The Book of Job Christian Formation Series- Intro to the Poetry Section Part 1


Segment:


Outline:

A Few Notes to Start:
·         Many thoughts about edits that have been made to Job over the years.
o    Davidson: think end part of Job’s final response to Bildad was originally Bildad’s speech
o    Elihu’s speech is thought to be added later (especially since he’s not mentioned earlier and God doesn’t respond to him at the end).
·        We are called to contemplate Scripture deeply.
o    So deeply that we are changed by it
o    Contrast with Job’s friends, we are called to change our world view when we have to.
o    Means we must deal with the Scripture in the edited form we have it.

Outline of Speeches:
1.       Job’s First Statement
a.       Job 3:1-26
b.      Job is in so much pain, he wishes he had never been born
c.       3:25- “Truly the thing I fear comes upon me.”
2.       Eliphaz’s First Argument
a.       Job 4:1-5:27
b.      Only unjust receive punishment, but this is Job’s chance to repent.
c.       4:3-Job instructed many, what do we do when our support stumbles?
d.      4:17- “Can mortals be righteous before God?”- Will be repeated throughout, this fits our Christian view of sin…
e.       5:26- ironically Job does die in his ripe old age
3.       Job responds to Eliphaz
a.       Job 6:1-7:21
b.      To actually repent, Job needs to understand what he did wrong
c.       6:14-21- First sense we get that Job’s friends aren’t really helping.
4.       Bildad’s First Argument
a.                    Job 8:1-22
b.                    There is hope if Job repents.
c.                     8:7- “though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great”
·         Ironic because it is also true
5.       Job responds to Bildad
a.       Job 9:1-10:22
b.      Job can’t really argue his case because he is not on equal w/God.
c.       What is the point?
6.       Zophar’s First Argument
a.       Job 11:1-20
b.      There’s hope if you can be better and stop sinning.
7.       Job responds to Zophar
a.       Job 12:1-14:22
b.      Wants to argue his case directly to God.
c.       12:3- tells them he’s not an idiot
d.      12:5- problem is that they don’t know what it’s like to suffer
e.       13:23- wants to know what he did wrong
8.      Eliphaz’s Second Argument
a.       Job 15:1-35
b.      How can you know what God is thinking? (cf. 15:9)
c.       Still stands with the belief that the unjust suffer
9.       Job responds to Eliphaz
a.       Job 16:1-17:16
b.      Job is tired and he’s become “a byword of the peoples” (17:6)
c.       16:4- would talk like they are if he hadn’t experienced this.
d.      17:15 “where is my hope?” (Ours is in Christ Jesus)
10.   Bildad’s Second Argument
a.       Job 18:1-21
b.      God puts out the light of the wicked (cf. 18:5)
c.       18:13- makes reference to Job’s disease consuming him.
11.   Job responds to Bildad
a.         Job 19:1-29
b.         It seems God won’t give him a trial, and he is alone.
c.         19:2- says his friends are tormenting him
d.         19:23-29- “I know my Redeemer lives”
·      Redeemer- gaal- or deliverer
·      Can be the person who would’ve righted a wrong against you
·      Has talked of an accuser before, implication through his loneliness is that this is a divine advocate for Job.

·      Some parallels with Jesus

Sources:
Davidson, Lisa ed. “The Book of Job”, The New Interpreter’s Bible. Nashville: Abingdon, 2003.
Long, Thomas G. What Shall We Say?: Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.