The chronological reading brings so much information to light. God makes the covenant with Noah and all living things. It is meant to prove to people that God cares and relates to them, so that they can believe He is near even when He feels far. So that people can cling to a real Hope. Then Noah's descendants populate the earth, and we get to zoom in on one man's life to see how this is all playing out. Was that covenant necessary? Is it actually doing any good?
We witness Job's inner dialogue as he resolves to keep his integrity and not curse God after being stripped of everything. But Job teeters at the edge of a profound moment: whether or not he will find a reason to want his life. Whether or not he will Hope. Job's competing and swirling thoughts are raw, human, and real. Job is expressing pain, powerlessness, angst, defeat, and longing as he wrestles with what's happened to him and what it might mean. Job is lost without answers.
This is the point where Job will either head in the direction of Satan's or of God's prediction. Will he find a reason worth living for, even without the strength of everything he's just lost? Now that he's realized he does not have the power to help himself, that the ability to create success in his life is beyond him, will he remember the covenant? Has its history been taught to him by his ancestors? Does it mean anything to him?
Seeing Job's raw human condition exposed shows how necessary God's covenant was. Job remarks on how powerful God is, that it doesn't really matter if someone is blameless or wicked. Job wishes God were a man like him, so he could confront him in court and speak up without fear. He wants to know what God is like, to have more understanding of the relationship between him and God and what it means. Can the power of God's promise provide for Job in his greatest need? Can it bring meaning to Job's situation, hope to replace his misery?
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