I'm sure you know that the chapter and verse divisions in the Bible were NOT divinely inspired.They were placed there as an aid to finding one's way around in Scripture.
Getting a sense of when to ignore them is sometimes important to understanding what a passage is about.
In the book of Job, Job's imitation friend, Elihu, is droning on about how Job must have done some evil thing, else God wold not have allowed his ailments to afflict him.
Trouble is, we know that his afflictions were not the result of what Job did.
As Elihu wraps up his speech, some wag decided to put a chapter marker (38) there.
Then the scripture says that God answered Job (to whom He had not been speaking - maybe because He could not get a word in edgewise while Elihu was speaking.
Anyway, He says to Job, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"
The chapter marking might lead you to believe that a new subject is being taken up.
Such is not the case.
God is talking TO Job ABOUT Elihu.
"Who IS this guy?" He is asking Job. "He keeps on talking and talking without knowing what he is talking about!"
That's just one example of how important it is to realize that the chapter divisions are arbitrary (even in the Authorized King James Version).
Do not let those numbers influence your interpretation of Scripture.
You'll get it wrong, if you do.
8 comments:
Well put, Joe! I have been shown several instances over the years where the chapter divisions actually do impose an artificial break in a developing thread. I just can't think of what they are right now. :~)
So very true. We learned about the whole chapter/verse thing in school (my BA is in Biblical Studies).
Hope all is well with you and your lovely wife!
Hi Joe,
I feel like an Elihu sometimes thinking I know all about a situation or someones motives when I do not.
You may not have meant to correct me in my thinking and application, but Some One realy does know.
John
PS. thanks for your visit and kind words at my blog.
I think in part you are right Joe to note this, but clearly Job understood that God was talking to him too and telling asking him as well why he was speaking out of turn and about things he had no clue about and you see Jobs confession in chapter 42 where Job admits as much and even in chapter 40 you see Job confessing that he was vile and then God continuing to hammer home to Job that he was trying to justify himself and accuse the almighty.
The point is, God is the only one who knows and Job and his three friends were speaking things beyond their own understanding and indeed Job did bitterly complain at times even though the trial was not his fault.
The only thing Job did that his three friends didn't do was admit it to God and in the end God verifies Jobs words as being right as apposed to his friends, yet in the discourse God indeed spoke directly to Job in the areas he spoke out of not understanding. It seems very apparent especially in light of the following chapters.
Then Job prayed for his friends that spoke out of turn and God set him free when he prayed for his friends.
Job was still a sinner even though he was a great servant of God and we know that John the Baptist was considered to be the greatest of all of the OT saints, yet the least of us is greater than them as we are hidden in the righteousness of Christ and the work is finished and Jesus himself intercedes on our behalf and not Job for anyone anymore. I would much rather have Jesus interceding... praise God, as we live in confusing times and we often speak what we know not, but thankfully if we confess it to Him, He himself intercedes and knows what we have need of more than we ourselves do and one day He will set it all straight as only He can see the hidden details as we behold only a part as we walk this earth.
Grace upon grace,
Brian
only look: As I said, God was addresing Job. But in the immediate context, Job was not doing the speaking.
In a general sense, God, indeed, was speaking about Job, about Elihu, about Bildad, about Zophar and about Eliphaz.
He was talking about you and me, too.
So often we pontificate about this, that or the other to our brothers in Christ, speaking truths about God but misapplying them or missing their point, which point is always God's grace through Christ.
The point of my post, of course, was about using care in observing chapter divisions.
Job is a poetic narritive, and really needs to be treated as such.
Sometimes chapter divisions make the reading much more stilted than it needs to be.
Job's "friends" used truths about God to beat Job over the head with religion.
We Christians, all too often, do the same thing.
According to God's words here and in the NT, we need to stop doing that.
Very true and good thoughts Joe. You also said:
>He was talking about you and me, too.<
Amen! And in the same sense we all too often seek verification from others or try to vindicate ourselves in our suffering as Job did, not realizing that in so doing we are inadvertently judging God. This is a common thing we all try to do; I know I have, but once God corners us, we realize that he is trying to get us to stop doing all of this for our own good, so the fewer words we all use, I guess so much the better. It is a tough lesson to learn. John wept in heaven because he saw that no one but the lamb was worthy to open the scroll. Perhaps this is one reason Charles Spurgeon vomited before he stepped up to the pulpit and how ironic that he is the most quoted of preachers.
What is that relatively recent contemporary Christian song that goes, "So I let my words be few, Jesus, I stand in awe of you."?
Who sings it?
It is a good song. We can only find our silence and rest from our restlessness that often stems from vindicating ourselves or our cause, and by instead resting and committing it all to our Saviour and seeing that His suffering is a so much greater camel than than our gnat which we are trying to strain out for others to see. If Jesus learned obedience through his suffering then we are not greater than he and in surrendering our rights to Him, we then find peace.
Grace upon grace,
Brian
Bro. Joe,
Thank you so much for this clarification! It is extremely helpful to me! You're a blessing to me. God Bless.
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