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Why God Speaks to Job Twice

June 11, 2021 By Peter Krol

Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further. (Job 40:4-5)

With these famous words and a pregnant hand-to-mouth gesture, Job begins backing away from the God of all creation. In severe suffering, Job has accused God of doing wrong and of remaining silent. But God arrives, speaking out of the whirlwind, to put Job in his place. Job 38:1-39:30 records God’s first speech, recounting the wildness, inscrutability, and uncontrollable power of God’s creation. Duly humbled, Job tries to slink away like an amateur diver whose loosely tied trunks slipped off at surface impact.

But God will have nothing of the sort. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not done with you yet”:

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.” (Job 40:6-7)

Thus begins a second tirade from the LORD against his servant Job (Job 40:6-41:34), whom God will coerce into speaking one last time (Job 42:1-6).

Why? Why the second speech from God? Why isn’t God willing to let it go when Job humbles himself?

Comparing Job’s Responses

Undoubtedly, Job’s first response (Job 40:3-5) is one of humility and self-degradation. “I am small…I’m shutting up now…” But Christopher Ash observes that Job says nothing about God. While God’s first speech properly demotes Job’s self-esteem, it does not yet promote God’s gargantuan superiority.

In other words, Job has justified himself (Job 31:1-40) and not God (Job 16:7-17); this is Elihu’s chief critique (Job 32:2). And God must get Job not only to stop justifying himself but also to begin justifying God.

So Job releases his self-justification after God’s first speech. But it’s not until after the second speech that he confesses God “can do all things” (Job 42:2a), no purpose of his “can be thwarted” (Job 42:2b), and that “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5).

How does God get him there?

Comparing God’s Speeches

God’s first speech focuses on the natural creation. It begins with an obvious question: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4). It continues with a tour of the heavens and the earth (Job 38:5-38). And it ends with a litany of wild creatures beyond Job’s capacity either to understand or to domesticate: lion, raven, mountain goat, wild donkey, wild ox, ostrich, war-horse, hawk (Job 38:39-39:30). In conclusion, God identifies Job as a faultfinder and dares him to justify himself any further (Job 40:1-2).

Seeing his minuscule role in the natural creation, Job properly humbles himself and shuts up (Job 40:3-5).

But God’s second speech must blow Job’s mind even further, and to do so it focuses on the supernatural creation. If Job is to begin justifying God, he must clearly see that he’ll never see clearly. Though he knows how much it hurts to suffer, he’ll never know why God would appoint such suffering in the lives of his beloved people. In short, God must appear bigger, more powerful, and more mysterious than ever before.

So God’s second speech targets the heart of the matter:

Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? Adorn yourself with majesty…Pour out the overflowings of your anger…Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand. Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below. Then will I acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you.” (Job 40:9-14)

In other words: “Can you do more than get angry at suffering and evil, Job? Can you actually bring them to an end?”

jaci XIII (2010), Creative Commons

He follows up with two case studies, Behemoth (Job 40:15-24) and Leviathan (Job 41:1-34). These ancient but legendary storybook creatures poetically embody all that is wrong with the world and with Job’s life. They seem tame (Job 40:20-23), but really are not (Job 40:24). They will not play nice (Job 41:1-9). They cannot be defeated (Job 41:12-34).

Such is the problem of evil. It will not go away, and Satan ever wanders to and fro looking for someone to devour (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-7). Job can do nothing about this. Not ever. “No one is so fierce that he dares to stir [Leviathan] up” (Job 41:10a).

But someone else can. God asks, “Who then is he who can stand before me?” (Job 41:10b).

And this God will send his Son to wage war on the beast from the land and the beast from the sea (Rev 13). He is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and wages war (Rev 19:11). He will finally capture these beasts and hurl them into the lake of fire (Rev 19:20-21), along with both Satan (Rev 20:10) and death itself (Rev 20:14).

Please remain steadfast in Christ and persevere to the end, Job (James 5:11). God will bring a day with no tears or death, no mourning, nor crying, nor pain (Rev 21:4). Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

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Context Matters: God’s Ways Are Higher Than Our Ways

June 7, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard that God’s ways are higher than our ways, that his thoughts are above our thoughts. You’ve been told that God is so great, and our minds are so small in comparison, that we cannot grasp his motivations or his logic.

I’ve heard well-meaning Christians tell others that God’s ways are beyond us in an effort to bring comfort and assurance. We cannot figure out what God is doing, our lives feel out of control, but don’t worry—God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. It’s okay—even predictable—that we wouldn’t track with what God is up to.

But is this what that verse in Isaiah is meant to convey? Are we using this phrase in its proper context? When we learn to read the Bible as a book instead of as an independent collection of sentences and phrases, we’ll find that some of the most familiar passages mean something different than we’ve assumed.

The Context in Isaiah

This passage about God’s ways being higher than ours comes from Isaiah, and it’s worth reproducing a good portion of the passage here.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6–9)

Peter has already written about the big-picture structure of Isaiah. Chapters 40–55 hang together, and this passage falls near the end of that section. This portion of the prophecy describes how God will use a Servant to pardon the iniquity of his people.

Crucially, for our purposes, this part of Isaiah is about forgiveness, reconciliation, and the restoration of God’s people.

The Context in Isaiah 55

This chapter begins with God’s famous invitation: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Is 55:1). God is calling those who hear to live by means of an everlasting covenant with him (Is 55:3).

Those who listen should “seek the Lord” and “call upon him” (Is 55:6). The call is to the wicked and the unrighteous, to “return to the Lord,” for God will “have compassion” and “abundantly pardon” (Is 55:7).

The often-quoted verses (Is 55:8–9) are connected to verses 6–7 by the word “for.” This is a simple but powerful observation. God’s thoughts are different than our thoughts—this explains his eagerness to welcome and forgive. Our ways are not his ways, because we are neither in a position to pardon the repentant, unrighteous man nor are we inclined to show this compassion.

The chapter ends with an explanation about how God intends to accomplish this plan of forgiving those who forsake their wicked ways. It will happen through his word; it will go forth, accomplish his purposes, and not return to him empty (Is 55:11). As a result, the people rejoice, and nature will “break forth into singing” (Is 55:12).

Our Compassionate God

In terms of kindness, God’s ways are high above ours. Isaiah mentions God’s compassion three times in the previous chapter (Is 54:7, 8, 10), so this is a familiar theme by the time we reach chapter 55.

Let’s return to our earlier question. Yes, God is infinitely wiser and more complex than we are; his plans are beyond our ability to unravel. But when Isaiah writes about God’s thoughts being higher than our thoughts, he’s referring to God’s welcoming love to repentant sinners. We should worship and adore the God whose compassion overflows in this way that ours does not.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

Why Elihu is So Mysterious

June 4, 2021 By Peter Krol

At a recent pastor’s conference on the book of Job, a leader asked the attendees whether the speeches of Elihu (Job 32-37) should be trusted, like God’s (Job 38-41), or discarded, like those of Job’s three friends (Job 4-5, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25). The show of hands was evenly divided. I couldn’t believe my eyes; every attendee was fully committed to studying and explaining God’s word carefully, and yet there was a widespread and fundamental disagreement on how to read a significant part of the book of Job.

Have you wondered how to read Elihu? Can we get to the bottom of the mystery?

Let Me Introduce Elihu

Anirban Ray (2013), Creative Commons

He pops on the scene out of nowhere: “Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger” (Job 32:2). He speaks a few times and then vanishes. God clearly vindicates Job and condemns Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (Job 42:7-8), but he says nothing about Elihu.

Casual readers of Job barely notice Elihu. If they have the guts not to skip from chapter 2 to chapter 38, their eyes glaze over long before they meet Elihu in chapter 32. They sink in a bog of poetry; words swirl together into an indistinguishable mire, and Elihu comes and goes while readers are still gasping for air. Some don’t realize he’s not one of the “three friends.”

In addition, we’re clearly told that Elihu is young (Job 32:4, 6), raving mad (Job 32:2, 3, 5 – four times!), and full of criticism for Job (Job 33:12, 34:7-8, 34:35-37, etc.). Yet God clearly claims that Job has “spoken of me what is right” (Job 42:7-8). What’s all the fuss? This case should be closed.

Why Elihu is Just Like the Other Three

Here is the main challenge: Elihu draws the same conclusion as Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. That’s why many interpreters think Elihu is just like them.

Eliphaz: “Job has sinned” (Job 4:7, 15:4-6, 22:5).

Bildad: “Job has sinned” (Job 8:5-6, 18:4).

Zophar: “Job has sinned” (Job 11:6, 20:29).

Elihu: “Job has sinned” (Job 34:7, 37; 35:16).

Of course, the reader knows Job has not sinned: “There is none like [Job] on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8, 2:3). But Elihu charges him with sin, just as the other three do. What’s all the fuss? This case should be closed.

Why Elihu is Just Like God

Though God clears Job of all charges (Job 42:7-8), notice that his declaration comes after Job repents in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). Before this repentance, God calls Job a faultfinder (Job 40:2) who speaks without knowledge (Job 38:2) and puts God in the wrong (Job 40:8).

Elihu also desires to justify Job of all charges (Job 33:32). He accuses Job of finding fault with God (Job 33:9-11), speaking without knowledge (Job 34:35), and putting God in the wrong (Job 34:5-6, 36:23).

Why Elihu is Not Like the Other Three

Though their conclusion is the same, their arguments are completely different. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar perpetually argue: “Before you began suffering, you must have sinned.” Elihu’s case is different: “Since you began suffering, you have sinned.” The three concern themselves with Job’s hidden conduct; Elihu concerns himself with Job’s present speech.

We can see the difference in the evidence they bring. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar have no evidence, only presumption, though Job begs them for the merest shred (Job 6:28-30). Elihu, however, constantly brings specific evidence to support his charges: “You say…You say…You say…You say…” (Job 33:8-11, 33:13, 34:5-6, 35:2-3, 36:23).

The poet signals a difference in the number of speeches and responses he gives to each character. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar get no more than three speeches apiece, with the speeches growing shorter as the book progresses. Elihu gets four speeches. Job refutes every speech of the three with eight speeches of his own; Job never responds to Elihu’s speeches, though Elihu asks for a response (Job 33:32-33).

Elihu himself distances himself from the other three. Furious at the stalemate and their inability to answer Job, Elihu promises he has something new to say: “[Job] has not directed his words against me, and I will not answer him with your speeches” (Job 32:14). The poet likewise distances Elihu from the other three. In one of the few narrative and evaluative statements of the book, he declares that Elihu “burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong” (Job 32:3).

Conclusion

Confusion abounds over Elihu because he sounds like Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, drawing the same conclusion: Job has sinned. But as we penetrate the poetry, we see that what Elihu means by his conclusion is not what they mean by it. His four speeches ring with incredible truth desperately needed by any innocent sufferer:

God has not been silent; he speaks through your pain (Job 32-33).
God is not unjust; he will eventually strike the wicked (Job 34).
Righteous living is not pointless, though we are insignificant next to God (Job 35).
You’re in no place to criticize God; remember to fear him (Job 36-37).

And God reinforces Elihu’s fourth point with some of his most aggressive and fear-inducing words in all the Bible (Job 38-41). May we all repent of justifying ourselves and remember to fear him.

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The Complexity of Applying the Speeches of Job’s Friends

May 28, 2021 By Peter Krol

The closing stanza of Eliphaz’s third speech (Job 22:21-30) is one of the loveliest poems in the book. If you didn’t know who said it, or under which circumstances, you might stencil it on your wall or post it on your bathroom mirror. And this raises an important question when studying the book of Job: What are we supposed to do with the speeches of Job’s “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2)?

Job suggests that silence will be their best wisdom (Job 13:5), and he sarcastically proclaims they have a corner on the market of godly wisdom (Job 12:2). Elihu burns with anger at their failure to answer to Job’s defense (Job 32:3). Yahweh declares they have not spoken of him what is right (Job 42:7). Does this mean we ought to simply discard their speeches, or that we ought to treat them as examples of folly or wickedness to be avoided?

Paul Didn’t Get the Memo

Apparently the Apostle Paul didn’t get the memo.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men.” (1 Cor 3:18-21a)

That first citation Paul uses? Right from Eliphaz’s first speech:

As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
who does great things and unsearchable,
marvelous things without number:
he gives rain on the earth…
he sets on high those who are lowly…
He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end…
But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth…
So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts her mouth. (Job 5:8-16)

As R.B. Hays asserts, “Paul cites Job 5:13 here [in 1 Cor 3:19] as an authoritative disclosure of the truth about God’s debunking of human wisdom” (quoted by Ciampa & Rosner in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, 704).

So Paul doesn’t ignore or contradict Eliphaz. He doesn’t qualify the citation in any way. He appears to use it straightforwardly in support of his point that God views the world’s wisdom as folly.

More to It

And yet, Paul’s argument in 1 Cor 1-3 is remarkably layered and clever. He keeps equivocating on his terms, defining them in different ways so he can play off the differences for didactic effect. For example, he uses the words “wisdom” and “folly” in at least two ways each: As defined by the world, and as defined by God.

So his point in 1 Cor 3:18 seems to be that if you think you are wise (by the world’s definition), you ought to become a fool (by the world’s definition) in order to become wise (by God’s definition). Paul keeps turning things upside-down and inside-out in order to play the terms “wisdom” and “folly,” or “wise” and “foolish,” off each other.

In light of this equivocation, it is altogether possible that Paul quotes Eliphaz as a matter of irony. In other words, Eliphaz presents himself as “wise,” but he’s really a “fool” (in the context of the book of Job). But God then does a “foolish” thing and takes the fool’s “wisdom” and makes it his own, but with an unexpected twist—in order to catch the wise in his own craftiness. In so doing, Paul declares that Eliphaz spoke even better than he knew, perhaps akin to John’s ironic use of Caiaphas’s prophecy that Jesus must die to rescue the nation and gather together God’s scattered children (John 11:49-53). Like Caiaphas, perhaps Eliphaz spoke that which was true from God’s perspective, but not in the way Eliphaz himself intended it.

Eliphaz thereby plays right into the part of the crafty who would be caught by his own craftiness.

Principles for Applying the Speeches of Job’s Friends

So how does this affect the way we read—and especially seek to apply—the speeches of Job’s three assailants? I propose the following principles:

Because the same Holy Spirit who inspired Job also said somewhere that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable,” we must read the speeches of Job’s antagonists with the assumption that they are profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and/or training in righteousness.
The point of those speeches must be something more than “suffering is a result of prior sin.” If that were all the Lord wanted us to see in those speeches, he could have done it with one speech instead of eight. We wouldn’t need pages of dialogue that only repeat precisely the same thing over and over again. Therefore, we must read those eight speeches of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar with the assumption that each speech riffs on the theme in a nuanced way. Those three men clearly thought they were advancing the argument each time, so we ought to identify which particular angle each speech takes on the larger topic. Don’t skip over the speeches or lump them all together under the same vague interpretive heading.
Once we do that, we can compare any speech’s particular angle on suffering with the rest of Scripture. Following Paul’s example, we must read the speeches with the assumption that they might simply be speaking truth in the wrong setting. They might be saying something that was false in Job’s circumstance but would be true in a different circumstance. In other words, Eliphaz, Bildad, or Zophar might be saying something better and truer than even he realizes.

Back to Chapter 22

And so, circling back to Eliphaz’s third speech in Job 22, there is nothing wrong with seeing some truth mixed in with the error and the daft inconsiderateness. In many situations, it is true that someone will only find peace if they begin agreeing with God (Job 22:21, Prov 3:2). Many who reconsider their money and possessions in light of eternity will find the Almighty to be far more valuable (Job 22:24-25, 1 Tim 6:17). God does actually hear the prayers of the penitent (Job 22:27, Prov 15:29), and he delights to exalt the humble (Job 22:28-30, 1 Pet 5:6).

Conclusion

So if you’d like to stencil portions of Job 22 on your wall, I say have at it. Just be prepared for the unconsidered criticism of a few curmudgeons to come your way from time to time. But you’ll have your retort loaded for bear: “I offer my humblest apologies on behalf of both myself and the Apostle Paul, neither of whom got your memo.”

The Cost of Withholding Kindness

May 21, 2021 By Peter Krol

Most people don’t walk around with nails in their heads, but that doesn’t stop us from having this sort of conflict.

Have you felt this tension between fixing problems and listening with kindness? I have such conversations often, and I’m confident I’m not alone. In fact, Job 6-7 takes up this very matter in great detail.

Context

Job was the greatest of all the people of the east, but he fell prey to a wager between God and Satan. The Accuser is convinced Job doesn’t fear God but merely loves the good things God has given him. The Creator disagrees, and he lets Satan ruin Job’s whole life to prove it. Job, of course, knows none of this. He knows only how much it hurts when he loses possessions, servants, and children all in a day, and then develops a debilitating skin condition to boot.

Job stews for seven days before unleashing a bitter curse against the day of his birth and a series of agonized questions: Why did I not die? Why do I have to endure this? Why is this happening to me? (See Job 3:1-26.)

In chapters 4-37, a few friends try to help by answering Job’s questions. People commonly skip these chapters, boiling them down to a moral or two, and rush to the juicy bits where God speaks in chapters 38-42. But in studying these chapters lately, I’ve discovered how much the Lord has for me to learn about what it looks like to fear God in extreme situations, while processing (or helping others) through extreme emotions.

For example, Job’s response (Job 6-7) to Eliphaz’s first speech (Job 4-5) highlights the weighty costs of withholding kindness out of a wish to fix the person’s problem. The key verse:

He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. (Job 6:14)

What are the costs of withholding such kindness?

1. We inflame volatile emotions

The video above portrays it perfectly with its closing shots of mutual exasperation. After Job 3, I didn’t think Job’s sorrow could get any worse, but apparently I was wrong.

“You think I’m vexed [referring to Eliphaz’s accusation in Job 5:2]? I must not have been clear. My words have been rash. My vexation can’t be weighed!” (Job 6:2-3, my paraphrase)

“God’s hand in my life is like bitter poison and indigestible food” (Job 6:4-7).

“I hope God kills me now before I say anything truly stupid. Better to die without having denied the words of the Holy One, than to go on living in such pain” (Job 6:8-13).

2. We forsake the fear of the Almighty

Job makes this very accusation in Job 6:14. His friends are like a temporary stream bed resulting from the springtime thaw from the mountains. When he’s thirstiest in the heat of summer, it has dried up and offers no refreshment. “For you have now become nothing” (Job 6:21). Job never asked for their help; he doesn’t want them to fix his problems (Job 6:22-23). He just wants some kindness.

Why does withholding kindness cause one to forsake the fear of the Almighty? Because fixing the problem is the work of God. Trying to fix a problem—against a sufferer’s will—means trying to take God’s place. Fearing God means trusting him to work in his timeline. And such fear empowers us to turn aside from fixing (Job 6:29) and focus instead on listening (Job 6:14, 28).

3. We raise defenses

Job has open ears. He’s willing to hear any specific charges of wrongdoing his friends might bring (Job 6:24). But if they do nothing but reprove his words, they are reproving the wind (Job 6:25). Extending kindness means not taking everything said by sufferers at face value. It means giving them the freedom to process extreme emotions without being corrected at every point.

If we don’t listen, they won’t think we’re listening. If they don’t think we’re listening, they won’t think we understand. If they don’t think we understand, they won’t trust our advice anyway. So why do we rush so quickly into offering unsolicited advice, when kindness demands we zip our lips and lend our ears? Withhold this kindness, and the sufferer’s defenses will rise tall and impenetrable.

4. We fuel hopelessness

At this point in the book, Job still trusts his friends. (By chapter 27, he’ll wish God’s eternal judgment on them.) So he lets them in. He’s honest about how he truly feels. And so far, they’ve only made it worse.

He has no hope in life (Job 7:1-6), and he predicts imminent death (Job 7:7-10). By day, he toils without respite, and by night, he tosses endlessly until dawn.

His perspective has gotten worse, not better, since chapter 3. The lack of kindness from his friends has not helped.

5. We miss the real issue

In his pain, Job feels lonely. There is nobody to share the pain, nobody who extends him kindness. And this loneliness leads to the greatest cost of all.

Job removes all restraint and speaks the fullness of his anguish (Job 7:11). He directs his anguish toward the “watcher of mankind” who has made of Job a target (Job 7:20). He speaks to the one who terrifies him with visions (Job 7:14) and who alone has the power to pardon his transgression (Job 7:21). Clearly Job speaks no longer to Eliphaz but to God.

And he has two prayer requests (Job 7:16):

That I would not live forever.
That you would leave me alone!

Job shows us that what matters the most is his relationship with God. The good news is that his suffering, so far, is taking him closer to God and not farther from God. He goes directly to God with his pain, his feelings, and his requests. This is true faith and a true fear of God.

But the 3 friends who focus on fixing Job’s problems have missed the opportunity to help Job draw near to his God. They are just like Jesus’ 3 friends who failed to show him kindness (falling asleep in Gethsemane!) when he most needed it. But Jesus paid the cost of their withheld kindness, and he did it so God could never withhold his kindness from us.

The Difference Between Job and His Three Friends

May 14, 2021 By Peter Krol

The book of Job is about more than suffering; it’s about how to fear God through suffering. Let’s see how this main point plays out in the debates between Job and his three friends.

The Debates

CALI (2011), Creative Commons

At the end of Job 2, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar enter stage left. The play unfolds as each man gives a long speech, and Job responds to each with a speech of his own.

Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job, Zophar, Job.
Repeat: Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job, Zophar, Job.
Repeat: Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job…

The third cycle gets cut short, and Zophar never gets his third moment of fame.

I won’t list the main points speech-by-speech; I encourage you to marinate in the poetry and discover the main ideas for yourself. But I want to highlight the main threads that amaze me.

The Friends

Eliphaz is sensitive, Bildad is logical, and Zophar is hot-headed. Their personalities clearly vary, but they are still cut from the same strip of papyrus. They have one Ace in their collective hole, and they’re not afraid to use it every which way they can.

Good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. God is holy, righteous, and good, and he will not allow his cosmic order to be upset by some self-righteous upstart like Job. On the last day, our good deeds will be weighed against our bad deeds, and God will treat us as our actions deserve. There is a place for the wicked, one filled with loneliness, despair, and terror. But it is not possible for bad things to happen to good people. And consequently, it will never be possible for God to find a way to justify the wicked.

Job begins with this same worldview, and Eliphaz begins the cycle by gently reminding him of what he already knows (Job 4:2-5). In fact, Eliphaz claims, this system of belief is what it means to fear God. And such fear of God should be Job’s confidence (Job 4:6).

Eliphaz will not be so gentle by the time he’s done with Job. He’ll accuse Job of having no true fear of God (Job 22:4), but of bereaving others, withholding generosity, and crushing the helpless (Job 22:5-11).

These three friends exhaust their arguments and end up in the same place where they began (compare Job 25:4 with Job 4:17). There are different angles on the same principles, but there is no development of their thought. Perhaps that’s why Zophar has nothing to add in the third cycle. Their tone may change as they go, but their belief does not.

Job

Job, however, goes through a radical transformation. He begins in the same place as his friends (Job 4:2-5), but he will not stay there. He knows he is innocent, and yet he’s suffering terribly. This blows up everything he thought he knew about God. Notice how his thought progresses through his eight speeches:

Job 7:8-10: God won’t see me anymore after I’m dead.
Job 9:32-33: I wish I could speak to God in person, but there is no mediator to go between us and make it possible.
Job 14:7-17: My suffering would have a purpose if I could die and have God’s wrath pass me by. Then he could resurrect me and forget all my iniquity. But that will never happen (Job 14:18-22).
Job 16:18-22: Since I am innocent and God is good, there must be a mediator between God and me! My witness is in heaven, he who will argue my case before God as a son of man does with his neighbor!
Job 19:23-27: Since my Redeemer lives, resurrection must also be possible! Like the dual keys required to launch a nuke, these companion truths of a mediator and a resurrection unlock Job’s hope for the first time in the book. “My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:27).
Job 21:7-9, 29-33: God often allows the wicked to prosper. He can do as he pleases.
Job 23:8-17: Though he utterly terrifies me, all I want is to see God.
Job 26:6-7: Even if I die, I will be laid bare and visible before God.

Though the friends end up in the same place they begin, Job does not. He has completely changed his mind.

The Main Difference

The main difference between Job and his friends is not that Job suffers and they do not. Nor is it that Job understands suffering in a way they do not. The main difference is that Job fears God and they do not.

While Job’s suffering provides the raw material for their debate, the heart of their conflict is over what it means to fear God (Job 4:6, 6:14, 13:11-16, 15:4, 22:4, 23:14-17, etc.). The message of this book is not so much about how to deal with suffering as about how to fear God, even through suffering.

Without the fear of God, one must hold to a religious system of cosmic karma, where we’re good with God as long as we try to be good people. But the true fear of God acknowledges the possibility – no, the necessity – of innocent, substitutionary suffering. If a really, really good person can suffer terrible things, then maybe, just maybe, the wicked can somehow be justified and made right with God.

But it all hangs on both a Redeemer who lives and a tenacious hope of resurrection.

Context Matters: God’s Mercies Are New Every Morning

May 10, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard that God’s mercies are new every morning. You’ve been told that his steadfast love never ceases, and you’ve sung “Great is Your Faithfulness.”

Perhaps your reminder about God’s mercies was splashed on an inspirational calendar above the perfect dew-brushed meadow. Or maybe you heard a perky Christian radio disc jockey quote this enthusiastically in an effort to motivate listeners to get out of bed.

I’ve heard this sentiment about God’s mercies on retreats, during good times, when the group I’m part of wants to extend its current momentum. We’re experiencing God’s blessings—both in ministry and life—and from this verse we’re told we should have confidence these blessings will continue. But does this use Lam 3:22–23 in the correct context?

When we learn to read the Bible as an actual book and not as a professionally-bound collection of pull-quotes, we’ll find that some of our favorite passages take on deeper and more sobering meanings.

The Book of Lamentations

The book of Lamentations is not cheerful. The author was not writing from a mountain top, riding the spiritual high of God’s favor.

In fact, picture the exact opposite of that setting. That’s the background for this book of laments.

(A quick note: Many people assume the prophet Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. There is wide disagreement about this, however, and I don’t think any interpretation changes if we drop this assumption.)

In 589 BC, Jerusalem was surrounded by the armies of Babylon and endured a long siege. The city fell in 587 BC and Babylon crashed in with fire and fury. The temple was desecrated and destroyed. The city was burned. Many Israelites died, and most of the rest were led away by the enemy forces. A scattered few people remained, and they were starving.

The author of Lamentations wrote in the midst of this terrible landscape. In five heart-wrenching prayers, he cried out to the Lord. He knew God’s hand was behind Babylon and that the Jewish people deserved this judgment for their idolatry. His laments were raw acknowledgments of their terrible, warranted state.

The Need to Recall Truth

If we’re going to read Lamentations 3:22–24 in context, we need to pay close attention to the preceding verse (among others).

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. (Lam 3:21)

The author had to remind himself what was true, because his circumstances offered no hope. In fact, he wrote that his “soul is bereft of peace” and his “hope from the Lord” had perished (Lam 3:17–18). It was remembering foundational truths (found in verses 22–24) that restored his hope. This is a glorious effect of calling God’s word to mind!

So, when we are low—when we feel God is absent or that his hand is against us—what should we remind ourselves? What should we remind each other?

God’s love is steadfast; it never ceases. God’s mercies are so plentiful and steady that they never end. We never run out of his mercies; they are new every morning. God is faithful and great in his faithfulness. God has given himself to his people as their portion, and because they have him, they have hope.

We need to rehearse these truths; they are as staggering as they are sustaining. And though they are appropriate when life is good, we should especially call them to mind when life is stubborn and hard.

Our circumstances will seldom sustain us. But God’s truth will cultivate hope in his people.

Seeking Means Waiting

This passage of Scripture also describes the posture of those who recall God’s mercies. I’ll warn you—in our flesh, it’s not what we want to hear.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lam 3:25). The parallel construction here tells us that seeking the Lord requires waiting. Seeking the Lord may involve more than waiting, but it does not involve less.

Those who seek God should “wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lam 3:26). This is a good habit for everyone to learn from an early age (Lam 3:27).

Why can we wait? Why does seeking the Lord in this way make sense? What truth can give us the patience we need?

These questions are answered just a few verses later.

For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
or grieve the children of men. (Lam 3:31–33)

In his judgment, God may cause grief. But his steadfast love is so abundant that he will have compassion. He does not afflict or grieve from his heart; he will not cast off forever.

Rejoice in the Steadfast Love of the Lord

We should remember the steadfast love of the Lord every day, but we need reminders most when we feel it least. When we’re tempted to lose heart, when our souls are cast down, we need to remember what God is really like.

Join the author of Lamentations. Recall the mercies of God throughout history and in your own life. Remember that he is your portion. Wait for him; he will have compassion according to his abundant, steadfast love.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

What is the Book of Job About?

May 7, 2021 By Peter Krol

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

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.

Haggai: The Uncanny Correspondence Between Temple and People

April 30, 2021 By Peter Krol

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.

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

The people must build the temple – Hag 1:1-15
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.

Reflections on a Repeated Reading of 1-2 Samuel

April 16, 2021 By Peter Krol

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.

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.

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