Today we’re shifting gears and turning from the Psalms to the Book of Job for a while. In today’s reading we get the “back story”, the context that explains what is really going on. But Job — and his friends who show up shortly — are unaware of what is going on “behind the scenes” and are left to try to figure things out for themselves. Job and his friends all have basically the same worldview with an understanding that “good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people”. As we shall see, that perspective leads Job’s friends to come to the obvious conclusion that, since Job has suffered so horrendously he must be guilty of some horrible hidden sin, and they “comfort” Job with that accusation, advising him to confess and repent. Some “comfort”! Job, on the other hand, knows he is not guilty of anything so heinous and demands an opportunity to plead his case that he is being treated unfairly. Unfortunately, Job’s position ultimately amounts to accusing God of being unjust.
There are many difficulties here for us. First, whether we admit it or not, we generally tend to agree with the perspective that “good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people”, and we all struggle with observed life experiences that argue otherwise. Which of us, upon sentencing of some infamous criminal don’t say, “He’s getting what he deserves” or, when some child is afflicted with leukemia don’t ask, “Why? No child deserves that!” Some conclude that God must not exist (or, worse, that He is evil or capricious), because otherwise how could a good God allow evil and suffering to exist?
Further, although Job’s friends are dead wrong about Job, there is at least some truth in what they say — truth that is echoed elsewhere in Scripture: God does bless the righteous and God does oppose evil and will ultimately set all things right. Just take a look at Deuteronomy 28, Proverbs, and some of the Psalms we have already read. Yet the overall message of Job argues against that simplistic view — at least for this life. And that is part of what makes this book so valuable: we see the Bible wrestling with truly difficult questions, refusing to just feed us spiritual pablum.
Interestingly, Job’s friends are trying to “justify” or “defend” God against Job’s assertions of unfairness. Yet they are doing so in ignorance and ultimately do not accurately speak for God. (See Job 42:7.) God does not need their “help”. Note also that, in the end God does show up, but he does not directly answer Job’s questions. Instead, He just says something akin to “Sit down and shut up!” And we need the humility to say, with Job, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:3)
So, fair warning… Be careful how you read Job! Bear in mind who is speaking. Is it Job? Is it one of his friends? Is it the younger upstart Elihu (in Job 32-37)? Is it God Himself (in Job 38-41)? Don’t just accept the verses that “sound good” to you and reject verses that are challenging. And don’t just accept what Job says or reject what his friends say. Neither perspective is completely right or completely wrong. (The only speaker we can say is completely right is God Himself…) Ask yourself whether you agree with the speaker and why. And then ask whether you should agree with the speaker — which is clearly a different question! Ask yourself whether you sometimes try — like Job’s friends — to “help” God and whether your efforts are really in line with His Truth. Ultimately, take the time to really listen to what the Lord is saying through this book. Wrestle with its questions alongside Job. Review your own worldview and whether it might need some adjustment. In the end, we should find ourselves with a deeper understanding of God.