The Message of Job, by Daniel J. Simundson: Chapter 7
Simundson, Daniel J. The Message of Job. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1981.
God’s Speeches and the Epilog (Job 38-42)
OVERVIEW
This final chapter of Simundson’s commentary brings the book of Job to its dramatic and deeply moving climax. After the long, exhausting cycles of debate between Job and his three friends, and after Elihu’s lengthy monologues, God finally breaks the silence and speaks directly to Job out of the whirlwind. The “story” movement is from Job’s desperate demand for an audience with God, through two powerful divine speeches that do not answer his “why” questions, to Job’s humbled response, and finally to the prose epilogue in which God vindicates Job, rebukes the three friends, and restores Job’s fortunes.
The chapter is the theological and literary high point of the book. God does not explain the origin of Job’s suffering or defend Himself against Job’s accusations. Instead, God reveals His sovereign wisdom and power through a series of majestic questions about creation and the animal world. Job is overwhelmed, repents of his earlier words, and submits to God’s mystery. The epilogue then returns to the ancient prose tale, showing God’s anger with the three friends, Job’s intercession for them, and the complete restoration of Job’s prosperity and family.
Main Points of the Chapter
Simundson carefully walks through God’s two speeches, Job’s two responses, and the epilogue, drawing out both the literary beauty and the profound theological message.
God’s First Speech (Chapters 38–39)
God speaks from the whirlwind and immediately challenges Job: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me” (38:2–3). The speech is a sweeping, poetic tour of creation. God asks Job if he was present when the earth was founded, when the sea was shut up behind doors, when the morning dawned, when snow and hail are stored, when the stars move in their courses, or when rain falls on the wilderness. God then turns to the animal kingdom, describing with delight the mountain goats, the wild donkey, the wild ox, the ostrich, the horse, and the hawk/eagle. The tone is both majestic and gently sarcastic: “Do you know…? Can you do…?” Simundson notes that the speech celebrates the order, beauty, and mystery of creation while underscoring the vast gap between human understanding and divine wisdom. The point is not to humiliate Job but to invite him to trust the God who runs the universe with wisdom far beyond human comprehension.Job’s First Response (40:1–5)
Overwhelmed, Job replies: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further” (40:4–5). Simundson observes that Job is cowed into silence but not yet fully at peace. He has been humbled by God’s power, yet he still has not released his demand for answers.God’s Second Speech (40:6–41:34)
God speaks again from the whirlwind and intensifies the challenge: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? … Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” (40:8). God invites Job to try running the world himself, to humble the proud and crush the wicked, if he thinks he can do better (40:9–14). The speech then focuses on two awe-inspiring creatures: Behemoth (40:15–24) and Leviathan (41:1–34). These descriptions (with mythological overtones) emphasize their untamable power, ferocity, and independence. No human can capture or control them. Simundson explains that Behemoth and Leviathan represent the raw, uncontrollable forces of evil and chaos in the world. The point is clear: if Job cannot subdue even these earthly monsters, how can he presume to judge or correct the God who created and governs them all? God is sovereign over all powers, seen and unseen.Job’s Second Response (42:1–6)
Job’s final reply is one of repentance and awe: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:5–6). Simundson stresses that Job has not received the explanatory answers he demanded. Instead, he has received the presence of God. This encounter changes everything. Job’s questions become tolerable in the context of a restored relationship of trust.The Epilogue (42:7–17)
The book returns to prose. God is angry with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar because they did not speak rightly about Him, while Job did (42:7). They must offer sacrifices, and Job must pray for them. After Job intercedes, the Lord restores Job’s fortunes, twice as much as before, and gives him a new family and a long, blessed life. Simundson notes the irony and beauty: the man the friends came to comfort becomes the one who brings comfort to them. The restoration is real, yet it does not erase the memory of loss or provide a tidy intellectual explanation of suffering.
Analysis and Value to Biblical Theology and the Redemption Arc of Scripture
Chapter 7 is the theological climax of the book of Job and holds immense value for biblical theology. It shows that the ultimate answer to suffering is not an explanation but the self-revelation of God Himself. God does not defend the retribution principle, nor does He offer a neat “educational” reason for Job’s pain. Instead, He reveals His sovereign wisdom and power over creation, inviting Job (and the reader) to trust Him even when the “why” remains unanswered. This is a profound pastoral and theological insight: suffering is wrapped in divine mystery, but the sufferer is not abandoned.
In the redemption arc of Scripture, Job 38–42 foreshadows the gospel in striking ways. Job, the innocent sufferer who cries out for a mediator and a hearing with God, points forward to Jesus Christ, the true and greater Job, who suffers not for His own sin but bears the sins of His people. In Christ, God Himself enters our suffering, provides the wisdom Job could not attain, and becomes the righteousness we cannot produce. The book ends with restoration, but the deeper hope of the Christian reader is the resurrection and the final defeat of all evil, when every tear will be wiped away and all suffering will be explained in the light of God’s face.
Relevance to the Essential Elements of Soteriology
The chapter’s content is highly relevant to soteriology. It exposes the insufficiency of works-righteousness and human wisdom (Job’s detailed defense of his innocence and his demand for answers both fail). It underscores the necessity of divine initiative and revelation (only God can speak the final word). It illustrates the already/not-yet tension of the Christian life: we live in a world where suffering often seems unjust and unexplained, yet we are called to trust the God who will one day make all things right. Most importantly, it drives home the necessity of humble, reverent trust in God’s presence rather than autonomous understanding, the very posture that receives the grace of God in Christ. In Christ, the wisdom Elihu and the friends could not provide is given to us as a gift, and the Mediator Job longed for has come.
Specifically, What Does the Book of Job (in Simundson’s Chapter 7) Say About the Nature and Origin of Suffering?
Simundson’s treatment makes clear that God’s speeches and the epilogue do not explain the origin of Job’s suffering in the terms proposed by the friends or Elihu (retribution or instruction).
Suffering is not presented as the direct result of Job’s personal sin.
Suffering is not offered as a straightforward lesson in chastening for Job’s benefit.
The prologue (which Simundson references) had already shown a cosmic, heavenly-courtroom dimension (Satan’s role), but even that is never explained to Job.
The only “answer” the book ultimately gives is the sovereign wisdom and power of God Himself. Suffering exists within God’s mysterious, all-wise rule over creation. Human beings are not given a complete intellectual explanation; they are called to humble trust in the God who is far greater than they are. The nature of suffering, therefore, remains deeply mysterious, but the presence of God makes the suffering tolerable. This is the book’s profound pastoral message: we do not need all the answers if we know the One who does.
Simundson concludes that the restoration in the epilogue is real and hopeful, but the deepest resolution is not material prosperity, it is the restored relationship of trust that comes through God’s personal encounter with Job.