Job 1-2
The Book of Job has intrigued readers and writers alike for centuries if not millenia. At its heart, the story challenges the structure of the universe, is virtue dependent a universe that operates from principals of reward and punishment. In other words, can we tell who the righteous are by the rewards they receive? While we all quickly say no, many of us still tend to live by this world view.
The book itself is set during the patriarchal time, the time of Noah, Abraham etc, but it was probably written around the sixth or fifth century. In some ways the story of Job could be an exilic text but there are no other signs to tie it to the exilic community, other than the suffering of one who believes they are righteous but has had everything ripped away from him.
We are introduced to Job in Job 1. He is a man of faith, he is blameless and upright, why because he fears the Lord and turns away from evil. This the first statement about him, next comes a description of his life. He is successful, with a large family and much livestock. Since scripture helps define his success by family and livestock and not financial wealth, we understand the setting to be patriarchal. So upright is Job that he offers burnt offerings just in case any of his children have done wrong.
We have been introduced to Job but there are other actors involved in this story, and we are now introduced to them; God and Satan. A quick note that Satan is not the devil we think of, but an actor in divine court whose job it is to investigate the actions of humans. He is in many ways a prosecutor and will bring charges against those who do not live properly. God introduces Satan and Satan responds by pointing out that he has been out in the world doing his job.
God, bragging, points out Job, who is righteous, and Satan says, "Well of course he is, you spoil him, why would he not be upright, but take everything from him and he will curse you." So God makes the bet and the rest of the chapter speaks to all the tragedy that falls upon Job and his family. Yet, even as he loses everything, Job cannot bring himself to curse God.
So the ante is raised in Job 2, as now God allows the Satan to afflict Job's health and appearance. Yet while he take on a form of mourning he still will not curse God, even after his own wife urges him to. Now Job's friends arrive and we are given their names, but for seven days, none speak because of Job's great suffering.
Psalm 80
This is a prayer of the community seeking God to act in redemption for Israel. God is referred to as shepherd, the one who cares for, protects and provides for Israel. But the community also refers to God as God of Hosts, which is the term that references the Ark of the Covenant and the Warrior God that delivered Israel from Egypt.
Other language, such as the use of Ephraim and Joseph, points to a northern origin of this psalm and could refer to the struggle of Israel with Assyria and its eventual conquest by Assyria. The reference to the vine is a traditional image used for Israel and speaks of God's replanting of the vine of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Yet within the psalm, while Israel seeks God's renewed action to redeem it, and while it acknowledges God's right to burn his or her wrath against Israel, there is no sense of confession of sins for previous deeds among the community. This could be a vital reason why God did not relent.
Backlogged Posts
2 Kings 19-20
King Hezekiah receives the report of the messengers from Sennacherib and is thrown into turmoil. He strips and mourns, seeking divine counsel from Isaiah in 2 Kings 19. Isaiah informs Hezekiah not to fear that God will throw confusion into the camp of Sennacherib who will then withdraw.
Perhaps this confusion is the advance of the Egyptians, which Sennacherib gets word of, but instead of withdrawing he sends a second message to Hezekiah. In essence this advance of Egypt will not help Judah, and he points other cities that he has sacked and destroyed, some of which resided in the northern kingdom of Israel. Hezekiah is now in severe depression and he, himself, enters into the Holy of Holies and makes petition to God.
God informs Hezekiah that Sennacherib speaks some of the truth, that other gods have fallen before Sennacherib but God points out that Sennacherib is God's instrument, used to punish the other nations for their folly. However, because of Sennacherib's hubris, God will bring him low.
An angel of God then lays waste to the army of the Assyrians and Sennacherib is forced to withdraw. There is no historical data to offer a rationale for why the Assyrians left Judah, it would seem miraculous. Then Sennacherib is struck down in the temple of his own god, perhaps a sign that God is the One and Only.
While it is believed that the stories found in 2 Kings 20 is out of chronological order, there is no doubt that they are important in telling the story of Hezekiah and Judah. Hezekiah has fallen ill during the reign of King Merodach-baladan, who predates Sennacherib. Isaiah inform Hezekiah that he will not recover. Hezekiah turns to God in prayer and God decides to heal him and offer fifteen more years of rule.
When Isaiah brings this word to Hezekiah, Hezekiah asks for proof, which will be found by the movement of the shadow in a opposite direction that it normally would travel. This occurs and Hezekiah is healed.
King Merodach-baladan sends messengers to Hezekiah, who in turn shows them everything in the royal stores. This story seems to foreshadow the future of Judah, for its riches and treasures shall be sent to Babylon but not in the peaceful way that Hezekiah believes.
2 Corinthians 8
As always Paul seeks to elicit support for the church of Jerusalem (perhaps this was his condition of being allowed to preach to the Gentiles). To the church of Corinth, he informs them of the generosity of the churches in Macedonia, perhaps the churches in Philippi, Beroa and Thessalonica. Each of these churches have suffered from persecution, yet each in their own way has found an ability to give to the saints of Jerusalem, the poor of the community. In a like mind, Paul asks the Corinthians to do the same.
But he does not seek to set the Macedonians against the Corinthians, instead he establishes rules of giving. First, one gives out of what they have, not out of what they do not have. In other words, one can only give out of what belongs to them. Second, one gives out of abundance so that all can have something. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy but that wealth can then also provide for the needs of others. The example is Jesus, one who was rich but became poor that we might be rich.
Paul then informs the community of practical processes, since they know Titus already, then Titus will come to the Corinthians that the collection might be offered to him.
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