The Joy of Job: An Investigator’s Perspective on the Most Righteous Man on the Earth

Journalist Vander Weele (Reclaiming Our Schools) presents a novel interpretation of the story of Job in this work of trenchant analysis. For readers who have wondered why an uncaring God allowed Job, a faithful follower, to lose everything—apparently just to test his faith—Vander Weele poses the question: what if friends, servants, and family abandoned Job not because of their lack of understanding or compassion, but because Job wasn’t a good person? With meticulous analysis of the text, Vander Weele sheds light on aspects of the narrative and Job’s character that she believes have been misinterpreted for millennia. Instead of being a righteous, innocent man, Job emerges as someone who has mistreated his servants and family, cheated people in business, and puts his wealth above all else. In fact, Vander Weele suggests, Job seems not to have had much of a relationship with God before his suffering. Vander Weele’s excellent exegesis offers refreshing insight into an oft-shrugged-off Old Testament classic. (BookLife)