Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

JOB, THE PERFECT MAN

A symbol of the Incarnate Self, or Soul, the "greatest of all the children of the east," that is, the rising sun (Self). The Self abandons his spiritual wealth on the higher planes and descends to incarnate in the forms on the lower planes. Then having undergone unsullied the strife and suffering of the life in matter, he puts off from him the garments of imperfection, and rises to a more glorious state than before on the higher planes at the end of the cycle.

So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." - JOB xlii. 12.

The "three friends " of the inmost Spirit are the three natures which enclose it; namely, the mental, astral, and physical natures, which at first are rudimentary sheaths (afar off), without Self-consciousness, for they "knew him not." Then afterwards as they come "by appointment together" they grow into organized vehicles of the soul bringing suffering and trouble with them. They remain in the animal and pre-human stages for a complete period (seven), irresponsible beings, quite unaffected by the Spirit within, none spake a word unto him," the natural could not perceive the spiritual.

“In the third chapter, the Self is described as beginning to operate in the human mind through the lowest thoughts of cunning, craft, revenge, anger, etc., which often have in them elements of truth, justice, love, etc. The Self is said to curse his day," in that he has to work in ignorance (darkness) and the opposites of goodness and love. He looks forward to the time when the evil conditions into which he was born in the soul shall perish. He longs for the death of the lower instincts and desires.

"These utterances of Job in his affliction are expressions of miserable Humanity, declaring the wretchedness of its own condition by nature, by reason of the Fall, and consequent curse pronounced upon the children of Adam. Philippus, Bede, and Aquinas say that Job here speaks as a prophet, and mourns over the corruption and misery of Man by nature, as David did,' Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin hath my mother conceived me' (Ps. li. JOB 5). St. Ambrose declares that this confession and lamentation of the sin and misery of fallen humanity in Job is tantamount to a desire for deliverance by the new birth which it has in Christ." - WORDSWORTH, Bible, Job, p. 7.

In the fourth chapter the mental nature (Eliphaz) begins to to assert itself and reflect upon the conditions of self and not-self. The awakening of the conscience is described as a spirit calling from within and causing fear and trembling. It is "the voice of the Lord God in the garden," proclaiming the moral law and the imperious demands of the spiritual nature. It is pointed out that the personalities are not the abiding part of the soul, for they perish betwixt their going forth into incarnation, and their coming in. (See Joв iv. 20.)

The reason why the Spirit is so full of complaints and despondency is, that the Perfect, expressing itself through the imperfect, is filled with a sense of limitation, oppression, and dissatisfaction. This spiritual tragedy is the Divine sacrifice-the crucifixion of the Spirit in matter. The higher Love-nature is in appearance born to suffering and sorrow, and subject to contumely and misunderstanding. It must be noted that "suffering and are symbols of the bondage of Spirit in matter, and of the ego's deprivation of the higher qualities in its expression. The Spirit is described as longing for return to its former state of glory and freedom; this indicates the aspiring life within the soul.

“It is needful to remember that the three lower vehicles can only express themselves in the lower mind, for the seat of consciousness is only in the mind. This accounts for the sameness in the speeches of Job's three friends." The mental, astral, and physical natures are expressions of the mind. In the first speech of Eliphaz there is indicated the awakenment of the conscience, which explains the moral tone of all the speeches. The lower mind in reproaching the Higher nature, which it does not understand, does this from its highest moral standpoint. The necessarily defective expression of the Spirit striving within is misinterpreted by the lower mind, which applies only rational tests of truth and right to the activities of the evolving Love-nature which cries plaintively from within the soul. The self-satisfied lower mind, full of intellectual pride, clings to its pet opinions and prejudices and resents the new truth that presents itself in objectionable guise. It always from its highest religious considerations rejects new ideals, and reproaches the Spirit for its defective expressions.

"The period (of the chastisement of the guilty in the fires of hell) has been fixed by tradition at twelve months, being that of the sufferings of Job, and also of Nephesh with the body "(Zohar). - A. E. WAITE, Secret Doctrine in Israel, p. 178.

A year of twelve months is a symbol of the cycle of life on the lower planes (hell), during which the souls, being imperfect (guilty), are purified (fires). This implies the bondage of the incarnate Self (Job) until perfection is attained. It is the with man's desire-nature (nephesh) or lower soul, for this exists in various states throughout the cycle and is not discarded until the end.

In the fifth and succeeding chapters, the process of the evolution of the soul is further described. The soul-bodies express their relation to the Spirit, and expound the manifold workings of karma on the lower planes for the purpose of evoking all that is higher in the mind and heart of man. The desire-nature (Bildad) and the sense-nature (Zophar) assert their part in the evolution of the higher qualities. The Spirit (Job), being unable to express its true nature in a world of imperfection and evil, seems to be full of lamentation and woe and subject to the carping criticism which deals only with appearances and knows nothing of the Divine process in which all things work together for good.

In the thirty-second chapter there is indicated the passing of the Life-wave to a higher globe and the coming into activity of the causal-body (Elihu) or buddhi-manasic nature. "I am young and ye are very old." The causal-self is wiser than the selves that preceded it, and seeks to justify the Spirit, but still fails to fully understand it and its limitation in matter.

In other chapters the Supreme (Lord) vindicates the indwelling Spirit (Job), which is declared to be in the foundation of the lower nature (earth), and he exhorts the Spirit to complete its evolution. 'Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity," -and rise above the pride of the mind. Finally the Spirit comprehends the Divine scheme and its purpose that cannot be restrained; it realises itself and its oneness with the Supreme, for now mine eye seeth thee," and the lower nature then falls away and disappears.

The "patience of Job" is the patience of the indwelling Christ who feareth God and escheweth evil," and is always waiting to redeem the imperfections of the evolving souls who are essentially himself. Satan, the Adversary, is but the son and agent of the Supreme to work his will. "Satan" is the limitation and illusion inseparable from manifestation; it envelops the Self in the process of involution, and has to be resisted and overcome in the subsequent process of evolution.

“Christ, the Divine Job, conquers Satan by His own strength and holiness, and enables his members to conquer Satan by His power." - WORDSWORTH, Bible, Job, p. 98.

There came a period when the spiritual monads (sons of God) were ready to manifest upon the buddhic plane, and thereupon relativity and the opposites supervened. The Self (Job) then descends to the mental and astral planes, and becomes obscured to the lower consciousness. The desires are aroused, and, as it were, kill the intuitions and higher qualities from out the soul, but they cannot affect the Self within (JOB i).

Again there came a period when the spiritual monads descended to the mental plane, and in the lower nature of the soul began to experience the strife and suffering consequent to evolution in conditions of ignorance and evil (JOв ii).

"And therefore it behoved that blessed Job also, who uttered those high mysteries of His Incarnation, should by his life be a sign of Him, Whom by voice he proclaimed, and by all that he underwent should show forth what were to be His sufferings.... Accordingly the blessed Job conveys a type of the Redeemer, Who is to come together with His own Body (the Church): and his wife who bids him curse, marks the life of the carnal." - GREGORY THE GREAT, Morals on the Book of Job, Preface.

See Also

ARCHETYPAL MAN
BEHEMOTH
BIRDS (two)
BRIAREUS
CASTES
CHILDREN OF THE EAST
CHILDREN OF HORUS
CONSCIENCE
EAST
ESTHER
EXILE
FOOT
GILGOOLEM
HEARING
HELL
IMMORTALITY
INCARNATION (Souls)
JOSEPH
LEVIATHAN
PERSONALITY
POTSHERD
POVERTY
PRAGÂPATI (Relaxed)
RAHU
REDEEMER
RENOVATION
SATAN
SERVANT OF GOD
SEVEN, NUMBER
SHEEP
SHORTLIVED
SINGERS
SI-OSIRI
SKIN....
SLEEP (waking)
SONG
SONS OF GOD
SORES
SORROW
SUFFERING
SUNRISING
VESTURES
VOICE OF GOD