The Book of Job

Last Week…

• Wisdom Literature• Prose & Poetry• Anonymous author; exilic period?• The man, the myth, the legend• Prosperity Gospel/Doctrine of Retribution• Theodicy• The Book of Job in Joplin: A Resilience Story

The Satan

• HaSaTaN – the accuser, an angel who works FOR God, not against

• YHWH is the Judge, the Satan is the D.A.– must get the judge’s permission to begin a sting

• “For Gd, the Bible, and for Judaism, to have an entity that competes with Gd, that has power and authority of his own in opposition to Gd, is to violate the basic biblical idea of monotheism. Gd is One.” – Rabbi Stuart Federow

The Satan

• Development of Satan– 2 Samuel 24:1– 1 Chronicles 21.1

• Later Jewish and Christian tradition develops the Satan into the devil – Serpent in Genesis – Daystar in Isaiah

The Prologue, 1:1-5

• Once upon a time…• “…greatest of all people in the east.” – greatness measured in possessions

• Uz/Job not Israelite, but worships the one true God

• Just-in-case sacrifices

The Prologue, 1:6-12

• The Satan acts as God’s eyes & ears on earth• YHWH brings up Job, declares he is the best• Is Job pious because of the reward he gets?• God accepts the challenge and allows the

Satan to act against Job

The Prologue, 1:13-22

• Back to Earth• 4 messengers, 4 directions: Job

attacked from all sides– Sabeans from the South– Chaldeans from the North– Lightning from the West (Mediterranean)– Wind across desert to the East

• Mourning ritual• V. 21 language of birth and faith– Job praises YHWH for good and bad

The Prologue, 2:1-10

• Back to Heaven• Repetition– Job is still faithful

• Job removes himself from society; mourning• Sin with lips doesn’t imply he sinned in his

heart, it disproves the Satan’s theory• Wife has lost everything too; stays with Job –

Hebrew/Masoretic text has longer speech.

The Prologue, 2:11-13• Sitting Shiva– 7 days of mandated mourning– No distractions (mirrors covered)– Low chair (in the depths)– Friends take care of your needs– Cannot speak to mourner

until spoken to; mourning comes first

Reflections

What is your initial reaction to the Prologue?

How is your answer influenced by the knowledge that the Book of Job is not

recording historical events?