The Book of Job
In addition to addressing the problem of evil, what other wisdom does Job offer? Cite a verse or two you think would be particularly good to include in an anthology of ancient wisdom, and explain why you think this verse (or these verses) is particularly worth including.
posted by Ancient Art at 7:15 PM
9 Comments:
The book of Job is where wisdom can be found in searching for the answer to the evils of this world.
Job was a man that devoted himself to God. He had every chance throughout this book to renounce God and curse him. However, he did not. After he loses everything, 1:20-22 states, "(20) Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshipped. (21) He said 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.' (22) In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing." Job knows that God is justified to take away his possession because it it God who gave Job everything he owned. That is the mark of a truly wise man.
Chapter 28's poem on where wisdom is found should be added to his anthology of ancient wisdom because Job wonders where wisdom came from. Metals are mind from the ground but wisdom is worth more than anything due to the fact that it came from God. This can be explained in Job 28:28. "And He said to humankind 'Truly, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'"
1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
We as humans and Christians sometimes feel the way Job will feel in the oncoming chapters of his book (ex.3:3). We may feel as if God is letting all of the world's horrible evils rain down on us... just because He can. Yet, we as humans and as Christians must head how Job takes his burdens.
Job losses his servants and livestock (1:13-17)as well as his sons and daughters (1:18-19) all in one day. What does he say in response? May the name of the LORD be praised (1:21). This was not a joyous praise, but one of understanding. He understood that things will happen.... horrible things... that we cannot control... and we can only lift our hands in praise to the One who controls all things.
Even after Job is confronted by his friends- who should know him best- he stands firm in this unshakeable faith with God. He says in 5:8-11 "But if it were I, I would appeal to God;I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside.The lowly he sets on high,and those who mourn are lifted to safety."
Horrible things happen. Horrible things happen to us. But we, like Job, should never lose faith in God. We sometimes wish we were never born, or that we did not have to go through what is taking place... but I pray we never lose faith in the only One strong enough to handle the problem. I think this is his greatest bit of wisdom he gives in his book.
I would have to agree with Warren about how Job could have easily turned away from God, but he decided to stick with God.
The first verse that caught my attention was Job 5:2. It says, "For anger slays the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple" I think this verse is a very smart verse. I believe that it is saying that don't make actions out of anger or jealousy because it will never help you. If you look at this from a sports view like I do in most cases, it is like when you have players like Dennis Rodman who could have been known as the best defensive basketball player of all time. However, he is known for his anger and his actions when he was angry.
I also liked in Job 33:14 when Eihu says, "Indeed God speaks once,
or twice, yet no one notices it" I think that is very true. It might not be God talking directly to you, but it's God's message yet we don't recognize it. I find this to be very true.
I would have to say there is great wisdom in 5:17 "blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty." i think this wise because if times are rough you and you look to god to help you. it might be hard but you are truely blessed after god has helped you find your way.
"Will we have arguing with the Almighty by the critic? Let him who would correct God give answer!" (Job 40:2) This verse is interesting and can provide some bit of wisdom. Many people think that they can do things better than God can and discover that they were wrong. In fact, they usually screw things up because they are more concerned with their own problems, as we all are. The movie Bruce Almighty is a god example of this.
Another good quote is "He does good things beyond pour knowing; wonders past our searching." (Job 37:5) This qoute is worth remembering. Bad things happen, unfortunately, but we are told that God makes all things new. Job understood this despite his suffering. But, most of us fall short of Job's standards. We concentrate on our troubles and sing "woe is me". Though sometimes it would be nice if God would tell us why he is doing something, but we will never receive an answer and must take it on faith that everything will work out. Job did and was rewarded for it. If only we could all stay strong in our faith like Job did.
My verse has to be 5:15-16 "he saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the cluthces of the powerful. so the poor have hope and injustice shuts its mouth." this is important because God will save you if you believe in him and follow hsi teachings.
Jod was a very wise man. He endured the pain brought upon him, yet he did not curse the LORD. He did not give into the evil the devil was trying to bring upon him. I think being able to do this alone shows his wisdom.
One verse I would include in an anthology of ancient wisdeom would be Job 28:12-13 "But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living." This verse is repeated later. Job does not boast about his wisdom, he believes mankind cannot truely be wise on their own. He says that we do not understand the full value of wisdom and knowledge He continues saying in verse 28 "...The fear of the LORD - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." Job believes true wisdom is knowing the LORD and understanding lies in the ability to stay away from the evil and their evil deeds. I believe these verse sum up Jobs own life. He himself may not have understood why the things that were happening to him happened. However, he stayed true to the LORD and did not curse him.
Job 5:17 "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrective: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty." If something "bad" happens (correction) then an individual can either make the matter worse by getting mad/upset or they can learn from what happened. It does not make any sense in getting "mad" about something that may happen because the situation will not change and it will take longer to get over (learn from) what happened.
I believe the book of Job to be a very crutial book, containing importance of faith. When dealing with the problem of Evil when trying to convince someone of an all knowing all loving God, it is important to include this God gives us all a choice, to either choose the Lord or not to. And it is with Faith alone that we as humans are able to please and all knowing, all loving God. You have to ask yourself the question, how easy would it be to obey and follow the comandments of a God who have us a heaven on earth. It would probably be very easy. But it is during that dire times that our faith is truly tested and it is also during these these times that we as humans, insignificant, unworthy, and nearly oblivious in knowledge compared to the omega, are able to please Him.
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