Reviews Of Books -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 75:1 (Spring 2013)
Article: Reviews Of Books
Author: Anonymous


Reviews Of Books

Biblical Studies

John H. Walton with Kelly Lemon Vizcaino, Job. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. Pp. 469. $29.99, paper.

As one of the latest releases in the NIV Application Commentary series, this book understandably omits extensive poetic or rhetorical analysis and instead focuses on applying the text of Job to the life situations of contemporary readers. Application matters immensely. Will one’s application emphasize Christ and the gospel, or something less? Walton’s commentary begins with the refreshing premise that the book of Job is ultimately about God, not about us and our suffering. Though many try to make the book of Job answer questions about theodicy, Walton argues that the core question of the book is not about suffering but about disinterested righteousness (p. 23). God’s policies are on trial, not Job (p. 21), so Job is not written to explain why particular people suffer, but rather “how we should think about God when we are suffering” (p. 22).

At the end of each chapter, Walton interviews a former student of his, Kelly Lemon Vizcaino, who, in the summer of 2000, sustained severe injuries in an automobile wreck, leaving one fourth of her body permanently paralyzed. Vizcaino’s contribution to the book is significant, for in addition to her physical trials she has had to endure the less than helpful advice and judgment of well-meaning Christians who use her situation as an occasion for theologizing. While no one’s story is identical to Job’s, Vizcaino’s story reminds the reader that the book of Job is not for mere intellectual abstraction. Her honest sharing of the wonderful opportunities her disability has given her, as well as her darker periods of despair, are presented so compellingly that her portion of the book may be the most helpful. Though Walton admits he lacks any relevant personal experience to be able to empathize with Job, his association with Vizcaino has definitely helped him sift through simplistic explanations of suffering offered by many Christians (pp. 440–43).
The introductory discussion of the book’s genre is nuanced. References to Job in Ezek 14:14, 20 and in Jas 5:11 could fit just as well, says Walton, with a literary figure as with an historical figure. Though he observes that even the legendary figures of ancient Near Eastern (ANE) literature may well be based on historical persons, he concludes that “the argument of the book does not depend on the historicity of the main characters” (p. 25). But is that so? If God did not actually subject a righteous man to this trial, the existential tension of...

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