ChristadelphianBooksOnline
David Baird
The Education of Job

Job's Monologues

Introduction

The friends may well have finished but Job still has plenty to say. In what is the longest section attributed to any speaker thus far, Job derisively dismisses the words of Bildad and then utters two verbose monologues.

While there is some dispute as to how Job's final flurry should be subdivided, the text essentially indicates the way with two strategically placed breaks (27:1, 29:1). These breaks also neatly fit the flow of thought. Therefore, I believe that the larger divisions should be:

Chapter 26	Job's Reply to Bildad;
Chapters 27,28	Job's First Monologue - Man is clever, but wisdom is with God;
Chapters 29,30,31	Job's Second Monologue - Job reviews his case and makes his final appeal.

The monologues are characterised by the layer upon layer of detail that Job regularly places on what are predominantly simple themes. He borders on being long-winded and overly repetitive. The first monologue is, in places, difficult to understand and commentators are compelled to make educated guesses in order to extract sense from the content. The second monologue is straightforward and revealing. In it the anguish and humiliation of Job is expressed. It provides an unprecedented and intimate insight into Job's feelings. With the debate over and Job victorious, Job now more readily talks about himself.

Overall, three clear messages are iterated in these chapters:

1.	Wisdom is with God;
2.	Job is convinced that he is innocent of any evil-doing; and
3.	Job will not yield to his friends' opinions.

What is implicit is that, while wisdom is with God, Job does not understand its operation especially as it has been applied to his life. His situation may well contradict the philosophy of his friends but it was certainly something he did not appreciate. His sad and graphic account of his distress was not, in any way, a smug recall of a personal experience that refuted his friends. It was a personal tragedy beyond comprehension.