How to Read Job

by John H. Walton; Tremper Longman III

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2015

Overview

We often turn to the book of Job when we encounter suffering. We look for an explanation for the questions “Why me?” or “Why her?” But what if it turns out that although Job does suffer, the book is not really about his suffering?

If ever a book needed a “How to Read” instruction manual, it is the book of Job. And when two respected Old Testament scholars team up—both of whom have written commentaries on Job—we have a matchless guide to reading and appreciating the book. From their analysis of its place in the wisdom literature of the Bible and the ancient Near East to their discussions of its literary features and relationship to history, Walton and Longman give us the best of their expertise. They explore the theology of Job, placing it within Israelite religion and Old Testament theology. And they coach us in how to read Job as Christians. When it turns out the book is not what we thought it was, our reading is richly layered and more satisfying.

Whether you are preparing for preaching, teaching, leading a Bible study, studying for a class or for personal enrichment, How to Read Job is your starting point.

Key Features

• Learn why the book of Job is about God, not Job
• Examines the justice and righteousness of God in the face of suffering
• Contrasts the difference between true integrity vs the benefits of faithfulness

Contents

Part One: Reading Job as Literature

• What Is the Book of Job About?
• What Is the Rhetorical Strategy of the Book of Job?
• Job in the Context of the Ancient Near East
• Is Job a Real Person?

Part Two: Getting to Know the Characters of the Book of Job

• What Do We Learn About God from the Book of Job?
• Who Is “Satan” in Job?
• What Is the Role of Job in the Book of Job?
• How to Assess Job’s Human Advisers
• Who Is Job’s Advocate?
• Behemoth and Leviathan, the Most Powerful Creatures Imaginable

Part Three: The Theological Message of the Book of Job

• The Retribution Principle and Theodicy in Job
• The Retribution Principle in Wisdom Literature
• Does Job Believe in the Afterlife?
• Learning About the Cosmos from the Book of Job
• The Theology of Suffering in the Book of Job
• Job’s View of God

Part Four: Reading Job as a Christian

• Job and Jesus
• The Message of the Book of Job for Today
• Does the Book of Job Provide Comfort?
• Applying the Book of Job

Top Highlights

“The book of Job is going to make the case that God’s justice is not the foundation of how the world operates. We cannot explain all circumstances by investigating them as the result of righteous or wicked behavior. The book of Job turns our attention away from the idea that the world runs by God’s justice and offers the alternative that, instead of trying to understand everything that happens as a reflection of God’s justice, we should learn to trust his wisdom.” (Pages 19–20)

“We would identify the purpose of the book as how to think well about God when disaster strikes. When life is going wrong we would like to know how God governs the world.” (Page 19)

“In fact it is not uncommon to hear that the answer in the book of Job is, ‘I am God, and you are not.’ This generally has an implied complement: ‘So just shut up,’ or ‘Mind your own business,’ or ‘I can do what I want,’ or ‘You are worthless.’ A preferable understanding would be, ‘I am God, who is supremely wise and powerful, so I want you to trust me even when you don’t understand.’” (Page 20)

“Elihu may be closer than any of the other human characters in the book, and God’s position overlaps more with Elihu’s position than with any of the others, but Elihu’s position still suffers from a major flaw: he continues to believe that justice is the foundation of how the world works. That is a belief that God discards as simplistic. The world’s operation is based not on justice but on wisdom.” (Page 24)

“His character does not provide a guide for how we ought to think or act. Much of what Job thinks and says is at least partially wrong. How Job responds is ultimately important so that we can consider how God runs the world and whether there can be such a thing as disinterested righteousness (serving God for nothing).” (Page 15)

Endorsements

Walton and Longman, two seasoned commentators on Job, argue that readers should redirect their efforts from seeking in its pages reasons for human suffering to instead recognizing the lesson to trust in a sovereign God within the incongruities of life. The pious may not understand their painful lot, but assurance and rest come in accepting the wisdom of the Almighty. Thoughtful and accessible, this is a welcome addition to the How To Read series.

—M. Daniel Carroll R., Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Denver Seminary

The book of Job is a weighty read at just about every level, from its language to its theology. Walton and Longman’s How to Read Job is a helpful training manual for the task. Their treatment of the discrete interpretive issues is clear and concise. Taken as a whole, their individual discussions guide the reader of Job from an understanding of the book in its ancient context to its Christian application as Scripture. Walton and Longman take unequivocal interpretive stances on various of the book’s conundrums, and they provide questions to prompt the reader to further reflection. The best feature of this short primer on the book of Job is that it draws one to read the book of Job itself rather than substituting lengthy commentary for the biblical text. Students, pastors and laity can all benefit from this delightfully accessible invitation to the book of Job.

—John A. Cook, Asbury Theological Seminary

This readable volume questions many traditional answers to Job. It also provides important perspectives on the book’s interpretation. It is an excellent starting point for the reader of this great literary masterpiece of the Bible.

—Richard S. Hess, Earl S. Kalland Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages

This book will stimulate readers willing to re-evaluate their assumptions about how to read Job.

—Peter Krol, Bible Study Magazine, July/August 2016

Product Details

• Title: How to Read Job
• Authors: John H. Walton, Tremper Longman III
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2018
• Pages: 208
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. Job › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible. O.T. Job › Hermeneutics
• ISBNs: 9780830899074, 9780830840892, 0830899073, 0830840893
• Resource ID: LLS:HOWTOREADJOB
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:35:17Z

About the Authors

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Previously he was professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for twenty years.

Some of Walton’s books include The Lost World of Adam and Eve, The Lost World of Scripture, The Lost World of Genesis One, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, The Essential Bible Companion, The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (with Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas).

Walton’s ministry experience includes church classes for all age groups, high school Bible studies, and adult Sunday school classes, as well as serving as a teacher for “The Bible in 90 Days.” John and his wife, Kim, live in Wheaton, Illinois, and have three adult children.

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He is also visiting professor of Old Testament at Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and adjunct of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He lectures regularly at Regent College in Vancouver and the Canadian Theological Seminary in Calgary.

Longman is the author or coauthor of over twenty books, including How to Read Genesis, How to Read the Psalms, How to Read Proverbs, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation, Old Testament Essentials, and coeditor of A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. He and Dan Allender have coauthored Bold Love, Cry of the Soul, Intimate Allies, The Intimate Mystery, and the Intimate Marriage Bible studies.