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A God’s council with Satan, Job perfect – blessed
(1:1-12)
B Job falls into Satan’s temptation Fall
(1:13-2:13)
C Three accusers – blame sin Telestial
Job asks for mediator (9:32-35)
(Chapters 3-31)
D Elihu mediates, Terrestrial
reveals knowledge of God
(Chapters 32-37)
C’ God personally teaches Job Celestial
trust his great power and grace
(Chapters 38-41)
B’ Sees God through veil (42:1-6) Ascends
A’ No Satan, Job restored – blessed
(42:7-15)
The seven periods of our spiritual creation – the endowment. Elihu is a type of Jesus Christ, revealing Job’s self-righteousness (32:1-2) His righteous actions were good, but he lacked humility. God backs up what Elihu has said (he condemns the other three friends, but not Elihu). God’s explains that his power is beyond what Job can comprehend. What Job needs to know (be endowed with) is trust and humility, that everything God does is for his good, even though it is cannot be understood (is unknowable) by Job.
I respectfully disagree with your premise about the connection between the temple and job. The temple ceremony clearly came from masonry and masonry had its origins with early union organizing efforts of the masons in the middle ages. The masons created their secret signs and handshakes in order to distinguish member from non-member. Beyond that, to connect the two is mere speculation, without any historical justification.
This essay is both beautiful and brilliant.
There are many places in scripture – the book of Revelation, Job, Enos, Third Nephi, the tree of life vision, the entire book of Ether – where this temple pattern is repeated.
The practice of “encoding” temple in scripture is explicit in the structure of the book of Leviticus.
Thank you for adding to the body of knowledge about this important pattern in scripture.
Mark,
I was curious to see if you have any material or references on the temple pattern in the other books you mentioned here. This is something new to me and I would like to learn more. Thank you for your time.
I have to disagree with your analysis of Elihu, also of Behemoth and Leviathan; also when Job actually approaches the veil.
Elihu is the one that explains the reason for the trials and how God in the end will make everything right. Notice how Elihu uses the idea of there being a limit or bound to the trials that we face, as with D&C 122, and how Job repeats what Elihu says is his sin, that he has spoken that which he didn’t understand, words without knowledge or wisdom. He also uses what King Benjamin teaches in the Book of Mormon, that we are unprofitable servants to God, and also that our doing right or wrong can do nothing to God.
It is in my opinion wrong to see Elihu’s speech as being disconnected to the appearance of God. Elihu says that God has placed His spirit on Elihu such that Elihu feels the need to speak, and that he has had a vision. Elihu uses imagery in his speech of a storm arising while he is speaking, a great storm that comes and drives off the other people on the trash heap where they are having their discussions and a whirlwind of light appears, Elihu knows that this is the whirlwind of God and is telling Job to approach and speak with God, as Elihu feels unready to do so, he has not himself been tried to the limit.
Elihu and God in something of a reverse order to each other explain to Job the workings of God in the universe.
God in 40 tells Job to “Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.” and says that if Job is able to provide justice than God will confess that Job’s own right hand can save him, but otherwise tells him to consider the Behemoth (or Ox) with its strength in its loins, force in his navel, bones like bars of iron, etc, and to also consider the Leviathan, who according to my readings is like the Ouroboros, constantly chasing its own tail, being the mightiest of God’s creation with its mate slaughtered by God as two would be too great and they would consume the earth but granted immortality as recompense, being a symbol of chaos, which God claims command over, and eternity.
I like that you have caught that Lehi’s dream is also an endowment.
The Mason’s do have as one of their auxiliaries Job’s Daughters, and their rite also details our journey back to God.
Mack will be giving a presentation on this very topic on the 5th Sunday in March of next year at the Daybreak Stake Center (approx. 2/3 mile directly South of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple). 6 PM. Everyone is invited. Please share with your friends.