defeater beliefs regarding the time to rebuild (Hag 1:2). They gain little from their distracted labor (Hag 1:6), and they retain little of what they seek (Hag 1:9-11)—all because their own dwellings have been a higher priority than Yahweh’s dwelling (Hag 1:4, 9b). Therefore, they ought focus on their top priority: Building the right house, that Yahweh may find pleasure and be glorified (Hag 1:7).

And in contrast to many other messages from many other prophets to Israel, this one provokes the people to obey! Why? Because the people feared Yahweh (Hag 1:12). This is certainly a beginning of wisdom on their part.

Such obedience comes with assurance: “I am with you” (Hag 1:13). When Solomon had finished building the first temple (1 Kings 8), Yahweh appeared to him with assurances as well (1 Kings 9:1-9). Those assurances involved linking the fate of the temple to the worship of the people. But now that they’ve turned from God, suffered exile, and returned, the assurance is a little different. There is much less focus on the fate of the house being built (though we’ll see some of that in Haggai 2—sort of), and a greater emphasis on Yahweh simply being with his people.

So it’s not only that the temple’s fate is connected to the people’s obedience, but also that the temple’s very purpose is becoming increasingly embodied in the people themselves. “God with us” appears to be a truth not limited to the temple precinct itself.

Part 2 Walkthrough

Haggai’s three remaining messages focus intently on this correspondence between temple and people. He leads us to believe the building of the temple is not primarily about obedience to a building project, but about the development of a temple-people in whom Yahweh can dwell more permanently.

The second message (Hag 2:1-9) is triggered by the disappointing reduction in visible glory of the second temple being built (Hag 2:3). Haggai assures them that more, unshakable glory is on its way (Hag 2:7-9). But the nature of that glory has little to do with the building itself. “Work, for I am with you … My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not” (Hab 2:4-5). As they build God’s house, he is faithful to build them into his more glorious house.

The third message (Hag 2:10-19) says almost nothing about the temple itself. It shows up only to mark a shift in epoch (Hag 2:15). The message is now about the people alone. Up to now, their uncleanness (unacceptability, lack of authorization to approach God) has been more infectious than any holiness available to them. But all that is about to change (Hag 2:18-19). God is going to do something with and among them that turns everything around, such that their holiness will become more infectious than their uncleanness.

The fourth message (Hag 2:20-23) furthers the argument of the third message by getting specific. The coming glory of the new “temple,” which will cause holiness to finally become more infectious than uncleanness, is rooted in the reestablishment of David’s kingly line. One kingdom will rise above all others on earth, and one king will represent Yahweh in a way that can never be shaken. The Chosen One will come.

Conclusion

There is an uncanny correspondence between temple and people. After the exile, God’s revelation through his prophets unravels more of the mystery. Yes, there remains a physical house. Yes, the people remain obligated to build it and serve Yahweh within it. But Haggai shows us that the house itself is fading from the forefront to become a picture of the people. Its purpose is their purpose. Its benefits are their benefits. And its existence is their assurance. God is with them. God will bless them. As they build his house, he is really building them into a dwelling for himself, through his Chosen King in David’s line.

Interpretive Outline

  1. The people must build the temple – Hag 1:1-15
  2. God will build his people
    1. The new “house” will have greater glory – Hag 2:1-9
    2. The people’s holiness will become infectious – Hag 2:10-19
    3. The chosen king will be God’s representative – Hag 2:20-23

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

The Sexual Ethics of Leviticus 18 and Their Abiding Significance

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Thomas Willoughby has a helpful piece entitled “Does Leviticus 18 Apply to New Testament Believers?” In particular, he seeks to answer a common argument that the prohibition against homosexuality in Lev 18:22 no longer applies under the new covenant.

Willoughby models a clear and effective use of the context and structure of the text to conclude that not only Lev 18:22 but the chapter’s entire sexual ethic has abiding significance. I might quibble with some of his secondary conclusions, but overall, he makes a good case from both the context and correlation with the rest of Scripture.

Check it out!

Why is Structural Ignorance or Agnosticism Tolerated in Biblical Studies?

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Fontes Press recently sent me a review copy of Discourse Analysis of the New Testament Writings edited by Scacewater, and a review is forthcoming, once I can blaze a trail through this mammoth volume. (Thanks to Robert Hatfield for tipping me off to this intriguing text!) But I recently hit a priceless quote worthy of your reflection.

Structural analysis is a glaring weakness of NT studies. The absence of any structural consensus for most NT texts is frequently admitted … The failure to resolve this issue can be attributed to one of two opposite extremes: a dismissive attitude that mistakenly minimizes the significance of structural analysis, or a reliance upon complex terminology and intricate diagrams that obscures the analytical impotence and fundamental flaws of the underlying linguistic paradigm. Both extremes are roadblocks to exegetical clarity. Since how an author shapes a message is often as critical for interpretation as what the author’s explicit message is, one should wonder why this state of affairs is tolerated regarding such a foundational issue.

Michael Rudolph, Discourse Analysis, ed. Scacewater, 127.

In the contributors’ bios at the front of the book, Michael Rudolph is described as “a Theological Educator with World Venture in Kyiv, Ukraine.” This introductory paragraph, which I have now quoted for you, to his essay on the structure of John’s Gospel nearly makes me want to relocate my family to Kyiv, Ukraine so we can sit under more such theological education. In the rest of his essay, Rudolph’s insights into the structure of John’s Gospel are worth their weight in vibranium, inviting me to observe, as I have never observed before, the structural breadcrumbs dropped throughout the text, in black and white, to help us grasp the author’s message.

But my goal in this post is not to discuss the structure of John’s Gospel but to serve as something of a wifi extender to Rudolph’s presenting problem. Why is the following state of affairs tolerated in biblical studies?

  1. Scholars often appear unwilling to engage with or resolve the lack of consensus on the structure of New Testament books.
  2. The reason given by some is that structural analysis is not all that important anyway (structural agnosticism).
  3. The reason given by others boils down to outlines and jargon so impenetrable or complex that nobody recognizes how flawed the presenter’s assumptions are to begin with (structural ignorance).

Rudolph’s not exercising a vague hand-waving, either, in order to pull his own structural rabbit from his own touch-not-able, high-priestly hat. He goes and names names in his extensive footnotes. On point number 3, he cites the example of Mlakuzhyil (never heard of him). On point number 2, he cites well-knowns such as Kostenberger, Carson, and Keener. Hear Keener:

Any modern outline of the Fourth Gospel is somewhat arbitrary … But given the expectation that a commentary will divide sections, we have offered a division as likely as any.

Quoted in Discourse Analysis, 127-8

Regarding the attempts to hide ignorance behind impenetrable scholastic lingo, I can’t help but think of my favorite giggle-inducing quote from sociologist Rodney Stark:

I have tried to write everything else in plain English. I do not concede that this in any way compromises sophistication. What it does do is prevent me from hiding incomprehension behind a screen of academic jargon.

From the Preface to Discovering God, viii

On this blog, I have argued that structure provides the very shape of the author’s intended meaning. In other words, structure is not irrelevant for meaning; it is one of the most important expressions of it. Therefore, it is worth our time and effort to learn how to observe it so it can help us to avoid errors or pointless excursions in interpretation or application.

In addition, structure provides us with the very raw materials we require to follow the logic of an author’s argument. It gives us the nuts and bolts of the context, which always matters. Without a grasp of the structure, we might be right about a text, or we might be wrong about it; perhaps we’ve excluded from our study the divinely inspired tools to render a confident judgment either way.

So what do you think? Why is structural ignorance or agnosticism tolerated so widely? And how can we further improve that state of affairs for the next generation? And not just in the academy or publishing houses, but also in our pulpits, Sunday schools, and small groups?

Amazonian digital connective interfaces found within the present writer’s subtext, compiled and rendered for premium convenience on behalf of anonymous inquisitive participants, render no judgment on the value of one’s economic interactions but remain copacetic to the originating body. Let’s see if you can verstehe that prior sentential communicative event sans compromising your bid for respectable sophistication.

Empower Your Church to Study the Bible

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Faithlife recently republished a guest post I wrote for them a few years back entitled “How to Empower Your Church for Serious Bible Study.” In the article, I promote four straightforward habits to develop a culture of rich Bible study within your church. Learn, model, teach, and coach. Please don’t rely on a single seminar or workshop to change people’s lives. Trust the process of discipleship, and win people through practice and repetition.

Here is a taste:

If you can’t articulate a simple Bible study method and show the fruit of it in your own walk with God, you’ll never win your congregation to the practice. You’ll inadvertently communicate that ordinary people can’t or shouldn’t try to study the Bible, and you’ll persistently work against a culture of Bible study within the church. Leaders must do more than regurgitate commentaries for their people; they must know how to handle the sacred text themselves.

Bible study skills are infectious, not contagious. In other words, they don’t catch very easily; they require close personal contact to be transmitted. In 17 years training dozens of people to study the Bible, I’ve seen that folks don’t really get Bible study until they’ve had ample opportunity to practice it, with coaching. Pastors can’t expect a single seminar or teaching event to create a culture; only a dogged pursuit of personal training will do it. So encourage people to try Bible study for themselves. And when they do, your role can shift from inimitable expert to beloved coach. Regularly check in, revisit the topic, and keep training people in groups both small and large.

Check it out!

Reflections on a Repeated Reading of 1-2 Samuel

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For a number of years, I have been following Joe Carter’s excellent Bible reading plan: Read an entire book of the Bible 20 times. Pick another; read it 20 times. Repeat. I’m currently working through 1 & 2 Samuel (since it’s really one long book). Here are some unorganized reflections upon completing my tenth readthrough.

Image by ian kelsall from Pixabay
  • Upon reading the entire book rapidly (about 8-9 days for each time through), the large characters arcs are clear. There is a Samuel arc, followed by a Saul arc, and then a David arc. There is much overlap between them, but the Bible Project videos get these arcs just right.
  • It seems the summary statements of the king’s “cabinet” may serve a major structuring role. I haven’t pinpointed them all yet, but a few are found in 1 Sam 14:49-52 and 2 Sam 20:23-26. In each case, there is a tangible sense of narrative resolution and conclusion. I wonder if these statements mark the ends of the book’s main divisions, but more reading and testing is required to see if this is so.
  • The beginning is quite dark, with a barren woman, a high priest who cannot recognize either a praying woman (1 Sam 1) or the voice of God (1 Sam 3), and the ark of the covenant being forever separated from the tabernacle of Moses (1 Sam 4).
  • The end is a mosaic of David’s legacy: making restitution for Saul’s mistakes (2 Sam 21), celebrating the God who rescues (2 Sam 22), recounting mighty men’s exploits (2 Sam 23), and one last, glorious failure—which God uses for good, to clear the ground on which the temple will be built (2 Sam 24).
  • The lengthiest poetry occurs in 1 Sam 2 (Hannah’s prayer) and 2 Sam 22 (David’s song; copy of Psalm 18). This must be on purpose at beginning and end, as the two poems have so much in common. Both are celebrating the “Messiah,” the anointed king:
    • “The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed” (1 Sam 2:10b).
    • “Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever” (2 Sam 22:51).
      • The other sizable poem (2 Sam 1) laments the untimely slaying of the Lord’s anointed (messiah), Saul, and his son Jonathan (see 2 Sam 1:14-16).
  • The “exile” of the ark to Philistia (1 Sam 4-6) parallels David’s own exile out of the land (1 Sam 21:10-15, 27:1-28:2. The ark’s return to Beth-Shemesh, and then Kiriath-Jearim (1 Sam 6:12, 7:1-2) parallels David’s return from Ziklag to Hebron (2 Sam 2:1-4). After David takes control of Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:6-10), he knows it is time to bring the ark there as well (2 Sam 6). It requires two tries to get it right (transporting it the way God commanded and not the way they thought most expedient), but once he does, God’s covenant is quick to follow (2 Sam 7). God is present with this king and his dynasty forever.
  • After the stress of being on the run from Saul (1 Sam 18-31), much tension is relieved as David comes into his kingship (2 Sam 1-10). But it gets really tense once again, beginning with his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11-12) and continuing in the resulting family fallout (2 Sam 13-20).
  • Even Absalom’s rebellion spends more time describing David’s exile from Jerusalem (2 Sam 15:13-17:29) and return (2 Sam 19) than it spends describing the rebellion (2 Sam 15:1-12) and civil war (2 Sam 18) itself.
  • The faithfulness of God, the presence of God, exile and return, and the anointed of God are all major themes that point us ahead to the Lord Jesus.

I’m only halfway through my time in this book. I’m eager to see what the Lord does with my next ten times through it. But these reflections may shape up into something more organized and useful in the next few months.

More Reliable

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Andrea Crocker has a fine piece on her blog reminding us that the word of God is more reliable.

  • More reliable than experience
  • More reliable than relationships
  • More reliable than society

I would guess that most readers of this blog will quickly assent to these abstract statements. But when it comes down to it, do we live as though they are true. Let Crocker’s insights provoke you to greater love for Christ and his word.

Check it out!