Maribeth Vander Weele - The Joy of Job: An Investigator’s Perspective on the Most Righteous Man on Earth

An Investigators Perspective on the Most Righteous Man on Earth

An Extraordinary Story of Repentance and Restoration

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

BILDAD TO JOB

Job 8:21

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following publishers of the Bible for quotations in this book. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. as published online by www.biblegateway.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Also quoted is the New Living Translation, (NLT), Copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. Also used are the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, Public Domain; the Wycliffe Bible (WYC) Copyright 2001 by Terence P. Noble; Youngs Literal Translation (YLT), Public Domain, and The Revised Standard Version (RSV), which is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version, published in 1901, which was a revision of the King James Version, published in 1611. The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971, is copyrighted by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Also quoted is the Common English Bible (CEB), Copyright Common English Bible of Nashville, Tennessee, and The Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. One verse comes from 21st Century King James Version (KJ21) Copyright 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. Note that the author, in citations of Scripture and books, has capitalized references to God. Not all verses are quoted in their entirety. Ellipses are used within and after a verse to indicate missing words, but generally not before.

The Joy of Job, An Investigators Perspective on the Most Righteous Man on Earth Copyright 2018 by Maribeth Vander Weele. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without attribution to the copyright owner, including the book name. Passages of more than 750 words may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without prior written permission of the copyright owner. Inquiries may be sent to:

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For more information about this book, visit www.joyofjob.com.

ISBN: 978-1-7322408-1-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7322408-3-4

To Elizabeth Vander Weele,

My Mother and Cherished Friend

To Dr. Harold Vander Weele,

My late Father, a Man of Few Words but Many Deeds

The cover of The Joy of Job depicts the authors late father, from whom she learned the value of the throwaway line, a key to unlocking the mysteries of Job. Her fathers expression, captured at age 81, conveys living with joy in ones old age. Like Job, his journey ended well. The drawing was created by the authors sister, Susan Vander Wey of Tweed, Ontario, Canada. Her work can be viewed at www.pastelpaintings.ca

The author respectfully acknowledges that the story of Job is a pillar of multiple faiths. However, this book is written from a Christian perspective, based on Biblical Scriptures. As The Joy of Job evolved, pastors, church leaders, and friends supported its development and birth. Special thanks for the encouragement provided by the Reverends David and Maureen Freshour of Chevy Chase Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Through Gods providence, they were the first to sign on to the premise of the book. Thank you to the Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer, who welcomed me into Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, reviewed the book, and blessed it, and to Mark Lundgren, founder of Secure Church, who greatly encouraged the books publication. Welcomed support and insights came from the Rev. Dr. John Sittema, a pastor for more than 39 years in the Christian Reformed and Presbyterian churches and retired President and Chief Executive Officer of WorldServe Ministries. He is also my cherished cousin. Thank you also to the Rev. Dr. Daniel Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Wheaton College, who assisted in the translation of a difficult verse and provided alternative viewpoints. Thank you, also, to Ken Stodola, Senior Pastor of Open Door Baptist Church in Prattville, Alabama, for his suggestions and support. Thank you to Coretta McFerren for late-night inspiration, to Admiral Samuel Sax for insightful discussions, to Ted DeRose for his points and counterpoints, and to Dr. Myrna Grant, Professor Emerita, Wheaton College Graduate School, and the author of 18 books. Special thanks to Nancy Moffett, who meticulously proofread the book and each of its verses. I am grateful to the kind contribution of her and many others.

I learned the value of the throwaway line from my late father, a man of few words. At our family reunions, amidst heated debates over politics, my father would listen quietly. Then he would find an opening and, with one meaningful sentence, masterfully challenge an entire line of arguments. A hard worker supporting seven children, my Dutch-American father lived through actions, not words.

Now, years later, as a member of the corporate investigations profession, I teach the value of the throwaway line. It is a brief thought thrown over the shoulder at the conclusion of an investigative interview after notebooks and computers are packed away and everyone is about to leave. The interviewee has suppressed the thought throughout the entire conversation but, consciously or subconsciously, he can no longer hold it in. The words only hint at truth, but the hint contains the key to a matter.

The line has no context.

A throwaway line may be, And I dont know how he did all that snow plowing anyway, uttered after an investigative interview that has nothing to do with snow plowing. The investigator follows the clue and finds that the company in question fraudulently billed for plowing snow at hundreds of sites, many of which had no parking lots.

The ancient Biblical book of Job is filled with throwaway lines that leave quiet, but unmistakable, clues to the mystery of a suffering man whose story has confounded God followers for generations. The clues are part of an extraordinarily skillful undertaking by the author to teach the reader to test a persons words. For unraveling the mystery and powerful message of the book of Job requires a keen understanding of human nature and the gift of deciphering intentions. The investigative profession is skilled in this craftand detecting throwaway lines is only one of its tools.

There are others.

Investigators learn to set aside the metaview, or lens through which we initially see a person. Doing so prevents preconceptions about his or her character or reputation from coloring the fact-finding process. We also know that the longer a person talks, the more likely truth will come out. When one is in pain, initial attempts to be brave or noble give way to an outpouring of ones soul.