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?