Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to study the Book of Job, which is the part of the Christian Old Testament. It is highlighted in the story that the power and the wisdom of a human being can never be equal to the divine justice. Along with that, it is shown that a person, who can be patient, loyal, just and loving, finally gets remunerated. While working on this essay, I have analyzed the tragedies of Job as well as of his friends. Apart from it, I have also argued that this story leaves more questions than answers, by bring before us the problem of the righteous, who suffer for no visible reason. Those problems, in my opinion, may be represented in the following statements. At first, is should a human be a righteous one, if even the righteous ones suffer? The second point is the purpose of the sufferings. Does the Lord make the people suffer in order to test their patience, loyalty and love? Eventually, how does a human repent and obtain the mercy of the Lord if he is not a sinner? Furthermore, I have also tried to explain the significance of the God`s speech for the story. On the one hand, the Lord does not give any explanation to Job. On the other hand, God condemns the friends of Job for their scorn behavior. Therefore, we may assume that the book of Job praises patience, tolerance and the divine justice.
Keywords: Job, God, Satan, friends, punishment, sufferings, sin, justice, family, patience, love, Bible, Testament, Heaven, divine.
The Book of Job tells us a story of a man from the land of Uz, who “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (The Book of Job, 1:1). Moreover, we read that “this man was the greatest of all the men of the east” (The Book of Job, 1:3). Job had seven sons and three daughters, who lived together as a happy family.
Nevertheless, Satan accused Job in the face of the Lord. He stated that Job was upright and righteous only because the Lord had blessed Job with happiness and wealth. Satan assumed that Job would definitely curse the Lord, if God took away all his mercy. As the result, God agreed that Satan may test Job with all the tragedies of the human life.
Firstly, Satan took away all the wealth that Job once had, all his servants and all his children. Job proclaimed as follows: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (The Book of Job, 1:23). This quotation tells us that Job was a just and righteous man, who humbly accepted all the challenges of his destiny. However, Lord permitted Satan to cover Job`s body with boils in order to make the poor man suffer even more.
On seeing Job`s sufferings, his wife told him to “curse God, and die” (The Book of Job, 2:9). The man`s answer highlights his devotion and love to the Lord: “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (The Book of Job, 2:10).
Eventually, Job lamented the day of his birth. He wondered why a man needs a life if it is full of suffering. Those events attracted the attention of Job`s friends: “Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him” (The Book of Job, 2:11). Nevertheless, a philosophical dispute takes place between Job and his friends.
All of the friends are trying to comfort Job by telling him that the Lord is just. Therefore, they assume that all the horrible tragedies and sufferings were sent by the Lord to punish Job either for his deeds or for his sons` actions.
In my opinion, such statements resulted from the common prejudice that every suffering is a retribution for a sinner, which he deserves. Therefore, while consoling Job, his friends are looking for the sins in his past. It is evident, that those sins, in case they really existed, would have justified and explained the tragic destiny of Job as an expedient and conceivable one.
Nevertheless, Job doesn`t agree with his friends. He keeps on searching for an adequate answer: “How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin” (The Book of Job, 13:23). Job reproaches his old friends by telling them that they are torturing him with such speeches as well as tearing his soul apart: “But you are forgers of lies, you are all physicians of no value” (The Book of Job, 13:4).
I am entirely convinced that this dispute is of high importance as long as it touches upon the issue of God`s tolerance. Moreover, I consider that the mentioned dispute brings before us three following questions. Firstly, is there any sense to be a righteous, if even they suffer? Secondly, does the Lord make his creatures suffer to test their patience and love? Finally, how to repent and obtain the mercy of the Lord if you are not a sinner?
Furthermore, God`s monologue in the end of the Book provides no explanation of the tragedies, which occurred to the poor man named Job. Instead, the Lord emphasizes the gap between God and Job as well as highlights the differences between a simple human and the divine justice by asking Job various questions: “Have you perceived the breadth of the Earth? Declare if you know it all” (The Book of Job, 38:18).
Nevertheless, in my opinion, the fact that Job was able to hear God, even provided that the Lord never responded him directly, makes Job an outstanding character in the Old Testament. Apart from it, the following quotation may be the key for understanding the events of the Book: “Look on everyone that is proud, and bring him low” (The Book of Job, 40:12). Therefore, the sufferings are sent to make us stronger.
Eventually, Job put up with the divine wisdom. He proclaimed that there are certain things, which a man cannot understand: “I know that you can do everything and that no thought can be withheld from hearing” (The Book of Job, 42:2). Job admits that the Lord is powerful and has great knowledge.
As to the Job`s friends, the significance of God`s speech lies in condemning their position: “My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends: for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has” (The Book of Job, 42:7).
It is evident that these words were surprising for Job`s friends as long as they considered Job to be a sinner. Furthermore, God appreciated Job`s loyalty, which also shocked the friends. I believe that by criticizing the scorn behavior of three men, the Lord appears as a just character in this Chapter.
Arriving to the conclusion, even if we omit the religious element from the Book, we will see a story of a man, who stayed true and loyal to his principles and beliefs. The friends symbolize those people, who are always there to witness your fall. Nevertheless, The Book of Job tells us that the devotion to one`s principles and values will eventually be remunerated.
The fate of Job is like a prototype of a human destiny on the Earth. Traditionally, people believed that the good life and happiness were given to a man for living a righteous life. And if the good things of life are taken away from a man, if the man becomes unhappy, it means that his virtue was challenged and the man sinned. Reward and punishment are the two poles of a human life on Earth. Therefore, it is hard to understand the meaning of innocent sufferings. The friends of Job did not understand those sufferings. They are opposing Job, the righteous man, in the Book. Job was a pious and virtuous man. That man always honored God and was obedient to the Lord as well as to His law. Even nowadays many people think that if there are innocent sufferings, it means that there is no God, there is no God's plan. I believe that every challenge can make a human stronger, even if there is really no Lord in the Heaven.
All in all, in this essay I have analyzed the story of Job. Along with that, I have paid attention to the dispute between Job and his friends. In my view, Job`s friends behaved in a scorn way. Therefore, I consider that his friend were not his true friends. Moreover, I have tried to explain the meaning and significance of the monologue of God. The Lord does not explain to Job the real reasons of the challenges. Nevertheless, Job admitted that he is not as mighty and powerful as the Lord is. It shows us how important it is to acknowledge one`s limits.
References
Various Authors. (1885). The Book of Job. (from the The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments, Trans. out of the Original Tongues.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Original work written around 3rd century BC).
