"Sufferers attract fixers the way roadkill attracts vultures"--from the introduction to Job in "The Message" bible translation
In the story of Job we are told of Job's three friends who hear of his trials and come to comfort him. "When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him."
We are not given any indication that their honest and sincere intention was anything but exactly that... to sympathize and comfort. As we know from the story, however, their good intentions quickly deteriorated when they began talking to Job, so much so that "Friend of Job" has become a catch-phrase for one who is a false friend or one who only pretends to want to help.
The friends sit with Job for seven days and nights without saying a word. It should be noted that a custom at the time was for mourners to say nothing until the one they were mourning with spoke. Then they were free to speak as well. Job's friends honored this custom and allowed Job time to grieve. When Job finally did speak, his words were not what his friends thought they should be. That's when the discussions started and quickly became arguments about who was right.
The three friends are generally thought to represent three approaches of reasoning, but all come from the basic premise of "Torah Obedience" which is the belief that "if I keep the Torah, God will bless me and, in fact, is obligated to do so to keep his covenant." This simple formula gave shape and meaning to Israel's religion for centuries and is, in fact, still operative today even, unfortunately, in many Christian denominations. Many believe the purpose of the story of Job was to burst that particular bubble and return the shroud of mystery in which God so rightfully dwells.
Eliphaz the Temanite - - name probably means either "My God is Strength" or "God is fine gold" or some derivation of that; thought to be descended from Teman who was the son of Eliphaz who was the son of Esau. Since he spoke first, Eliphaz was probably the eldest and most noteworthy of the three. He appeals to experience ( I have learned… I have observed… I have seen… and then to mystical visions… “a word was secretly brought to me… can a man be more righteous than God?” “Happy is the man whom God disciplines” was Job happy? If you repent and return to the Almighty you will be restored… but Job had not done anything wrong
Bildad the Shuhite – name means “son of contention” or “son of shouting” - A descendant (or follower) of Shuah, son of Abraham and Keturah, whose family lived in the deserts of Arabia, possibly a member of a nomadic tribe dwelling in southeastern Palestine. Evokes human tradition and philosophy; “Inquire of past generations… Look at how things have always been… “Does God pervert justice?” Rhetorical questions don’t always get the answers we are looking for… Job might have answered him “yes, God IS perverting justice.”
Zophar the Naamanite – name means “hairy” or “expanse” or “pleasant abode” - descendant (or follower) of Naaman, probably also from the deserts of Arabia. Promoted Human Merit and Moral Law… Legalistic pronouncements… recites the fate of the wicked; focuses on rebuking Job for his words instead of understanding the pain behind them, so he generalizes and condemns
The 3 Cycle of Speeches
Cycle 1 – Job 3 / Eliphaz 4-5 / Job 6-7 / Bildad 8 / Job 9-10 / Zophar 11
Cycle 2 – Job 12-14 / Eliphaz 15 / Job 16-17 / Bildad 18 / Job 19 / Zophar 20
Cycle 3 – Job 21 / Eliphaz 22 / Job 23-24 / Bildad 25 / Job 26-27
Poem about Wisdom – 28 / Job 29-31
Elihu – 32-37
God 38-41 – Three Rounds of Speeches
Friday, April 22, 2011
More on Translation and Interpretation
Job’s Wife… was she cursing or blessing? Was she serious or sarcastic?
Song of Songs – I am black and beautiful… I am black but beautiful
Job 13:15…
NIV - Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
RSV – Behold, he will slay me. I have no hope. Yet will I defend my ways to him.
New Living Translation - God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him.
American Standard Version - Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope: Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.
New International Reader's Version - Even if God kills me, I'll still put my hope in him. I'll argue my case in front of him.
Good News Translation - I've lost all hope, so what if God kills me? I am going to state my case to him.
GOD’S WORD Translation - If God would kill me, I would have no hope left. Nevertheless, I will defend my behavior to his face.
What is it Job was hoping for? One of the overarching themes of the story… Justice
Song of Songs – I am black and beautiful… I am black but beautiful
Job 13:15…
NIV - Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
RSV – Behold, he will slay me. I have no hope. Yet will I defend my ways to him.
New Living Translation - God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him.
American Standard Version - Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope: Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.
New International Reader's Version - Even if God kills me, I'll still put my hope in him. I'll argue my case in front of him.
Good News Translation - I've lost all hope, so what if God kills me? I am going to state my case to him.
GOD’S WORD Translation - If God would kill me, I would have no hope left. Nevertheless, I will defend my behavior to his face.
What is it Job was hoping for? One of the overarching themes of the story… Justice
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Job's Wife: Old What's Her Name
In the story of Job, Job is struck with the most incredible level of suffering imaginable and his nameless wife shows up for one brief moment. Seeing her husband sitting in an ash heap, silently scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery, she says, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die” (2:9).
Why are we not given her name? Wasn’t she important? At the end of the story we are even told the names of Job’s daughters (but not his sons… Job 42:14), but his wife is nowhere to be found (although she was apparently still there since he DID have 10 more children).
Hebrew names many times indicated some facet of the person’s character. In Hebrew tradition, Job’s wife was Dinah (“dee-naw”), one of Jacob’s daughters, which indicates when they believe Job to have lived. If she was in fact Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, her name means “Avenged; Judged and vindicated.” Interestingly enough, Job means “persecuted” in Hebrew and “Repentant One” in Arabic.
Why did the adversary not take her along with Job’s children? Was she under God’s protection, even though the story does not tell us so? Or did the Adversary spare her thinking he could sway her to his purposes?
What was going on in her mind? Fear, resentment, anger, grief?
She was certainly affected by the tragedies every bit as much as Job was, except for the sores on his body, and she was probably the one who should have been dressing them. The fact that he was scraping them with a potsherd may indicate that, in her grief, she was unable to care for her husband’s wounds. Her own wounds were too great for her to think of caring for his.
And yet, at the same time, she could not bear the thought that Job was silently accepting his fate. So she issued a challenge — her immortal words “curse God and die”. Our translation and interpretation of this passage is critical to understanding what was really going on with her.
“Do you still hold to your integrity?” Hebrew: tummah (‘toom-mah' – the feminine form of ‘innocence’. Masculine of integrity is “tom”). She was no doubt as steeped in the philosophy of Torah Obedience as Job was. Was she accusing him of sinning and deserving of his punishment?
“Curse God and die” – could also be “bless” or “kneel” – barach is supposed to include in it the ideas of both cursing and blessing and could have been used here as either irony or sarcasm, i.e., “oh yea, God is so good to us. You can bless him till (or while) he kills you”. Most English translations use “curse”, some say “bless”, some even say “renounce God and die”. If she was saying “bless…” it would align better with a righteous woman suggesting that if Job was going to die, he should be sure his last words were a blessing to God, as was customary at that time. If that’s the case, she was suggesting Job resign himself to his fate.
An interesting alternative perspective was introduced by Ilana Pardes, associate professor of comparative literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She posits that whatever Job’s wife’s words meant, her intention was that silent acceptance of his fate was not what he should do; that the kind of “integrity” Job was displaying lacked substance and what Job needed to do was to challenge the God who had afflicted him… even if doing so meant his death.
So perhaps she was the first to voice her doubts about the efficacy of Torah Obedience and to encourage Job to seek a deeper answer — one that would give rise to questions about the faith he held so dearly.
At first, of course, Job responded to his wife’s suggestion with a harsh rebuke: “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” (2:10).
Notice however, that after the three friends arrive, Job’s first words come close to doing what his wife suggested. He does not curse God directly, but he does curse the day of his birth, thereby implicitly cursing the creator who gave him life.
So when Job’s wife called on him to “curse God and die”, she may have actually, maybe even unknowingly, initiated the thoughts that lead to Job moving away from Torah Obedience and finding a deeper knowledge and relationship with his God than he had ever experienced before.
Why are we not given her name? Wasn’t she important? At the end of the story we are even told the names of Job’s daughters (but not his sons… Job 42:14), but his wife is nowhere to be found (although she was apparently still there since he DID have 10 more children).
Hebrew names many times indicated some facet of the person’s character. In Hebrew tradition, Job’s wife was Dinah (“dee-naw”), one of Jacob’s daughters, which indicates when they believe Job to have lived. If she was in fact Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, her name means “Avenged; Judged and vindicated.” Interestingly enough, Job means “persecuted” in Hebrew and “Repentant One” in Arabic.
Why did the adversary not take her along with Job’s children? Was she under God’s protection, even though the story does not tell us so? Or did the Adversary spare her thinking he could sway her to his purposes?
What was going on in her mind? Fear, resentment, anger, grief?
She was certainly affected by the tragedies every bit as much as Job was, except for the sores on his body, and she was probably the one who should have been dressing them. The fact that he was scraping them with a potsherd may indicate that, in her grief, she was unable to care for her husband’s wounds. Her own wounds were too great for her to think of caring for his.
And yet, at the same time, she could not bear the thought that Job was silently accepting his fate. So she issued a challenge — her immortal words “curse God and die”. Our translation and interpretation of this passage is critical to understanding what was really going on with her.
“Do you still hold to your integrity?” Hebrew: tummah (‘toom-mah' – the feminine form of ‘innocence’. Masculine of integrity is “tom”). She was no doubt as steeped in the philosophy of Torah Obedience as Job was. Was she accusing him of sinning and deserving of his punishment?
“Curse God and die” – could also be “bless” or “kneel” – barach is supposed to include in it the ideas of both cursing and blessing and could have been used here as either irony or sarcasm, i.e., “oh yea, God is so good to us. You can bless him till (or while) he kills you”. Most English translations use “curse”, some say “bless”, some even say “renounce God and die”. If she was saying “bless…” it would align better with a righteous woman suggesting that if Job was going to die, he should be sure his last words were a blessing to God, as was customary at that time. If that’s the case, she was suggesting Job resign himself to his fate.
An interesting alternative perspective was introduced by Ilana Pardes, associate professor of comparative literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She posits that whatever Job’s wife’s words meant, her intention was that silent acceptance of his fate was not what he should do; that the kind of “integrity” Job was displaying lacked substance and what Job needed to do was to challenge the God who had afflicted him… even if doing so meant his death.
So perhaps she was the first to voice her doubts about the efficacy of Torah Obedience and to encourage Job to seek a deeper answer — one that would give rise to questions about the faith he held so dearly.
At first, of course, Job responded to his wife’s suggestion with a harsh rebuke: “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” (2:10).
Notice however, that after the three friends arrive, Job’s first words come close to doing what his wife suggested. He does not curse God directly, but he does curse the day of his birth, thereby implicitly cursing the creator who gave him life.
So when Job’s wife called on him to “curse God and die”, she may have actually, maybe even unknowingly, initiated the thoughts that lead to Job moving away from Torah Obedience and finding a deeper knowledge and relationship with his God than he had ever experienced before.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Friends of Job
In the story of Job, we meet three of Job's friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. These friends, much like Job's wife, are often spoken of disparagingly by those who are trying to give a brief summary of the tale. But a closer look will reveal his friends to be friends indeed and, more importantly, very much like we are ourselves. One of the reasons the story of Job has such universal appeal and lasting quality is because it reveals so much about true human nature, if we will but look close enough to see it.
In the story, Job's friends hear about the disasters that have befallen Job. They meet together and purpose to visit him to console him in his troubles. When they see him from a distance, they are so overcome by his condition that they weep openly. Then they sit with him in his ash heap and do not speak a word for seven days and nights.
This is the first point to consider. How many friends can you name that would be willing to sit with you in your troubles and not speak for a week? How many friends do you have that YOU would be willing to visit in THEIR troubles and YOU not speak for a week?
There is a cultural consideration in this part of the ancient world that is not present in our modern world, of course. It was customary during mourning that visitors would not speak until the host spoke first. So by not speaking, Job's friends were honoring Job's and their cultural heritage. The fact is that his three friends put their normal life on hold so they could honor and comfort a friend. They sat silently for a week, waiting for him to speak.
When Job finally did speak, in summary his words were, "I would be better off dead; I wish I had never been born." This is not exactly what the friends were expecting to hear. Eliphaz responded first by politely asking "Would you mind if I were to speak a few words to you?" Eliphaz then began trying to comfort Job with his words, by reminding him of God's goodness. Job responds to Eliphaz; Zophar and Bildad give their takes on the situation and Job responds to them, and their back and forth discourse goes on for the major part of the story.
What unfolds during this time is what probably happens in almost every human interaction of its kind. What began as an effort to comfort and console turns into an attempt at "fixing" the situation. Instead of consolation, they offer what they see as the solution. What began as conversation soon turns into debate and then argument. Being right becomes more important than being friends; information becomes more important than relationship.
So how can we rise to the positive aspects of Job's Friends without declining into the negative? I believe there are several things we should consider:
1. Realize that you do not have the whole story; you do not know all the facts. In any person's life, there are myriad factors which you are simply unable to ascertain. Discernment here means not thinking you know what's going on.
2. The simple presence of a friend is a comfort in troubling times. Your gift to them is your time and "just being there". Words are almost never what they need, especially if those words are designed to provide a solution to their problems. If you begin to feel the need to speak words of wisdom, find an errand you can run for them instead. That is something that will help.
In the story, Job's friends hear about the disasters that have befallen Job. They meet together and purpose to visit him to console him in his troubles. When they see him from a distance, they are so overcome by his condition that they weep openly. Then they sit with him in his ash heap and do not speak a word for seven days and nights.
This is the first point to consider. How many friends can you name that would be willing to sit with you in your troubles and not speak for a week? How many friends do you have that YOU would be willing to visit in THEIR troubles and YOU not speak for a week?
There is a cultural consideration in this part of the ancient world that is not present in our modern world, of course. It was customary during mourning that visitors would not speak until the host spoke first. So by not speaking, Job's friends were honoring Job's and their cultural heritage. The fact is that his three friends put their normal life on hold so they could honor and comfort a friend. They sat silently for a week, waiting for him to speak.
When Job finally did speak, in summary his words were, "I would be better off dead; I wish I had never been born." This is not exactly what the friends were expecting to hear. Eliphaz responded first by politely asking "Would you mind if I were to speak a few words to you?" Eliphaz then began trying to comfort Job with his words, by reminding him of God's goodness. Job responds to Eliphaz; Zophar and Bildad give their takes on the situation and Job responds to them, and their back and forth discourse goes on for the major part of the story.
What unfolds during this time is what probably happens in almost every human interaction of its kind. What began as an effort to comfort and console turns into an attempt at "fixing" the situation. Instead of consolation, they offer what they see as the solution. What began as conversation soon turns into debate and then argument. Being right becomes more important than being friends; information becomes more important than relationship.
So how can we rise to the positive aspects of Job's Friends without declining into the negative? I believe there are several things we should consider:
1. Realize that you do not have the whole story; you do not know all the facts. In any person's life, there are myriad factors which you are simply unable to ascertain. Discernment here means not thinking you know what's going on.
2. The simple presence of a friend is a comfort in troubling times. Your gift to them is your time and "just being there". Words are almost never what they need, especially if those words are designed to provide a solution to their problems. If you begin to feel the need to speak words of wisdom, find an errand you can run for them instead. That is something that will help.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Seven Lessons for Believers from Job
- Don't ask God to do you a favor... God does not owe you anything. We should not worship God for the blessings we hope to get. The Satan's primary accusation was "does Job worship God for nothing?"
- God is not a just God, nor is he an unjust God... He is Just God. To those who wonder why the innocent suffer, Job's answer is "they just do." To those who look for equity and fairness in life... who wonder why life is not fair — Job's answer is "it just isn't". Good deeds being rewarded and wrongs being punished is not always the way it happens, even though the Old Testament many times says it does. So we are brought to the point of doing good because it is good to do good and believing that virtue is its own reward.
- God's ways are not our ways. God is inscrutable. Not only is there much we do not know, but there is much we would not understand if we knew it. [quick aside: I am reminded of a time several years ago when I attended a revival with a pastor friend of mine. Being of the Southern Baptist persuasion, he held a dim view of emotional excesses. At the meeting, he was prayed over and was "slain in the spirit" as they say (i.e., he passed out on the floor). Later he confided that the experience "did not agree with his theology". ] And yet there is hope for understanding more and learning more. After all, what did the ancients know of electricity or nuclear fission or space or DNA? Are we not the ancients of future generations? W.S. "The God-given nature of man is to ask, to learn, to explore."
We may not currently see order in the chaos, but that is not proof that there is no order. It only proves that we cannot see it. Our demand for justice on our terms lowers God to the point of a push-button dispenser... we put in certain behaviors, we get just rewards, whether good or bad. But God says, "Nothing doing! I am not here to serve you or to deliver your justice according to your understanding; you are here to serve me, even without perfect knowledge or reason or understanding." - Suffering is not evidence of sin. Job was as perfectly righteous as any mortal could hope to be. God himself said so and Job knew it was true.
Job's friends, all of whom turned into accusers, held to the longstanding belief that you only get what you deserved... they even said as much. Even today, we want desperately to be able to blame the victim for their suffering. After all, if they deserve what they got... if God is punishing them justly... then it lessens our moral obligation to help them lest we interfere with God's plan to make them shape up. [Another aside... a friend told me about her mother's church. Her Pastor, Stan, told his congregation that they should not send any relief aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina because God was punishing them for their sin. Pastor Stan — and countless like him — failed to learn a lesson from Job: that suffering is not evidence of sin. To those friends of Job who still insist it's true God says, "You have not spoken right about me." - We are not alone in our misery. Those who turn to the Bible for comfort can find it in Job. Not only does it teach us that suffering is not evidence of sin, but also that punishment — if indeed we ARE being punished — is not evidence of isolation from God. Nobody walks alone; God is always with us. Job's expressed loneliness and feelings of isolation echo our own feelings when trouble has come upon us. But because we know that Job was wrong about being cut off from God, we can believe that we have not been cut off, either!
- God is in control. When God appeared out of the whirlwind, he took Job on an exhaustive journey of discovery, revealing the entire universe — from the stars in the heavens to the fish in the depths of the seas — and showing the intimate care he gives to all of it. And yet, as William Safire points out, he gives man dominion over the earth and human affairs on it. If all of creation continues by his unseen guidance, we can be assured that our lives are within his unseen guidance as well, even those times when it appears that chaos reigns supreme. Rather than boasting of his power, God is revealing the immensity of his responsibility and, by analogy, calling on mankind to fulfill our responsibility on the earth to "Act Justly; to Love Mercy; and to Walk Humbly with our God." (Micah 6:8)
- Suffering MAY be a blessing in disguise, or Suffering is not without purpose. One purpose for the prologue to Job is to set up the possibility that God is hiding the reason for our suffering from us. The encouraging word from Eliphaz the Temanite was "Happy is the man whom God rebukes... the hands that smite will heal". Elihu offered the same consolation later when he said "those who suffer he rescues through suffering and teaches them by the discipline of affliction."
If God dispenses only good to us, then it stands to reason that our suffering will turn out for our good.
The First Dissident
"The First Dissident; The Book of Job in Today's Politics" is a breakaway book by William Safire. In it, Mr. Safire says, "I see Job's ancient challenge to the highest authority as a metaphor for the modern dissident's principled resistance to authoritarian rule... not a weary resignation to life's unfairness. Rather it is a sustained note of defiance."
Regarding the book of Job, Thomas Carlyle said, "There is nothing written, I think, in the Bible or out of it, of equal literary merit." and Alfred Lord Tennyson called it "the greatest poem of ancient and modern times".
The unknown author of Job broke with the pious illusion of perfect divine retribution (i.e., you get what you deserve) and "came to grips with the mysterious disorder of real life."
About "The First Dissident", Safire says "I am abondoning the pretense of objective analysis of what the author meant and am joining in the editing and updating of the ancient book to fit my circumstances. That's what most students of Job do..." "...written on stretch papyrus, the book of Job can be fitted to the times..."
"Today's experts (Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar) are tomorrow's ignoramuses. Being in the minority does not mean being in the wrong. "Illigetim Non Carborundum" (don't let the bastards grind you down)
Regarding the book of Job, Thomas Carlyle said, "There is nothing written, I think, in the Bible or out of it, of equal literary merit." and Alfred Lord Tennyson called it "the greatest poem of ancient and modern times".
The unknown author of Job broke with the pious illusion of perfect divine retribution (i.e., you get what you deserve) and "came to grips with the mysterious disorder of real life."
About "The First Dissident", Safire says "I am abondoning the pretense of objective analysis of what the author meant and am joining in the editing and updating of the ancient book to fit my circumstances. That's what most students of Job do..." "...written on stretch papyrus, the book of Job can be fitted to the times..."
"Today's experts (Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar) are tomorrow's ignoramuses. Being in the minority does not mean being in the wrong. "Illigetim Non Carborundum" (don't let the bastards grind you down)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
10-Minute Presentation On The Company Of Job
"Shortly after the beginning of the year 2006, I emerged from my man-cave with a stack of paper. I handed it to my wife and said "I've written an opera." She gave me a quzzical look and I said, "But it needs music." She gave me an incredulous look and said, "So what are you telling me for?"
So began a journey... a journey of faith, to be sure, but also a journey of trial and error... of anticipation and frustration; a journey on which we would meet some of the most gifted, talented, and broken people you can imagine... people whose personal lives were testaments to the fact that this world is full of pain and suffering; and it is also full of compassion and grace... people who longed to be a part of something that is so incredible the only fitting word for it is — divine.
Such is the story of Job; an ancient tale that transcends the bounds of time or place... a tale that is as real and relevant today as it was when its unknown author first put it into writing thousands of years ago.
The story of Job is the story of every man... every woman... every child... who ever suffered and in that regard, it is truly every man's story.
Job was a man who was, by all accounts, very, wealthy.
He had vast holdings of real estate, which he leveraged to produce crops... which he sold to feed both local and far-ranging populace.
He had a diverse portfolio in the stock market of his day in the form of oxen, camels, and sheep (and, presumably, many other animals); working animals used to plant and harvest his crops, transport them to distant regions to sell, and even produce meat and clothing for his family and community.
Job had a large family, an extensive household of servants, and he was a well-respected pillar of his community.
But then... one day... he lost it all. In one day... blow after crippling blow destroyed his crops, his livestock, his servants, and finally... his ten children.
Political upheavals... invading armies... natural disasters... does this story sound familiar? Does it sound relevant? Does it sound like it's just a story of ancient times? Or does this sound like a story worth telling today... and tomorrow?
We believe this is story worth telling and The Company of Job has been formed to tell Job's story.
Our desire... is to find the music that lives within the poetry of Job and to let the story speak for itself.
Our mission... is bring the story of Job to life on the musical stage, to tell about real suffering in our world today, and to donate our profits to organizations that help to relieve that suffering.
Our Hope... is that you will help us to do these things."
So began a journey... a journey of faith, to be sure, but also a journey of trial and error... of anticipation and frustration; a journey on which we would meet some of the most gifted, talented, and broken people you can imagine... people whose personal lives were testaments to the fact that this world is full of pain and suffering; and it is also full of compassion and grace... people who longed to be a part of something that is so incredible the only fitting word for it is — divine.
Such is the story of Job; an ancient tale that transcends the bounds of time or place... a tale that is as real and relevant today as it was when its unknown author first put it into writing thousands of years ago.
The story of Job is the story of every man... every woman... every child... who ever suffered and in that regard, it is truly every man's story.
Job was a man who was, by all accounts, very, wealthy.
He had vast holdings of real estate, which he leveraged to produce crops... which he sold to feed both local and far-ranging populace.
He had a diverse portfolio in the stock market of his day in the form of oxen, camels, and sheep (and, presumably, many other animals); working animals used to plant and harvest his crops, transport them to distant regions to sell, and even produce meat and clothing for his family and community.
Job had a large family, an extensive household of servants, and he was a well-respected pillar of his community.
But then... one day... he lost it all. In one day... blow after crippling blow destroyed his crops, his livestock, his servants, and finally... his ten children.
Political upheavals... invading armies... natural disasters... does this story sound familiar? Does it sound relevant? Does it sound like it's just a story of ancient times? Or does this sound like a story worth telling today... and tomorrow?
We believe this is story worth telling and The Company of Job has been formed to tell Job's story.
Our desire... is to find the music that lives within the poetry of Job and to let the story speak for itself.
Our mission... is bring the story of Job to life on the musical stage, to tell about real suffering in our world today, and to donate our profits to organizations that help to relieve that suffering.
Our Hope... is that you will help us to do these things."
Thursday, February 24, 2011
My head is spinning
"The book of Job has been called one of the most difficult books in the bible. Why is that? What is it about this story that makes it one of the most loved and admired books and yet one that is so difficult to understand? Instead of taking a linear path through the story, we are going to attempt to identify some major themes that are woven throughout the text and examine the story from a variety of viewpoints."
This is what we're using for our summary of the class. There are truly so many things you can talk about within the story of Job that it's virtually impossible to cover it all in a limited amount of time. We hope to at least hit some highlights, ask some probing questions, and hope we can find some answers... or at least some things to think about.
This is what we're using for our summary of the class. There are truly so many things you can talk about within the story of Job that it's virtually impossible to cover it all in a limited amount of time. We hope to at least hit some highlights, ask some probing questions, and hope we can find some answers... or at least some things to think about.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
But then...
After a brief introduction of the man named Job, the next part of the story says "One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord." This comes right after we are told what a great and righteous man Job was. I think it should say, "But then one day..." because it would provide a signal to the beginning of Job's trouble. Things were going well, but then...
It's the "but then" moments that test our faith, unravel the perfect tapestry of our theology, and cause us to re-examine the beliefs we hold so dear, as they did for Job.
"One day the angels came..." is such an innocent and uneventful sounding opening to a passage in which God agrees to allow the satan to destroy his favorite servant's life. "But then..." would at least prepare the reader for the drastic change that was about to occur to this too perfect picture.
I remember a story I read years ago (but have been unable to find any reference to) in which the central character goes about his daily life and then suddenly falls through a "trapdoor in time" when his life completely changes. I don't remember a lot about the story, but the concept has stayed with me through the years. The trapdoor of life when nothing is as it was before.
That's how I envision Job's story. His life was going along quite nicely, thank you, until God opened an unseen trapdoor under him and he fell into a world he did not understand or know existed... a world in which the God he encountered was nothing like the God he thought he knew; a world in which all the theology and philosophy and history and wisdom he was accustomed to wielding with such understanding suddenly held no answers for his dilemma.
It's the "but then" moments that test our faith, unravel the perfect tapestry of our theology, and cause us to re-examine the beliefs we hold so dear, as they did for Job.
"One day the angels came..." is such an innocent and uneventful sounding opening to a passage in which God agrees to allow the satan to destroy his favorite servant's life. "But then..." would at least prepare the reader for the drastic change that was about to occur to this too perfect picture.
I remember a story I read years ago (but have been unable to find any reference to) in which the central character goes about his daily life and then suddenly falls through a "trapdoor in time" when his life completely changes. I don't remember a lot about the story, but the concept has stayed with me through the years. The trapdoor of life when nothing is as it was before.
That's how I envision Job's story. His life was going along quite nicely, thank you, until God opened an unseen trapdoor under him and he fell into a world he did not understand or know existed... a world in which the God he encountered was nothing like the God he thought he knew; a world in which all the theology and philosophy and history and wisdom he was accustomed to wielding with such understanding suddenly held no answers for his dilemma.
A Different Viewpoint
Marcus Borg, in his introduction to the Old Testament ("Reading the Bible Again For The First Time"), says that if we read Job searching for answers to why good people suffer, we are left unsatisfied and wanting... we get no good answer. The real question... the primary question Job seeks to answer is the one raised by the satan... "Does Job worship God for nothing?" Does Job — do we — worship God because of the blessings we expect to get in return? Or do we worship God because He Is God and is worthy of worship?
God holds Job up for review... puts him on exhibit as the poster child of piety and righteousness. That's when the satan throws down the gauntlet and issues his challenge. "Does Job worship God for nothing?" The satan's challenge was carefully constructed to shift the focus from Job's righteousness to God's worthiness. Notice that he did not accuse Job of anything except maybe self-interest. Rather he is raising the question of whether or not God is worthy of being worshiped.
This point of view is startling because of the clarity it brings to the story.
God holds Job up for review... puts him on exhibit as the poster child of piety and righteousness. That's when the satan throws down the gauntlet and issues his challenge. "Does Job worship God for nothing?" The satan's challenge was carefully constructed to shift the focus from Job's righteousness to God's worthiness. Notice that he did not accuse Job of anything except maybe self-interest. Rather he is raising the question of whether or not God is worthy of being worshiped.
This point of view is startling because of the clarity it brings to the story.
- It shifts the focus from man-centered to God-centered.
- It makes God the central character rather than Job. The story is about God's worth... NOT Job's righteousness.
- It shows that the satan was not accusing Job of anything. Rather, he was accusing God of not being worthy of being worshiped. That is why God was compelled to engage the challenge.
- Whatever the challenge was about, it certainly was not so God could find out if Job would remain faithful. If it was, then God is not the omnicient God we believe him to be.
Assorted notes
I'm not sure where some of these came from, but I'm attempting to compile them from several sometimes unannotated notebooks.
Principles from Job
I think these came from "A Sacred Sorrow" by Michael Card
"to penetrate the numbness in order to face the body of death in which we are caught. Clearly, the numbness sometimes evokes from us rage and anger, but the numbness is more likely penetrated by grief and lament. Death, and that is our state, does not require indignation as much as it requires anguish and the sharing in the pain."
I believe this is one of the ways God has chosen to use "Job: A Postmodern Opera of Biblical Proportions". It provides a musical, lyrical, poetic vehicle by which we share in the pain and anguish of Job, his wife and family, and even his friends. It is within that sharing that we become community, that barriers of race and religion are overcome, walls are torn down, hands are joined, and wounds are healed.
Three main themes in Job:
Satan and the Unseen Council - satan called "God's prodigal son"; Angels are called "the sons of God"; the satan is "accuser, wanderer, cynic, tormentor"
Lesson to learn:
Principles from Job
I think these came from "A Sacred Sorrow" by Michael Card
- If God's ways are truly beyond our comprehension then we must concede that there may well be reasons for suffering other than those we can perceive
- If God's ways are truly beyond our comprehension then his blessings may well be other than those we can perceive
- Pain and suffering are perfectly compatible with God's promise to bless his children; Loss of health and loss of wealth... those things we generally assume to be blessings from God... is perfectly compatible with God's promise of blessing
- The Wisdom literature of the bible is not there to present us with perfect wisdom for living, but rather to show us the inadequacy of wisdom. Solomon bemoans the fact that though he was the wisest man on earth, wisdom was not enough.
- Those who want a simple formula for their lives will not find it here.
"to penetrate the numbness in order to face the body of death in which we are caught. Clearly, the numbness sometimes evokes from us rage and anger, but the numbness is more likely penetrated by grief and lament. Death, and that is our state, does not require indignation as much as it requires anguish and the sharing in the pain."
I believe this is one of the ways God has chosen to use "Job: A Postmodern Opera of Biblical Proportions". It provides a musical, lyrical, poetic vehicle by which we share in the pain and anguish of Job, his wife and family, and even his friends. It is within that sharing that we become community, that barriers of race and religion are overcome, walls are torn down, hands are joined, and wounds are healed.
Three main themes in Job:
- Basic reality of life
- Moral dimension of life
- The problem of suffering
Satan and the Unseen Council - satan called "God's prodigal son"; Angels are called "the sons of God"; the satan is "accuser, wanderer, cynic, tormentor"
Lesson to learn:
- Learn to Expect Suffering
- There is a bigger battle taking place
- Everything belongs to God
- Worship God no matter what happens
- Don't lose perspective
The Friends of Job
"Sufferers attract fixers the way roadkill attracts vultures"
--from the introduction to Job in "The Message" bible translation
Eliphaz the Temanite - name probably means either "My God is Strength" or "God is fine gold" or some derivation of that; thought to be descended from Teman who was the son of Eliphaz who was the son of Esau. Since he spoke first, Eliphaz was probably the eldest and most noteworthy of the three.
Bildad the Shuhite - A descendant (or follower) of Shuah, son of Abraham and Keturah, whose family lived in the deserts of Arabia, possibly a member of a nomadic tribe dwelling in southeastern Palestine.
Zophar the Naamanite - descendant (or follower) of Naaman, probably also from the deserts of Arabia.
In the story of Job we are told of Job's three friends who hear of his trials and come to comfort him. "When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him."
We are not given any indication that their honest and sincere intention was anything but exactly that... to sympathize and comfort. As we know from the story, however, their good intentions quickly deteriorated when they began talking to Job, so much so that "Friend of Job" has become a catch-phrase for one who is a false friend or one who only pretends to want to help.
The friends sit with Job for seven days and nights without saying a word. It should be noted that a custom at the time was for mourners to say nothing until the one they were mourning with spoke. Then they were free to speak as well. Job's friends honored this custom and allowed Job time to grieve. When Job finally did speak, his words were not was his friends thought they should be. That's when the discussions started and quickly became arguments about who was right.
The three friends are generally thought to represent three approaches of reasoning, but all come from the basic premise of "Torah Obedience" which is the belief that "if I keep the Torah, God will bless me and, in fact, is obliged to do so to keep his covenant." This simple formula gave shape and meaning to Israel's religion for centuries and is, in fact, still operative today even, unfortunately, in many Christian denominations. Many believe the purpose of the story of Job was to burst that particular bubble and return the shroud of mystery in which God so rightfully dwells.
Eliphaz - Experience is the best teacher: "I have learned... I have observed... I have seen..."
Bildad - we must adhere to Tradition and History: "Inquire of past generations; look at how things have always been..."
Zophar - Torah is the Law; legalistic pronouncements: He focused on rebutting Job's words rather than the feelings behind them, causing him to generalize and condemn.
What the friends teach us
--from the introduction to Job in "The Message" bible translation
Eliphaz the Temanite - name probably means either "My God is Strength" or "God is fine gold" or some derivation of that; thought to be descended from Teman who was the son of Eliphaz who was the son of Esau. Since he spoke first, Eliphaz was probably the eldest and most noteworthy of the three.
Bildad the Shuhite - A descendant (or follower) of Shuah, son of Abraham and Keturah, whose family lived in the deserts of Arabia, possibly a member of a nomadic tribe dwelling in southeastern Palestine.
Zophar the Naamanite - descendant (or follower) of Naaman, probably also from the deserts of Arabia.
In the story of Job we are told of Job's three friends who hear of his trials and come to comfort him. "When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him."
We are not given any indication that their honest and sincere intention was anything but exactly that... to sympathize and comfort. As we know from the story, however, their good intentions quickly deteriorated when they began talking to Job, so much so that "Friend of Job" has become a catch-phrase for one who is a false friend or one who only pretends to want to help.
The friends sit with Job for seven days and nights without saying a word. It should be noted that a custom at the time was for mourners to say nothing until the one they were mourning with spoke. Then they were free to speak as well. Job's friends honored this custom and allowed Job time to grieve. When Job finally did speak, his words were not was his friends thought they should be. That's when the discussions started and quickly became arguments about who was right.
The three friends are generally thought to represent three approaches of reasoning, but all come from the basic premise of "Torah Obedience" which is the belief that "if I keep the Torah, God will bless me and, in fact, is obliged to do so to keep his covenant." This simple formula gave shape and meaning to Israel's religion for centuries and is, in fact, still operative today even, unfortunately, in many Christian denominations. Many believe the purpose of the story of Job was to burst that particular bubble and return the shroud of mystery in which God so rightfully dwells.
Eliphaz - Experience is the best teacher: "I have learned... I have observed... I have seen..."
Bildad - we must adhere to Tradition and History: "Inquire of past generations; look at how things have always been..."
Zophar - Torah is the Law; legalistic pronouncements: He focused on rebutting Job's words rather than the feelings behind them, causing him to generalize and condemn.
What the friends teach us
- When you go to see a friend in distress, the ONLY thing you should do is express sympathy and show compassion.
- Do NOT offer philosophical or theological reasons or explanations; instead, bite your tongue or LEAVE!
- There is always more to the story than you are able to know.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Background on Job
Martin Luther called Job "magnificent and sublime... the most beautiful and most difficult" book in the bible.
French Author and Poet Victor Hugo said that "Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of the human mind. If it were given to me tomorrow to destroy all books, save one... I would save the book of Job"
Notes from Walter Brueggemann's "Introduction To The Old Testament"
French Author and Poet Victor Hugo said that "Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of the human mind. If it were given to me tomorrow to destroy all books, save one... I would save the book of Job"
Notes from Walter Brueggemann's "Introduction To The Old Testament"
- The story is undated; it "uses older genres and patterns of speech and fashions them into the most artistic and practical statement of faith in the Old Testament."
- "...challenges the basic premises of Israel's faith."
- "...refuses easy resolution..."
- Composed mostly of lament and hymn, which it pursues to an "emotional, artistic, and theological extremity."
- "An immensely sophisticated artistic work that is removed from any particular historical context or crisis."
- The book of Job is a protest against religion that has been reduced to explanations or pat answers
- You never get over grief completely until you express it fully. Job didn't hold back.
- The story itself is believed to predate the earliest scriptures.
- Some scholars believe the opening and closing of the story, which is written in prose form, frames the basic story from the ancient tale. The poetic sections, which comprise the vast majority of the book, were written by unknown author(s), possibly during the time of the Babylonian Exile, although Jewish Rabbinical authorities ascribe authorship to Moses, who they say wrote it to comfort the Israelites when they were enslaved in Egypt. In short, we don't really know.
- In Jewish tradition, Job was an actual, historical man who was a very powerful figure in the ancient world. He is believed to be the son of Uz, who was the son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. There is also a minority of Rabbinical scholarly opinion that believes that Job was not an actual historical figure. In this view, the book of Job is a morality tale written by a prophet to convey a divine message.
- The Greek historian Aristeas identifies Job as being "Jobab, the great-grandson of Esau", as mentioned in Genesis 36.
- In Islam, Job is considered to be a historical person and a prophet of Allah. He was struck with all the same tragedies recorded in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, but there is no mention of lengthy theological debates with friends who came to console him. Much of the rest of the story, though is very similar to the Jewish and Christian texts. There is a tomb outside of Salalah, in southern Oman, that local tradition says is the tomb of Job. There are at least two other locations that also claim to be Job's tomb.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wisdom Literature
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs (aka Song of Solomon) are the primary biblical witnesses to wisdom within the human experience. They are certainly not the only places wisdom is to be found, but they do provide the canvas on which the majority of thought concerning wisdom is painted. They give place for the full range of experience, emotion, and thought that we mortal humans live in our time on earth. They do not try to shield the reader from anything that may be considered not politically correct or too extreme. They toss up life in all its grittiness as the arena in which God is present and working.
I found an interesting introduction to the wisdom books in, of all places, the bible I'm using now which is The Message translation. It presents the five wisdom books as a grid of human experience with psalms squarely in the middle.
In one corner we have Ecclesiastes accepting us into the boredom of daily living while in the opposite corner Song of Songs celebrates the most exquisite and beautiful love that life can offer. Job and Proverbs share opposite corners with Proverbs providing pithy quotations for living successfully while Job provides an exposition into the extremes of suffering. Psalms ties them all together, providing a melting pot of celebration, lament, cries of anguish, and shouts of joy.
I found an interesting introduction to the wisdom books in, of all places, the bible I'm using now which is The Message translation. It presents the five wisdom books as a grid of human experience with psalms squarely in the middle.
In one corner we have Ecclesiastes accepting us into the boredom of daily living while in the opposite corner Song of Songs celebrates the most exquisite and beautiful love that life can offer. Job and Proverbs share opposite corners with Proverbs providing pithy quotations for living successfully while Job provides an exposition into the extremes of suffering. Psalms ties them all together, providing a melting pot of celebration, lament, cries of anguish, and shouts of joy.
Themes in Job
Clark McNutt and I are slated to teach a class on the book of Job starting in March. Rather than trying to teach the passages in an expository way, we are going to attempt to identify some major themes or topics that run through the story and see what they have to tell us. Having spent the last six years studying a variety of books about Job while working on the opera Suzanne and I have written (with much help from many friends), I think I can bring in some different points of view and differing ideas from those that we are usually presented with (at least those we get in our Presbyterian (PCA) Sunday School classes).
Here are a few I came up with... in no particular order and subject to change without notice... your mileage may vary... do not attempt this at home...
Here are a few I came up with... in no particular order and subject to change without notice... your mileage may vary... do not attempt this at home...
- Wisdom Literature - overview of the wisdom books in the bible... Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. How are they interrelated and how are they different?
- Background on Job - when do we think it was written and why? what was its context? why is it in the bible? what does it have for us today?
- Who is God? What is he? How do the names by which we call him dictate our thoughts about him?
- God and the Satan - just what is their relationship anyway? Is "the satan" in Job the same character we are introduced to as the "serpent" in Genesis and Lucifer later on?
- Job's Wife - Old "What's-her-name" - Generally vilified for her brief appearance and suggestion that Job should "curse God and die", Job's wife has a lot to teach us about handling grief if we'll look long enough to understand her.
- Job's Friends - Friends in Need, or Needy Friends? The dialogue between Job and his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, take up the vast majority of the book. Their theological debates are far-ranging and lengthy. Let's take a look at Job and his friends and see what was going on. Is being called a "Friend of Job" a good thing or a bad thing?
- Justice and Man's Role vs. Justice and God's Role - Is God too busy to deal with issues of justice on earth? Can we continue to believe in a good and all powerful God in the face of the immense suffering we see? How do we reconcile it? Or do we?
- God and Creation and Man in Creation - God's response to Job from the whirlwind is a whirlwind tour of creation. What's he trying to say anyway?
- From Riches to Rags to Riches - The story's beginning and ending are prose compared to the poetry that makes up the rest of the book. What's up with that? Is the ending a copout?
- These were added by Clark...
- Health and Wealth- things we see and feel but not are.
- God's view of man vs. Man's view of man
- Why does God allow Satan to interfere?
- Integrity as a character trait
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