Journal: Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies
Volume: JIRBS 04:1 (NA 2017)
Article: The Treasures Of Christ In The Tragedy Of Job: Preaching Christ From The Book Of Job
Author: Luke Sayers

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The Treasures Of Christ In The Tragedy Of Job:
Preaching Christ From The Book Of Job

Luke Sayers*

* Luke Sayers received the Master of Arts degree at Westminster Seminary California in May 2017. He and his wife Chloe are members of Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Vista, CA. They currently reside in St. Petersburg, Russia, teaching English courses. This paper received the 2016 Van Til Prize in Practical Theology from the faculty of Westminster Seminary California. This article is a slightly revised version of the paper.

Had God not included the book of Job in the biblical canon, it would still rank as one of the richest and most sophisticated pieces of world literature of all time. The book’s dramatic qualities place it in the ring with Shakespeare. Its philosophical rigor rivals that of Dostoevsky, and its exploration of the deepest questions of the human experience, such as innocence and guilt, exceed that of authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne. Yet for all these qualities, the book of Job takes a higher standing still as a piece of the divinely inspired canon, and as part of that canon, Job transcends being simply a great narrative to being part of the great narrative: the story of the glory of Christ in redemption. As such the splendor of this literary masterpiece reaches new heights as it tells the story of the great King and Redeemer Jesus Christ. The Christocentric nature of the book of Job, therefore, transforms the tragedy of Job into a picture of the treasures found in Christ.

In an effort to explore the Christ-centered nature of the book of Job, this article will adopt and follow the model put forth by Edmund Clowney and Dennis Johnson for interpreting the Old Testament in an apostolic and Christocentric manner. As a result the argument will follow the basic paradigm of the “Clowney Rectangle” as applied to the book of Job, beginning with an examination of Job’s typological significance, then proceeding to the symbolic, truth-telling significance of Job as fulfilled in Christ.1 In relation to typology and symbolism, both allegorical and moralistic interpretations will be challenged as incomplete and inadequate methods of finding the deepest meaning of the canonical text, since both methods treat Job as a great literary

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workmanship apart from its role in the unfolding of biblical revelation. Finally, because finding Christ in Job is not merely an academic task but rather an homiletic one, the article will explore the connection and application of Job to the New Testament Christian.

Typology In The Book Of Job

While not quite the “Once upon a time” beginning of an ancient myth...