Retribution theology in the book of job

Gods answer to the problem of undeserved suffering. Was it unfair for god to allow job to suffer over what was. A mature scholar reads the book as part of a larger interaction in the bible between understanding god as a king figure who is. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. The book of job provides a vivid illustration of the theology of suffering.

It is called a theology of divine retribution, and it assumes that god blesses those who are faithful to him and punishes those who sin. As jobs friends continue to talk in circles, endlessly repeating their tired arguments in favor of temporal retribution, job slowly shifts from a selfcentered defense of his innocence to something greater. Retribution theology in job and proverbs fiendish master. Generally, job s words only resemble the proverbs when he is telling his friends to be quiet, or when he parallels something theyve said in order to negate it. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the. He possesses a large family, good health, many servants, flocks of multiple species of livestock, and is considered the greatest of all men in the east job 1.

Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. Finally, god himself speaks to job in chapters 3841, and it sounds nothing at all like papas and wisdoms freewill. While job addresses deep questions, the answers it offers to these questions are often only partial in nature and are likely to be poorly received by most modern listeners who expect god. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 3 undeserved suffering, therefore, serves as a dependable, useful model12 for the believer of any generation in dealing with the problem of theodicy. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 3 undeserved suffering, therefore, serves as a dependable, useful model12 for. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. Retribution theology is basically the idea that you get what you deserve. Retribution is the idea that good deeds are always rewarded and bad deeds are always punished. It might be argued that i fail to render the position of the book of proverbs fairly, that it does indeed account logically. Another of the easy answers which the author of job is interested in refuting is the proposition.

What we are learning from the book of job is something of the mystery of god and his ways. Theology and themes job bible commentary theology of work. It is, but i mean jobs speech in chapter 3 is brutal. Job, who is sure in his innocence, does everything in order to serve god as good as possible. Now some reading this article will argue that, indeed, retribution theology is the way in which god functions. However, a deeper look reveals a more redemptive dynamic in this trial. Job s faith in god is put to the extreme test, and the story intimates that job s commitment to god wanes. This book tells a story of job who is loyal and obedient to god but has to go through much suffering. Retribution theology is concerned with rewards and punishments here and now.

Aug 15, 2017 the book of job addresses deep questions including the limits of retribution theology, the reasons for human suffering and the inscrutability of gods will. This part of the bible touches fundamental question of guilt, punishment, justice, good and evil. In such narratives, punishment for depravity descends swiftly and violently. Ecclesiastes is an essay on the ultimate meaning chief end of man and is a. Elihu challenged job s three antagonists by opposing this view of suffering. As we will see, job s woes begin at work, and the book gives us valuable insights into how a follower of god may faithfully function within the ups and downs of work life. Job is famous in its story on the value of suffering in life.

It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. The collectors of the revised common lectionary have a neat solution for the wouldbe preacher of the book of job. When the kingdom of rehoboam was established and strong, he and all israel with him forsook the law of the lord. The prose sections play an integral part in understanding the canonical form of the book of job. Retribution theology holds that people are treated by god based on how they behave. Communicating the book of job in the twentyfirst century. God does desire for his creation to submit in humble obedience to his words and ways, which can lead to blessing. When he finishes, his friends begin to tell him their idea of what must be going on. As we will see, jobs woes begin at work, and the book gives us valuable insights into how a follower of god may faithfully function within the ups and downs of work life. I use it in two sensesas a call to heal our understanding of justice and its underlying theology, and as a description of how authentic justice and theology might be sources for healing brokenness in our world. In greek lxx the name is transliteration of the hebrew consonants iwb. This campfire tale, or this moral free legend, had grown sufficient credibility to take on a permanent form within a community.

In the lives of job and of paul, we see men who pleased god suffer greatly. Job knows retribution theology to be false, because of the evidence in his own life. Here it is used mainly to describe a misuse of that theology that attempts. Divine retribution is the idea that god will return vengeance or justice for wrongdoing. The book of job teaches that gods ways are far more complex than a simple retribution principle. Divine retribution is supernatural punishment of a person, a group of people, or everyone by a deity in response to some action. The superficial theology of jobs friends jobs three friends had taken the position that the severity of jobs suffering must be the sign of some grievous sin in his life. Oct 22, 2018 metaphorical landscapes and the theology of the book of job demonstrates how spatial metaphors play a crucial role in the theology of the book of job. When jobs friends came to speak to job in his misery, they brought.

Many cultures have a story about how a deity exacted punishment upon previous inhabitants of their land, causing their doom an example of divine retribution is the story found in many cultures about a great flood destroying all of humanity, as described in the epic. Job learns to fear the lord as a proper response to the lords sublime greatness and supreme value, rather than as a tactic to appease the almighty and avoid retribution. The fact is that not all good people are rewarded with good things in this life job and paul are notable examples. Perhaps instead the theology of retribution that these two options. Bad deeds like drug abuse have natural, painful consequences, and they can be addicting. Themes as pivotal as trauma, illbeing, retribution, and divine character are conceptualized in terms of space. Theodicy books of job, ecclesiastes and proverbs add remove this content was copied from view the original, and get the alreadycompleted solution here.

Retribution theology in job and proverbs fiendish master plan. Jobs faith in god is put to the extreme test, and the story intimates that jobs commitment to god wanes. In a nutshell, they believe in the doctrine of divine retribution. Here is job 21, job will handily discredit and disprove retribution theology. The book of job is an obvious place to turn when a christian suffers, but it is not easy to discern what god means to teach his people through this difficult book. Retribution theology simply teaches that suffering is a result of sin. Five truths for sufferers from the book of job the gospel. To be sure, some familiar details of the experience of its protagonist have come over into common knowledge. But the odious judgments made by his friends caution us against making toocertain application of any model to our own lives. In systematic theology, the distinction is sometimes made between gods remunerative justice in which he distributes rewards and his retributive justice in which he expresses his wrath against sin by inflicting penalties. The ot deals with the problem of the apparent contradictions to the principle of retribution. The author of the book of job incorporated the folk book into his work in a manner still showing traces of the component parts. The point elihu was making is that gods retributive justice. One common denominator between the theology of job and his friends is a belief in the retribution dogma, a simplistic understanding of the principle of divine retribution.

God sees to it that the good people get good things in life, and the bad people get bad things. How does the book of job help disciples of jesus christ remain faithful to god as they sufferor walk alongside others who sufferin ways that are extreme and inexplicable. This article interprets jobs teaching on suffering from five broad perspectives. The use of this preexisting material very cleverly placed the problem outside of palestine, thereby excluding the possible objection of orthodox theology that such a casea perfectly righteous man persecuted by yhwh. Retribution theology holds that people are treated by god based on how they. Metaphorical landscapes and the theology of the book of job demonstrates how spatial metaphors play a crucial role in the theology of the book of job. There is a logical coherence between the prologue, the poetic discourses, and the epilogue. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end.

Christian, your pain is never punishment desiring god. And not all wicked people receive punishment immediately. Secular views no restitution for victims holocaust no retribution for evil hitler evil itself is a human construction 3. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The logic of retribution and its consequences peace theology.

Elihu presented the proper theological perspective of retribution theology. To understand the full impact of the book of job the book must be read and understood as a whole. Surely, one of the major purposes of the book of job is to deny the mechanical theology of retribution so ably presented by the friends, and so cruelly and falsely forced upon job s situation. Retribution encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. The dangers of retribution theology, searching together 23. Job is an easy candidate for the old testaments most. Metaphorical landscapes and the theology of the book of job. Aug 03, 2016 the prose sections of job require tremendous skill and patience to evaluate their contribution. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of job speaks a message of great hope to the world. The book of job presents a lofty view of god as one. Job, theology of dictionary definition, verses and bible references on the topic. If you have cancer, its because of gods punishment for your misdeeds. Feb 29, 2012 in the book of job, there are numerous themes that we can learn from it.

The prose section of the book of job receives a variety of approaches, but the most consistent approach is to treat it as a separate folktale which existed independently than the present canonical form. Holbert, preaching job, preaching classic texts st. One need not search long in the texts of proverbs or job to find what is called retribution theology, the idea that good deeds are always rewarded and bad deeds are always punished. God kills being born in sin god doing right judges suffering, of the innocent doing right justification, necessity of. The picture of the retribution principle by job s suffering is a complex view of the salvation of god. Jul 31, 2018 through job s experiences and heartfelt outpouring of his soul before both gods wrathful face and gods gracious face we can know god more fully. Yet job defends his righteousness, and at the same time holds true to his god. Churnai shows how these faces of god are reconciled in the two divine speeches of yhwh, which invite both job and the reader to move beyond retribution theology to trust in the graciousness of god. God without exception punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. Bakers evangelical dictionary of biblical theology. The picture of the retribution principle by jobs suffering is a complex view of the salvation of god. Job and all his friends have a narrow understanding and naive application of retribution theology. This simplistic interpretation of our relationship with god is not based in the truth of the bible. And it came about in king rehoboams fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the lord, that shishak king of egypt came up against jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen.

The incarnation of job and retribution reconceived meta. And the people who came with him from egypt were without number. Job proves faithful to god in prosperity and in adversity. Whole chapters of the book are devoted to speeches by job s counselors. Generally, jobs words only resemble the proverbs when he is telling his friends to be quiet, or when he parallels something theyve said in order to negate it. The book of job is essentially about gods relationship with. Through jobs experiences and heartfelt outpouring of his soul before both gods wrathful face and gods gracious face we can know god more fully. In fact, some scholars believe that job requires and understanding of the book as a whole more than any other book of the old testament. Theology of retribution and the cross park street church. The rest of the book is an explanation of the common understanding of retribution theology which job s friends and even job seem to endorse.

The theology behind the suffering of job essay 45 words. Jobs other friends, bildad and zophar, conclude the same in job 8. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. May 02, 2008 in the book of job, gods view and use of the retribution principle has other purposes than punishment. Although job is one of the longer books in the bible, in most churches today it is rarely taught or preached in a comprehensive way. Mar 02, 2017 then for thirty chapters, jobs three friends argue, in their folk theology, that jobs suffering is gods retribution for his sin. They would show prooftexts from the book of proverbs, or deuteronomy 27, 28 which connects obedience to gods law with rewards and disobedience with curses and tell us that is precisely how god functions. Job, based on his experience of innocence, ardently disavows this seemingly sound and well established doctrine of temporal retribution. As job s friends continue to talk in circles, endlessly repeating their tired arguments in favor of temporal retribution, job slowly shifts from a selfcentered defense of his innocence to something greater. In the beginning of the book, jobs blessings are apparent. The rest of the book is an explanation of the common understanding of retribution theology which jobs friends and even job seem to endorse. Job is an obvious place to turn to when one is overwhelmed with pain, but it is easy for a casual reader to leave the book more mystified than encouraged. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author.

Retribution principle in the book of job bible grounds. God, for only in encounter with him will the tension of suffering be resolved clines, job 120, xxxix. Some people see retribution theology taught in the book of proverbs. In counterpoint to the proverbial wisdom of proverbs is the speculative wisdom of job and ecclesiastes. Retribution is usually, although not exclusively, considered in terms of punishment for wrongdoing.

Zuck, a biblical theology of the old testament, pp. Oct 03, 2011 even if gutierrez is wrong about job initially sharing the retribution theology of his friends, this book is a spiritual classic. Westminster, 1985 3031 sees movement in eliphaz speeches. By ted grimsrud in calling this book, i make a play on the word healing. The lord is avenging and wrathful the lord takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies. It is used to bring glory to himself by using the example of jobs suffering as a picture of our need of a redeemer, jesus. God and are totally dependent on his grace for deliverance. The logic of retribution theology starts on a strong note. In the book of job, gods view and use of the retribution principle has other purposes than punishment. The crucial difference between the book of job and the others, though, is that job is not based on human perspectives of suffering though we get plenty of that in the book. Jun 16, 2016 job learns to fear the lord as a proper response to the lords sublime greatness and supreme value, rather than as a tactic to appease the almighty and avoid retribution. The theology behind the suffering of job 37 words 123. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign god who sees, who is good, and who is faithful.

Job, theology of bakers evangelical dictionary of biblical. They witness satans scheming plans and his challenge to god, while job must merely trust without knowing the reasons for his suffering. For example, even people who have scant comprehension of the content of the bible are aware of job s words that the lord gave and the lord has taken. Jan 02, 2020 however, a deeper look reveals a more redemptive dynamic in this trial. Job seems to be suffering out of all proportion to his sin and in spite of his outstanding godliness while many ungodly men prosper. My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my. But note well, at this point another factor is introduced into the traditional notions of retribution so evident and frequent in the book of proverbs. But he also challenged job for insisting that gods justice was flawed and that his suffering was undeserved p. After the lord had spoken these words to job, the lord said to eliphaz the temanite. Elihu challenged jobs three antagonists by opposing this view of suffering. Job is a dramatic poem discussing the question of the role of suffering in the life of a righteous man. But job silences these three by showing that is no correlation in this world between righteousness and prosperity or between wickedness and suffering. However, one highlighting theology that is popular in job is the theology of retribution. Age of accountability god, as judge predestination god.

The doctrine of divine retribution job 1417 the scroll. There is this sense in which humans are forever believing that if someone is suffering, they must have sinned. This is the message of the book of job that we must communicate effectively in the twentyfirst century. To summarize, job fully comprehends the retribution theology of his friends, both with respect to the retribution principle and the presumed link. Class 4 theology of retribution and the cross park street church. Westermann, the structure of the book of job philadelphia. Job and all his friends have a narrow understanding and naive application of retribution theology and god eliminated their understanding and application of it. At a cursory glance, this retribution theology may appear consistent with principles undergirding the fall genesis 3. Surely, one of the major purposes of the book of job is to deny the mechanical theology of retribution so ably presented by the friends, and so cruelly and falsely forced upon jobs situation. The structure and purpose of the book of job 143 this involves in a negative fashion the refutation of re tribution theology a dogmatic employment of the concept of divine retribution so that there was an automatic connection between deed and state of being and its corollary that mans.