instruction in philanthropy, convicting me to be my brother's keeper, filling me with joy from its wise directions, convincing me to fulfill my quest to be blameless, a good person, never intending evil for anyone, but the sun was never crafted to be my idol, the stars never being depicted as earthly creatures to hold my attention, the moon never being used except to measure my months.
Joseph: Did you seek only philosophy to better your ways, trusting human wisdom supplants all others, minimally recognizing revelations coming from God, hardly trusting Him to measure your way, needing something more tangible to fix your broken thoughts, believing your ideas can cover the sins you were born into, sorting out insignificant ones from the important?
Job: My wisdom advised me to hide my faults, protecting them from other's awareness, believing their concealment would sustain my blamelessness, the uprightness I cling to, hiding my failings under self-avowed virtues, never confessing anything, making me like others, living like them as we all do. So has philosophy prepared me.
Joseph: Your philosophy fails when it creates your wisdom, never developing needed virtues, but you never fail when your ways develop from the fear of God. Is your pride great enough to never need any fear of Him? Have your priestly friends any fear of God? They seem to glory in your afflictions, convincing you of sins they never admitted, never entertained as tempting, thanking God they never succumbed to willfulness, glorying in their dubious righteousness, boasting with convictions to never blemish their blamelessness. What should you do? First of all confess, spontaneously admitting your sins in order to be justified. God is waiting for you to change, making you right with Him, to justify your entry into His kingdom.
Job: God has an account of all my doings, knowing I have not been a reaper, stealing fruits of the land without payment, bringing on death for its owners, causing the earth to stand up and shutter, moaning because I had made an unjust use of its bounty. I still wait for the opportunity to plead my case, to adjust His ledger and justify my doings.
Bystander: Here comes another bringing a bushel of advice.
Dumdum: Being one young in years, speaking to ones older, being somewhat timid and afraid, reluctant to voice my opinion, advising aged ones filled with many days to grow their wisdom, but learning little to direct their ways, I startle their attention, reminding them it is a person's spirit, breathed in by the Almighty, acting to make one understand, defying one's trust in age to grow wisdom, believing the aged possess greater understanding of what is right. Listen to my words declaring a useful opinion.
Reckoner: You can add little to help Job's suffering. We have tried to awaken him, revealing his barely sinful deeds, telling him all are destined to sin, sin, sin.
Dumdum: Patiently waiting, hearing all your words, considering your personal wise sayings, searching for profound thoughts, proclaiming them as truths, I give you my attention and found none confuted Job, none answering his pleas. Beware trust in your wisdom, knowing it can never come to equal God's, who may vanquish your pride. Job has not yet spoken against my words, waiting for them to be heard, and I will not respond to him with your speeches, even though he justified himself rather than God. Your declare Job guilty, but offer nothing for him to be redeemed, and now I can give him different suggestions to release him from his demands of God.
Reckoner: My integrity ages like fine wine, enhancing my virtues beyond your reach, wondering if you will ever outgrow your name. You could have sided with us, concealing your foolishness earlier, without interjecting your ignorance into our wisdom. You can't use youthfulness as your excuse. You will some day learn: never be sympathetic with ones whose situation leads them to conclude God looks for reasons to deal harshly with them, dealing an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, judging everyone by an unrecognizable justice, never authorizing ours to surpass His. Is your self-styled goodness better than His, the way of people's faith today, confronting no one's beliefs, tolerating everyone's as their privilege to be respected.
Dumdum: Trusting I cannot match your pride, I would have never convinced anyone with my words until now when you compel me to speak, after hearing everything your aged wisdom has to say.
Bystander: (aside) Why did Dumdum remain silent until human wisdom's ending? Did he wait to collect most mature thoughts for judging their criticisms or did he wish to learn people's limited wisdom, understandings to which he could offer more, to proudly promote his own insights or to discover other's lacking to know God's truths, to expose haughtiness of know-it-all advisers, or to speak with the humility of one belonging to God, an essential virtue of righteousness, waiting humbly to follow His ways? The partakers in this discussion will never know, leaving it for God to understand.
Reckoner: Convince me of your precious truths.
Dumdum: The wise, enriched with learning, exposed to information by living many years, are unsettled, answering few of my thoughts, telling me they will acknowledge my interjections after I partake of solid food, to which I respond the nourishment appropriate for my discernment is the milk of kindness, fearing what other food might do, making me proud of my wisdom. They remain silent as I press Job with my suggestions, interjecting different opinions, constrained by my spirit, breaking no limits it has established, speaking nothing to flatter my ego, voicing nothing to make me seem arrogant, yet I will be accused by others who never wish to acknowledge another person's message, seeming to disagree with theirs, entangling us in a battle of truths. Witness my joy, comparing it with any others can claim, rejoicing for those who deal justly with others, trusting what they do is right.
Reckoner: I have opened my wisdom and given Job all my truths, as I watch you struggle to attract hearers for your words.
Dumdum: I must speak, urgently, relieving me from hearing your voice, constantly whining as you express your convictions, while I promise partiality for no person, never choosing words biased in their favor, flattering no one to accept my beliefs, knowing if I speak to gratify another's worldly truths, my Creator would end my usefulness, disabling my gift to challenge false teaching. Patiently waiting encourages me, confirming assortment of needs takes time, determining which deserve a response, maybe more time than others want to wait, as I voice truths dear to the Almighty, never betraying His righteousness, honoring Him instead of seizing admiration for my own truths.
Reckoner: Your arrogance reveals you are one of us, but still speaking with ideals burdening youthful innocence, having yet to reach the realities of maturity.
Dumdum: I expect you to question all my words, but they are not for you, reserving the declarations of my heart for Job, beseeching him to listen, to hearing truths by which God made us both, His breath creating human life, instilling His spirit into a beast formed from a piece of clay, realizing I was never chosen to terrify Job with words, never speaking to pressure him with my convictions, to lean heavily on him, wanting him to accept my words.
Reckoner: Coming to speak last, breaking away from fears of conflicting with wiser helpers, thinking you can convince Job of your truths, believing you can dishonor my thoughts and refute my judgment, you coax him to trust your juvenile wisdom, concealed from truth by your immature virtues, painted with exuberant arrogance, inviting others to adopt your beliefs.
Dumdum: Speaking with neglected understanding, you vie with Job, challenging him to accept your truths, but I prepare him for speaking with God, setting his words in order, preparing his attitude before approaching God's bench, claiming, I am clean, without transgression, being pure with no iniquity, but Your silence finds occasions against me, counting me as your enemy, afflicting my every breath with criticism.
Reckoner: Mighty ones, inflicting themselves with self-esteem, thinking they can prepare ones for an audience with God, are mired in arrogance, inflating their understanding above all others, forgetting words of eternal wisdom, The heart is exalted before destruction and is brought low before honor. Take heed. Remind Job he may be blameless now, but he must pay for the reckless dee
ds of his youth.
Dumdum: I will remind Job of much, especially telling him God is greater, beyond any human discernment, and we contend with Him, our almighty Creator, when we ask, Why don't You answer my requests, ignoring me, Your creation, neglecting our needs, so how we can trust You are first in justice, above all others, flowing living waters from Your fountain of eternal wisdom?
Reckoner: God rightfully ignores Job, for fabricating unjustifiable requests, denying acknowledgement of all his unworthy deeds, satisfying himself with blamelessness, attested to by others.
Dumdum: God spoke when He established all creation, but realizing we need more to know, He appears in mysterious ways, invisible to our senses, except in appearances we can comprehend, coming in visions and dreams, awakening our perceptions to heed His commands, to distrust any pride defending our ways, chastening ones reluctant to obey, censuring their ways with warnings to capture their attention, promising new covenants to restore their flesh, healing decays from squandered discipline,