The scene is set:
1. Job, an honest, righteous and wealthy man, finds favour with God; the adversary is allowed to test him, sending disasters which take away his earthly sources of comfort and strength, but still Job praises God
2. When Job passes the first test the adversary pushes him further, taking his health; some old friends arrive to sit with Job in silence and comfort him
A week later...
3. Job speaks; he regrets that he was ever conceived or born, and wonders why such suffering has been given to him
4. Eliphaz replies; reminding Job that although he has always been a good man who advised others, all humans experience times of trial and distress
5. Eliphaz continues that Job should seek God rather than trying to find answers for what has happened; God is correcting you he says, and will return you to a state of grace
6. Job responds; wishing that God would let him die, he criticizes the advice of his friend, insisting on his righteousness
7. Job goes on to lament that life is endless struggle; that he doesn't understand why God is punishing him and then demands to know what his sin is
8. Bildad challenges Job's depiction of God; he insists that God cannot do anything unrighteous, and that Job's suffering must be his own fault or his children's, as only those who have forgotten God suffer like Job
9. Job replies that he understands that he himself is not perfect, and that God is powerful and righteous, and he wishes that there were someone who could meditate with God on his behalf
10. He goes on to lament the misery of his life again; wondering why he is suffering like this, and why it is that God won't release him
11. Zophar rebukes his friend; insisting that Job's an idiot if he believes that he hasn't sinned, and advising him to humble himself before God, in order to escape the punishment he's experiencing
12. Job responds; I know that what you say is sensible, but I'm no fool either, it is clear that it is God who creates and destroys
13. He continues; I ask you to be quiet my friends, it is God's response I want not yours - you are not the mouthpiece of God - for I believe I am innocent and so I will wait and listen for God's judgement
14. Job addresses God; if you will not restore me, then forget about me and let me die or give me hope beyond death, but do not let me drag on forever like this
15. Eliphaz mocks Job, claiming that his clever words are not true wisdom and that he is in danger of joining the ranks of the wicked, who rebel against God and are ultimately destroyed
16. Job says to his friends; you are no comfort to me, I feel that I'm being unfairly punished, but I would probably say the same as you, if our situations were reversed, I just hope that there is someone or something that will plead with God on my behalf
17. To God Job says; if my friends denounce me then I am lost, I will die and become a story to trouble the innocent and give the self-righteous something to laugh about
18. Bildad shares his thinking; let's stop and think for a moment, we understand that those who are evil do not prosper - and so when we see barrenness in someone's life we assume it's because they don't know God
19. Job cries out; I am cut off from everything good in life, and you blame me for it, if it's God's doing - as I believe - then you should pity me, and worry about God's judgement on you!
20. Zophar says: my understanding, from all of the old stories, is that the wicked never prosper for long, when they face death they find no comfort and after they die they are forgotten
21. Job answers; I have something shocking to say to that - the wicked do prosper - I do not know how it is that they escape God's wrath, but they do, so your words do not comfort me!
22. Eliphaz asks whether Job thinks that he is of any value to God, but then answers his own question by asserting that Job is a sinner and should seek God's forgiveness in order to be delivered from his suffering
23. Job responds; oh how I wish I could find a way speak to God directly, to plead my case, I've become afraid because I don't understand God
24. He continues; why is it that the wicked prosper - they may be forgotten in death, but in life they get away with so much, plundering the vulnerable and ignoring God
25. Bildad asks; God is supreme over all, how can any human be considered pure in God's sight?
Job's very long response:
26. Job's responds; that's so helpful (not!), but we are only at the edges, so how can we claim to understand what God does?
27. I am bitter, but I still believe that I am innocent and that the wicked are not - they do not belong to God, and so their voices are not be heard when they cry out in distress
28. People delve deep into the ground for precious metals and gems, but wisdom cannot be mined or bought, it begins with fearing God
29. I remember how my life was; with a sense of God by my side, I enjoyed so many blessings and was respected and listened to
30. But now I am like an outcast, no-one hears me, even God has abandoned me
31. If I have ever done one single thing to offend God I'll accept the punishment, but I want to know what it is, because I cannot think what it might be
A young man speaks up:
32. Elihu has been listening and is frustrated that Job's older friends haven't managed to give a good response, so he asks to be heard
33. He begins by asserting that God speaks to people both in their conscience and in their bodies, and that physical suffering is a sign of God's displeasure
34. Let's be reasonable, continues Elihu, we know that God sees all and punishes sinfulness; so it makes sense that Job has sinned and needs to ask for God's forgiveness
35. But God is not going to answer; however much Job asks and however long he waits
36. God is powerful; puts kings on thrones, disciplines the wayward, destroys the wicked and rewards righteous, God's works can be seen everywhere
37. Listen to the rumbling thunder and the roaring wind; we hear God's power in the forces of nature, but God does not speak directly to humans - not even the wise and righteous ones
And then God answers Job:
38. I have questions for the one questioning me; do you know everything about the Earth and how it was made, about the seas, about the weather, and about the stars - do you know how it all fits together and works?
39. Do you understand all of the wild creatures; how they raise their young, find their food, and where their unique strengths and skills come from?
40. Do you question my justice or my power, when even the beasts are beyond your power to control?
41. The great sea beast that terrifies people with it's proud strength and intimidating armour, is like a pet to me; because everything under heaven is mine
The conclusion:
42. In response to meeting God Job feels humility and awe; he lets go of his need for answers, and in return he is rewarded with God's favour for the rest of his life
I love book of Job because it gives no easy answers. It recognises that bad things can happen to good people, and that thoroughly bad people sometimes prosper. It also recognises that good advice can be no comfort whatsoever in times of trial.
This is story that I can imagine being told by the fire at large gatherings, with everybody joining in at different parts. I also wonder if it was one in a sequence of stories about the same family, as the reference to Job's three beautiful daughters Jemimah, Keziah and Kerenhappuch tantalisingly suggests another well known tale.
What the book of Job does not seem to be is a history book, or a theological treatise on God. The opening scene, where there seems to be a game being played out between God and the devil using Job as a pawn, doesn't fit with the way God is depicted elsewhere in the Old Testament and is not compatible with a Christian understanding of what God is like.
For me Job's story is a reminder that God is always bigger than any human can understand, and that when our faith has no answers and gives no comfort it doesn't mean that God is absent.