Carefully Examining the Text

Jesus and Job 23 Job 23:12 Jesus treasured the words of God’s mouth more than his necessary food. When Jesus was tempted to turn stones to bread regarded practicing God’s word is more important than having bread to eat. He cherished every word from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:1-4; Luke 4:1-4). Job 23:13 What does it mean that God does whatever He pleases? He does whatever He pleases. Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens- The sarcastic question of 115:2 is answered in 1...

22:12 Is not God in the height of heaven? God dwells in heaven in I Kings 8:30, 39, 43, 49; Psalm 2:4; 11:4; 33:13; 103:19; 113:5. Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!- God is so exalted that He is far above the most remote and massive star. The emphasis is on the greatness of God and the majesty of His dwelling place. In Ps. 113:5-6 God even lowers himself to look upon the affairs of men. God’s exalted nature is a call for reverence for Him (Isa. 40:22, 26; 57:15). Jer. 23:23-2...

Job 22-27 constitute the third cycle of speeches between Job and his friends. It is unlike the others in that Bildad’s speech is extremely brief and Zophar has no speech at all. 22:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,- Eliphaz speaks first for the friends as he did in Job 4-5, 15. Verses 2-5 ask rhetorical questions. 22:2 Can a vigorous man be of use to God,- The word of use or profitable was used in Job 15:3 where Eliphaz accused Job of talk that is not profitable. Or a w...

21:17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,- Bildad affirmed that the lamp of the wicked is put out in 18:5. The book of Proverbs stresses this as well (Prov. 13:9; 20:20; 24:20). The text of Proverbs 24:19-20 says, “Do not fret because of evil people or be envious of wicked people, for the evil person has no future, and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.” (NET) The emphasis on the fall of the wicked by Bildad fits with Proverbs. Job does not deny this ever happen...

Job's picture of the wicked man is 1. opposite of the friend's picture of the wicked man. 2. It is the opposite of what we might expect from other passages that describe the kind of behavior God blesses and curses. 3. It is the opposite of Job's experiences. Job's picture of the wicked sounds much like the picture painted in Psalm 73:1-14. 21:7-16 The world that the friends described is a world that “exists only in their own minds.” 21:7 Whey do the wicked still live,- The word wi...