Restored vision

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost; 24 October 2021; Proper 25B (RCL); Job 42:1-6; Psalm 34:1-8, 29-22; Hebrews 7:23-28.

In my mind, the prose ending of the Book of Job almost undoes the terrible beauty of the poetic chapters. Apparently, the poet(s) inserted the poem into the middle of an existing prose tale, which follows a familiar pattern — the righteous one suffers and is vindicated at the end. The poem completely subverts the expectation of the prose tale. God appears, and the righteous one is left speechless before the majesty of God. And then, Job’s fortunes are restored. I hope the poet(s) intended irony by returning to the prose tale.

Continue reading “Restored vision”