They Save Themselves Alone: Faith and Loss in the Stories of Abraham and Job

Abstract

In the stories of Abraham and Job, Yahweh’s favor is an ambiguous blessing that comes at great cost to the favored one and those closest to him. Yahweh professes his confidence in Abraham’s and Job’s faith, but tests that faith with devastating loss of family members. The deity then rewards the men with a ‘consolation family’. The intent appears to be blessing, but, like most consolation prizes, the arrival of the new families fails to console either the main characters or the reader. They are essentially objects, empty of personal value, and serve to emphasize the original loss and the patriarchs’ solitude. Yahweh’s limitless power renders any affectionate bond with him inconceivable, but his demanding attention crowds out the possibility for the men to preserve bonds of affection with their families. Faithful Abraham and Job, deemed most blessed by God, ultimately suffer deepest isolation and loss.