Kindle Notes & Highlights
We cultivate a studious avoidance of the book of Job in much the same way that we avoid praying for things like “patience.” For it is a well known fact that our God loves to give such things, and his usual method is to give us circumstances in which we will have to learn patience. In the same way, many are afraid of Job and of learning the lessons of Job because we fear that God will notice us. We fear that he will love us like he loved Job, and that he will strike us.
The book of Job is not an optional portion of the Bible. It does not present a path of wisdom and patience that is for super-holy Christians. The book of Job is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the good news that God comes for his people, but he does not come on our terms. He does not come and leave us untouched or unchanged. He comes to transfigure us—to cleanse us, transform us, and draw us up into his glorious presence. He comes in the storm of his presence, and he blows upon us and our families and our stories; he blows upon them until they glow with the fire of his
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One way to describe the book of Job is as an extended argument between the book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.
Frequently, we think of sin as only a ledger: God’s record of all our evil thoughts, words, and actions versus our good thoughts, words, and actions. Sin is imagined as a substance that builds up in our system, in our account. Perhaps there may be helpful analogies there, but sin is also a directional thing, a geographical reality, a sort of teleology. Literally, the verb in the Hebrew “to sin” means “to miss the mark”; it means you’ve veered off the path. To sin is to be going in the wrong direction, to be in the wrong place.
foundational to all human relationships is the relationship of the eternal Father and the eternal Son bound together in the love and fellowship of the eternal Spirit.
The book opens with a faithful father and his sons, a family and kingdom which seem to be overflowing in blessing, but it is this tremendous blessing and wisdom that stands juxtaposed to what follows.
As the narrator draws the curtain of heaven aside and we glimpse a scene in the heavenly courtroom, readers are struck with the presence of the Satan, God’s strange, even troubling interaction with the Satan, and on top of those concerns, it is reasonable to wonder why Job is not privy to this council.
First, we need to consider what is meant by the title “sons of God.” This is actually very central to what the book of Job is all about. It is not accidental that the prologue has already spoken of “sons” in four of the first five verses of the book. The author could only draw more attention to this theme if he underlined the word every time it occurred.
In Genesis 5, there are “other sons and daughters,” and it is reasonable to point out that they too were “made in the image and likeness of God.” The particular designation of the image and likeness of God has a more specific purpose. To be the “son of God” in this specific way is to take on the Father’s mission in the world in a particular way, specifically to carry on the promises of God. All of humanity is made in the image and likeness of God and is called to bear that image generally. Throughout the Old Testament, the sons of God carry with them, embody, and memorialize the promises of
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The promise is also for all the nations—all the lost and exiled sons.
The title “firstborn son” underlines this vocational aspect in particular. The Old Testament practice of fathers bestowing a “double portion,” or birthright of inheritance, on the firstborn son is bound up with God’s original promise to the line of the promised seed.
Rather, the double-portion inheritance was the means by which the firstborn son was empowered to take up the calling of his father’s house and mission in the world. This would include the practical needs of his father’s house but also the capital needed to expand and grow that house in the world. The firstborn son was expected to take up the vocation of his father, and the double portion was the means to accomplish this task.
When Yahweh calls the nation of Israel his “firstborn son,” it is not merely a term of affection or loyalty, it is also a vocational title. The firstborn son is called to serve his father and carry on his father’s house.
Israel is the firstborn son of God freed from slavery in order to build his Father’s house, and the Levites serve as sons in the house of God their Father, teaching all of Israel how they too are to be the son of God, embodying the promise and carrying out the mission of their Father’s house in the world.
If Adam was created to be God’s reigning son on this earth, Solomon pictures that glory and power in a dim yet helpful way; however, even Solomon’s glory yearns for more glory.
From this vantage, we can suggest that the “sons of God” who present themselves before Yahweh are those men and angels who would have access to the presence of God.
In this heavenly scene in Job 1, the discussion has everything to do with whether Job will “bless” God or “curse” him.
The name “Satan” means “accuser” or “adversary.” What is particularly striking is that here, and throughout the book of Job, his name is spelled with a definite article. His name is “The Satan,” not just “Satan.” The definite article aims to underline his role. He is the accuser, the adversary. What’s he doing? He’s the accuser who has come to accuse. He’s the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), and as the adversary, he is the prosecuting attorney.
Many commentators insist that the article indicates that this character is a generic “accuser/adversary” and therefore not the same person as the Devil, Satan. While this is perhaps technically possible, there is no other evidence for this hypothesis, and plenty of corroborating evidence which makes the traditional reading natural.
One question that may occur to some readers is, “What exactly is Satan doing in heaven?” There are several answers to this, but from a purely literary angle, Satan clearly belongs here. If this is another Adam story, if we’re in the garden, or somewhere near the garden (symbolically), and there are lots of animals, a perfect man ruling, of course Satan is going to show up. That’s what happened in Genesis 3. All the same characters are in play. Looking ahead to the end of chapter 2, Job’s wife is also going to show up, encouraging Job to do what the Satan wants, “tempting” her husband with the
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He’s not only accusing Job of weakness, he is also accusing God of propping up this weakness, subsidizing Job’s hypocrisy. Satan accuses Job of only obeying God out of fear of punishment or loss of blessing, and accuses God of protecting this shallow obedience.
However, God’s words keep coming back to Job. “Have you considered my servant Job, how blameless and how perfect he is?” God is bragging on his servant Job and egging Satan on. “Strike him. I dare you.” Does God routinely do that to his people?
Not only is Yahweh a God who gives permission to the Satan to strike Job, Satan knows that God must stretch out his hand (1:11). The Lord says to Satan, “behold all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand on his person” (1:12). Satan knows that the hand of God holds even his hand. The hand of God holds the hand of Satan. Satan’s hand cannot move apart from the hand of God.
One of the stronger motifs running through these first verses is the theme of sons. Job has seven sons. His sons feast. Job is the greatest of the sons of the East; he is a son, he has sons, and he offers sacrifices for his sons. The sons of God appear before the Lord. Based on this early repetition, it is safe to assume that one of the major themes of Job is about what it means to be a son of God.
Job is a father and God is a father. Both have sons. The narrator shows us two faithful fathers, and what God is doing to Job here is exactly what Job is doing for his sons. Job, as a faithful father, offers up sacrifices for his sons. He says, “This is my firstborn,” and cuts him up, puts him on the altar, and watches him go up to God in smoke. Then he takes his second born and cuts him, puts him on the altar, and sends him up into the presence of God. Now God is doing it to Job.
God says, “This is my son, Job, have you considered him?” God’s love for Job draws Job into his presence.
This kind of love only makes sense if the resurrection is true. If the resurrection is true, then God knows what’s on the other side of the sword. He knows what’s on the other side of the fire—life with him. On the other side of the battle, there is no doubt of being raised up into wholeness and fullness in his presence.
God is blameless and perfect, loving the blameless and perfect and seeking to draw them to himself. His presence is a hurricane of glory. God is a fierce storm, and when he draws near, mountains quake, the earth cracks, seas rage, and men tremble and fear. The storm of God’s presence creates, judges, separates, and re-creates. The wind of God divides and tears apart before reuniting and healing. The very good God loves to take good men, break them apart, and turn them into very good men. The perfect and glorious God loves to take perfect men, break them apart, and turn them into greater glory
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“Good” always anticipates “very good.” Good does not mean finished, good means good for today and ready for tomorrow. Between the “good” and the “very good” there is division, separation, and surgery. Ribs are pulled apart, animals are cut up and placed on the altar. It is only when the beloved son is worked over with the fire-Wind of God that he begins to participate in that “very good,” in the life of the Father, the Word, and the Wind.
Job’s cursing is faithful cursing. Faith looks to God in hope, but faith is not blind, and faith is not lifeless. Faith doesn’t pretend it doesn’t hurt, and faith isn’t apathetic about the gifts—friends, family, and health—that God has given us. Faith loves those gifts of God, and when they are threatened or taken away, faith cries out to God, “Why are you doing this?” Faith is hungry for goodness and justice and mercy. Faith is the woman who won’t stop bringing her requests to the master, because he is the master and because he is the Lord.
Wickedness can be perpetuated by men in suits and ties who go home and kiss their wives and play with their kids. Evil can be motioned, seconded, and passed into legislation for the good of society, everyone can really believe it, and it’s still evil. This is the challenge of wisdom. Wisdom requires men and women to look deeper than surface appearances and words. It is not enough to have good intentions or to quote Bible verses.
God loves the mysterious, the undomesticated, the free-spirited, because God is the original free spirit. God is not domesticated. God is not tame. The Father and the Son are bound together by the wild storm-spirit of holiness. God is a dragon, the original fire-breather.
Like Job, we are called to wrestle and suffer in order to learn this wisdom and to learn to rule well. This means following our crucified and risen King. We are assured that this wrestling and struggle are not only always under the rule and protection of our faithful Father, it is the exact tutorial that God has designed for us. Like the Son, we learn obedience through our suffering (Heb. 5:8), but this doesn’t mean apathy. This does not mean we resign ourselves to whatever happens. Yahweh really wants us to wrestle, to wrestle with evil, to fight wickedness, and to strive with them, always
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