Reading: The Third Act and Epilogue (Video Slides)

#8 Understanding the Dramatic Development of the Book of Job: The Third Act & Brief Epilogue

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

Third Dramatic Dialogue (mostly poetry): The Voice of God Thunders (38:1-42:6)

• Introduction: (38-39)

God appears (38:1)

God displays divine Glory (38:2-39:30)

Ten object lessons from the physical realm (38:2-38)
Ten object lessons from the animal realm (38:39-39:30)

• Round #1: (40:1-5)

God’s Demand: Who accuses me?! (40:1-2)

Job’s Reply: I’m sorry! (40:3-5)

• Round #2: (40:6-42:6)

God’s Challenge: Can you rule in my place?! (40:6-41:34)

Job’s Reply: I’m sorry for doubting you! (42:1-6)

Some Reflections

• The third dramatic dialogue is very brief!

• God does not really answer either Job’s friends challenges, nor Job’s questions

• The perspectives brought forward by Elihu seems to inform this new dialogue:

God is sovereign

This is a moral universe

But good and evil, and blessings and curses, are all caught up into something much bigger than individual questions about moral behaviors

We live in a complex world that we cannot fully explain

• The challenge of God to Job is not about any sinful actions on his part, but about any presumption that he can declare his righteousness, or know the mind of God, or even presume to dare
• The goal of this dialogue is what Elihu suggested: submission

The Drama of Job

Closing Setting (prose): Peace on Earth (42:7-17)

• Job’s three friends are chastised (42:7-9)

It is interesting that Job’s three friends, who talked about being punished for doing wrong, are now threatened by Yahweh with punishment for doing wrong, and are only spared by the caring gracious intervention of the very person they maligned: Job himself!

• Job is blessed (42:10-15)

• Job is vindicated (42:17-17)

Questions about the Drama of Job

• Is the book of Job really about suffering?

• What else might it be about?

• Where does “Satan” (“Accuser”) come from?

• What is the cosmology of the book?

• Does the plot resolve itself?