[July 2006 journal entry]
At best, ‘God’ looks over at the ‘scrapheap’ Job in the epilogue (42:10ff) after the crowded city gates have emptied and tosses him some coins. ‘God’ reminds me of ‘the Godfather’. The logic in the situation seems lost. ‘God’ challenges the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s credentials. ‘God’ disregards the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s credibility as a survivor. And then the surprise (42:7-9) -- ‘God’ endorses what Job has said from the ‘scrapheap’! With this unanticipated endorsement, the author calls for a verdict from each reader/hearer re the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm so thoroughly discredited by Job from the ‘scrapheap’.
At best, ‘God’ looks over at the ‘scrapheap’ Job in the epilogue (42:10ff) after the crowded city gates have emptied and tosses him some coins. ‘God’ reminds me of ‘the Godfather’. The logic in the situation seems lost. ‘God’ challenges the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s credentials. ‘God’ disregards the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s credibility as a survivor. And then the surprise (42:7-9) -- ‘God’ endorses what Job has said from the ‘scrapheap’! With this unanticipated endorsement, the author calls for a verdict from each reader/hearer re the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm so thoroughly discredited by Job from the ‘scrapheap’.