I know it has been awhile since my last installation. I have now finished Chemo and hopefully will feel well enough to continue this on a more regular basis. For those of you who have not read the first three parts to this study, you can read them here: http://www.dailykos.com/... http://www.dailykos.com/... http://www.dailykos.com/...
Today we will deal with the problem of Job's wife. To add to this I have used a 1st century extra-biblical text called The Testament of Job. I hope you find this interesting in trying to understand the life of Job's wife.
JOB’S WIFE
In the book of Job, there is only one place we hear from Job’s wife. In chapter 2, verse 9, although Job refers to her in chapter 19 verse 17 where he says his breath offends her and chapter 31 verse 10 where he talks about what should happen to her if he had committed adultery. In chapter 2 she asks if Job will still hang onto his integrity and that he should curse God and die.
It is interesting that the satan wants Job to curse God to his face and his wife asks Job to curse God and die. Just taking the text as it stands we can believe that the satan is taking the one person that Job has left and using her as a tool to force Job to help the satan to win in his contest against God.
It seems simple enough viewed from this context. But, is it really so simple? Others have taken exactly this view and brush by her words as minor drama within the story. They demonize her as the satan’s tool and then move on to other parts of the tale.
Some have called her an ungrateful wife out for her own ends and further victimizing Job. Victor Sasson in his treatise: The Literary and Theological Function of Job’s Wife in the Book of Job (Biblica 79 (1998) pgs. 86 – 90, 3115 Bringhton 4th St., Flat F, Brooklyn N.Y., USA) takes a highly misogynistic view of Job’s wife. He sees that she has taken every advantage of Job and when the chips were down, deserted him. His treatise sounds like a condemnation of women in general and Job’s wife in particular. She is the one person sitting on the ash heap with him.
David Clines takes the opposite view and sees her as a victim of a paternalistic society. (D. Clines, “Why is There a Book of Job, and What Does It Do to You if You Read It?”, The Book of Job ed. W.A.M. Beuken) (Leuven 1994) pgs. 2-20
Both authors, I believe are missing the point. Neither one of them are taking into account what being a woman in that situation might have been. The extra biblical Book called the “Testament of Job” told a very different story than either Clines or Sasson. As Job is talking to his second set of children from his deathbed, he tells of the life that his wife had both before the trials with the satan and after the attacks. It gives a very interesting view of the type of life a woman would have in this circumstance. Written between the 1st century B.C.E and the 1st century A.D., it gives an important picture of what hardships may have befallen Job’s wife. He names her as Sitidos and she is the mother of his first 10 children. He names a woman called Dinah as the mother of his second set of 10 children. He speaks of how she came to his house to live in splendor with servants and guards around her. After all the disasters she became a servant in another rich man’s house in order to provide food for Job. When she is no longer allowed to bring him food from this rich man’s house, she is forced by the satan to barter her hair for food. It goes on to tell that finally Job shows her a vision of her children in heaven and she lies down in the stable of the rich man and dies.
Let us then try to imagine life with Job from her viewpoint. She comes to his house as a bride. She is pampered and spoiled and has every advantage. Her husband is the wealthiest and most powerful man in the land. Suddenly, Job’s wealth is gone either through fire or raiders. Their children are all dead in one fierce storm. Her husband is terribly ill. It seems that they even are living on the street as they are on an ash heap when this scene takes place.
Any one of these situations would throw most people, but to have them all happen at once more or less would be devastating. A woman of her status, would not have been prepared to deal with any of this and even women who have dealt with hardship would have a hard time adapting to all that has happened. If, as it states in the Testament of Job she has become a servant, in another man’s house in order to feed Job, she has fallen very low in status and one wonders how she made it through from one day to the next. She has lost her children, her wealth, her status in the community, she has lost all her comforts from family and the life she has known, the protection of her husband as well as his provision. She also had the day to day care of Job who was extremely ill and was not even pleasant to be near with his illness. Boils, when draining are extremely noisome. They stink. He is covered from head to foot with them.
At this point I can see her throwing up her hands in despair and saying, “Why go on? Why should we continue to suffer?” How many of us in the same circumstances would react the same way?
Some commentaries say she has a bitter spirit and is angry at God. Who wouldn’t be in her situation? And, more than most, she would have every right to that anger because it was God, taking away his protection that has allowed all of this to happen. She didn’t know this but I can understand why she would be angry if she did. On the other hand, maybe she is worn out with the grief and struggling just to survive, and has lost all hope. This woman has lost everything except her husband and her life and far from being able to help her, he is very sick.
She is probably at the most vulnerable state she has ever been in. It is at times like these, people either move closer to God or lose their faith completely. Some blame God for their problems, and some lean on God for strength.
She was vulnerable and worn down and this is the time when people become most easily manipulated if they are not on their guard. That the satan manipulated her is without question, as it is his words she speaks. Through her he tries once again to get Job to “curse God to his face.” Not only that, he then gets her to attack the one thing that God has brought before the satan as Job’s best trait, integrity. It is also the one thing that Job is left with besides his wife and his life….his integrity. Through all the trials he has maintained his integrity and the satan wants to destroy this.
Where her vulnerability weakens her and steals her faith so that she becomes the satans tool to attack Job, it seems to have had the opposite affect on Job. He responds to her by telling her not to speak as a foolish woman. He does not, though call her a foolish woman. He is gentle with her. Maybe he realizes she has reached the end of her tether. He reminds her that if you accept all the blessings from God, you must also be willing to accept trials from God. Job has maintained his integrity even under her attack.
Since we have no response from her to Job’s reprimand we do not know whether she was refocused by his words and went on caring for Job and shouldering her burdens or whether she retired in resentful silence. We do know, however, that she was a woman who suffered greatly and eventually broke under her suffering. She let down her guard and became the mouthpiece for the satan. If we learn anything from this, we learn that when under severe stress, we must still keep our guard up or we too might become a tool that the satan can use to attack other people, ministries, etc. By this I mean, if you are not careful, when you are in crisis you can lash out at others causing pain and suffering. Also, if you jump to judgement on a person who is in crisis you may miss the opportunity to help them in their suffering to bear the burden. Remember, the satan is the one who accuses as opposed to Satan (the devil, Lucifer, etc.)
Below is the text of the Testament of Job
Testament of Job
the blameless, the sacrifice, the conqueror in many contests. Book of Job, called Jobab, his life and the transcript of his Testament. Translated by M. R. James (Apocrypha anecdota 2. Texts and Studies 5/1. Cambridge: University Press, 1897)
Chapter 1
1 On the day he became sick and (he) knew that he would have to leave his bodily abode, he called his seven sons and his three daughters together and spake to them as follows:
2 "Form a circle around me, children, and hear, and I shall relate to you what the Lord did for me and all that happened to me
3 For I am Job your father
4 Know ye then my children, that you are the generation of a chosen one and take heed of your noble birth
5 For I am of the sons of Esau. My brother is Nahor, and your mother is Dinah. By her have I become your father.
6 For my first wife died with my other ten children in bitter death.
7 Hear now, children, and I will reveal unto you what happened to me.
8 I was a very rich man living in the East in the land Ausitis, (Utz) and before the Lord had named me Job, I was called Jobab.
9 The beginning of my trial was thus.
10. Near my house there was the idol of one worshipped by the people; and I saw constantly burnt-offerings brought to him as a god.
10 Then I pondered and said to myself: "Is this he who made heaven and earth, the sea and us all? How will I know the truth?"
11 And in that night as I lay asleep, a voice came and called: "Jobab! Jobab! rise up, and I will tell thee who is the one whom thou wishest to know.
12 This, however, to whom the people bring burnt-offerings and libations, is not God, but this is the power and work of the Seducer (Satan) by which he beguiles the people".
13 And when I heard this, I fell upon the earth and I prostrated myself saying:
14 "O my Lord who speakest for the salvation of my soul. I pray thee, if this is the idol of Satan, I pray thee, let me go hence and destroy it and purify this spot.
15 For there is none that can forbid me doing this, as I am the king of this land, so that those that live in it will no longer be led astray.
16 And the voice that spoke out of the flame answered to me: "Thou canst purify this spot.
17. But behold I announce to thee what the Lord ordered me to tell thee, For I am the archangel of the God".
18. And I said : "Whatever shall be told to his servant. I shall hear".
19. And the archangel, said to me : "Thus speaketh the Lord: If thou undertakest to destroy and takest away the image of Satan, he will set himself with wrath to wage war against thee, and he will display against thee all his malice.
20 He will bring upon thee many severe plagues, and take from thee all that thou hast.
21 He will take away thine children, and will inflict many evils upon thee.
22 Then thou must wrestle like an athlete and resist pain, sure of thy reward, overcome trials and afflictions.
23 But when thou endurest, I shall make thy name renowned throughout all generations of the earth until to the end of the world.
24 And I shall restore thee to all that thou hadst had, and the double part of what thou shalt lose will be given to thee in order that thou mayest know that God does not consider the person but giveth to each who deserveth the good.
25 And also to thee shall it be given, and thou shalt put on a crown of amarant.
26 And at the resurrection thou shalt awaken for eternal life. Then shalt thou know that he Lord is just, and true and mighty".
27 Whereupon, my children, I replied: "I shall from love of God endure until death all that will come upon me, and I shall not shrink back".
28 Then the angel put his seal upon me and left me.