Proverbs

_{Handout 18}

A. References to Job Outside of the Book of Job:

Job is mentioned twice in the Bible outside of the book of Job: Ezekiel 14:13–20, and James 5:11. In both of these places, treat Job as a real person

B. The Book of Job Compared to the Book Ecclesiastes:

It is no great observation, but if Ecclesiastes wrestles the seeming dilemma of life in general, the book of Job deals with acute crisis of a single person

C. The Basic Story Line of the Book of Job:

In the book of Job, we are introduced to Job, who is a righteous and God-fearing person. God has blessed him. One day, Satan comes before God, and raises the challenge that → Job only serves God because God has blessed him. Take away his blessings, Satan scoffs, and Job will curse you to your face (1:11). So God permits this to happen. But Job does not curse God.

When God points out to Satan that Job has remained faithful, Satan counters that if God will let Job be harmed physically, then he will surely curse God. So God again gives Job over to Satan, but with the limit that Satan cannot take Job’s life. So Satan afflicted Job with boils & sores all over his body. But again, Job does not curse God.

But in the next chapter (ch. 3), Job does curse the day of his birth (3:1). And the rest of the book shows that Job cannot make any sense out of what has happened to him, because it does not fit with his understanding of the goodness and justice of God.

It is noteworthy that the reader knows what has transpired between God and Satan. So the reader knows why all this has happened to Job. But Job does not know this (and neither do his friends). They do not know that Job is the object of a challenge from Satan to God to see if Job will stay faithful to God, even if he loses everything that God had blessed him with.

Job’s three friends come, and discuss and debate the situation with Job (chs. 4–27). In short, they affirm the goodness and justice of God. In specific, they affirm the principle that God blesses the righteous and judges the wicked . Since Job has lost all his blessings, and his body has been wracked with pain, Job’s three friends conclude that Job must have done something seriously wrong. And so they exhort Job to admit his sin (examples: 4:7,8; 8:3–7; 22:4–11).

But Job never admits that he has committed serious sin. He affirms that his conduct has been good, and that he is innocent (not totally sinless, but innocent of serious sin; 13:23,24).

Their speeches go back & forth for 25 chapters, but neither side convinces the other.

D. Some Insights for Interpreting the Book of Job:

In Biblical Interpretation (BS 102), we pointed out the difference between what narrator (narrative proper) says compares to what a person says (dialog)

That means, when we read the book of Job, we need to bear in mind that the speeches not the narrator speaking

With one exception: If God is the speaker it is true
Also, all of the speeches in Job are what kind of genre? So, what does that matter? It is possible that it is poetic
A lot of what the friends say about God is true. God is wise, he is good, he is just.

However, God himself tells us that something the friends say about God is not true. In specific, in Job 42:7, God says:

You [three friends] have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

So → to correctly interpret the book of Job, it will help us if we can figure what Job’s friends say about God that is different from what Job says. And that is different than what Job says about God

E. Questions Raised by / Issued Posed by the Book of Job:

The Initial Question Posed by the Book of Job:

Satan hurls an insult, a challenge, to God: Job only serves you because you continue to bless him. But take his blessing away, and he will curse you to your face.

So the initial question is:

Q: Will people continue to serve God even if God removes their earthly comforts & blessings?

But there us a related question that is worth our attention:

Q: In the end, does God ultimately ask us to serve him for nothing? (Job 1:9-10).

A Basic Issue Involved in the Book of Job:

A basic issue with the book of Job involves the ultimate justice of God. All of the main speakers in the book of Job (Job, his three friends, and Elihu), affirm the following general principle:

Those who serve God and obey his commands will be rewarded, and those who violate God’s commands and reject God will be judged & punished.

Q: Does the OT (and the Bible, overall) teach this principle as something that is generally and ultimately true? Yes
Q: But is the ≈reverse dynamic true?

That is → If you are suffering, is it always & only because you have sinned? No

This is a basic question in the book of Job.
Q: What do Job’s three friends assume? Assumed the reverse dynamic is true
Q: Are they right? No
Q: How do we know? We know what brought about the condition of Job

F. The Question Job Can’t Answer / Job’s ‘Conundrum’

Definition: A conundrum is a problem that seems to have no solution.

Job affirms that God is good and just, that the righteous are blessed, and that the wicked suffer and are punished. Job himself, being a godly and righteous man, has been blessed, as one would expect. But now Job is suffering the way one would think only the wicked should suffer. But Job is not wicked. So in his exasperation, Job concludes (in 9:22):

It is all the same; that is why I say,

He [= God] destroys both the blameless and the wicked.

Yet Job knows that this would be counter to the ultimate goodness of God, so it can’t be true. ↔ Yet Job looks at his own life and says, “But it is true … but it can’t be true …” This is what drives Job crazy; this is Job’s conundrum.

G. The Final Question and Challenge that Job Poses to God:

Job’s final request / question is this: I like to know why (See: 7:20; 10:2; 30:20; 40:8).

Job’s closing challenge is If I have done any of these things may God destroy me (Ch. 31, + also see Job 1:1 & 28:28)

H. God’s Reply to Job:

When God addresses Job, God does critique something about Job, because Job “repents in dust and ashes” (42:6). The book’s answer (God’s answer) to Job’s lament emphasizes three main ideas:

Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?”
Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”
Job 40:8 “Would you discredit my justice to establish yours?”
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 See similarly 8:3 & 8:20
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It is vital to note here that the book of Job affirms the justice of God

Does God actually answer Job’s final question? No
In short, God’s answer back to Job is:

Job, you are out of your league here; and no, you are not even entitled to an explanation.
However:
- But notice what answer God does not give? Blame Satan
- Note Job 42:11, where the narrator says, “… all the trouble the Lord had brought on him.”

I. The Conclusion of the Story / the Final Outcome of Job’s Life

Q: Does God bring further disaster on Job? No
Q: In fact, does God restore Job’s blessings? Yes, doubles
Q: What does that imply about God’s assessment of Job? Agrees with Job that he has not done wicked things
Q: In fact, what does God call Job in 42:7? My servant

J. Some Large Lessons We Learn from the Book of Job

Regarding the “reverse dynamic” of the principle of God’s ultimate justice–Job’s three friend insist that → If Job is suffering the way he is, it must be because he has sinned. Are they right? No
Does Job have a right to an explanation from God? No
Does the book of Job affirm God’s ultimate justice? Yes
What two attributes of God does God’s reply to Job emphasize?
1. Wisdom
2. Power
So when Job is faced with unjust suffering, what does he need to do?

What do we need to do? Trust God and remain faithful

_{Handout 19}

A. Two Key Items from the Beginning of the Book, Proverbs 1:1–7

Prov 1:2-6 The nature & purpose of the book:
Prov 1:7 A fundamental declaration of the book:

B. Insights for Interpreting Individual Proverbs / the Book of Proverbs

A key insight for understanding and applying Proverbs: “proverbs” are not …
- What proverbs are …
- What proverbs are not …
Proverbs are useful reminders of what is often true, but they do not necessarily set forth something that is true in all circumstances. Consider from the professor’s culture:

“Absence make the heart grow fonder.” ↔ “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Not every verse in the Book of Proverbs consists of a …

Prov. 1:6 mentions “proverbs, parables, sayings, and riddles.” It also has sections which are extended exhortations. Here are some examples:
- Chs. 1-4, and again chs. 6-9 are not classic short proverbs. Rather, …
- Sayings: Prov. 22:17ff, + chs. 23 & 24, are explicitly labeled “the sayings of the wise.” These sayings are more like direct teachings and instructions. They are close to commands. They often begin with “Do not …”. Here is an example:
  
  22:22-23 Do not exploit the poor just because they are poor, and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.
- Proverbs ↔ Riddles:
  
  Some proverbs are entirely self-evident:
  - 13:1 A wise son heeds his father’s advice, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
  - 22:10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.
  Some proverbs require more thought to get their point.
  - 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with humility comes wisdom.
  - 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
  - 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
    
    [=16:25] but in the end it leads to death.
  - 17:5 Whoever mocks a poor person shows contempt for his Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
  Riddles are like proverbs that you have to think about even more to get the point.
  - 26:14 A door on its hinges, and a sluggard on his bed.
  - 20:14 “Bad, Bad,” says the buyer, but then he boasts.

C. Some Examples of Proverbs that are Useful for Learning How to Interpret Proverbs:

26:4 + 26:5 (Compare how different translations render this verse.)

To Note! It is possible to misunderstand and therefore to misuse a proverb: 26:9

“Like a thornbush in the hand of a drunkard, is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.”

19:19 An example of “tough love” → “A hotheaded man …”

30:17 “The eye that scorns … .”

D. Some Classic Proverbs:

12:18

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
19:4

Wealth brings many friends; but a poor man’s friends desert him.
12:16

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
29:11

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
14:9

Fools mock at making amends for sin, but good will is found among the upright.

Week 4