Darash Chai Experiment

At this point in the book of Job we begin to encounter a lot of repetition. Everything that is being said seems to have been said already? Why is it that this ancient scroll would spend so much ink rehashing these same arguments over and over? Unless there is something of profound importance that we can learn from the nuances that are found in the midst of this repetition.

The three friends of Job have had their say. Each of them have been less than helpful in their own way. For the next three chapters Job responds to the friends and in doing so we see him turn the page on his grief. Through some subtle clues we find that Job is no longer in the stage of depression. He is moving on as the reality sets in, and as he finds a closer target for his anger than God.

When attempting to help a person who is dealing with grief and depression, it can often feel like the process is taking too long. At some point the temptation arises to take a hard line with the person that is suffering. To lay out the simple facts that you feel you can see clearly. This is is the tactic that Tsophar takes with Job in this chapter and as we will see, the dogmatic solution can cause more harm than good.

As Job continues to be challenged by his friends we see one of the more common issues that people face with depression. The continuous cycle of negative thoughts that seem unescapable. Round and round the mind goes, trodding the same old paths over and over again until the path become nothing more than a rut. Stuck in this cycle, Job repeats so many of the thoughts that have come previously. And yet, in this midst of this, Job takes a slight turn. Only a little one, but when you are in a rut, it only takes one small turn to begin to escape.

As Job’s friends continue to counsel him after the great losses that he has suffered, they continue to go back to the tried and true understanding of God that is contrary to Job’s lived experience. Bildad, like Eliphaz before, points to the current understanding of God as the only way to interpret Job’s circumstances, and in doing so he pushes just a bit further. Now, instead of it being Job’s own understanding of God, Bildad points to the tradition of their fathers.

The stages of grief are fairly well documented, and in this chapter we see the initial shift in Job from Depression to Bargaining. In the midst of this change we also catch sight of something significant. Job’s own theology prior to the events of this book were in line with what Eliphaz preached to him. A small part of what makes this all so difficult is that Job is being forced, through his circumstances, to reevaluate his own ideas of who God is.

When our friends are suffering we all want to ease their pain in some way. But all too often we don’t know what to say, and our words, often, end up not helping. In the book of Job we are presented with several archetypes of unhelpful counsel in the face of tragedy. In these chapters we encounter the first. Eliphaz. Eliphaz offers counsel that so many of us have tried to offer, but in the end, it just falls short.

Grief is a terrible fact of life. Every single person who lives any length of time will have to deal with grief. The Bible recognizes this fact and gives insight into the process of dealing with grief. Job lost everything. And this book is an exploration of how those who believe in God can go about dealing with grief. Job chapter 3 is the initial lament. A moment of utter despair. A world without hope or light.

As the book of Job opens we are introduced to a man who is on top of the world. He has everything that he could possibly desire. And into this blessed life comes a series of great tragedies. Each one on their own would be devastating, but these tragedies compound and compile until all that Job is left with is his life, and his grief. This book presents many challenges to the reader, but none are so applicable as the example of how to handle overwhelming hardship.

The book of Job is shrouded in mystery. No one knows who the author is, the dialog throughout the book is written in beautiful Hebrew poetry, and there are endless debates as to the identity of Job. The beauty of Job is not found in these academic questions, however, and is rather found in the themes that Job addresses. Topics of suffering, faith, wisdom, counsel, tragedy, trauma, and more.