What kind of true?

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job 1:1

So begins one of the most remarkable books ever written, whether in the Bible or out of it: the story of Job. It has been suggested that those first words could be translated, “Once upon a time in the land of Uz there lived a man called Job”.

Why that suggestion? Because the book reads rather like what we might think of as a folk tale (“once upon a time”), an ancient legend put down on paper.

When did Job live? We don’t know. Where did he live? – in “the land of Uz”. But where was that? In Jeremiah 25:20 Uz is mentioned as a kingdom, and in Lamentations 4:21 it is associated with ancient Edom, but that is all we have.

In Ezekiel 14:14 and 20 Job is bracketed with Noah and Daniel in a trio of righteous men, and of course in the New Testament James refers to his “patience” (James 5:11). But again, that is all we have.

Rather like, say, Robin Hood, Job emerges not as a clear historic figure like David or Abraham or Simon Peter but as a shadowy character from the long-distant past who has become embedded in the national consciousness of the people of Israel (though there even have to be doubts over whether or not he was himself an Israelite).

You might compare him with the mysterious Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20) – though the rest of the Bible makes rather more of him.

Whatever, every serious Christian ought to read the book of Job, for it has much to teach us. It is, after all, part of the inspired word of God. But over it all a question hovers: Is it actually true? Is it fact or fiction? And does it matter?

Some Christians will be shocked at the mere question - Of course it’s true! – it’s in the Bible, isn’t it? And the Bible is the word of God, and God “does not lie” (Titus 1:2). There’s nothing more to be said.

But wait a minute. This isn’t a matter of truth against falsehood, but of the various ways in which truth can be conveyed.

The Book of Job reminds us that truth – including God’s inspired truth – comes to us in many forms. You don’t – or shouldn’t - read the psalms in the same way you read the New Testament letters; or the Gospels in the same way you read the Song of Songs; or Acts in the same way you read Proverbs. A detective novel and a recipe book are both books; but you wouldn’t read them the same way, would you?

We all know that as well as being a book, the Bible is also a collection of books, written and put together over many centuries. As well as being inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, it was also written by very different human authors and they used a variety of literary forms: well, if scripture can include history, poetry, prophecy, teaching, humour, song, narrative, metaphor, why not also folk legends?

Many people think of Job as a kind of dramatic poem (most of it is in verse) with Job as the central character – no doubt it goes back to some bedrock in fact, but it just doesn’t read like a straight narrative, like Kings or Acts.

By way of comparison, you might ask the question, Are the Narnia stories true? To which there are two answers, and they are both right. First… Of course not! They are obviously fairy tales, purely the work of someone’s imagination. Narnia doesn’t exist; no such lion as Aslan exists. Don’t be so silly.

But the second answer is also right… Yes, they certainly are true! They convey in story form the Gospel. Aslan stands for Jesus, crucified and raised again, and bringing light and hope to a world in darkness.

To put it another way: Not all truth is literal truth. This applies in all languages and cultures; and it applies also to the Bible. Are the fires of hell literal? Do unbelievers literally burn without end? Are the six days of creation in Genesis 1 literally six twenty-four hours, or do they stand for something else? Did the Promised Land to which God led his people literally “flow with milk and honey”? Of course not! It’s a figure of speech, a metaphor.

Some Bible truths are clearly presented as literal: above all, the virgin birth, earthly life, crucifixion, resurrection and eventual return of Christ. But other truths may take on a different form. Sometimes – as with Job – it may not be easy to tell where literal truth shades off into metaphor or parable, and we have to live with uncertainty (not to mention with tolerance towards others who may draw the line in a different place).

But if we put the Bible in a straitjacket, insisting that a particular passage can only mean this, and no other interpretation is possible, then we miss much of its rich variety. And, as a result, much of its truth…!

By the way, the thought occurs to me that, if “Once upon a time” might have been a suitable opening for the Book of Job, “And they all lived happily ever after” might have been a suitable ending.

And that is, of course, a fitting ending too for every person who has their trust in the Lord.

Let’s learn the lesson of Job!

Thank you, Father, for the great variety of your inspired word, the Bible. Help me to read it, not just for what I want it to say or what I think it ought to say, but for what it does say, whether I like it or not, and in whatever literary form it comes. Amen.