Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures

In the book of Job nestled between the Deuteronomistic History and the wisdom literature found in Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, one finds God being placed on trial. Armed with the DtrH notion of the good will prosper and the wicked will suffer, Job questions the justice of God. Why do good things happen to bad people? Such a question will repeat itself in the Psalms. Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous perish?

However an examination of the source of the question reveals the irony of the question. Job, a mere man and not creator, questions God’s justice as if somehow God and justice are two separate and discrete things. Can one question the peacefulness of peace or the righteousness of righteous? Since God is justice, how can justice itself be questioned? Such folly or lack of wisdom sets the stage for the books to follow in Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Wisdom does not derive from man, rather its source springs from God. God’s ways or not our ways and therefore Job confesses “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know (Job 42:3b).”