22 MICHAEL V. FOX be the way things are, by the book’s presuppositions. For only in the absence of full knowledge of God’s intentions, and only in the awareness that some of his ways are unjust, is it possible to fear God gratuitously and to disprove the Adversary’s insinuation that this is humanly impossible (1,9). XI. The Reader The book of Job is not for Job; it is for its readers. Readers, who observe Job’s world from above, and who, unlike Job, have read the Prologue, are allowed a privileged, superior perspective and are even given insight into the mind of God. The Prologue lays down the book’s presuppositions. One of them is that God wants human fidelity, not only their obedience but also their unconditional faith in his goodness. God’s desire for human fidelity suggests a deep need, for he is willing to abandon justice in some cases to make this possible. It is not necessary that justice be absent from the world in order for faith to be unconditional; it is enough that execution of justice not be certain. The possibility of injustice can also be a com- fort to sufferers, for they can know that their pain is not proof of guilt. The lament psalmists do this 73, Jeremiah does this (15,15-18; 20,14- 18), the author of Ludlul does this, and Job does as well (13,6.16; 19,26; and above all, 31,6, in which he is convinced that God judges justly when he judges) 74. To be sure, Job’s professions of faith stand uneasily alongside his accusations of God and his expressions of de- spair. Job is inconsistent, but so is God 75. This is the meaning of human silence in the psalms, including complaint 73 psalms: not a confession of guilt, but a complaint about suffering together with confidence that God will save them. Examples are Pss 38,14; 39,3; 50,21; 62,6; 131,2. There are sharp differences between Job and the psalmists, of course, notably in the psalmists’ expression of hope and trust in God’s eventual goodness. Still, Job’s silence in 40,4-5 may connote, or at least allow for, a measure of hope, since he has been reminded of God’s care for his creatures. See also NEWSOM’s Book of Job, 183-199, fine description of the “work- 74 ing rhetorical world” into which Job invites the reader in chapters 29-31. She observes that “[a]gain and again, Job warrants his own behavior in relation to the expectations and judgments of God, who is the source and sustainer of this moral world” (196). Job’s inconsistency is matched by Jeremiah’s. Jeremiah has accurately 75 © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati