Job 1-42

To begin with, my apologies for going off the grid for awhile. I was given a new (and bigger) job at work, and have been immersed in facilitating an orderly transition to my successor while also getting acclimated to my new role. Part of that process involved some travel to meet some of my new team, with more travel to come. While this allowed me to continue reading through the Bible, blogging became more difficult.  

Anyhow, it gave me the time to read through the challenging and thought-provoking Book of Job. Here are some of my reactions to the story of Job.

The frame of the story is a little creepy. God and Satan having a conference--a sort of team meeting of the so-called sons of God. God brags to Satan about the righteous Job, but Satan notes that it is easy to be just when one has a life with many happy blessings. There is some truth in this, no? Anyway, God invites Satan to put Job to the test. I can only read this aspect of the story allegorically--taken literally God's attitude seems too callous and too sterile to be that of the God of mercy. (But maybe I am guilty of the same pridefulness as Job in thinking that I know better than God?)

Job learns that in some ways he is (and we are) radically alone in this life. His wife tells him to quit protesting his innocence and advises him instead to "Curse God and die." His friends--those who have not abandoned him in his misery--are little comfort to him. Yet Job tries (at first) to recognize that life is filled with good and evil things and events, and that we need to face them all without blaming or questioning God. But as the hardships and tragedies mount, he begins to regret the day he was born: Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Job wonders why God is mindful of men, why He "tries them at every moment"; why He apparently refuses to forgive Job's sins, but instead continues to punish him. Ultimately, Job becomes an object of derision in his community--where once he had been highly esteemed. He is utterly alone.

At bottom, what Job wants is understanding. Job wants from God an explanation for why he is suffering. Is he being punished? Tested? Something else altogether? Like many of us, Job wants to know why. Often, understanding how and why things happen can make trying times easier to accept. We want to find the meaning in (or impose a meaning on) the things that happen to us--most especially the "bad" things. Thinking they are nothing more than randomness is disconcerting. Thinking they are purposefully given to us to test us can be horrifying; it seems unnecessarily cruel. Therefore, we look for some greater meaning. And when we cannot find it, as Job cannot, we despair. Like Job, we wish we were never born.

Job clings to a defense based on his past blameless conduct. He has not (and does not) sin against the Lord. The tragedies that befall him are unjust. His friends try to explain the ways of God to Job. They counsel him that no man is blameless, but all are born into sin. They assure him that the triumph of wickedness in this life is temporary--that the good will ultimately triumph and be justified. They urge him to return to God and "lay his words upon your heart." In short, they offer human explanations for the ways of God. Job cannot accept their counsel. He remains puzzled and, in some ways, defiant. He has not sinned and does not deserve the horrors laid upon him. But he will continue to fear the Lord and to try to be righteous:

Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom; and avoiding evil is understanding.

Elihu, silent until now, rebukes Job for looking at the world and his personal suffering through his own eyes rather than God's. Elihu explains that the lens through which he should view his life and suffering must be that of God's perspective, not his own. And he is in no position to question God. God may be testing him, may be preparing him, may be teaching him. It is impossible to know. However, since God is good, Job should accept what happens to him, and look for God and God's teaching in these events.

Finally, God Himself speaks to Job. He reminds Job of His  greatness and majesty. He recounts the many great things He has done--His wisdom, His goodness. He challenges Job to provide a reason why he, Job, has standing to question or criticize His ways. Job recognizes that God is right. He will attempt no more to justify himself or to question God, whose wisdom is beyond all human understanding. He "disowns" all that he has said previously. With that, God restores Job to prosperity. Job also intercedes for his friends, with whom God was angry (for failing to "speak rightly" about God); God decides not to punish them in light of Job's intercession.