Looking to the Past

Satellite picture of the crossing of the Red Sea

Why oh, Why? Should I believe a book over 3000 years old Dr. Denis?

Gentle reader,

If it were merely a fiction novel then I would say your better off reading something else but what if... (that is where I always start what if this were true then what if something else were true maybe not all that we believe is mythical for example:

A little boy once returned home from Hebrew school and his father asked, "what did you learn today?"

He answered, "The Rabbi told us how Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt."

"How?"

The boy said "Moses was a big strong man and he beat Pharaoh up. Then while he was down, he got all the people together and ran towards the sea. When he got there, he has the Corps of Engineers build a huge pontoon bridge. Once they got on the other side, they blew up the bridge while the Egyptians were trying to cross."

The father was shocked. "Is that what the Rabbi taught you?"

The boy replied, "No. But you'd never believe the story he DID tell us!"

You see gentle reader, many want to believe something is true (even when their senses tell them that the thing heard was true) But then common sense steps up and says "That can’t be true" and So a person goes away and doubts simply because they were too lazy (or worse not interested enough to investigate for themselves).

So with that in mind let’s take a step back and consider some possibilities as to the "FACTS" about the book of Job!

If Job was the son of Issachar (Gen 46:13) "And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.", then we have a clue that may help us to a decision of both the authorship of the Book of Job and the date of its writing. There is no reason at this point to doubt that JOB should not be the son of Issachar, and we have no better evidence is forthcoming for a different view.

The 3 friends of Job were descendants of ESAU; they would therefore be contemporaries.

ELIPHAZ of Teman in Idumea was the son of ESAU, and had a son called TEMAN, from whom his country took its name (Gen. 36:10,11) These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.

And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. It was noted for its "wise men" (Jer. 49:7) "Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? And is mentioned with EDOM (Amos 1:11,12) . Note and compare Jer 25:23 where both are connected with BUZ the brother of UZ (Gen. 22:21)

Note: UZ was where Job was "in the land"

BILDAD the Shuhite. Shuah was the 6^th son of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. 25:2) and is mentioned in connection with Esau, Edom, and Teman (Jer. 49: .

Zophar the Naamathite Naamah (now Na aneh , six miles south of Lod, in the lowlands of Judah).

Now then you see Gentle Reader, why Genealogy is important like going to a baseball game and not knowing the lineup!

If Job was the son of Issaachar (Ge. 46:13), he would have gone done to Egypt with his father.

And Issachar was forty at "the going down to Egypt". Job being the 3^rd son (Gen. 46:13), he would have been about 20 at the time [1706 B.C.]

We are told that Job lived 140 years after his " double blessing" (42:10) "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." And if (the Greek prepositional if If and it could be true) If his "double blessing’ included length of years, then his age would have been 70+140=210 (i.e. three 70's of years) Jobs lifetime would have been from 1726-1516 B.C.

According to this, he was born the year after Joseph was sold and died 119 years after the death of Joseph in (1635 B.C.) Where Joseph died Job was 91.

If Jobs "double blessing" did include length of years, then his affliction took place 21 years previously , when he was 70. His removal from Egypt to UZ would therefore have taken place earlier. Still.

When job died (1516 B.C.) Moses would have been 55, and had been in Midan 15 years (25 years) before the Exodus).

This would account for Job being a worshiper of the God of Abraham and explains how Moses could have been the author of the book and even perhaps an eye-and ear witness to the events it recorded in Midian. If so that these hypotheses are true (which I have very little doubt) then we believe the time has come that this book should be considered as "the Porch of the sanctuary" and when this "fundamental wisdom of original revelation will cease to be asscribed, as it now is by some of the best, to a latter poet of Israel.

Rest your wee heads Gentle Readers, with another joke:

As Moses and the children of Israel were crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel began to complain to Moses of how thirsty they were after walking so far. Unfortunately, they were not able to drink from the walls of water on either side of them, as they were made up of salt-water.

Then, a fish from that wall of water told Moses that he and his family heard the complaints of the people, but that they through their own gills could remove the salt from the water and force it out of their mouths like a fresh water fountain for the Israelites to drink from as they walked by.

Moses accepted this kindly fish's offer. But before the fish and his family began to help, they told Moses they had a demand. They and their descendants had to be always present at the seder meal that would be established to commemorate the Exodus, since they had a part in the story. When Moses agreed to this, he gave them their name which remains how they are known to this very day, for he said to them, "Go Filter Fish!"

 Till next time Gentle Reader, dust off your History book and read for your life!

 love, Denis