What is the message of Job? It is referred to a lot when people wax philosophical and discuss the problem of evil. You have probably done so even if you were not aware of it. “Why me?” is the beginning of the conversation.
As I read the dialogue between Job and his friends I see a group of statements that are echoled not only all through Job but the rest of the Bible:
God blesses
God allows suffering
God gives us an inner assurance
God enables us to live righteously
The book of Job is a teaching tool but is the story history or parable? Today I am leaning toward parable but then I think that is where I was last time I raised the question. Like many parables it is probably based on a historic event, maybe in the life of the author. It is possible a compilation of many struggles that were observed. The focus was teaching about Providence, trust, righteousness and obedience.
Ultimately I think that there have been millions of Jobs. I would guess that the reason the book resonates with so many is because we have all asked the same questions. One of the elements of the Bible that I think verifies it as the work of God is that it does not dodge the big questions or ignore hard issues.
Put on your thinking cap, pull up a chair and let your philosophy gene out of its box.
homo unius libri
Sunday, January 16, 2022
Opus 2022-028: Job Report
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.