livingtofollow

After Job loses his kids, his wealth, and his health, he spends several chapters arguing with his friends.  He also directly challenges God.  Towards the end of the book, God speaks and puts Job in his place.  Yet, at the end of the story, we learn that Job is blessed with twice as much stuff as he had before.  What is the reason for this blessing?  Has Job earned blessing by refusing to curse God?  Is more of the Deuteronomic notion that piety produces prosperity?

I wonder if Job is blessed because he had no hope of an afterlife.  Job 16:22 is but one example that indicates that Job did not believe in the possibility of an afterlife.  If this book had been written in the 1st century AD, the book could end without any tangible reward here on earth because there is a promise of a future reward.  However, since there is no afterlife in Job, for the sake of justice, he must be rewarded in this life.

This may not be correct, but it seems plausible to me.

The book of Job provides an interesting case study for ministers: specifically the relationship between Job and his friends.  In the story, Job has lost just about everything: possessions, children, health.  Yet, he has three friends that come to his aid.  As is clear from the passage, the friends apply practical wisdom of the day to Job’s unfortunate situation.  To them, it seems perfectly plausible that bad things are happening to Job because Job has sinned.  This was their worldview and they applied this understanding without shame.  However, at the end of the account, we find out that the friend’s worldview is incorrect. 

Occasionally, ministers are guilty of jumping in and trying to help someone in need without first gaining a better understanding of the situation.  Often, we apply our understanding of Scripture to another person’s life without allowing the person’s situation to critique our worldview.  This passage reminds us that there are numerous tensions in Scripture.  With this in mind, we should be careful in how we apply Scripture to our own lives, as well as the lives of others.

The book of Proverbs has multiple verses that describe the interaction between the king and his subjects.  Some of these verses argue that the reign of the king is “established through righteousness” (16:12).  Other verses speak of the king’s wrath and might (16:14-15).  Each “empire statement” is made with certain assumptions in mind.  First, the king is in charge.  He is not to be questioned or vexed in any way.  Second, God established the monarchy.  There is no separation of cult and state; the cult and state serve each other’s interests.  This second claim is problematic.  The author of I Samuel views the establishment of the monarchy as a rejection of Yahweh’s authority.  The book of Exodus appears to be very anti-empire.  There are conflicting views throughout Scripture on this issue.

Pro-empire statements are also made in the New Testament.  Paul argues that Christians are to obey governmental authorities because they are placed in their positions by God for the good of Christians.  However, we must remember that Paul was a Roman citizen who benefited from the empire on more than one occasion.  In contrast, we have Peter and the apostles in Acts 4-5.  Peter argues that we must obey God rather than men.

When we see statements that support the empire, we must remember who is writing these statements.  Often, a high ranking official or someone who has directly benefited from the empire in some way.  However, I would argue that the empire is always self-serving.  The empire will always oppress the weak and the poor for its own ends.  This is very different from my understanding of the kingdom of God.  God is on the side of the oppressed and the poor.  For those of us who call themselves his followers, we must side with the poor…not the empire.

Discuss the use of tensions in the Wisdom literature:  How do you use the various voices of Scripture?

After reading through Proverbs, I have a greater appreciation for the theological tension seen throughout Scripture.  Proverbs presents a common-sense approach to life.  If you do X, then Y will happen.  Work hard and you will be wealthy…and the wealthy have friends while poor people do not.  Don’t chase after that wayward woman or she will ensnare you.  In many ways, Proverbs continues in the Deuteronomic tradition which argues that piety produces prosperity.  I do not dispute the claims made by the book of Proverbs.  However, these wise sayings are not promises direct from God that a righteous person can take to the bank.  The book of Job provides scathing criticism of the wisdom tradition.  As we preach from Scripture in our churches, we would do well to remember that there are multiple voices in the Bible and each deserves to be heard.  When read together, with all their dissonance, these voices provide a more accurate understanding of the kingdom of God.

Which Psalm says that God will sieze the infants of the Babylonians and dash them against the rocks?

Psalm 137

Which biblical scholar was the first to separate the “Servant Songs” of Isaiah 40-55 from the rest of the book?

Bernhard Duhm

Ezra 3 paints a beautiful picture.  Many of the children of Israel have returned to Jerusalem.  They have poured the foundation for the second temple.  A great shout of praise was lifted to Yahweh.  Verse 11 of this chapter could be paraphrased, “The foundation of the temple has been laid.  We are finally home.”  This was a time of great joy for all the people.  Yet verse 12 provides an interesting contrast.  “But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.”  Apparently, not everyone was pleased with the new temple.  Scripture does not tell us why the older generation was sad.  However, they were overcome with anguish after seeing the foundation of the new temple.  Perhaps this new temple was not as big or as grand.  Perhaps this temple was a reminder of the glory days that would never return.  However, this memory of the past is selective at best.  The previous generation remembers the glory of the temple, but they forget the kings that behaved as taskmasters.  They forget the heavy taxation and enslavement.  They choose to forget the wickedness of Israel during “good old days”.

There is great benefit in studying and remembering our history.  However, remembrance has a tendency to become nostalgia and nostalgia does not allow a person to see what God is doing in the present.  In my experience, many of the conflicts between the younger and older generations in present-day churches revolves around this issue.  The previous generation wants to return to the days of big tent revivals and preaching that focuses on the fires of hell.  The younger generation does not see anything glorious about these things and decides to focus on what God is doing now…sometimes without any historical grounding.  However, both sides of the conversation are needed.  We need to remember the history of our faith and our churches.  This history impacts the way we seek to live our our faith in the present and the future.  Yet, this focus on the past cannot lead to stagnation or an attempt to recreate the past.