Comments on: Prizing God above His Gifts: Job’s Message for Today (Part 1)

By: Bob McCabe

Bob McCabe — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:48:41 +0000

Layton,
Yes, it has been a while since we have corresponded on some of the issues related to wisdom literature. Your book on Job, Beyond Suffering, is a great resource for Christians.

It is great to hear from you and thanks for your comment.

Shalom

By: Layton Talbert

Layton Talbert — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:01:00 +0000

Bob,
It’s always great to see good things being done with Job, especially from a holistic perspective. It’s been a long time since we’ve corresponded, but I always appreciated our opportunities to fellowship over our mutual love for wisdom literature.
The blessings of Job be upon you!
Layton Talbert

By: Bob McCabe

Bob McCabe — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:46:02 +0000

Dave,

I remember us laboring together in Job back in the early 1990s. Though Job most emphatically does not offer simplistic solutions to the issues of life, Job does offer the hope that can only be found in a theocentric perspective on life. Job’s message is a stark and refreshing contrast with the anthropocentric worldview that dominates our world.

By: Dave Durst

Dave Durst — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:23:37 +0000

It is great to hear your “voice” on Job again. Thanks for the start you gave me in understanding Job a few (?) years ago in seminary.

The abuse of Job points to our desire to exalt the “good” characters of the Bible to a point where they all but obscure God in our understanding of the text. Furthermore, we really want to be pragmatic in our approach. We long for “practical tips” on “how to” deal with similar situations in our own lives. These do not appear to be issues addressed in the book of Job.

By: Bob McCabe

Bob McCabe — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:47:05 +0000

Your synopsis of Job is right on, IMO.

Yes, I have read Piper’s poem on the Misery of Job and the Mercy of God. It is definitely impressive.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:32:04 +0000

Good stuff. Look forward to the rest of it. I think many people fail to note that Job had a pretty big struggle of faith in the middle. He started off well, but got progressively worse the longer the struggling continued. That’s like many believers, I think. We can endure suffering for a night, but the longer it goes, the more our faith wanes because we think God should have fixed it already.

Have you read/heard Piper’s poem on the Misery of Job and the Mercy of God? I enjoyed it. It also has a nice rendition of Be Thou My Vision in it between the stanzas of the poem.