Re: [asa] Book of Job - A Case Study

Some do as they say that Job describes dinosaurs.

The main thing about Job is that it is a religious novel about suffering written in poetry. The first half or more is deliberately tedium with the 4 bad advisors and this leads to the fantastic climax of God on his creation written in Hebrew poetry.

It is so evocative to point us to God the creator even if we cannot understand suffering .

To take it as literal prose and a description of dinosaurs reduces it to sheer drivel.

Job is one of my favourite Old Testament books

Michael
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Jon Tandy
  To: asa@calvin.edu
  Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 1:34 PM
  Subject: [asa] Book of Job - A Case Study

  I was looking over my notes on science and creation, and found the following that I might share.

  The book of Job presents an interesting case study on the subject of whether the scriptures should necessarily be taken literally in order for them to be considered trustworthy. The later chapters in Job are presented as the Lord himself speaking to Job, and should therefore (taken at face value) be considered a firsthand revelation from God on the nature of nature. God's argument to Job is in fact, "I was there at the beginning of creation and you weren't. Why do you think you know more than I?" This is perhaps not surprisingly similar to the message that many Creation Scientists claim from the scriptures in general, and the first chapters of Genesis in particular. "God was there, so he is a better witness than fallible scientists." Let's see whether this message can be maintained consistently in the book of Job, as compared with the recognized cause and effect relationships in nature that have been established by observation and testing.

              Job 36:27-30 rain, the sea above covered

              Job 37:3-5 thunder is God's voice

              Job 37:6 God makes snow

              Job 37:10 frost is from His breath

              Job 37:18 firmament is a strong (hard) molten looking glass

              Job 38:8-11 sea is shut up, has doors

              Job 38:19-20 light has a dwelling place

              Job 38:22-23 snow and hail are stored in treasure houses

  I know that some of these scriptures have been discussed on this list in the past. I just present it as a line of argument against the assumption that Genesis 1 must be scientifically accurate in order to be true. And a question, why don't many Creation Scientists make the same argument from the book of Job? Or do they? (I realize that some of the above scriptures can also be taken a different direction, primary and secondary causality, such as "God makes snow".)

  Jon Tandy

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Thu Nov 13 17:26:28 2008