Reading: The Second Act (Video Slides)

#7 Understanding the Dramatic Development of the Book of Job: The Second Act

Remember the Structure

• The Setting (Job 1-2): mostly prose

• The Dialogues (Job 3-41): almost entirely poetry

First Dramatic Dialogue (Job 3-31)

• • • Three rounds of conversation with three friends

Second Dramatic Dialogue (Job 32-37)

• • • Elihu takes on everyone

Third Dramatic Dialogue (Job 38-41)

• • • God speaks without answering

• The Conclusion (Job 42): mostly prose

The Drama of Job

Second Dramatic Dialogue (mostly poetry): A New Voice (32-37)

1. Introduction: (32)

• Job’s three friends reach an impasse (32:1)
• Elihu (“You are My God!”) enters the picture (32:2-5)
• Elihu’s summary of the situation (the older friends have not provided appropriate wisdom or answers to Job) (32:6-22)

2. Four Speeches: (33-37)

• Speech #1 (to Job): God speaks through pain! (34)
• Speech #2 (to the three friends): God is just! (35)
• Speech #3 (to Job): It pays to serve God! (36)
• Speech #4 (to Job): God is just, kind and sovereign! (37)

What is the New Development?

• Job’s three friends have revealed their perspective:

This is a moral universe

God is in complete control

Good behavior results in blessings; bad behavior results in punishment

In other words, God is morally rigorous and absolute, and righteousness is rigid and brittle

• Elihu shares many of their beliefs:

This is a moral universe

God is in complete control

Good behaviors generally result in blessings; bad behaviors generally bring punishment

• But then Elihu adds a deeper level of thought:

But God is highly relational, not merely righteously rigid

Moreover, the evil in our world may result from different divine intents:

Sometimes God certainly brings punishment on evil

But sometimes God uses pain in a general sense, in a compromised world, to get people to remember their dependence, and turn to God as the source of all good things

In other words, while the three friends demand that Job repent, Elihu suggests that maybe Job is telling the truth about his upright character (meaning that he has nothing specific to repent for), but warns Job not to become haughty or presumptuous (meaning that he needs to listen through these sufferings for the voice of God, and to become submissive)