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| Theodicies in the Book of JobTheodicies in the Book of Jobby Adam J. SmargonThere are many theodicies in the book of Job. A theodicy is the spiritualjustification of the goodness of God in regards to his power. It tries toexplain why He does what He does. The central biblical importance of (thebook of) Job is the fact that he was the only Biblical character whoserighteousness was not questioned at all. The essential story of Job isthe following: God is bragging about Job, and his righteousness andreverence, to Satan. Satan counters with the fact that Job reveres Godbecause he is blessed with wealth, protection, possessions and respect. Satan asks God to place Job in his power to test the man (to see if Jobwill curse God), and God agrees on the condition that Job himself not beharmed. And Job loses everything near and dear to his heart, but does notcurse God. Satan asks again for harsher treatment, and God agrees, withthe exception that his life be spared. Satan smote Job with boils, top totoe. Three friends come to console him after his monumental losses, andto try to find a reason why he lost everything. All the theodicies foundin Job can be found in the conversation (and subsequent argument) thefriends have with Job. However, before they arrived, Job's wife, in arather pessimistic view, said to him, "You still keep your integrity! Blaspheme God and die!" (2:9) His response, a verse later, curses hiswife for cursing God, and asks her if people should take only the goodthings from God and refuse the bad. The three friends arrive, and eachhave ideas about what to do, now that Job has lost all that can be lost. People should comfort and console other people after bad things happen,regardless of the cause; maybe God wants us as human beings to do this,because tragedy can and does bring friends and acquaintances together.One friend, Eliphaz, suggested that Job was being punished for some evilhe took part in, and asked him to confess to God. Job's reply was hisproclamation of innocence; he (thinks and/or believes he) did nothingwrong, and therefore did not deserve any "punishment." Job said: "I aminnocent -- I care not for my being, I despise my life. . . . He destroysthe innocent together the wicked." (9:21-22)Another friend, Bildad, spoke of his wholehearted belief that God isalways right in every case. Job countered with his philosophy on God: heknows very little about God, and he cannot explain anything that God does. God describes the wonders of creation, describing those occurrences thatcompletely surpass human understanding. (The author of this paperbelieves that God can think of more things in a split second than a humanbeing can do in his/her lifetime.) However, Job believes in God, and Jobaccepts God's deeds. Job also realizes at this point that God has nevergiven him a hearing, or at least told Job why he lost everything. He asksGod twice in the book for a presentation of the basis of the ill fortunethat he received: "I say to God, 'Do not condemn me. Let me know what Youcharge me with.'" (10:2) "How many are my iniquities and sins? Advise meof my transgression and sin." (13:23)The third friend, Zophar, felt that Job was punished because he had theattitude that he was holier-than-thou, he was always right, and,therefore, that he was free from (making a) sin. After a long and heateddebate, onlookers have come to listen in. One onlooker, Elihu, isconvinced of the absolute justice of God. He believes that Goddisciplines us to keep us humble, and that suffering and misery may cometo mortal men as a warning against future sins. By afflicting men withmisfortune and tragedy, God reminds them of punishments which await thosewho are wicked. Job, however, will not accept these opinions; he insistsupon his innocence. He claims that it is an undeserved punishment, andJob questions whether God is just in carrying out the punishing, yet henever renounces God or curses Him. Ultimately, in the epilogue of thebook, he is rewarded by God with everything he lost and more because ofhis faith and loyalty, and God lashes out at Job's friends because theycriticized Job. God declared Job a righteous man, and asked Job's friendsto ask Job for forgiveness.God takes credit and delight in Job's performance and shows Job off to theangels. The questions this student have are the following: Why is God notthere for Job when he loses everything? Does God get some strange,masochistically perverse pleasure in torturing Job? And finally, whywould He test and stretch Job's condition solely on a dare from Satan?The prologue and epilogue of Job differ from the majority of the book,first of all, in the style and structure of presentation. The final andfinal chapters are in prose, while the bulk of the book, chapters 2 to 41,is in a poetic pattern. The scribe for this book required prose for thenarrative passages, and verse for the first person speeches. The prologueand epilogue can hardly be considered as late additions to a pre-existingpoem. The prologue, which describes Job's character and condition, acts asthe program for the play which is the book of Job; it is necessitated forbiographies of the actors and description of the scenery. It is in theopinion of this student that Job's prologue is the stuff that movies aremade of. The epilogue, too, is needed; without it, Job's drama would bea tragedy, and the masterpiece of a composition would be unbalanced. Inshort, the prologue and epilogue serve as the opening line of a play andits subsequent denouement. Without either, the reading public is leftclueless.The theodicies found in Job are numerous and varied, but none satisfy theman who simply believes in Him and His deeds. In the end he is rewardedfor his faith. The prologue and the epilogue are truly necessary for thestory to be complete. The absence of either leaves the reader in thedark. In closing, the book of Job is an wonderful and chilling account ofone man's struggle to discover the true meaning of God.Copyright © 1994-99Adam Joshua Smargon --- recycler@afn.orgTheodicies in the Book of Job --- updated 30 June 1999 |
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