Scripture Text (NRSV)
1:1 There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That
man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from
evil.
2:1 One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the
LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the
LORD.
2:2 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered
the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and
down on it."
2:3 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There
is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears
God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity,
although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason."
2:4 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that people have
they will give to save their lives.
2:5 But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh,
and he will curse you to your face."
2:6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power; only
spare his life."
2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted
loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his
head.
2:8 Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among
the ashes.
2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your
integrity? Curse God, and die."
2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak.
Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the
bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Comments:
Being a faithful believer and a person of integrity will in no wise be
the cause of an easy life, whether you have one or not. In Job's case
it was just the opposite. As he drew both God's and Satan's attention
upon himself by his righteousness it resulted in spiritual conflicts
in heaven which where beyond his knowledge and comprehension, but
which resulted in very real and unpleasant consequences for Job. And
the same thing still happens all the time in today's world. LakeO
Pilgrim
I think it is significant that God is the one who pointed Job out to
Satan as a person who was blameless and upright. Then God is the one
who initiates the "wager" with Satan in order to see how faithful and
true Job really is. While I have problems with the idea that God puts
trials and tribulations on people, the upside of the whole Job ordeal
is that God had confidence in Job. It is as if God has chosen Job to
be on his team and believes that Job is the one who can bring home the
victory. Job was God's No. 1 draft pick and God's franchise player. I
wish that I thought God had that kind of confidence in me. -- Creature
Wayne
Well, trials and tribulations come no matter how they get there. I
have never believed God tests us like this, but I have always believed
that the story of Job puts us on notice that nobody is above sorrow
and loss and pain. "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Rabbi
Kushner (?) is a book I want to re-read sometime.
Also, as a person who has no use for this "Satan" thing, I am pleased
to find support for my theory that satan (small s) was actually part
of God's heavenly counsel, a Dr. Phil type who would sort out who was
being genuine and who was being ingenuous in their faith. An accuser
of those who said one thing and did another. A District Attorney who
found evidence of lies, deceit and fraud. It wasn't until later that
"Satan" became a personification of evil in theology. But I'm not here
to make argument with anyone. This is just my opinion. I've been known
to be wrong.
KyHoosierCat
I first read Job in college. Although I had been in church for many
years, I had not really applied myself. When I did read it I was
shocked! I took Discipleship Bible Study last year. I was already the
wild card in the group. Let's just say the Bible afflicts me more than
it comforts me. When we got to Job the rest of the crowd were making
comments like, "Well God can do what he want" and "God is God what are
you going to do about it?" and other such things.
I must have been conspicously silent because they all looked at me and
the minister leading the group (I was only a student) said, "Well what
about you, Mike?" Well I could just stand it no more! I said (in brief
here) I hate this book. It only makes me angry to read it. God sets
Job up for all kinds of pain and Job has no clue as to what was going
on in the heavens or the purpose of the trials. I don't think Job's
wife or his dead kids get any of the attention they deserve. The three
friends should all have socks stuffed in their mouthes. In my own
humble opinion God's answers to Job are a blow off. I mean sure God is
right in what he says but a "Gee Job, I can't tell you what it is all
about now but I will one day. Thanks for hanging in there" would have
been an answer I could live with better.
We had a good conversation after that! We questioned everything from
then on. Gee whiz. What a book. I am going to have to struggle with
this one! Is there and easy book of the Bible to preach?
Grace and peace, Mike in Sunshine
Dear KyHoosierCat,
I had never heard of the satan as God's District Attourney! What a
great idea! Consider it plagerized. I love this forum!
Grace and peace, Mike in Sunshine
My first post ever. I'm a huge fan of OT, and book of Job. this book
appears to have been written as a means to get across a point. I even
read today in the Upper Room Disciplines a meditation by Knut Bjarne
Jorgensen (UM pastor in Denmark), that the book begins "Once upon a
time" in the Danish translation. Interesting. Anyway, my point is that
Job's wife takes the attitude that Job should "divorce" God for the
misery he creates for Job (1:9). But Job hangs in there in the
relationship (1:10). It is no coincidence how well it works with the
gospel message on divorce for this Sunday. Posting this on gospel page
as well as Job page. Jane, Iowa
Job was a man of wealth and status who came upon horrible reversals of
fortune without complaint. No matter the calamity, Job remains the
picture of profound faith in God.
Blameless and upright. Fears God and turns from evil. There is none
like him on earth. So God values the servant called Job, and so begins
the marvelous, baffling, and mysterious parable of innocent suffering
and divine sovereignty. The narrative would have no meaning or tension
unless God deemed Job worthy, a truth his pious friends totally miss.
Job refuses to be made a non-person by the circumstances that befall
him; he persists in his integrity
Dear Friends, How do ya'll (am a southerner) plan to handle the
injustice to the 10 dead kids, all those servants and a wife that lost
out on this bet between God and Satan? Frankly I feel for Mrs. Job.
She is not the antagonist here. She is just a poor lost soul having to
watch her husband suffer and perhaps die after everything esle. She
doesn't know he is kept from dying.
Grace and peace, Mike in Sunshine
I always thought it was a cryin' shame the 3 "friends" weren't the
ones who got "whacked". Surely there was some kind of hell they had to
sit through after this was all over. If I were in Job's spot, I would
have reached for the nearest rock.....
To the one who wrote: I always thought it was a cryin' shame the 3
"friends" weren't the ones who got "whacked". Surely there was some
kind of hell they had to sit through after this was all over. If I
were in Job's spot, I would have reached for the nearest rock.....
Amen, brother or sister. Your analysis adds to my own about the total
and complete injustice of it all. In the end the worst that happens is
they are told they are wrong and they have to ask Job to pray for
them! Gheez.
Mike in Sunshine
Don't we all have "friends" who drone on and on giving advice we don't
want? I have two whom I have dubbed Urim ("Unsolicited Ramblings
Irritate Me") and Thummin ("This HUMan Mumbles Inane Nonsense")
because they seem to think I need them to make any decision. Which do
I listen to? Neither one. Neither one has ever walked in my shoes. Too
bad Job couldn't use the same tactic.
Looks like some great thinking fodder for this week. It bears
considering that the three friends did not start off by giving advice;
they actually suffered silently with him for seven days and nights.
How many of us after “being there” in silence for that long would
resist the temptation to try to “explain”? The three were probably
sincere—sincerely wrong in their musings, but sincere!
Also, the concept injustice in God’s taking of the lives assumes that
we all have a guarantee of a certain lifetime. No one knows when he
will be called, nor for what reason. Death is natural. We just see it
as an injustice if it occurs before the national average of 78 years
(for men). Actually, in order to meet that average, about half the
people have to die young. I survived the San Francisco earthquake of
1989. Many others did not. Why? That’s a question none of us can
answer. The fact that Job personalizes the death doesn’t make it any
different than death from other causes.
My biggest problem with the whole story is that it seems to belie the
statement in the NT that God does not tempt us or do evil. How would
some of my brothers and sisters out there help me deal with a God who
would make a deal with the devil?
Peace & blessings
Rich in Bama
Did God made a deal with the devil? That begs the question: How do you
define devil/satan? The satan as a malevolent creature was not a part
of the Hebrew thinking at this time. They saw him as a servant of God,
one who did God's bidding, God's ally. He had no power to do anything
unless it was God's plan. The idea that he became an opponent of God
and of humanity didn't come until later in their theology, when they
moved toward dualism's belief that there must be a polar opposite to
just about everything. Thus God's polar opposite became Satan, a
supernatural power of evil and trouble. That is the Satan so often
taught today. But when Job was written, there was no such concept.
So my question is not about God making a deal with the devil, but why
did GOD himself concoct this plan to bring harm to one of his own? It
riles me and it intrigues me. Then I decide to reject it altogether
and to just say that "stuff happens" and not lay the BLAME for it at
God's feet, the devil's feet, or anyone else's feet. Sometimes I cause
my own pain. Sometimes another person causes my pain. Sometimes it
just comes out of nowhere and blind-sides me. I can choose how I
respond to it. I can sit tight and ride the storm or I can give up. I
can take a "quick fix" or choose not to. Whichever I decide will not
change God, but it will change me.
KyHoosierCat
So far, everyone agrees that Job is a tough book to preach. What
happens to Job just isn't fair. And how could God just allow the death
of Job's children as part of the bargain. Ugh.
This book is a response to someone who has suffered. Note it's close
proximity to Psalms. The theology in the Psalms is mostly "Praise God,
we have been saved!" Or "Trust God, and everything will turn out ok."
JOb is the opposite.
It seems to me that Job was written by someone who was trying to make
sense of evil in the world. Job finds comfort that even in suffering,
he is not alone. Maybe that's the best we can hope for. The United
Church creed (CAnada) begins with "We are not alone, thanks be to
God."
From A minister who is going on disabilty after a car accident -- it
just isn't fair, God.
"Have you considered my servant, Creature Wayne?" Have you considered
my servant, "KY HoosierCat?" Have you considered my servant, Mike?"
"Have you considered my servant, Jane?"
From God's servant, Sally in GA
As the minister going on disability has said, I tend to think the book
of Job is indeed written by someone trying to understand human
suffering (theirs or others'), and creating a story/fable/parable to
explain it. But how does one mention *that* in a sermon to a
congregation where many are biblical literalists??
Re the kids: perhaps one possibility is that they--w/ their drunken
parties--started the house on fire and died at their own hands! Tragic
for Job and his wife, for sure, but maybe just the consequences of
poor judgment by the young people.
I'm going to be brave and try a sermon series on Job over the next 4
weeks. It's a rare opportunity, w/ these OT options, to get into this
book. I've enjoyed exploring Job before. I just hope I can do it
justice. We have a Service of the Word for Healing coming up on Oct.
12, and I think that will tie into Job's discouragement and feeling
like God is hidden from him (in ch. 23), just as many who are
suffering feel that way. The reassurance is found in the Hebrews text
that day. And I think that by the time we reach ch. 42 on Reformation
Sun., I can tie Job in to justification by grace thru faith as well. I
did a paper in seminary about the connections between Job and the
theology of Luther--centering on the phrase, "deserving does not run
the world," from one of the authors I cited.
I'd love to keep talking w/ all of you along these lines throughout
the month, if anyone else pursues the Jobian texts that long!
Heidi in MN
Hello, friends! Jane, your comment about 'once upon a time" reminded
me of a simialr discussion of Job at Wesley Seminary (DC) this summer.
We were in an OT class taught by Rebecca Wright, professor of OT and
Biblical Hebrew. She said teh wording in the Hebrew for the opening
paragraphs fo the Job story are the literary equivalent of the Englis
'set-up' for a story; something like our "Once upon a time, long ago
and far away, lived a man.... This literary style indicates a story in
Hebrw, probably one with a strong messge or moral, sort of like a
parable or an Aesop's fable. We know that it is not literally true,
but the purpose and message are clear and true nonetheless. Jesus used
parables alot, it was an accepted teaching mode in the Jewish
tradition. I love this book..esp. the fire-breathing dragon part!
RevJan in CNY
RevJan in CNY, can YOU come and tell the members of my Church that the
story of Job is ficticious? Please? They simply will not believe me. A
90 year old woman in my Bible Study class about had palpatations when
I said that, assuming everyone in the world already knew that little
tidbit. I told her to hang onto her hat because we'd be getting to
Daniel before long.
Dear Sally in GA,
I have never met you but I can say I love you in Christ. But if you
are going to pray such prayers as:
"Have you considered my servant, Creature Wayne?" Have you considered
my servant, "KY HoosierCat?" Have you considered my servant, Mike?"
"Have you considered my servant, Jane?"
Please leave my name out of it. I do not want any unwarranted
attention of this sort in the heavenly realms! :)
Mike in Sunshine
To Heidi in MN,
I would love to correspond with you about preaching Job over the next
month since that is what I am planning to do. I have a rough draft for
this Sunday and rough outlines for the other Sundays. Please feel free
to contact me at bagpiper@rfci.net.
Grace and peace, Mike in Sunshine
To the one who wrote: "If God is omnipotent, why does he not have any
power over Satan?"
That's is what we are trying to get at! It seems the questions we ask
may be the wrong ones. In Job the better question may be why does God
set Job up against one of His own heavenly court who seems to do
nothing else but roam the earth looking for people to try?
Mike in Sunshine
Mike in Sunshine, I agree with you fully. We must remember when we
read Job how the theology back then was very different from what is
taught now - with the satan being our case in point. The satan (the
accuser) never had his own power. God was the only one with power,
which he never relinquished. The satan was not given permission to do
one thing more than God gave him reins to do. So, the problematic
theme is why did God test Job, not why did the satan test Job?
Job was upstanding and righteous, all right, but we are led to believe
that he had no significant life-struggles to deal with. Everything was
apparently just going along like clockwork. The thinking here is that
it's easy to not sin when life is good. But, put a few major hurdles
in the way (illness, pain, death, loss, desperation, etc.) and that
righteousness will give in to cursing, blaming and rejecting God. Or
at least someone. So, the accuser, who had been thinking along this
line, pointed out to God that Job might be a "fair weather friend".
God said, Let's see......and the story of Job unfolds. The satan is
only a vehicle. God is out to prove that there are those who will
remain strong through adversity. But what a way to make that point!!!
Any one of us could, at times, be Job. We often get self-satisfied
with our lives and what we have. We remain loyal to God and do nothing
to break his Laws, but our focus is not on our NEED for God even in
the prosperous times. We have proved we can rely on ourselves for our
needs. It's when our lives turn upside down that we recognize that we
need God above all else. There is a hymn "Jesus Calls Us O'er the
Tumult" that says "Christian, love me more than these". That, in a
Judaic setting, is ONE of the great themes of Job. It is everyman's
and everywoman's story of being attuned to God "in our joys and in our
sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease".
For someone who's not preaching on Job, I sure do take lots of this
forum's space. Sorry.
KyHoosierCat
KyHoosierCat--
Don't apologize for taking up space on the forum! Your insights are
very helpful to me.
Heidi in MN
To the Urim and Thummin Contributor, I want to thank you for my big
chuckle of the week! I loved it. I'd almost forgotten about U and T in
the times of indecision! Ha!
I concur that the U and T contributor gave me a big chuckle for the
day! Thanks for that!
Susan In Wa.
Why do good people suffer is a very troubling question. I think a more
transformative question might be, What is God calling me to become
through suffering? Just a thought as I struggle with this text.
Angelic Residue, OR
According to J. Gerald Janzen, in the Interpretation series of
Commentaries, he describes the two possible meanings of Job's name,
depending on which tense it is written in. "ayya-'abum "Where is the
Divine Father?" places Job within the ambience of Israelite ancestral,
personal religion with it's reference to God as a divine parent. In
such a setting, Job is a standing invocation of God's presence in his
life. . . but Robert Gordis explains the name as a passive participial
noun meaning "the hated persecuted one." Placing both together in the
story gives us a word play. . . The very name Job, which was once a
confident invocation of God as divine father, now becomes an
accusation against God as an enemy and persecutor."
I'll tell you, I am struggling with all of this week's passage and how
to speak to Peacmaking Sunday (in PCUSA)and World Communion Sunday.
Being one who believes my role is to proclaim the "good news" I am
having a difficult time finding any good news to proclaim in any of
these passages, other than the fact that my name isn't Job!
Any help out there?
Susan in Wa.
I read a book last year entitled, "When Suffering Persists". It was by
an Episcopal professor of spirituality but I don't have the book or
name in front of me.
He said we should not begin with "God is all powerful" and "God is all
good" as we normally do. Start, instead, with "God first and foremost
wants communion with us." God uses circumstances and experiences to
shape us for a closer relationship.
As a father of a young child, I don't save him from everything nor
keep him from making his mistakes. I do pray and desire that he will
have a wonderful loving relationship with God and with me when he
grows up. I realize that every experience, good or bad, becomes an
opportunity to teach him that life is not about accumulating things
but about building healthy and positive relationships (with God and
others) that will sustain him throughout life.
This is a prophetic text for a "me" culture. It's not about me. I'm
part of something (someone) bigger! The more I realize that, the more
spiritually healthy I feel.
Prophet in PA
As Jesus put it: "Your Father in heaven causes His sun to shine on the
evil AND the good, and sends RAIN on the righteous AND the unrighteous
ALIKE." WHEN will we ever learn that the physical circumstances of our
lives, although controlled by God, are NOT in any way remotely related
to our spiritual merit or depravity. The popular theology of today is
no different than the theology of Jobs friends. Witness the whole
prayer of Jabez phenomenon.
Lake-O Pilgrim
OOPS!! *Where* did I get the idea that the kids' house was destroyed
by fire? It was actually wind, according to the text. Sorry about
that! Blows the theory of any drunken mischief causing the problem!
Secondly, to Prophet in PA, a big thank you for your comment about God
desiring to be in communion w/ us. Very helpful to me!
And to Susan in Wa., have you tried the Hebrews text to find the Good
News for the day? (all thru Oct. actually) Finally, the Good News for
us as Christians is that God himself in Jesus came to share in our
suffering--Job's, yours, mine, that of the whole world--so we are
never alone or abandoned, no matter how it sometimes feels. That's the
tack I'm taking, at any rate.
Peace, all! (Or as my confirmation kids say in the current slang,
"Peace out!"--whatever *that* means!)
Heidi in MN
Re Job: How about ~ how satan makes bad things look like God's
actions? How about the integrity theme tied throughout the reading
from Job (integrity mentioned at least 2 times) to Psalm 26 -
(mentioned twice) to Hebrews - Jesus being the reflection of God's
glory, to Mark - receiving the Kingdom of God like a little child (ie
with integrity)... this is my theme this week. I also think Job is a
tremendous challenge to us -- Why do Bad Things Happen To GOD-People?
R in Ontario-Can
To: DPSers From: Oklahoma Irishman Re: Job
Could it be that Job is the Bible's answer to the question, "Why Do
Bad Things Happen to Good People"? Disaster does not come because my
genes are bad or my children are worse. Do you remember the question
to Jesus? "Who sinned, this man or his folks?" God risked Job like God
risked Jesus. Life is a risk, a colossal gamble. And God is gambling
on our faithfulness. When Job is sitting in the ashes and scraping his
skin with a piece of smashed pot, I think, "Been there. Done that." No
sin. Just blood. There is a story like this in the New Testament, too.
Ephesians 3: 14 ~ 21,
Oklahoma Irishman
I plan to tie this in with the theme of where there is tragedy there
can be a testimony that glorifies the name of the LORD. Through
tragedy can come a powerful testimony that God loves us and is with us
throughout. PastorBill in NC
Hi,
I appreciate the comments on Job—your ideas have helped me with the
plans for this week’s sermon. We will share in World Communion Sunday
(UMC) this week, so I am trying to build toward that as part of the
message. I hope my thoughts can be of some help to someone. As of now,
the outline I am planning is as follows:
1) How do we respond to our pain? The great hurt in my life occurred
many years ago when my infant son died of SIDS. It wasn’t fair! I
don’t know why bad things happen and don’t pretend to know. Job
suffered and it wasn’t fair. One thing to remember from the story of
Job is the way he responded to the suffering. Can we allow our pain to
bring us closer to God?
2) How do we respond to the pain of others? Someone wrote in this
forum, “Job finds comfort that even in suffering, he is not alone.
Maybe that's the best we can hope for. The United Church creed (CAnada)
begins with ‘We are not alone, thanks be to God.’” How can we help
those who suffer?
3) How do we respond to the suffering of Christ? Christ suffered on
the cross and it just wasn’t fair—He had done no wrong. I am a sinner
and I appreciate Jesus suffering for me. When we take communion let us
share in his suffering, then let us remember that we also share in his
resurrection.
Leon in NC<><
Well, you can tell I was in a hurry when I typed in my earlier entry.
The typos outnumber the words! Sorry, friends. Jane, (if the response
was you, if not...whomever!) I'd love to help, but my two churches
keep me rather occupied. :) Anyway, it may be more important to dwell
on the message behind the parable than on whether or not it is
fictitious. God bless....RevJan in CNY
Susan in WA ...
I understand your struggle to find the "good news" ... and am reminded
of the words of my field-ed mentor back in seminary. He said, "We're
called to preach the Good News ... and sometimes the Good News comes
in the form of a challenge."
Does it ever!
Squeeze
I like to do cross stitch. Many people have a very neat back to their
cross stitch. I do not. There are stings hanging everywhere! Perhaps
thats what life with God is all about-even when we suffer. We only see
from the string side-the loose ends-the unfinished parts to life. Our
view is limited-yet God can see the whole picture. DOn't we have to
trust the ONe who sees the whole of our lives? Thinking about showing
one of my pieces as I preach-just a thought
Jan from Pa
Jan from PA - even the perfect stitches didn't get into your picture
without the canvas being jabbed by a big ol' needle - maybe several
times to get them precisely where they needed to be. Pictures don't
get stitched without jabs and some pain, both to the subject (if
canvas could feel pain) and the maker (stuck fingers?) But in the end,
the goal is accomplished. Things are much much better than they were
before the needle came out of the box.
Job sure got jabbed, but in the end, he was made better than ever.
Anonymous
Thanks to all for your very rich contributions!
As we make our way through Job the next four weeks it would be good
for us to consider Job as a story written to challenge the "wisdom" of
the psalms which tell us that the good are rewarded and the wicked are
punished. Which we all know is not true, and which the writer of Job
knew wasn't true. Life isn't as simple as that. I read Job as story,
as myth, not as history. I better yet like it as a parable as one of
you called it.
I like what Steve offered in the 1997 forum: "I will take this text as
a starting point for the real answer Christianity offers: that God
does not explain suffering, but enters into it with us, triumphs over
it at Easter, and invites us to participate in victory through faith."
Thank you Steve and blessings to all as we make our way though Job!
Peace to all, Mark in WI
Dear friends,
By nature I have become a chronic planner. If I don't put at least a
rough draft together by Friday I am in panic. Anyway, I will be
preaching from the book of Job all this month. My outline for the
month is:
1. Suffering happens. This sermon does not have a "Happily ever after"
feel to it. But it is reflective of life.
2. Job's Friends.
3. What I admire about Job
4. God and the book of Job.
The first sermon is on the net and may be viewed at: http://www.rfci.net/bagpiper/20031005.htm
Grace and peace, Mike in Sunshine
Dear Friends:
I too will be preaching from Job throughout this month. I think it is
important to stick with the Lectionary text before us - and not wander
into other parts of the story just yet (it's tricky enough as it is!)
The 2nd chapter of Job only hints at the destruction of Job's
property, the death of his children, etc. In some ways this chapter
parallels chapter 1 (the heavenly council, the conversation with the
satan, etc.) but here the suffering of Job becomes even more imminent
- it is Job's own body that is covered with sores, and he is left (for
this week) pathetically sitting in ashes and scraping himself. The
satan's challenge seems to be that though a person can be
psychologically wounded and his faith tried by the pain of others
around him, it is personal, intense physical pain and suffering that
will REALLY cause one to lose faith.
Note also that the challenges of the satan are not "wagers", rather
statements of predicted fact. It is as if the satan is saying "I know
this will happen" thereby questioning God's perception of Job and
ultimately God's control of the situation. It seems clear to me from
the text that God is in control - but the scene, as the rest of the
book of Job, raises more questions than it answers. If God is indeed
in control, why allow the satan to have his way short of killing him?
I'm also pondering how to tie this in with World Communion - a
possible connection might be to remind folks of the feelings and
questions following 9/11 - when questions of undeserved suffering were
on everyone's mind and the world suddenly seemed a much smaller place.
I'm not going to get into the friend's speeches until they come up in
next week's text - "let today's troubles be sufficient for the day!"
Also, in re. the "fiction vs. history" debate, it seems to me the
truth of the book of Job is so much deeper and richer than "historical
truth". The question "did this actually happen?" seems to me the most
shallow and superfluous question to ask of the text, when there is so
much depth and richness to the truth of the story. I am willing to be
agnostic in regards to historicity - which is to say yes, it may very
well have happened at a particular place and time. But that is hardly
the point of the story!!
Shalom,
Bo in KY
There were several Job stories floating around, some of which predated
Abraham - in the second milleneum BC. There was a Babylonian Job,
there was a Sumerian Job, and there is the Job of the Old Testament.
Heartfelt thanks for the work offered this week on this text. Without
each one's insight-full contribution, --to which I could add nothing--
I would have been a sorry and desperate preacher. For my brain this
week, it seemed the lessons had placed our preaching options between a
rock and a hard place. Aslanclan
I am quite thankful for the dialogue on this text...
I am surprised, though, that no one has corrected the title of Rabbi
Kushner's book. It's actual title was "WHEN [not WHY] Bad Things
Happen to Good People." And that, it seems to me in light of Job's
later diatribe and God's clear response, is an important distinction.
Neither Rabbi Kushner, nor any of Job's friends, nor we preachers, is
able to explain "why"....
Brian in KC
