Weekly Summary
Genesis 1-11, Job 1-20
So… we started at the beginning with God, and nothing else. God brings form and beauty to the chaos, starting with light and dark, the heavens and the earth, land and sea, plants, birds, fish, animals … and humans. After creating a world that was “good”, God places humans in the garden with instructions to fill the earth and subdue it. Instead, they eat the fruit that is off limits, and go into hiding from their creator. When God confronts them with the damage they have done, they blame each other and the serpent, but ultimately reap the harvest of what they have sown: they are banned from the garden, and face lives filled with work and hardship and clothing. But they are not without hope: God promises to send one to crush the serpent’s head. Although they are out of the garden, they are not out of God’s story.
As they go along in this newly-broken world, Adam and Eve’s two sons grow up – one a farmer, one a rancher. Both are doing what God called them to do, but Abel brings his first-fruits as an offering to God, and Cain brings the leftovers. When God shows his preference for Able, Cain kills Abel. Again, a human is sent away from the presence of God, but not without any hope: God marks Cain as someone who can not be killed.
As the generations multiply, death steps into the picture: after so many years, each man dies (except Enoch), and they bring us to the familiar story of Noah, who listens to God and builds an ark in anticipation of the flood that God sends to wipe evil people off the earth. Noah, his wife, their sons and daughters-in-law, along with two of every animal (seven of those who were ceremonially clean) are sealed in the ark as the rains fall, wiping out every living thing on the face of the earth.
After the waters recede (can you imagine the devastation after the flood? Katrina x1000) God renews the mandate that he started with Adam and Eve: Noah and his family are to be fruitful and fill the earth. After Noah drinks too much in his tent and is discovered “uncovered” by one of his sons, he curses that son, whose descendants become the Canaanites. Shem’s line is traced down the generations to Terah, Abraham’s father and Lot’s grandfather.
Then we switch over to Job, which happened during the time of Abraham, so far as we can tell. Job is a righteous and rich man. This attracts the attention of Satan, who taunts God, saying that he is only righteous because he is rich. God allows Satan to test this theory, first letting him attack Job’s possessions and family, then when he remains faithful through those losses, allowing Satan to attack Job himself. Job is devastated, but does not curse God, even though his “friends” offer all kinds of bad counsel, and even encourage him to reject God himself.
So... what will happen next? Will Job reject God? Will Job's friends get a clue? Will God give Satan free reign over Job? Tune in next week...
Genesis 1-11, Job 1-20
So… we started at the beginning with God, and nothing else. God brings form and beauty to the chaos, starting with light and dark, the heavens and the earth, land and sea, plants, birds, fish, animals … and humans. After creating a world that was “good”, God places humans in the garden with instructions to fill the earth and subdue it. Instead, they eat the fruit that is off limits, and go into hiding from their creator. When God confronts them with the damage they have done, they blame each other and the serpent, but ultimately reap the harvest of what they have sown: they are banned from the garden, and face lives filled with work and hardship and clothing. But they are not without hope: God promises to send one to crush the serpent’s head. Although they are out of the garden, they are not out of God’s story.
As they go along in this newly-broken world, Adam and Eve’s two sons grow up – one a farmer, one a rancher. Both are doing what God called them to do, but Abel brings his first-fruits as an offering to God, and Cain brings the leftovers. When God shows his preference for Able, Cain kills Abel. Again, a human is sent away from the presence of God, but not without any hope: God marks Cain as someone who can not be killed.
As the generations multiply, death steps into the picture: after so many years, each man dies (except Enoch), and they bring us to the familiar story of Noah, who listens to God and builds an ark in anticipation of the flood that God sends to wipe evil people off the earth. Noah, his wife, their sons and daughters-in-law, along with two of every animal (seven of those who were ceremonially clean) are sealed in the ark as the rains fall, wiping out every living thing on the face of the earth.
After the waters recede (can you imagine the devastation after the flood? Katrina x1000) God renews the mandate that he started with Adam and Eve: Noah and his family are to be fruitful and fill the earth. After Noah drinks too much in his tent and is discovered “uncovered” by one of his sons, he curses that son, whose descendants become the Canaanites. Shem’s line is traced down the generations to Terah, Abraham’s father and Lot’s grandfather.
Then we switch over to Job, which happened during the time of Abraham, so far as we can tell. Job is a righteous and rich man. This attracts the attention of Satan, who taunts God, saying that he is only righteous because he is rich. God allows Satan to test this theory, first letting him attack Job’s possessions and family, then when he remains faithful through those losses, allowing Satan to attack Job himself. Job is devastated, but does not curse God, even though his “friends” offer all kinds of bad counsel, and even encourage him to reject God himself.
So... what will happen next? Will Job reject God? Will Job's friends get a clue? Will God give Satan free reign over Job? Tune in next week...
4 comments:
Job's friends say that the good life is the result of righteousness and that sin will bring calamity, you have calamity, therefore you have sin. God condemns their view.
In Deuteronomy Moses tells the people that righteousness will bring the good life and unrighteousness will bring calamity.
How are these two reconciled?
Tim,
What passage(s) are you thinking about specifically in Deuteronomy? I think I know what your discussing here, but I want to make sure I'm referencing the same passage as you.
Thanks
I am referencing Deuteronomy 28.
Hi Tim,
This is a great question. Deuteronomy 28.1 gives us the setting for the promise, Deut. 28:1“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth" The first thing to notice in this passage is that it refers not to an individual, but to the nation of Israel. This is a covenantal promise to the nation. The idea is that when Israel follows the covenant as a nation they will be blessed. Individuals in the nation will experience different levels of blessing and struggle (see Dt 15), but over all the nation will do well and all can celebrate in that reality. Job lives in the reality that while the community may be doing well (note that we don't know his exact community situation), he is in a time of trial. But even his trial is not without purpose in God's story and is used by God to defeat Satan. One might ask if this is the greatest blessing--to be part of God's story in ways that bring about the defeat of Satan.
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