Job's Demand for a Hearing

Book of Job

This thread follows Job's repeated efforts to reach God, establish the truth of his conduct, and receive a response despite divine hiddenness.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Case Unanswered A Case Unanswered from "Book of Job". A Case Unanswered Appeal Job asks God to show him why they contend and protests that he cannot find a cause for the punishment.

A Case Unanswered from "Book of Job". A Case Unanswered Appeal Job asks God to show him why they contend and protests that he cannot find a cause for the punishment.

A Case Unanswered Appeal Job asks God to show him why they contend and protests that he cannot find a cause for the punishment. Legal Imagery He seeks a hearing in which his case can be understood. The absence of a response makes suffering feel like an accusation without a trial.

No Mediator Found No Mediator Found from "Book of Job". No Mediator Found Unequal Encounter Job says that no daysman stands between him and God to lay a hand on both.

No Mediator Found from "Book of Job". No Mediator Found Unequal Encounter Job says that no daysman stands between him and God to lay a hand on both.

No Mediator Found Unequal Encounter Job says that no daysman stands between him and God to lay a hand on both. Structural Problem He does not imagine a fair argument while the parties remain so unequal. His longing is for a forum where speech can cross the distance between human and divine.

The Search for God The Search for God from "Book of Job". The Search for God Hidden Presence Job searches forward, backward, and to either side but cannot perceive God.

The Search for God from "Book of Job". The Search for God Hidden Presence Job searches forward, backward, and to either side but cannot perceive God.

The Search for God Hidden Presence Job searches forward, backward, and to either side but cannot perceive God. Confidence Under Pressure He nevertheless says that God knows the path he takes. Hope in being known coexists with terror at being tested without explanation.

The Written Indictment The Written Indictment from "Book of Job". The Written Indictment Demand for Record Job wishes his adversary would write a book so he could carry the charge and answer it openly.

The Written Indictment from "Book of Job". The Written Indictment Demand for Record Job wishes his adversary would write a book so he could carry the charge and answer it openly.

The Written Indictment Demand for Record Job wishes his adversary would write a book so he could carry the charge and answer it openly. Confidence He is prepared to approach like a prince and enumerate his steps. The image turns his desire for a hearing into a public test of his integrity.

The Answer Comes as Questions

The Answer Comes as Questions Divine Cross-Examination God tells Job to gird himself and answers his demand with questions about creation. Unexpected Form Job receives a response, but not the verdict or explanation he requested. The hearing expands into an examination of what human knowledge can encompass.

During Job's early speeches

During Job's first extended appeal

During Job's later complaint

Near the end of Job's defense

Near the end of the book