“He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.”
– Elihu
Introduction
The book of Job is about the immense, God-ordained suffering of the most righteous man of his time: Job. Probably written in the patriarchal age by an anonymous writer, the book of Job is a well-recognized literary masterpiece and is considered one of the major books of wisdom literature in the Bible. The book of Job is known for its profound, verbal illustration of the nature of innocent suffering and its confounding mysteries. It is not solely concerned with demonstrating the great pains of human affliction, however. The book of Job highlights the character and purposes of an incomprehensible, yet absolutely sovereign, perfectly wise, all-powerful, just, and mercifully redemptive God as the stable, constant backdrop of seemingly meaningless and unfair suffering.
Before diving into the lessons I learned from the book of Job about God and suffering, I think it is best to briefly discuss how I went about studying Job. I'll also list some of the helpful commentaries I used...
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Summary of My Method of Interpretation
The method of interpretation that I used to analyze the book of Job was influenced by the grammatical-historical hermeneutic. Here is a summary of the steps I took:
1) I comparatively studied the English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the New English Translation (NET) of the book of Job, making note of major translational differences.
2) I also read various historical, grammatical, and literary introductions to the book of Job in the NET translation notes and other commentaries.
3) I then engaged in a cycle of inductive and deductive interpretation of the book of Job in order to establish the scope (purpose) and plan (order of thought) of Job. I reasoned using my established scope and plan of Job, context, parallel passages, word studies, and the NET translation notes to decide on the interpretation of passages of questionable meaning in the book of Job.
4) Finally, I use my interpretation of Job to write a critical analysis of the doctrines of God and suffering presented in Job.
REFERENCES (I'll bold my favorites):
Books on Biblical Interpretation:
Kaiser Jr., Walter C. and Moisés Silva. An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994. Print.
Kaiser Jr., Walter C. Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1981. Print.
Keil, C.F. and F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament. Trans. Francis Bolton. Vol. 4. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, 1976. Print.
Terry, Milton S. Biblical Hermeneutics: A Treatise on the Interpretation of the Old and New Testament. 1st ed. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1999. Print.
Zuck, Roy B. Basic Bible Interpretation. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1991. Print.
Bibles I used (NASB, ESV, NET):
New American Standard Bible (NASB Text Edition) (NASB). Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1997. Print.
“New American Standard Bible Translation Principles.” Lockman.org. The Lockman Foundation, 1999. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. <http://www.lockman.org/nasb/nasbprin.php>.
“Preface To The NET Bible.” Bible.org. The NET Bible, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://bible.org/netbible/index.htm>.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV Text Edition) (ESV). Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2001. Print.
The NET Bible, New English Translation (NET). Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C., 1996.
Print.
Commentaries on Job:
Gaebelein, Frank E. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids: The Zondervan Corporation, 1988. Print.
Harris, Laird H. “The Doctrine of God in the Book of Job.” Sitting With Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job. Ed. Roy B. Zuck. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1992. 151-179. Print.
Hartley, John E. “The Genres and Message of the Book of Job.” Sitting With Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job. Ed. Roy B. Zuck. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1992. 65-78. Print.
Reitman, James. Unlocking Wisdom. Springfield: 21st Century Press, 2008. Print.
Westermann, Claus. “The Literary Genre of the Book of Job.” Sitting With Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job. Ed. Roy B. Zuck. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1992. 51-63. Print.
