The fruitfulness of Jacob’s wives, whether directly or through their servants, in chapter twenty-nine is paralleled with the fruitfulness of Jacob’s flocks in chapter thirty. In the story of the flocks and herds we see the scheming of men and the overruling providence of God. Laban is pleased with the deal he makes with Jacob, because his flocks were predominantly black and brown with only an occasional spotted or streaked lamb or goat. Jacob thinks he is a shrewd fellow because he puts poles in the ground that are streaked and spotted. He thinks that the offspring of the mating sheep will be influenced by the spotted poles they visualize at the time of conception. This, of course, had nothing to do with the high proportion of streaked and spotted offspring and in chapter thirty-one we learn that the real reason was that God had caused the males who were mating with the flock to be spotted and streaked. As it says in Proverbs 16:33, The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.
Though we might find fault with Jacob over a number of things, it is clear that Laban was more deceitful and selfish than Jacob. He was a shrewd business man who constantly changed the rules of the game to his own advantage. Ten times he tried to do this, but it backfired every time. As promised at Bethel, God is with Jacob and is blessing him during his time of exile. Like Abram in Egypt and like his descendants in Egypt, God will spoil and plague those who try to take advantage of Jacob.
When Jacob flees from Laban, Rachel steals her father’s household gods. These were likely gold or silver figurines that were used as objects of worship. When Laban catches up with the fleeing company he demands that Jacob give the idols back. Jacob knows nothing about it and swears that anyone who is found with them in their possession will be killed. The whole camp is searched and when Laban comes to Rachel she is hiding them under her skirt. She succeeds in her theft by telling her father that she is on her period and therefore unable to rise. The gods of Laban are powerless and defiled.
After escaping from the wrath of Laban, Jacob must now face his brother Esau. Again, he devises a two fold plan. First he will try to placate his brother by a great gift and second, he will divide the women and children into two groups so that if one is attacked the other can escape. Most importantly Jacob prays for God to protect and deliver him from Esau. As they prepare to meet, Jacob is left alone at the crossing where he wrestles with a (man/angel/God) all through the night. Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed him. This is Jacob’s life in miniature. He is a man who struggles, who wrestles, who refuses to let go. His name is changed from Jacob to Israel which means, struggles with God.
After settling in the land and avenging the rape of Dina, Israel is called to fulfill his vow at Bethel. Jacob tells his household to put away their false gods, purify themselves and change their clothing. He returns to Bethel and builds an alter there to the God of his fathers.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
#14 Genesis 24-30
Though Isaac is the son of promise. His life gets less ink in the story than his sons Jacob and Esau. Great emphasis is placed on the fact that his wife was not taken from among the Canaanites, but from the relatives of Abraham. God providentially leads Abraham’s servant to a virgin named Rebeckah the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor, who was Abraham’s brother. Presumably, she and her people either worshiped or were at least familiar with the God of Abraham since they had gone with Terra and Abraham when they left Ur in obedience to God’s call. This would explain why Abraham was so concerned that Isaac marry a woman from among these people and not the Canaanites among whom they dwelt. As is always the case in scripture, the issue was not one of racial purity, but one of faith.
Chapter twenty five records the death of Abraham and tells us of his numerous descendants from his second wife Keturah. It also mentions in passing that Abraham had other unnamed sons born to him by concubines. While Abraham gave gifts to all of these while he was living, the entirety of his inheritance went to Isaac at his death.
The matter of polygamy and concubinage is a difficult one for us to get a grip on. Clearly, it was never God’s intention that it should be so as Jesus reminds us that from the beginning God’s design was for one man and one woman. The main reason given for this is that marriage is intended to be a figure of Christ and the church (Eph 5:31-32). Great evils came into the world through the practice of multiple marriages. They were a trouble to the men, and undoubtedly a sorrow to the wives. They became the source of bitterest sibling rivalries. The fact that God tolerated it from his faithful servants is a tribute to His longsuffering and patience as He worked in history to bring about the salvation mankind so obviously needed.
Another key development in the story of the patriarchs is the bareness of their wives. Of course Sarah was barren and now we learn that Rebeckah was as well. This serves to highlight that the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, would not come as a consequence of their “natural fertility” but through God’s faithfulness to His word. He is the God that keeps promises. It is His delight to fulfill his promises in ways that test us and reveal that He is the one bringing them to pass.
When Rebeckah finally does conceive, they are twins. The oldest was Esau, but when he came forth, the younger one had hold of his heel, which signified his grasping and conniving nature which would later be realized in his taking for himself the rights and blessings reserved for his firstborn brother.
While the favoritism of Isaac and Rebeckah are instances of bad parenting, we need to see how God can even use the sins of His people to accomplish His purposes. Isaac favored his firstborn Esau and wanted God’s promises to be fulfilled through him. But, God had determined, even before they were born, that the older would serve the younger (Gen 25:23). Without approving of it, God over ruled Isaac’s plan to bless Esau through Rebeckah’s deception.
As a consequence of their deception Jacob is forced to flee from the face of Esau who was ready to kill him. Like his father, he will now find a wife, not from among the pagan Canaanites, but from among the people of Abraham. As Jacob runs, a most amazing even occurs at Bethel. As Jacob sleeps he has a vision of a ladder that reaches from earth to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. When he awakens he calls the place awesome and names it Bethel, meaning the gate of heaven. In John 1:51 Jesus alludes to this event and describes Himself as the ladder in Jacob’s dream. He is the true portal connecting God and man and by Him alone can men and angels traffic between heaven and earth.
While in exile, Jacob meets his match in Laban, who knows as many tricks as he does himself. In the end, Jacob prevails with the blessing of God and returns home with Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban.
Chapter twenty five records the death of Abraham and tells us of his numerous descendants from his second wife Keturah. It also mentions in passing that Abraham had other unnamed sons born to him by concubines. While Abraham gave gifts to all of these while he was living, the entirety of his inheritance went to Isaac at his death.
The matter of polygamy and concubinage is a difficult one for us to get a grip on. Clearly, it was never God’s intention that it should be so as Jesus reminds us that from the beginning God’s design was for one man and one woman. The main reason given for this is that marriage is intended to be a figure of Christ and the church (Eph 5:31-32). Great evils came into the world through the practice of multiple marriages. They were a trouble to the men, and undoubtedly a sorrow to the wives. They became the source of bitterest sibling rivalries. The fact that God tolerated it from his faithful servants is a tribute to His longsuffering and patience as He worked in history to bring about the salvation mankind so obviously needed.
Another key development in the story of the patriarchs is the bareness of their wives. Of course Sarah was barren and now we learn that Rebeckah was as well. This serves to highlight that the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, would not come as a consequence of their “natural fertility” but through God’s faithfulness to His word. He is the God that keeps promises. It is His delight to fulfill his promises in ways that test us and reveal that He is the one bringing them to pass.
When Rebeckah finally does conceive, they are twins. The oldest was Esau, but when he came forth, the younger one had hold of his heel, which signified his grasping and conniving nature which would later be realized in his taking for himself the rights and blessings reserved for his firstborn brother.
While the favoritism of Isaac and Rebeckah are instances of bad parenting, we need to see how God can even use the sins of His people to accomplish His purposes. Isaac favored his firstborn Esau and wanted God’s promises to be fulfilled through him. But, God had determined, even before they were born, that the older would serve the younger (Gen 25:23). Without approving of it, God over ruled Isaac’s plan to bless Esau through Rebeckah’s deception.
As a consequence of their deception Jacob is forced to flee from the face of Esau who was ready to kill him. Like his father, he will now find a wife, not from among the pagan Canaanites, but from among the people of Abraham. As Jacob runs, a most amazing even occurs at Bethel. As Jacob sleeps he has a vision of a ladder that reaches from earth to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. When he awakens he calls the place awesome and names it Bethel, meaning the gate of heaven. In John 1:51 Jesus alludes to this event and describes Himself as the ladder in Jacob’s dream. He is the true portal connecting God and man and by Him alone can men and angels traffic between heaven and earth.
While in exile, Jacob meets his match in Laban, who knows as many tricks as he does himself. In the end, Jacob prevails with the blessing of God and returns home with Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
#13 Genesis 18-21
The three angels who visit Abraham move on toward Sodom. God reveals to Abraham His intentions for the wicked cities on the plain. Abraham intercedes in behalf of the cities, no doubt with the well being of Lot in mind. God promises to save the city for the sake of only ten righteous souls, if they can be found. The fact that they were destroyed tells us how vile the city had become.
When the angels arrive in Sodom, Lot compels them to come under the protection of his roof and to not remain out in the city square as they were intending. When evening came, word of the three “men’s” arrival had spread about and men from every part of the city came to Lot’s house demanding that the visitors be sent out that they might have sex with them. Lot weakly resists and tries, astonishingly, to buy them off with his two daughters. The men of the city tell Lot that he is out of place in trying to judge them and threaten to punish him if he doesn’t comply with their demands.
This story exposes the modern myth of neutrality. People today want to pretend that a societies rules and regulations can be “value neutral,” but this is not possible. Morality will always be enforced in a society. The only question is whose morality will it be. By passing a judgement on the sexual advances of the men of Sodom, Job was treading dangerously close to a hate crime and was threatened with violence if he didn’t stop it.
In America today the “rights” of homosexuals are used to restrict the liberties of those who believe the practice to be wrong. Landlords, for instance, can be fined if they refuse to rent a property to a practicing homosexual. As Christians we should be prepared to suffer at the hands of a government whose morality and legal code departs more and more from the Biblical mores upon which it was based.
When the angels arrive in Sodom, Lot compels them to come under the protection of his roof and to not remain out in the city square as they were intending. When evening came, word of the three “men’s” arrival had spread about and men from every part of the city came to Lot’s house demanding that the visitors be sent out that they might have sex with them. Lot weakly resists and tries, astonishingly, to buy them off with his two daughters. The men of the city tell Lot that he is out of place in trying to judge them and threaten to punish him if he doesn’t comply with their demands.
This story exposes the modern myth of neutrality. People today want to pretend that a societies rules and regulations can be “value neutral,” but this is not possible. Morality will always be enforced in a society. The only question is whose morality will it be. By passing a judgement on the sexual advances of the men of Sodom, Job was treading dangerously close to a hate crime and was threatened with violence if he didn’t stop it.
In America today the “rights” of homosexuals are used to restrict the liberties of those who believe the practice to be wrong. Landlords, for instance, can be fined if they refuse to rent a property to a practicing homosexual. As Christians we should be prepared to suffer at the hands of a government whose morality and legal code departs more and more from the Biblical mores upon which it was based.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
#12 Genesis 11:27-15:21
After the confusion of languages at Babel men fell into crass idolatry. One of the idolatrous cultures that developed was found in Ur of the Chaldees. Situated in modern Iraq, the people there worshiped the god Nannar. Among the inhabitants of Ur was a man named Terah who was the father of one of the most significant characters in the entire Bible and his name was Abram.
God promised Abram a new land, to make a great nation of Abram, to bless him and make him a blessing to others. God Himself will curse those who curse Abram and bless those who bless him. Most important, God promised to bless all nations that had been scattered across the face of the earth through Abram.
It would be easy to assume that when God appeared to Abram that he and his family were worshipers of the true God and that they were vexed by the idolatry surrounding them, but Joshua makes it clear that this was not the case. Josh 24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel:'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
But God who is rich in mercy revealed Himself to Abram and called Him out of the land of his Fathers. The first stage of the journey took them to Haran where Abram was accompanied by his father. After Terah died Abram completed his journey from Haran and entered the land of Canaan.
Abram enters Canaan from the north, living as a nomadic pilgrim. Yet we should not think of him as having only a handful with him. In 14:14 we learn that there were 318 trained warriors that had been born in his household. Based on the number of warriors some scholars have projected that the entire company was around three thousand souls.
The first thing Abram does upon entering the promised land is establish alters at Shechem and Bethel. Later he will build a third at Negev. These alters are very meaningful. They were constructed at areas of religious significance to the Canaanites. They were located at strategic places from a geographic point of view. They were revisited by Joshua during the conquest of the land. It seems clear to me, that Abram’s alter building should be understood as a symbolic conquest of Canaan. In other words, Abram was claiming Canaan as God’s. He did this by establishing right worship. These were not just places where Abram would get off to have quiet time with God. They were public centers of worship that expressed Abram’s faith in the God who promised to give him the land.
Not only does Genesis give us a preview of the conquest of Joshua, but it also prefigures the sojourn of Israel in Egypt. When a famine arose in Canaan, Abram temporarily moved his household to Egypt where he represented Sarai as his sister. This occurs multiple times in the story and its repetition is clearly important. We typically refer to this partial deception as an instance of Abram’s lack of faith. This may be true, but it is clearly not the point the author wants us to take away. Nothing is said of God’s being angry with Abram. Instead, God blesses Abram and sends plagues on Pharaoh. The episode ends with Abram and Sarai being sent away from Egypt loaded down with spoil. Just as Abrams establishing alters in Canaan symbolizes the conquest. Abram’s spoiling of Egypt prefigures Israel’s deliverance. Upon his return to Canaan, Abram returned to Bethel and worship the Lord There.
Next there is tension with the house of Lot. Abram was very rich, both with gold & silver and with herds. His nephew Lot had also prospered and the situation got to the point where the herdsmen of the two houses began striving with each other. Abram continues to demonstrate his patience and offers Lot any portion of the land he wanted. Lot chose the well watered plain of Jordan. We should understand that all of Canaan was a good land then and yet some parts more desirable than others. The plain of Jordan was so lush it was compared to the garden of Eden. Immediately after lot grasps after the best land God promised Abram that the entire land would be his. He invited Abram to walk through the whole land. All of it would belong to his descendants who would be like the dust of the earth. To this promise Abram responds by building another alter in Mamre. Each time God promises the land Abram responds by establishing a place of worship in the land.
Chedorlaomer was the king of Elam, which was a regional power. The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah and three other cities had to pay tribute to him, but at last they revolted resulting in a war. Chedorlaomer came and soundly defeated the cities of the plain and took away all the spoil and took many of the people captive including Lot & his household. Abram took 318 men who were warriors who grew up in his household and along with some allies attacked Chedorlaomer at night. Here we see that Abram was a competent military man who quickly yet decisively defeated a superior army. Abram was a man of faith who patiently waited for God to fulfill his promise, but he reveals here that faith knows how to act when called upon. As Abram returns from the battle He is met by Melchizedek the king of Salem called a priest of God most high with bread, wine and blessing. Abram responds to by presenting him with a tithe of the spoils (Heb 7:4). Melchizedek is a priest of God most High and king of Salem. He is declared in Hebrews to be a type of Christ. The king of Sodom then tells Abram to return the people, but to keep all the spoils for himself. But Abram refuses to keep any of it lest it should be said that the king of Sodom made Abram great. He would inherit the land and all its fullness as a gift of God, and none of it as a gift of Sodom.
After this the Lord came to Abram in a vision. This time promising him that his descendants would be as the stars of heaven and that his heir would not be Lot, nor Eliazar, but one born from his own body. Abram believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. God then confirmed all His promises by taking a self-maladictory oath. Animals were cut in two and while Abram Slept and was overcome by horror and great darkness he saw a burning torch pass between the slain animals. Some scholars believe that this is God saying that He will be cut in two and die, before He will fail to keep His promises to Abram.
God promised Abram a new land, to make a great nation of Abram, to bless him and make him a blessing to others. God Himself will curse those who curse Abram and bless those who bless him. Most important, God promised to bless all nations that had been scattered across the face of the earth through Abram.
It would be easy to assume that when God appeared to Abram that he and his family were worshipers of the true God and that they were vexed by the idolatry surrounding them, but Joshua makes it clear that this was not the case. Josh 24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel:'Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
But God who is rich in mercy revealed Himself to Abram and called Him out of the land of his Fathers. The first stage of the journey took them to Haran where Abram was accompanied by his father. After Terah died Abram completed his journey from Haran and entered the land of Canaan.
Abram enters Canaan from the north, living as a nomadic pilgrim. Yet we should not think of him as having only a handful with him. In 14:14 we learn that there were 318 trained warriors that had been born in his household. Based on the number of warriors some scholars have projected that the entire company was around three thousand souls.
The first thing Abram does upon entering the promised land is establish alters at Shechem and Bethel. Later he will build a third at Negev. These alters are very meaningful. They were constructed at areas of religious significance to the Canaanites. They were located at strategic places from a geographic point of view. They were revisited by Joshua during the conquest of the land. It seems clear to me, that Abram’s alter building should be understood as a symbolic conquest of Canaan. In other words, Abram was claiming Canaan as God’s. He did this by establishing right worship. These were not just places where Abram would get off to have quiet time with God. They were public centers of worship that expressed Abram’s faith in the God who promised to give him the land.
Not only does Genesis give us a preview of the conquest of Joshua, but it also prefigures the sojourn of Israel in Egypt. When a famine arose in Canaan, Abram temporarily moved his household to Egypt where he represented Sarai as his sister. This occurs multiple times in the story and its repetition is clearly important. We typically refer to this partial deception as an instance of Abram’s lack of faith. This may be true, but it is clearly not the point the author wants us to take away. Nothing is said of God’s being angry with Abram. Instead, God blesses Abram and sends plagues on Pharaoh. The episode ends with Abram and Sarai being sent away from Egypt loaded down with spoil. Just as Abrams establishing alters in Canaan symbolizes the conquest. Abram’s spoiling of Egypt prefigures Israel’s deliverance. Upon his return to Canaan, Abram returned to Bethel and worship the Lord There.
Next there is tension with the house of Lot. Abram was very rich, both with gold & silver and with herds. His nephew Lot had also prospered and the situation got to the point where the herdsmen of the two houses began striving with each other. Abram continues to demonstrate his patience and offers Lot any portion of the land he wanted. Lot chose the well watered plain of Jordan. We should understand that all of Canaan was a good land then and yet some parts more desirable than others. The plain of Jordan was so lush it was compared to the garden of Eden. Immediately after lot grasps after the best land God promised Abram that the entire land would be his. He invited Abram to walk through the whole land. All of it would belong to his descendants who would be like the dust of the earth. To this promise Abram responds by building another alter in Mamre. Each time God promises the land Abram responds by establishing a place of worship in the land.
Chedorlaomer was the king of Elam, which was a regional power. The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah and three other cities had to pay tribute to him, but at last they revolted resulting in a war. Chedorlaomer came and soundly defeated the cities of the plain and took away all the spoil and took many of the people captive including Lot & his household. Abram took 318 men who were warriors who grew up in his household and along with some allies attacked Chedorlaomer at night. Here we see that Abram was a competent military man who quickly yet decisively defeated a superior army. Abram was a man of faith who patiently waited for God to fulfill his promise, but he reveals here that faith knows how to act when called upon. As Abram returns from the battle He is met by Melchizedek the king of Salem called a priest of God most high with bread, wine and blessing. Abram responds to by presenting him with a tithe of the spoils (Heb 7:4). Melchizedek is a priest of God most High and king of Salem. He is declared in Hebrews to be a type of Christ. The king of Sodom then tells Abram to return the people, but to keep all the spoils for himself. But Abram refuses to keep any of it lest it should be said that the king of Sodom made Abram great. He would inherit the land and all its fullness as a gift of God, and none of it as a gift of Sodom.
After this the Lord came to Abram in a vision. This time promising him that his descendants would be as the stars of heaven and that his heir would not be Lot, nor Eliazar, but one born from his own body. Abram believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. God then confirmed all His promises by taking a self-maladictory oath. Animals were cut in two and while Abram Slept and was overcome by horror and great darkness he saw a burning torch pass between the slain animals. Some scholars believe that this is God saying that He will be cut in two and die, before He will fail to keep His promises to Abram.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
#11 Job Concluded
Posting will not be possible for the next three days as I’ll be away at camp for the weekend. So, here are my final thoughts on Job.
God has been patiently waiting off stage while the smartest men of the age put their minds to work on solving the great mystery of human suffering. He has let them have their say and now He moves in and addresses them.
He addresses them, but interestingly, He doesn’t address the problem of suffering. He doesn’t explain why this has happened to Job. He doesn’t tell the characters in this drama the back story of His wager with Satan. Instead, He declares His glory and defends His position as the loving, wise and all powerful Creator. In the end, Job is put to silence. He does not fill his mouth with arguments as he said he would, but puts his hands over his mouth and confesses that he has already said too much.
The friends of Job are told that they have said that about God which is not true and Job is obliged to offer prayers on their behalf. In the end. The problem of pain and suffering boils down to this. We either trust God or we don’t. In the midst of our deepest pain and unanswered grief we will either believe that God is both wise and good or we will not. This is the test of faith. It is the test that Jesus has shown us how to pass. May we follow in His footsteps through the garden of Gethsemane all the way to Calvary and in the end commit ourselves into the Father’s loving and capable hands.
God has been patiently waiting off stage while the smartest men of the age put their minds to work on solving the great mystery of human suffering. He has let them have their say and now He moves in and addresses them.
He addresses them, but interestingly, He doesn’t address the problem of suffering. He doesn’t explain why this has happened to Job. He doesn’t tell the characters in this drama the back story of His wager with Satan. Instead, He declares His glory and defends His position as the loving, wise and all powerful Creator. In the end, Job is put to silence. He does not fill his mouth with arguments as he said he would, but puts his hands over his mouth and confesses that he has already said too much.
The friends of Job are told that they have said that about God which is not true and Job is obliged to offer prayers on their behalf. In the end. The problem of pain and suffering boils down to this. We either trust God or we don’t. In the midst of our deepest pain and unanswered grief we will either believe that God is both wise and good or we will not. This is the test of faith. It is the test that Jesus has shown us how to pass. May we follow in His footsteps through the garden of Gethsemane all the way to Calvary and in the end commit ourselves into the Father’s loving and capable hands.
# 10 Job Continued
I’m still struck by the self-description of Job in chapter thirty-one. It is an oath of innocence that Job swears to. He has put himself on the witness stand and is asking God to answer. Though Job is barking up the wrong tree in thinking that God has wrongfully punished Him, it is nevertheless an astonishing description of personal character.
a) Job Has Not Lusted: 31:1-4
b) Job Has Not Lied or Deceived: comparatively-8
c) Job Has Not Committed Adultery: 31:9-12
d) Job Has Not Failed to Help His Slaves: 31:13-15
e) Job Has Not Failed to Help the Poor and Needy: 31:16-23
f) Job Has Not Trusted in His Wealth: 31:24-25
g) Job Has Not Turned to Idolatry: 31:26-28
h) Job Has Not Treated His Enemies Unfairly: 31:29-30
i) Job Has Not Been Stingy: 31:31-32
j) Job Has Not Hidden His Sins: 31:33-34
k) Job Wishes God Would Hear Him: 31:35-37
l) Job Has Not Been Unfair to His Farm-workers 31:38-40
After Job’s final speech we are introduced to the intriguing commentary of one Elihu. A comparatively young man, he is confident that he alone has the answer to Job’s problem. Scholars differ as to the significance of this speech in the debate. Some suggest that Elihu’s answer is the correct one and that he alone gets it right. This position is bolstered by the fact that when God corrects the speeches of Job’s three older friends, he does not correct Elihu. The problem for me, is that I don’t see Elihu saying anything much different than what they said. He doesn’t seem to introduce anything new to the discussion.
As we wrap up the readings on the speeches it seems that we have heard the wisest men of the age, addressing the problem of human suffering and though they are very confident in their positions, they are wrong. They are wrong at least as far as it concerns the peculiar case of Job. This alone should, make us aware of the weakness of human reasoning.
A final thought on the speeches. I’ve wondered about why these men were so adamant in maintaining Job’s sinfulness as the cause of his misfortune. Could it be that there is some psychological mechanism that produces this line of argument? In other words, nobody wants to think that such a horrible calamity could befall them. Even the thought of losing one’s children, possessions and health is overwhelming. It is comforting to build up a theology that says, “that kind of tragedy only happens to those who do deeds of great wickedness, therefore I am safe from the threat of it happening to me.” Just a thought.
a) Job Has Not Lusted: 31:1-4
b) Job Has Not Lied or Deceived: comparatively-8
c) Job Has Not Committed Adultery: 31:9-12
d) Job Has Not Failed to Help His Slaves: 31:13-15
e) Job Has Not Failed to Help the Poor and Needy: 31:16-23
f) Job Has Not Trusted in His Wealth: 31:24-25
g) Job Has Not Turned to Idolatry: 31:26-28
h) Job Has Not Treated His Enemies Unfairly: 31:29-30
i) Job Has Not Been Stingy: 31:31-32
j) Job Has Not Hidden His Sins: 31:33-34
k) Job Wishes God Would Hear Him: 31:35-37
l) Job Has Not Been Unfair to His Farm-workers 31:38-40
After Job’s final speech we are introduced to the intriguing commentary of one Elihu. A comparatively young man, he is confident that he alone has the answer to Job’s problem. Scholars differ as to the significance of this speech in the debate. Some suggest that Elihu’s answer is the correct one and that he alone gets it right. This position is bolstered by the fact that when God corrects the speeches of Job’s three older friends, he does not correct Elihu. The problem for me, is that I don’t see Elihu saying anything much different than what they said. He doesn’t seem to introduce anything new to the discussion.
As we wrap up the readings on the speeches it seems that we have heard the wisest men of the age, addressing the problem of human suffering and though they are very confident in their positions, they are wrong. They are wrong at least as far as it concerns the peculiar case of Job. This alone should, make us aware of the weakness of human reasoning.
A final thought on the speeches. I’ve wondered about why these men were so adamant in maintaining Job’s sinfulness as the cause of his misfortune. Could it be that there is some psychological mechanism that produces this line of argument? In other words, nobody wants to think that such a horrible calamity could befall them. Even the thought of losing one’s children, possessions and health is overwhelming. It is comforting to build up a theology that says, “that kind of tragedy only happens to those who do deeds of great wickedness, therefore I am safe from the threat of it happening to me.” Just a thought.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
#9 Job Continued
In Chapter thirty one Job concludes his last speech. In this chapter we have the masculine counterpart to Proverbs thirty one - a description of the ideal man. Undoubtedly this was an accurate description of the man Job and should be laid along side God’s description of him in chapter one. Here he is put forward as one who reverences God and loves his fellow man. Yet, in the closing verses of the chapter we see Job falter in his analysis of the situation. He refers to God as his accuser. Of course, we know that it was Satan that accused and that was the immediate cause of his suffering. God allowed it in order to demonstrate the true greatness of Job.
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