Bible structures
Every Bible book and almost every text passage has a structure based on its content. A Bible structure takes care of the content and shows the inner context of the text. It’s like a map for a Bible book. Such a Bible structure is an aid to understanding. We can easily read correlations from this. Often the connection is quite regular, which is why it is sometimes called “skeleton overview”.
Structure (Inversion)
A (1:1-5) Introduction. Historical.
– B (1:6-2:10) Satan’s Attack. Job deprived of everything.
— C (2:11-13) The Three Friends. Your arrival.
— D (3:1-31:40) Job and his friends.
—- E (32:1-37:24) The ministry of Elihu: The turning point.
— D (38:1-42:6) Job and God
— C (42:7-9) The Three Friends. Your departure.
– B (42:10-13) Satan’s defeat. Job doubly blessed.
A (42:14-17) Graduation. Historical.
The figure from the Book of Job is an “introversion”, a “reversal”, whereby the themes come back mirrored once again. Thus, the introduction (A) mirrored by the conclusion (A), and Satan’s attack (B) is mirrored in the passage of Satan’s defeat (B). The same letters or colors represent similar parts. In an introversion, in the middle is the turnaround. In the book of Job, this happens when Elihu, a fourth friend, starts talking. From then on, the story reverses.
So far we have read the first sections A, B and C. They were all part of the introduction. Now the actual book gets going. The situation is described – now comes the assessment, now come the questions, now follow the discussions. Until now, the opening credits. Now the movie starts. For no less than 28 chapters (out of 42) we read of Job’s lament and the reflections of Job and his friends. This is the largest part of the book. It is not God who speaks, but Job and his friends.
Outline
(D) Chapter 3:1-31:40
(Numbers refer after the chapters)
Job
Job’s Lament (3) – Introduction
First round
Speech Eliphaz (4, 5)
Job’s answer (6, 7)
Speech Bildad (8)
Job’s answer (9, 10)
Speech Zofar (11)
Job’s response (12-14)
Second round
Speech Elifas (15)
Job’s answer (16, 17)
Speech Bildad (18)
Job’s answer (19)
Speech Zofar (20)
Job’s answer (21)
Third round
Speech Elifas (22)
Job’s answer (23, 24)
Speech Bildad (25)
Job’s response (26-27:10)
Speech Zofar (27:11-28:28)
HIOB Job’s vindication (29-31) – summary
Source: E.W. Bullinger, “The Book of Job.”
The central statement
It’s how you look at it that matters. As the story unfolds, the perspectives change. These are the real concern of the book. By the end of the book, not only has Job’s perspective changed, but perhaps we, as readers of the story, have broadened our understanding as well.
The human perspective
Job’s friends draw conclusions from different perspectives:
- Elifas: Human experience
- Bildad: Human Tradition
- Zofar: Human merit
Three views that do not help with important questions of life even today. All three of them get no further than a self-righteousness and to a condemnation of Job without a real answer (cf. Hi 32:2-3). All of them conclude from their own experiences in the here and now to the reality of God. This view is insufficient and does not do justice to God’s actions. This is the most important lesson in the Book of Job, the central message for us as well.
If we think only from ourselves in this life, we will get no further than our own perspective. God is much greater, much more sovereign, than we can deduce from contemplating our own lives alone. But God is also much more merciful than we can see from our situation alone.
God’s perspective
The whole book of Job wants to show us what “the end of the Lord” is for Job (Jas 5:11). The goal is important because the goal lights the way. In this, the Book of Job is a model for us. What we cannot do in our own lives – that is, read our own lives from front to back to see what comes out of them – we can do with the Book of Job. And in the retrospect of history, one can see in the life of Job that all the lamentations and speeches only serve to emphasize more clearly this “end of the Lord”. We may be encouraged by this.
Superficially, Job and his friends talk about Job’s fate, about his distress, about guilt and justice and all the opinions they have about it. We should recognize ourselves in it, but not lose ourselves in it. Essentially, the Book of Job wants to prepare us with these conversations for what comes after. The backstory of these conversations is the highlighting of God’s response. However, this answer from God comes later.
It is important that we express in our lives the current need and is only too necessary that we solve this need, whenever possible, also practically. But how about a change of perspective? It enables a changed way of dealing with all challenges. That’s what the book of Job is about. Like James, we can then and thereby learn “that the Lord is full of intimate compassion and is merciful.”
Nowhere in the book is Job’s distress denied. We should not hide our own hardship either. Difficult things want to be solved and wrong things want to be corrected. In everything difficult, however, our own understanding can release vision and strength so that we can set an anchor for our soul beyond the current need. Job learned this through difficult experiences and an intense struggle.
We can only guess something of all this here. Let’s follow the rest of the story as it plays out.
