<img src="http://static.wix.com/media/0503b893d5424d803e03a55d2262d519.wix_mp_128" alt="Texture" /><br /> <h1>Director's Corner</h1><img src="http://static.wix.com/media/219ef1c8d0ba3cf2e39c0564f1494ea2.wix_mp_128" alt="Outline" />My interpretation of JOB is literal. I believe it is the gospel of the lord. Most Bible scholars believe that there was a historical person named Job who is reflected in the prologue and perhaps epilogue. This man must have had some spiritual reputation for righteousness and perhaps patience as reflected in Ezekiel and James. However, most scholars believe that the author of Job composed the dialogues to show the different theological positions used in Israel to explain suffering. The final dialogue between God and Job then reflects the way the author believes a personal encounter with God will move one past logical explanations of suffering.In fact, the message of Job is not dependent on which position a person takes regarding whether Job was a historical person or not. The book is not about Jobs history but about Jobs life and the way we relate to GodThe Structure and Flow of the BookThe book of Job opens portraying Job as a wealthy and righteous nobleman. He has a large family, many flocks of animals, many servants, a large home, perhaps an estate. His righteousness is carefully designed to protect his family. He even offers sacrifices for sin that might have been committed inadvertently during the feasts celebrated by his children.Having introduced Job, the author shifts the scene to the court of heaven where God praises Job for his righteous character. The heavenly adversary, Satan, replies that Job acts righteous, but accuses him of doing so simply in order to receive all Gods blessings. Satan then challenges God to let him (Satan) afflict Job with the loss of all his material blessings to see whether or not Jobs devotion to God is genuine or not.God accepts the challenge with the only stipulation that Satan not harm Job physically. We then overhear a series of reports to Job describing the loss of his children and all his possessions to natural calamities and/or enemy tribes. Job begins to grieve but the text notes that he does not sin. Satan then acknowledges Jobs faithfulness to God but claims that such faithfulness would crumble in the face of illness. God then gave Satan permission to afflict Jobs body with the restriction that he not be killed. Satan then attacked Job with "loathsome sores" from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Jobs wife suggests that he curse God and die. Job refused and suffered in silence refusing to sin. The final scene of the prologue occurs when three friends of Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite got up to comfort him. However, they are so astonished by his losses and pain that they sit in silence for seven days.The speeches begin in chapter 3. Job 3 consists of a lament or curse of the day of Jobs birth. This is an introduction to the dialogues but it is addressed to God rather than to his friends. The main body of the dialogue section consists of Job 4-27. There are three cycles of speeches. In each cycle Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar speak in that order and Job answers each one of them. The first two cycles are complete with each consisting of six speeches. The third cycle was either never finished or parts of it were lost in the transcribing and copying processes. Zophars speech is missing and Bildads has been cut short. Much of the argument of the book of Job is carried forward by these three cycles of speeches.Eliphaz speaks first in Job 4-5. He represents what theologians sometimes call the doctrine of retribution as it came to be derived from the wisdom writers. He is convinced that no one can be righteous before God and Jobs calamities especially prove his guilt. Job responds to Eliphaz in chapter 6-7. He accuses his friends of not understanding his dilemma and of speaking theoretically rather than personally. He also complains to God again and asks for healing. Job 8 contains Bildads first speech. He fears that Job is speaking to accusingly toward God and so he defends Gods justice.Job 9-10 consists of Jobs response to Bildad, although he does not answer Bildads comments. Rather, in these chapters Job argues for the right to argue with God about what is happening in his life. Such talk greatly disturbs Zophar and he replies in chapter 11 accusing Job of idle and foolish talk. Jobs final speech in the first cycle, chapters 12-14, defends him to his friends and appeals to God again for a fair hearing over this matter.The second cycle of speeches begins in Job 15 with Eliphazs second speech. Eliphaz is now more upset by Jobs words and tries to persuade Job to repent by pointing to the doctrine of punishment. Job replies in chapter 16-17 that his friends are poor comforters and he again defends himself and his right to speak in the way he is speaking. Bildad responds in chapter 18 with an almost taunting description of the punishments the wicked must suffer. Without directly saying so he is warning Job that the same will befall him if he doesnt repent. Job responds in chapter 19 by accusing his friends of attacking God when they attack him, as he continues to defend his righteousness and affirms his confidence in God. Zophars second speech appears in chapter 20. He also is appalled by Jobs claims of innocence and he calls on his friend to repent lest he suffer an even worse fate. Job brings the second cycle of speeches to an end in chapter 21. He argues that, in fact, the wicked often flourish and that he has a right to his lament and confusion.EEliphaz begins the third cycle in chapter 22. He has lost his patience with Job and angrily tells Job that his suffering is deserved. Still he calls for Job to repent. Jobs response in chapter 23-24 ignores Eliphazs words and bitterly laments his condition. He desperately wants a chance to defend himself to God. After words from Bildad, Job again maintains his innocence and the third cycle of speeches concludes with Job 27.The speeches resume in Job 29. Chapters 29-31 consist of Jobs final defense. He argues his innocence and the correctness of his response throughout this trial. At this point Jobs three friends give up. Their arguments have only made Job worse, but an observer, a younger man named Elihu, speaks up. In Job 32-37 he makes four speeches passionately attempting to defend God. He is sure God is trying to teach Job something if he would only stop defending himself long enough to learn. However, Job refuses to answer Elihu and so his speeches are presented in order and he leaves the stage.The climax of the dialogue section comes in chapters 38-42 with the speeches of God himself. In chapters 38-39 he speaks to Job out of the whirlwind asking about Jobs in creation and the course of nature. Now God demands that Job answer him. However, in Job 40:3-5 Job confesses that he cannot answer God. God then resumes his speech in the rest of chapter 40 and 41. He challenges Jobs call to argue his (Jobs) case before him. He challenges Job to move up to his Gods level and make his claims. He then moves into a description of Behemoth and Leviathan and his creation of them. In this way God claims his power over all evil. He alone is supreme and God.Job then responds in Job 42:1-6. He confesses his unworthiness, lack of understanding, and weakness. He also confesses full confidence and trust in God and affirms his faith in God. The issues of his suffering and sin melt away in the power of the simple presence of God.The final eleven verses of Job 42 form the epilogue. God speaks first expressing his anger against Jobs three friends for misrepresenting him. He demands that they bring a sacrifice for themselves and ask Job to pray for them. They obey and God accepts Jobs prayer on their behalf. He then restores Jobs fortunes by giving him twice the material possessions he had enjoyed before and new sons and daughters. After statements affirming Jobs blessings the author describes his death in the final verse of the book.<br /> <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/jobproject" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.wix.com/media/ef32745b8e508d77dedf5a4eee181c44.wix_mp_128" alt="Outline" /></a>|<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/job-project/303221403495?v=info#!/pages/job-project/303221403495?v=wall" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.wix.com/media/308b66cd08f0ca24852f1d9a447da2b8.wix_mp_128" alt="Outline" /></a>|<a href="http://www.wix.com/sheragonjo/job-project/intro" target="_self"><b>Red Arrow</b></a><ul> <li><strong>03 track 3</strong></li> </ul><br /> <a href="http://www.wix.com/sheragonjo/job-project/contact-us" target="_self"><b>Red Arrow</b></a>
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