Final Onrushes of Job's Arguments against God's Justice - Research Paper Example

of The Book of Job: Chapter 10 Introduction: Chapter Ten of The Book of Job contains one of the final onrushes of Jobs arguments against the justice of God. Citing his pain and suffering as reasons for his unrestrained complaint, Job continues in his rage against God, overriding the counsel of his friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. They console him while trying to justify God’s ways. The three friends are convinced that Job must be indeed be sinful to incur the wrath of God and do not support his view that he is being unfairly singled out for punishment, advising him instead not to question or try to understand God’s mysterious ways. In this passage, Job seems to suggest that Gods severity on human beings is unjustified. He asserts over and over again that he is innocent and free of sin and challenge’s God’s decision to make him suffer. He questions God and even accuses him of torturing him, irrespective of whether he is virtuous or evil: “Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me” (King James Bible. Job. 8.17). Structure and Position in Text: This passage works both integrally in the Old Testament narrative of The Book of Job; as well as a standalone piece. This is because it falls within the dialogue between Job and his friends and is still a complete speech in itself. This particular passage is a distinct part of Job’s reply to Bildad, beginning from Chapter 9, where continues to assert his own innocence against the severity of God. Bildad had previously been appalled at Job’s suggestions and claimed that God does not reject a blameless man: “Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers” (Job. 8.20). This is followed directly with Zophar the Naamathite’s speech, beginning from Chapter 11, which scolds and criticizes Job for attempting to understand God’s mysterious ways of working: “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell; what canst thou know?” (Job. 11.7-8). But the shift between speakers is not the only reason behind the autonomy of this passage. Chapter 8 is marked by a change in tone also. Job’s arguments get more fervent and demanding. He accuses God of unjustly punishing him, ignoring his friends and their cautious admonitions. Job goes as far as to wish death upon himself, asserting time and again that he would rather be dead than undergo such suffering. Structurally, The Book of Job has a “poetic core surrounded by a prose narrative framework” (Bandstra, 413). The prose narrative is the frame within which the poetic dialogue of Job and his friends occur. The prose explains the situation of Job and describes his plight while the poetic core is made up of the verbal exchanges between Job and his friends. YHWH too makes an appearance in this poetic, dialogic core. This chapter is one of the distinct parts of this poetic core and is separated from the prose narrative because of its subject matter as well as its style. The passage does not contain any descriptive prose. It is a dramatic monologue and hence, a typically poetic device. This poetic core is what contains the basic lessons of the Book of Job; namely those of sufferance and piety and how they are ultimately rewarded by Yahweh himself. Relation to the Old Testament: The Book of Job revolves around the themes of suffering and retribution. It emphasizes the mortal inability to fathom God’s ways. The Book of Job is where the theodicy of the Bible reaches a pinnacle. In the speeches of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and later, the young Elihu, God’s ways are repeatedly justified in different ways. In this section that stretches roughly from Chapter 4 to Chapter 14, the first group of speeches takes place. These include both Job’s protests against God and the rebuttals of his friends. Eliphaz takes the tack that it is not the innocent but the wicked who suffer; he is convinced that Job’s sufferings are because of some past sin. It is beyond Eliphaz to accept that there can be suffering without sin: “Who ever perished, being innocent?” (Job. 4.7) he asks. But Job rebuts this by asking his friends to prove his sin and comparing them to a “deceitful brook” (Job. 6.15). Finding Eliphaz’s rebukes to be insubstantial, the next person to launch on his own theodicy is Bildad the Shuhite. He too tries to convince Job that his sons died because of their sins and he too is sinning by not repenting. If only Job would show repentance, God would forgive him and take away his miseries. To this, Job agrees partially but contends that it is impossible to access God and ascertain what is sinful in His eyes. “Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.” (Job. 9.1-3) Job declares. This is where grief overcomes Job again and he launches on the passage which is discussed in this paper: Chapter 10. Being unconvinced by Eliphaz and Bildad, Job laments grievously the wrongs done to him. He repeatedly wishes death on himself and curses God for making him feel so lost and helplessly. This is where the third strand of theodicy in this section appears: in the form of Zophar the Naamathite’s speech. Zophar tries to assert that Job actually has not received as much punishment as he should: “that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.” (Job. 11.6). Zophar’s approach is marked by cynicism and caustic wit. He does not sympathize with Job at all. He compares Job to a “wild ass’s colt. (Job. 11.12). But moving beyond the tone of the speech, Zophar touches on another interesting aspect of theodicy that runs throughout the Old Testament. Zophar is warning Job against demanding a confrontation with God. He knows that Job’s lamentations will ultimately reach a point where he will demand to see God himself and consequently, he tries to prevent Job from doing so. The implication being that being arrogant enough to question God or expect Him to be at one’s beck and call is likely to be fatal. He is embodying the lesson in Exodus where God tells Moses “[…] no man see Me, and live.” (Exodus. 33.20). Zophar too fails however as Job continues to assert his own innocence, God’s omnipotence and the utter uselessness of the advice given by his friends. We see therefore that in approaching theodicy in these various ways, the Book of Job is intrinsically linked to the rest of the Old Testament. It justifies God’s ways by trying to assert Job’s sin and by constantly reaffirming its faith in the omniscience of God. The interesting facet here lies in the dissenting figure of Job. As a foil to the more prudent believers, Job’s complaints against God help to create a dialogic space to discuss theodicy. The Old Testament is self-reflexive and not entirely unconscious of possible detractors of its content. It therefore provides its own contrapuntal voice in the figure of Job and concludes by reinstating God as the munificent Being that He is believed to be throughout the Bible. This self-contained questioning of its own assertions is something that runs throughout the Book of Job and the Bible. In his paper on the Book of Job, Richard Sewall claims that Job is representative of “ancient piety.” When he lashes out against God, it is not out of arrogance or anger but love and disappointment (Sewall). He continues to assert that the poet does not actually assert ancient piety directly but throws it into doubt, instead. Job was the well-established patriarch who lived his life relatively free of sin and is made to suffer only because of a wager between God and the Devil. It becomes problematic to blame either Job or God for the miseries that Job had to undergo. By the end of the Book of Job, it is true that he is rewarded for his faith and patience but the fact remains that Job was punished without really being sinful. What kind of God can test his followers in this way? And does the Bible really manage to justify His doing so? Sewall suggests that the poet of the Book of Job deals with the conundrum by giving Job speeches that lament at God’s will and add an opposing tension to the plot. Here too the Book of Job is similar to the rest of the Old Testament: This method, like the tragic vision which was a part of the Poets racial inheritance, was not new in the literature of the Hebrews. Job is merely the fullest development of a racial way of expression observable in the earliest writings. For example, after the single-voiced and full-throated praise of the Creator and the Creation in the first chapter of Genesis, the story of Adam and Eve and the Fall moves into a different mode. Many voices are heard, including the Serpents. This is one way of saying that even this case was not entirely clear. (Sewall) Allowing his work to explore the entire range of possible reactions to it, by testing Christian assertions against all dissent, the poet succeeds in making this an impressive literary piece. The dialogic tension, another feature that links the Book of Job to the rest of the Old Testament, adds to its literary merit and gives the final conclusion more gravity. Without proclaiming God’s righteousness outright, the Book of Job allows us to question it and conclude satisfactorily by reinstating God’s omniscience. Personal Opinion on Chapter Ten of the Book of Job: Chapter Ten of the Book of Job is interesting in several ways. Even as an autonomous piece, it is poignant and eloquent in its expression of helpless grief. The desperation of a man who is being tried mercilessly for a sin he has not committed, is articulated with tenderness, without detracting from the basic biblical purpose of theodicy. The line “Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,” (Job. 10. 20) verbalizes one of the principal arguments that a person at the end of his or her tether often makes. To be granted a little peace before one dies too is almost a luxury to someone in as much despair as Job. His helplessness that causes him to question God is summarized in this one line. The passage also makes clear that Job is not essentially a sinful or arrogant man, in the biblical sense of the terms. It is only because he can no longer bear his grief in silence that he lashes out against God. Job never really wavers in his faith or loyalty towards Him. This is emphasized in Job’s repeated justifications of his outburst. An instance of this can be seen in the opening sentence where Job says “My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” (Job. 10.1) Job begins his arguments with a valid reason every time, expressing his hesitance to criticize God. The argument in the passage is impressive in its logic. First, Job begins with an apology for the outburst. He then proceeds to ask uncomfortable questions about God’s decision to make him suffer. Job questions God’s decision to create him if the only purpose was to torment him throughout his life. Job therefore begins with clearly demarcating responsibilities and blames God for creating him in the first place. Once he has made clear his accusation, he proceeds to ask for proof of his sins. Job asserts his own innocence and virtue and challenges the very foundation of the Bible by wondering what virtue could possible be worth if the only reward it gets is suffering. Job’s arguments follow coherently like any present-day debate would. Job, although unaware of God’s greater plan and therefore inaccurate, still manages to make a substantial case in his defense against God. Conclusion: Chapter Ten of the Book of Job makes interesting reading because it serves both as a standalone piece of literature while managing to retain the key strands of thought that run through the Old Testament. It also contains notable instances of the writer’s use of rhetorical and poetic devices which add to its literary merit. The rapid exchanges of dialogues without digressing into plot narrative make it a compact and effective piece of prose. Content-wise also it is very significant in the Old Testament narrative, as one of the instances where theodicy is challenged most openly. It helps reestablish God as the rightful lord and protector of His people by first questioning and later rebuffing the arguments in favor of God’s justice and omniscience. Chapter Ten of the Book of Job is an eloquent expression of a human being’s grief at a decisive moment where he almost gives up his faith. In articulating its anguish that is later overturned and rewarded it is a crucial piece of the bible that many in the present times of turmoil draw inspiration and support from. Works Cited Bandstra, Barry L. Reading the Old Testament: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2004. 397-498. Print. Copeland, Mark A. The Book of Job: A Study Guide. ExecutableOnlines.com. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. Sewall, Richard B. “The Book of Job.” The Vision of Tragedy. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. N.pag. Literature Resources Centre. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. Wells, W.M. “Commentary on the Book of Job.” BurningCoal.com. 27 Nov. 2000. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. Read More