Year 2, Day 95: Job 1

Blessings and Curses of Job

Ah, the book of Job.  It starts with such a promising two chapters of action and intrigue.  Then it turns into 40-some chapters of conversation, debate, and dialogue.  It’s not the easiest book to read.  But there is a ton we can learn from this book in terms of perspective.  If we are patient with the book and approach it humbly, we can learn from this book of the Bible about how God views the world as much or more than any other book.  I guess that makes sense considering that most people believe that the story of Job predates the Hebrew enslavement in Egypt.  That means that Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible.  It makes sense that the oldest book in the Bible would contain a tremendous wealth of knowledge on the perspective of God.

A Model of the Godly Life

Job 1 opens with a comment about his life.  God had blessed him.  He was the wealthiest man in the east.  In spite of his wealth, he remained loyal and faithful to God – no easy task.

But we also hear that his sons and daughters did not.  They could not handle faith with life being handed to them on a silver platter.  They feasted and celebrated and drank and partied.  They did not honor God. 

They had the model of godly life in Job.  They even had the model of godly life and how to deal with wealth in Job.  But they gave him no heed.  Life was more important to them than God.  Period.

To his credit, Job never stopped caring about his kids.  He offered up sacrifices for them in hopes that they might turn to God.  He prayed for them.  But they did not turn from their ways.  No amount of one person’s faith can guarantee that their children will have faith.  It helps, but none of us can control the faith found in another.

The Tragedy of the Sons of God

Scene change: the throne room of God.  The “sons of God” come before Him.  I find it absolutely interesting to hear that Satan comes among the presence of God.  Let me tell you why.  The word used here for “sons” is the same word that is used earlier to describe Job’s “sons.”  Just as Job’s sons could not be counted on as being faithful to God, it appears that the Hebrew text would say that the same is true about God.  Not even “God’s sons” would all be faithful.

Theologically, we know this.  We are told by Jesus that he saw Satan fall from heaven.  (See Luke 10:17-20)  We are told in the book of Revelation that a great dragon appeared in heaven and swept a third of the stars to the earth.  (Revelation 12:1-6)  Many people interpret that passage as a reflection upon the fall of Satan from heaven.  The fall of Satan from heaven is strong in Christian tradition.  But how many of us think about it in the terms presented here in Job?  How many of us think of Satan as the tragic story of a “son of God” who refuses to follow God? 

This passage is a word of peace to those parents who have children who do not choose to follow God.  God knows how you feel.  Not even all of “His sons” have followed Him.  Some – perhaps even as many as a third! – have chosen rebellion against God.

God vs. Satan

God and Satan talk.  God asks Satan what he has been doing, and Satan is upfront and confesses that he’s been roaming about the world.  Notice that God seems to show no fear or even irritation about this fact.  It is no surprise to God that Satan has been roaming the earth looking to cause trouble. 

In fact, not only does God not show any irritation, he seems to give Satan someone to focus upon!  It is God who suggests that Satan spend some time looking at Job.  God goes so far as to give Satan authority to do his worst to Job so long as Job’s health is spared.  Don’t miss this point.  It is God who tells Satan about Job.

Theodicy on Trial

Okay, we need to stop for a second and deal with the usual complaint that is brought up against God at this point.  Is God being fair by focusing Satan upon Job?  Is God being loving or just?  Is it possible that God is going against His character?  How does it make you feel to know that when Satan comes looking for trouble God directs him to consider the righteousness of Job?

This process of analyzing how good interacts with evil and is vindicated over evil is called Theodicy … and the book of Job is often re-dubbed Theodicy on Trial.  The vast majority of words in this book are about considering this very question.

I don’t think the accusations against God are fair at all, and I’ll present my case here:

1. God knows Job.  God knows that Job doesn’t care about the stuff nearly as much as Job cares for his relationship with God.  So God is not putting anything that Job truly cares for in jeopardy.  From our human worldly and fleshly perspective God is allowing great harm to come to Job.  But from God’s perspective, God won’t allow that which is of preeminent importance to be touched.  This point should really cause us to focus on our own priorities.  Would we get mad at God for allowing something of ours to be destroyed?  Isn’t that actually more of an indication that something is a little too important to us than it is reason to call God’s character into question?
2. God knows the outcome.  God knows that Job will prove himself to be loyal to God – even if he does stumble occasionally along the way, as we all do.  God knows that Job will make it to the end and all will be set right.  Who are we to judge the way things unfold so long as God genuinely has our best interests in mind?
3. God never promises that following Him will be painless.  Look at the prophets.  Look at the Lord’s disciples.  Look at the Lord’s Son.  When we follow God, we should expect the world to hate us and we should expect Satan to want to knock us off of our pedestal.  If we are afraid of that or subject to being angry at God for what Satan and the world will do to us, then it is we who have the problem, not God.  God never once says that following Him will be easy in this world.  If we want things to be easy in this life, we need to follow the world, not God.

God knows in the end that Job will be a stronger and more faithful person.  Shall we accuse God of working against His character when the end result is that the relationship between Himself and Job is actually strengthened?

The truth is that the only reason that we can bring God’s character into perspective is because we can only see through human eyes.  We can only think through a human mind.  We cannot possibly see all that God sees.  So we are able to accuse God only because of the shortness of our own perspective.

As you can see, this book is going to be a challenge for us.  It will challenge us to put aside our human way of thinking and ask ourselves if we are genuinely willing to embrace God’s way of thinking.

Tragedy Strikes

We now turn to the last section of this chapter.  As expected, great tragedy comes upon Job’s family.  His children die.  Their houses are destroyed.  Job’s oxen are stolen.  The sheep are consumed by fire from heaven.  His servants are killed.  Utter destruction happens.  This is the ultimate worst case scenario.

What does Job do in response to all of this?  He worships.  Yes, he mourns.  He tears his robe and shaves his head.  But he worships God.  He does not turn in his sinfulness and abandon his faith.  He does not long after the ways of the world once it appears that God’s hedge of protection around him has failed.  Job is God’s servant.  He may struggle to understand why this is happening, but that does not change the fact that from Job’s perspective he belongs to God.

Nothing interferes with the worship of God from the true follower of God.  The fake followers find excuses to not worship.  The semi-loyal followers find reasons to worship the way they want and on their own terms.  The true follower of God worships according to God’s ways and puts God before themselves in all circumstances.

This should cause all of us a gut check moment.  When life gets tough, do I fall away from God?  Did Job fall away?  Have we ever encountered anything to the level that Job did? 

We know Job is a true follower.  So if I fall away when life gets tough, then perhaps it is I who have the problem, not God.  Perhaps it is me who should go under the microscope rather than God.  Life is not about me and my ways.  Life is about humbling myself before God and doing God’s ways.

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