Critical reading of the bible would lend a reader to question whether the entity known as God is little more than a toddler having a temper tantrum. How is it that a supreme being with a vast capacity for love enters into a bargain with Satan when the life and happiness of Job is at stake? Furthermore, Job's wife and children were ultimately sacrificed in an effort to prove Job's unflinching devotion to God. Why would a being of superior intelligence and unconditional love sacrifice the lives of so many innocent people in order to prove a point with Satan? Furthermore, ultimately God determined that although Job lost his wife and children, they were easily replaced by another family set, as if their lives were interchangeable. I guess one family is just as good as another in God's eyes, or at the very least, the lives of women and children are negligible.
Among the greatest and certainly most prominent flaw in the story of Job is that Job was without blame in his life. Surely no man can be held without blame in some aspect of his life. The introduction is explicit "This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." This implies immediately that if one is held to be blameless in all things, then it will follow that you will be fruitful and prosperous in your life. This is called a covenant of works, the theory that you can bargain with God so to speak. If you live your life in a pious manner, you will be rewarded, if not here on earth, then certainly with salvation. The problem with a covenant of works is that God has made no such bargain with mankind. Salvation is predicated on receiving God/Jesus as your savior, leading a pious life alone yields no guarantee. God never made a promise to us we will bear no suffering in our lives, or we will never have anything bad happen.
Job's failing in the tests God presented to him were two-fold. First, it was his very piety at the root of his despair and his demands to confront God (Job 13:3). Job believed his piety should be the salvation from his laments It is his piety in which Job has based his life and therefore, the source of his pride. Secondly, in the introduction Job is recognized for his disdain for evil, but he does not recognize it as the source of the afflictions. He assumes it is the hand of God.
These failings were addressed to him by his friends, who each held a specific piece of what Job needed to do to ease his own suffering. Zopher was the last to give advice, but it was a repeat of what Bildad and Eliphaz had stated in an earlier text. Job accepted the suffering he was forced to endure, but did not maintain a sense of humility about himself. Zopher reminded Job to reach out to the hand of God, and Job replied to him, "I am not inferior to you, who does not know these things?" This indicates Job is prideful. He rejected the advice of his friends, assumed God was the source of his suffering and demanded a direct audience with God to "argue my case." Job clearly understood piety to be a covenant of works, and was angry with God for punishing him despite his piety.
Eliphaz was the first to state "but if it were, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him." (Job 5:8) Job decided his suffering was so great that "God has proved to be of no help." (Job 6:21) Bildad also addressed humility to Job, but in a different fashion. "even now he will rouse himself on your behalf," indicating to Job that if he would just reach out to the hand of God, God would intercede for him. Instead of acknowledging the graces of God, Job responds with futility. He approaches his misfortune as something that came from God and needs to be argued or fought against. He remarks "Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?" He again is relying on the covenant of works as justification for his "fight" and he is not acknowledging the evil he is said to despise as the source of his subjugation.
Job was offered three occasions to call out for the hand of God, but he refused each time. He assumed his afflictions were from the hand of God, never acknowledging the existence or effects of evil. If he does not acknowledge the presence of evil, how can he possibly have faith in the inherent goodness and love of God? Satan meant for Job to denounce God, but Job gave Satan greater pleasure in his immovable pride, his readiness to blame his misfortunes on God, and his willingness to "argue his case." Although Satan lost the bet according to the story, Satan actually emerged as the victor. By not acknowledging the influence of evil as a source for his lamentations, he did indeed denounce the presence of God. There can be no evil without good, and conversely there can be no good without evil. It is the ultimate codependent relationship.
Among the greatest and certainly most prominent flaw in the story of Job is that Job was without blame in his life. Surely no man can be held without blame in some aspect of his life. The introduction is explicit "This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." This implies immediately that if one is held to be blameless in all things, then it will follow that you will be fruitful and prosperous in your life. This is called a covenant of works, the theory that you can bargain with God so to speak. If you live your life in a pious manner, you will be rewarded, if not here on earth, then certainly with salvation. The problem with a covenant of works is that God has made no such bargain with mankind. Salvation is predicated on receiving God/Jesus as your savior, leading a pious life alone yields no guarantee. God never made a promise to us we will bear no suffering in our lives, or we will never have anything bad happen.
Job's failing in the tests God presented to him were two-fold. First, it was his very piety at the root of his despair and his demands to confront God (Job 13:3). Job believed his piety should be the salvation from his laments It is his piety in which Job has based his life and therefore, the source of his pride. Secondly, in the introduction Job is recognized for his disdain for evil, but he does not recognize it as the source of the afflictions. He assumes it is the hand of God.
These failings were addressed to him by his friends, who each held a specific piece of what Job needed to do to ease his own suffering. Zopher was the last to give advice, but it was a repeat of what Bildad and Eliphaz had stated in an earlier text. Job accepted the suffering he was forced to endure, but did not maintain a sense of humility about himself. Zopher reminded Job to reach out to the hand of God, and Job replied to him, "I am not inferior to you, who does not know these things?" This indicates Job is prideful. He rejected the advice of his friends, assumed God was the source of his suffering and demanded a direct audience with God to "argue my case." Job clearly understood piety to be a covenant of works, and was angry with God for punishing him despite his piety.
Eliphaz was the first to state "but if it were, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him." (Job 5:8) Job decided his suffering was so great that "God has proved to be of no help." (Job 6:21) Bildad also addressed humility to Job, but in a different fashion. "even now he will rouse himself on your behalf," indicating to Job that if he would just reach out to the hand of God, God would intercede for him. Instead of acknowledging the graces of God, Job responds with futility. He approaches his misfortune as something that came from God and needs to be argued or fought against. He remarks "Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?" He again is relying on the covenant of works as justification for his "fight" and he is not acknowledging the evil he is said to despise as the source of his subjugation.
Job was offered three occasions to call out for the hand of God, but he refused each time. He assumed his afflictions were from the hand of God, never acknowledging the existence or effects of evil. If he does not acknowledge the presence of evil, how can he possibly have faith in the inherent goodness and love of God? Satan meant for Job to denounce God, but Job gave Satan greater pleasure in his immovable pride, his readiness to blame his misfortunes on God, and his willingness to "argue his case." Although Satan lost the bet according to the story, Satan actually emerged as the victor. By not acknowledging the influence of evil as a source for his lamentations, he did indeed denounce the presence of God. There can be no evil without good, and conversely there can be no good without evil. It is the ultimate codependent relationship.
you have such a unique way of looking at things. I was taught the story of Job in Sunday school, but Job was a positive figure who remained faithful to God. You brought out what was actually happening in the story.
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