Job isn’t a book I have explored in much depth. I have read and reviewed an number of books dealing with Job in summary fashion (such as OT Wisdom Literature, Finding Favour in the Sight of God, The Fear of the Lord is Wisdom, and Biblical Theology), and I was pleased to get ahold of Barry Webb‘s new commentary on the deep book of Job.
Barry Webb is senior research fellow emeritus in Old Testament at Moore Theological College and has authored commentaries on Judges, Isaiah, and Zechariah.
I honestly don’t usually enjoy reading the rounds of arguments throughout Job. Why must we work for wisdom? How should we understand Elihu? Did Job speak what was right about God all of the time? Job is included in the wisdom books. Proverbs appears straightforward (although it isn’t really so). But, as Webb writes, “God, in his wisdom, has also given us Job, which deals with the issue of undeserved suffering, and Ecclesiastes, which probes the question of meaning” (1). They deal with aspects of life that everyone, especially followers of Jesus, struggles with.
Job has links the protests and questioning that appear in many of the psalms and in the book of Lamentations, as well as the struggles of Jeremiah. Job foreshadows the sufferings of Christ through showing us how God defeated Satan through the suffering of a righteous man. James points to Job’s patient suffering and faithfulness through trials and encourages us to remain faithful to the Lord in our own trials. Webb writes, “Job speaks to us of a God we can trust, even in our darkest moments. It is not always an easy book to understand, but the struggle to do so is a journey worth taking and an experience not to be missed” (2).
Authorship and Date
Regarding authorship and date, Webb notes that no author is given, and dating a book with a non-Israelite setting is very difficult. After spending two pages on the limits of when we could date Job, Webb writes, “Perhaps all we can say with confidence is that Job must have been written sometime after Solomon, probably between the eighth century BC (the time of Hezekiah) and the early post-exilic period (the time of Zerubbabel). Although it has a non-Israelite setting, it is clearly Israelite in its theology, and given its affinity with the Israel’s other wisdom literature, its author was probably a wisdom teacher of the general period in question” (5).
Historical Context
Since we know neither the specific date nor author of the book of Job, Webb gives us a historical context for wisdom in general and Job’s wisdom specifically. Wisdom is skillful living, but it is ultimately a gift from God. Webb observes, “For the most part biblical wisdom remains focused on the mundane and the universals of human experience” (6). The early monarchic period led to a class of professional wise men who would confer with the king (Jer 18:18).
Genre
Webb writes that “the book of Job is much more like a drama than a piece of historical writing in the way we normally use that expression” (14). But he believes it still deals with historical persons and events. Yet, as with a novel or play, “the writer is not restricted to what can be known by historical research” (14). He comes to this conclusion because the events of Job 1–2 were not witnessed by any of the human characters in the story and could not have been known by the writer (without divine revelation). The entire middle section is made up of private conversations between Job and his friends that were most likely not recorded. However, the book is “a faithful enough representation of the kinds of things such characters may have said to each other” (14). Webb believes Job was a real person who experienced the events described in the book, but the way the story is told “with its extensive dialogue and elevated poetic style, is more akin to, say, one of Shakespeare’s historical plays than to a piece of straightforward historical writing” (14).
That said, there is a structure to Job’s repetitiveness. The circular pattern between Job and his friends going ’round and ’round “reflects the fact that the participants are going round in circles, getting nowhere. This is a structural, stylistic expression of the futility of trying to resolve the problem of undeserved suffering by mere human discussion; something more is needed” (23). Someone with true wisdom is needed to intervene.
Dating, Part 2—Relevance
We read of faithful servants of God like Josiah and Jeremiah suffering or dying unjustly. These episodes do not fit with the blessing/curse theology of Deuteronomy or the dichotomy of the book of Proverbs. We would expect books like Job and Ecclesiastes to have been written during this time. Webb observes, “What Job in particular does is to separate out the issue of undeserved suffering from the history of the nation entirely and examine it in its own right, in the personal experience of one outstandingly upright individual” (16)
Job did not deserve his suffering, and his suffering was intense and real. But the book of Job explores a more central theme. The wisdom books explain that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:1; 9:10–12). Is this doctrine something that can be held to only in good times, or does fearing the Lord in the worst adversity still lead us to wisdom?
Biblical Theological Themes look at wisdom in the Bible as a whole before it looks at the special contribution of the book of Job: its view of wisdom, God, creation, repentance, divine justice, revelation, and redemption.
The purpose of Job is, among other things, to comfort those who find themselves in suffering. Sometimes there is no explanation for our suffering. But when we read Job, we se that there is a such thing as undeserved suffering, and “its existence does not mean that belief in God’s justice and compassion must be abandoned. It certainly doesn’t justify cursing God rather than trusting him” (77).
Passage Structure
As is the layout for this series, each section contains:
- the biblical text;
- its relation to the surrounding context;
- its structure (outline);
- exegesis of the text, looking at particular words and the flow of thought;
- and a final bridge to wider OT or NT texts.
So for example, in Job 32:1–33:33, Elihu begins his four speeches. He has been silent up to this point, but he seems to have been provoke by Job’s previous speech in chapters 29–31. Chapters 32 and 33 each contain three parts. Chapter 32 is an introduction material where we and the friends learn why Elihu wants to speak up now, whereas in chapter 33 Elihu turns then to speak to Job, telling him why he felt the need to speak to Job and how Job should not be accusing God.
Elihu has been an enigma for many, including myself. This guy suddenly makes an appearance, seems to puff out a lot of hot air, and then isn’t even mentioed by God later on. Did he say what was true, or was it all false? After Elihu’s final speech in chapter 37, Webb gives some final thoughts on Elihu’s four speeches, as they make at least six positive contributions to the book.
- They show some of the weaknesses in the arguments of Job’s “friends,” which prepares us for God’s coming rebuke of them in 42:7-8.
- Because Elihu focuses on Job’s present ongoing suffering, his speeches point us in the direction of the issue of divine governance.
- By invoking the doctrine of creation, the focus is moved away from Job and onto God as creator and ruler.
- Job’s final speech in chapters 29–31 could have easily been followed by God’s chapters in chapters 38–41. Elihu’s speeches fit awkwardly inbetween them. However, by doing that we see that God is not at anyone’s “beck and call, including Job’s” (410). Elihu’s repeated rhetorical questions prepare Job for the way God will address him.
- We can get clued in on how a theology of God’s sovereign power gives us a rich theology on how to deal with the baffling issues of human suffering, leading to greater pastoral care.
- Elihu’s final speech refers to wisdom and the fear of God, which ties them to the wisdom poem of chapter 28, contributing to the wisdom theme of the book as a whole.
Recommended?
Webb offers an excellent reading of the book of Job within a biblical and evangelical lens, and he is clued in on how the book points us to godly wisdom through what is said and how it is said. He points us to the broader wisdom themes of both the OT and the NT, and ultimately to Jesus who embodied wisdom in its fullness. He is consistent and clear in his exegesis. This ought to be one of your main commentaries when you work through Job.
Pair with Belcher (FotB and NSBT), Longman (NICOT), Ash (PtW), and Walton (NIVAC).
Other Series Reviews
- Joshua — David Firth
- Psalms (vols. 1&2) — James Hamilton
- Romans — David Peterson
- Galatians — Matthew Harmon
- 1–2 Timothy and Titus — Andreas Köstenberger
- Hebrews — Tom Schreiner
Lagniappe
- Series: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary
- Author: Barry G. Webb
- Paperback: 520 pages
- Publisher: Lexham Academic (April 26, 2023)
Buy it on Amazon or from Lexham Press
Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Lexham Press. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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