Job's wisdom?

The book of Job has an envelope structure: Poetic drama (3.1 - 42.6) framed by the opening and closing scenes about Job (1.1 - 2.13 and 42.7-17). Many interpreters treat the two entirely separately. However, because in the final form they are bound together, we must ask how they are related. Three friends accuse Job of sinning and defend God while Job claims he deserves a fair trial before the almighty. Elihu though, defends God in a slightly different way in that he say's God uses suffering to strengthen people's character and he say's Job speaks without knowledge. By the time God comes on the scene the ignorance of Job is exposed when the Lord asks Job how he can demand answers from Him when he doesn't even understand the world He had created. Scholars say this poem asks the questions of divine justice: why do innocent people suffer? The view is that of an "anthology of doubts", that are expressed but not resolved. Humankind must learn to accept what appears to be temporary injustice, secure in the knowledge that there is divine justice that will ultimately prevail.

Righteousness itself should not be sought after. During Job's time wisdom in and throughout the proverbs of David and Solomon and sages in the land was the prevalent knowledge of the day. Men who followed God tried their best to be wise and full of knowledge. But God is the source of all righteousness and unless we believe in Him and have faith in Him we will not give ourselves an opportunity to know Him; thus we will not know righteousness if we do not know God. Job's problem was that he thought he was righteousness because he did many things to be righteous. If he would've known God he would've known that temporary injustices are irrelevant to one's desire to know God more. Only the presence of God can deliver us from our circumstantial injustices. He is the source of all our virtues. Without the Lord's presence how can we obtain the patience and peace of mind to understand what the Lord is allowing to happen to all of us?

- Jezzadiah Giles