BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesusનમૂનો

Haggard and scabbed, Job takes the stand one last time to defend his position. In yesterday’s reading, he swore he would keep making his case until he was dead, and today we read his defense.

Job is grief-stricken. His friends beat him down with overly confident, yet misguided, moral judgments. So Job defends his innocence with … poetry? As you’ll learn in the video, poetry works by activating our imaginations with verbal art. Today’s reading envisions layered metaphors and invites slow, patient meditation. Perhaps the author uses it here to invoke an experience of Job’s tension rather than merely providing information about it.

How could God inflict such horrific suffering on a man who dressed himself in righteousness and justice? Job hasn’t so much as looked at another man’s wife. He hasn’t worshipped any stars or idols or any of that. Whenever Job saw his enemies stumble into hard times, he refused to take joy or show contempt.

Job also insists that he never mistreated or even neglected the poor. When he harvested wheat from his fields, he baked bread for starving orphans. When he sheared wool from his flocks, he wove coats for shivering widows. He’s gone well beyond the requirements, so what gives?

Job signs his defense and slams it down on the proverbial courtroom table: “Let the Almighty answer me!”

How will God respond?

Reflection Questions

• Take a moment to reflect on Job 29:6. Can you think of another biblical story where life-giving liquid gushed out of a rock? (Flip to Exodus 17:1-6 or Numbers 20:1-13 if you need a hint.) What might the biblical authors be communicating about God’s provision with these hyperlinks?
• The biblical authors often design their poems using couplets that invite us to meditate on the text. Take the first lines of Job’s closing statement: “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me!” In the first line, Job describes his yearning for earlier times. It’s not until the second line that we learn why Job misses those months gone by. Back then, God protected and provided for him. As you read through Job’s last speech, choose a couplet that stands out to you. Meditate on the way the lines work together. What do you observe?