More Thoughts on Job

 Back in 2022, I did a long post about the Book of Job.  It contains many of the same ideas I have been thinking of this week as we have studied Job again.  Job really is a masterful work, and so intriguing. There are so many unanswered questions: When was it written? Who wrote it and why? Why was it specifically preserved in the cannon?  I think that the fact it is included in the Jewish Bible shows something about the Jewish psyche. 

None of the stories of the Old Testament are simplistic.  Each one involves layers of philosophical questions and ethical issues.  The contrast with other philosophical writings is remarkable. The Buddhist writings, for example, have clear directions in list form that if you follow, you will have a good life and draw closer to enlightenment. The stories in the Jewish Bible are messy, and often contradict each other's doctrines. None of the heroes are perfect, and none of the victories are without controversy.  The Jewish culture seems to embrace the idea that the only way to learn how to wrestle with complicated life questions is to watch others wrestle with complicated life questions. 

I think that one way to look at the Book of Job, then, (and I got this idea from one of the podcasts I listened to this week, though I can't remember which one) is to see it as an example of developmental states of a testimony. 

Innocent Enthusiasm

When the story begins, Job is a zealous follower of God. He faithfully observes religious obligation, and even does extra sacrifices for his children, just in case they have sinned. (Job 1:5).  God calls him a "perfect and an upright man, one who feareth God, and escheweth evil." (1:8)

Endurance of initial trials

When Job loses his possessions and his children, he still clings to his simple faith. "The Lord giveth and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (1:21)

Questioning

When Job is then cursed with physical pain, in addition to his loss, he begins to question, not the existence of God, but his motivations. "Why died I not in the womb? shy did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?" (2: 11) During this period he is confronted by the philosophies of men that try to convince him that he is unworthy, and that he should give up. His friends tell him "Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? or where are the righteous cut off?" (4:7)  Job still clings to his belief in God, but begins to question his worthiness, "If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me; if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." (9:20)

Submission coupled with mature faith

During his trials, Job finally submits to the will of God by admitting that he doesn't understand his ways. "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee,..I have heard thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eyes seeth thee. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (42: 2, 5-6)

The story of Job seems to communicate that path to mature faith is not easy. There will never be a time when we understand the reasons why terrible things happen to us or to those we love. Once we acknowledge God's supremacy in our lives--that he oversees both the good and the bad with infinite wisdom--we can find peace. 

Esther the "Hidden" Heroine

 Four years ago I made a blog post about the book of Esther that used the four fold interpretation method.  In it I explored the literal, symbolic, contextual, and secret/sacred interpretations of the story.  This time I would like to delve more into the contextual interpretation.

What I learned this year was that the name "Esther" in Hebrew אסתר,  has as its root the word that means "hidden."  As is often the case in the Hebrew Bible, the meaning of the name is the meaning of the story.  Esther's true cultural identity is hidden from the king. He does not know that she is a Jewess until the big reveal at the end of the story.  I think there is an additional significance to her name as well. 

In my original blog, I stated that the story of Esther occurs during the time of the Jewish captivity. That is not strictly true.  Instead, she is a member of the diaspora.  In other words, she is living in Persia about 75 years after the time of Cyrus the Great freed Jews to return to Jerusalem.  The majority of the Jews taken into captivity did not return, but chose to stay in Babylon or other areas. Esther is one of these. 

Esther is therefore "hidden" from the center of Jewish worship, i.e. the Temple. As a result, God's power and influence, which is centered in Jerusalem once more, is "hidden" from those in the diaspora. In fact, although the story talks about Esther fasting and praying for deliverance, none of the words for "God" appear in the entire book. He is not overtly credited for helping Esther or saving the people. 

Yet, the people were saved. God's help is implied throughout the story. When Esther is chosen as queen, when Mordecai thwarts the assassination attempt, when the king can't sleep and asks to be read the history of his reign, all these elements of the story that lead to the salvation of the Jews are understood to be divine intervention, without being outwardly identified as such.

The story of Esther answers a few questions: Does God still watch over his people when they are away from the center of worship?  What does that aid look like?  What does it look like to be a worshiper of Jehovah in the diaspora?  The answer the story gives is that God still loves and watches out for his people, but in subtle, yet powerful ways as long as they live standards of high moral character and religious devotion.

Ezra and Nehemiah: the Influence of Empire.

 We studied books of Ezra and Nehemiah in Come Follow Me this week.  I did a pretty good (and long) post about it four years ago and I don't have a lot to add here.  

The main thing that I noticed as I read (beside what I wrote in my earlier post) is how the rise of empires stabilized the region.  Before the captivity, all disputes seemed to be solved through warfare. This or that tribe would attack a different tribe, and then that tribe would unite with their neighbors to rebuff the attack. It is hard for a small tribe like Judah to experience prosperity when their resources are constantly being used for military campaigns.

In the stories in Ezra and Nehemiah, when there is a dispute, the lawyers send letters to the central government to mediate.  Once the authoritative ruling comes back, the question is basically settled. There is none of the tribal inter-fighting that you see earlier. In Nehemiah, the workers felt some peril from their neighbors, (Nehemiah 4:7) but it was nothing like the long sieges and massive attacks we hear about in Kings and Chronicles. 

After the Assyrians took over the whole region in the 700 BCE, there were a series of "superpowers" that dominated the levant. As one conquered the previous ruler, they took over control of the whole region.  Israel was never again an independent state, Here is a very rough timeline (remember that the BC numbers are counting backwards down to zero)

700's BC Assyria

600's BC Babylonians

500-400 BC Persians (Cyrus was the first Persian)

300-100 BC Greeks (Think Alexander the Great)

100 BC -300 AD Romans (Julius Caesar and his successors)

Even though the Jews were not independent, the stability of the imperial system allowed the Jewish culture to grow. The empires after Assyria did not try to do away with regional cultures and allowed for easier trade and a general growth of wealth and prosperity.  This was especially true of the Greek and Roman empires. Herod the Great who built the massive temple complex that existed in Jesus' time was able to do so because he was a vassal ruler under Rome. The Jewish hierarchy of Priests, Scribes and Pharisees developed in this period, underneath their Greek and then Roman overlords.

It all led up to the perfect conditions for Christianity to spread throughout Europe. Even though Rome is seen as the "bad guy" in most of the New Testament, the Pax Romana allowed Paul and other early church leaders to travel safely and extensively around the Mediterranean to spread the "good news." 

It is easy to draw a comparison between these events to the events leading up to the restoration of the gospel in the 1800's. Just as the Reformation and founding of America allowed the religious freedom needed as an incubator of the Gospel in the latter days, the stability of the Roman empire enabled the rise and spread of Christianity throughout Europe. Both show God's hand and foreknowledge in accomplishing his work.