The Book of Job Christian Formation Series- God's Say



Outline:

I.     Summary of Section
1.     God comes out of the Whirlwind (38:1-3)
·      Same word when Elijah is taken up in 2 Kings 2:11
·      Also same word in Isaiah 29:6 and in Jeremiah 23:19 and 30:23
·      Davidson: Whirlwind = anger
·      Could just be God reveling Himself.
·      “Gird up your loins” = get ready
2.       God’s Description (38:4-40:2)
          ·       God describes the things He can do, but Job can’t.
          ·       Seems to be in agreement with Job’s and Elihu’s earlier words…
3.       Job’s Response (40:3-5)
·      Says he’s said all he has to say. Wimps out.
4.       God’s Response Back (40:6-8)
5.       God’s Further Description (40:9-41:24)
·      Similar to before, but focused on the great beasts of the sea.
6.       Job’s Final Words (42:1-6)

II.     Hinge Points
1.    God’s words: “Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified?” (40:8)
o   “Put me in the wrong” is used as a translation for Job in 19:6, but different phrases are employed in each verse in the Hebrew.
o   God takes 2 words Job uses from 9:19-20, “judgment” and “be just”.
o   Is God showing that He has been listening to Job? Not enough data.
2.    Job: “therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:6)
·      “Despise”- ‘Emas
o   Can mean “refuse” or “reject” (as in Job’s previous words)
o   Can also mean “vanish” (Wright: “melt away”)
o   Choice: Is Job repenting or just accepting God’s answer?
·      “Repent”- Nakhamti
o   Can also mean “comforted”
o   42:11- have same word here translated as “comforted”
o   Better translation: “I am comforted concerning dust and ashes”

III.     Possible Interpretations:
1.    God is a cosmic bully (Davidson: He’ll never say sorry)
2.       Job is a repentant sinner (NIV Study Bible)
3.       God is giving us a new view of Justice. (Long)
4.       *God is present with us in our suffering. (Wright)
5.       *We can’t know the answer to the question of suffering. (Anderson)

IV.     Discussion Questions
1.    What do we think God is doing? Is He a ‘cosmic bully’, or is He simply stating that He is there and present with us in our trouble?
2.    Why does the author of Job choose to put these words in God’s mouth? Is it because God’s sovereignty is the only thing we know? Is the question of suffering unanswerable?
3.    In Job 40:6-8, is God chastising Job for doing something wrong or for not speaking up when offered the chance?
4.    What do you think about Job’s final response? Is he repenting? If so, what is he repenting of? Does he need to repent?

Sources:
Anderson, Bernhard W. Understanding the Old Testament, ab. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Barker, Kenneth L. gen. ed. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
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.
Wright, Rebecca, Old Testament:Foundations II. The School of Theology Sewanee, TN, Easter Semester 2014.