The book of Job is one of the many books that ultimately led me to refer to the Bible as a fairy tale. A true fairy tale. In this case, the book of Job greatly resembles the Grimm style of fairy tale. This is not necessarily due to its dark nature. In fact, as a rule, Grimm tales really weren't all that... grim. Hans Christian Andersen was more known for the real grim and depressing stuff.
The first section of the book of Job has a particular rhythm and comedy found in many Grimm stories. There is a section where bad things keep happening, a servant or somebody runs in to call out the event inexactly the same way each time, and this repeats in a series of three. Grim stories are known for their repetition and rhythm when presenting a crisis to the main protagonist.
The comedy of Job is found in this extremely irreverent repetition. The fact that the servants all deliver the news in exactly the same way each time lessens the seriousness of it and makes it come off as a silly moment. Notwithstanding the plight of Job, which was very real, the reader may find himself chuckling at the goofy comedy stylings of his servants as they blunder in through the door, one at a time, and give him the bad news in a timely fashion.
When repetition of this nature happened in Grimm stories, it would also read as a comedy moment. Not laugh-out-loud comedy, but more something to chuckle about. The mind may question, "Why is it happening in this way when things should be so serious?" It baffles the reader and so makes him react a bit more awkwardly than society may dictate for this disastrous situation.
Bad things do often come in threes, even in real life. We even expect it as a means to not get up our hopes. Who hasn't had a good ol' marathon of tragedy at certain points in their lives? You didn't think you'd make it through without a hitch, did ya? Just be glad it isn't God messing up your life... unless it is. I mean... when he gets involved, you probably won't stand a chance.
Unfortunately, the second half of the book of Job is a boring and heavily padded mess. It turns into a debate about how one should deal with God's inconceivable and uncontrollable acts against us. It goes on and on, and you would be better off just finding an abridged version of the debate. But the very end is still very interesting. It seems to be hinting, quite subtlety, that Job might be aware that there is more to God than just an old man who enjoys hurting us humans. That there might be another somewhere up there who knows him better than even he knows himself. I wonder who that person may be!
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Interesting. One thing I've learned is that humans are so arrogant as to think they have a say. They decide for themselves what is right or wrong and call it "fair" and "unfair." It is as if good and evil are decided by their personal preferences. When God breaks THEIR rules, he's making it loud and clear that THEIR rules don't matter.
ReplyDeleteThe universe is what it is. Not what they try to make it out to be.
DeleteIt was definitely an exercise in cruelty. A man's existence was ruined for nothing. And it does not seem as if anyone cared.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, bad things do seem to come in threes. When God gets involved you certainly will pay for it three fold, there is a Trinity after all. As the story of Job demonstrates God isn't fair.
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