In August of 2021, I joined a writing community known as The Young Writer's Workshop. During my year there, I got myself a writer mentor named David Keener. He's been a big help over the years and stuck with me even after I left the community. His blog, The Keener Way, has a ton of great posts that you should go check out. This was one of my favorites, and I needed a blog post for today, so I got his permission and stole it.
You're welcome. ^_^
A Man Named Job
This past week, I've been doing a challenge set by my church's pastor. Each day, choose a random passage of scripture, study it, and try to find an attribute of Adonai's character. In five weekdays, that is five attributes.
Its been a fascinating study so far. But it really got interesting when one morning, I decided to study Job 38.
A little poke inside me said "No, do Job 42."
I looked at Job 42 and thought, "But I don't want to do Job 42. YHWH is rebuking Job's three friends. If I study that, I'm gonna almost have to study the whole book, to really grasp why he was angry with their counsel. That's the way my mind works."
But the voice insisted. "Job 42". And I'll be honest, the study was worth it. I only did a very general overview of the whole book, but I came out of it with some enlightened thoughts.
Here is a (very) rough and abridged version of the argument between Job and his companions.
Â
Eliphaz (my god is fine gold) begins the debate. Ironically, he is well named. He seems to preach a prosperity gospel, almost as though gold is in fact his god.
"If we try to reason with you, will you grow weary? We've listened to you complain about your agony. But let's be honest, when has a righteous man ever been cut down like this? As far as I've ever seen, this level of suffering only happens to the wicked. So rejoice in your pain and suffering. God is correcting you of some great sin."
Job responds, "Seriously? You want me to rejoice? I would be happy if God would hurry up and kill me. But come, tell me what it is that you think I did wrong, because as far as I can see, I've done nothing. Test me and see if I'm a liar."
Bildad (confusing love) speaks next. Again, aptly named. He seems to present a very confusing god.
"Shut up with your complaining, you whiner! Does El Shaddai pervert his judgement? You are getting what you deserve. Just repent of what you did and God will restore you. He loves the upright, and will not cast them down. So clearly you are not upright. But he has no mercy on the wicked."
Job counters, "Sure, okay, I can't call myself a perfect man, because the pride in doing so would prove my own imperfection. But if I'm really a wicked man, what use is it to make me suffer like this? Why not just make an end of me? Better yet if I had died at birth, because I know I have not sinned. I just don't understand why God would create me for the purpose of watching me suffer."
Zophar (sparrow/chirping) comes into the scene, with implications and accusations that perhaps all of Jobs sufferings might even be too good for him.
"Job, you are full of hot air, so be quiet and listen to reason. The Lord sees all things. Stop hiding whatever it is you've done. Stop speaking lies about your righteousness. Your suffering will only get worse if you persist."
Job is appalled, to say in the least.
"I'm not an idiot! But why must I be the one to blame for my troubles? Is God not all powerful? Does he not build empires and tear them down? Does he not raise kings up and also cause them to tremble? He can do whatever he wants on a whim. But that doesn't mean its the right thing for him to do. You lot are as utterly useless as doctors, trying to cure me when there is nothing wrong with me. I know my innocence! I know I am upright! And even if the Lord slays me, I refuse to change from the way I've always lived, unless you can prove to me what I did that was evil."
Job continues with reasoning that he is not worth the effort of destroying.
"Would you seek to destroy a leaf? Would you waste time to crush the dry stubble? Why are you so eager to tear me down? A tree cut down may yet spring a new bud from the stump. But a man dies and it is the end of him, like a river dried up. Why are you so eager for this to be my end?"
Eliphaz can only shake his head. "You keep saying the same thing over, and over, Job. But do you know anything that we do not? Do you posess any wisdom that we do not? Why will you not heed wise counsel?"
Job probably rolls his eyes toward heaven. "Your comfort is not remotely comforting. Your counsel is more suffering to me than what I had without it. Do you think I would do this to you if I was in your place? Absolutely not! I would be trying to strengthen and encourage you. Yet here you are, scorning me! You are useless friends!"
Bildad is exasperated. "Why is this wisdom so hard for you to understand? The things that are happening to you are things that DON'T happen to righteous people! You are clearly wicked and getting what you deserve."
"When will you stop torturing me with your words?" Job moans. "Has God not tortured me enough without you lot adding to my grief? Will no one comfort me in my misery?"
Zophar now speaks a sudden and spontaneous thought that pops into his head. "Haven't you seen how history proves my point? The wicked prosper for a little while, then are quickly destroyed without mercy. Sounds like a fellow you would know. Doesn't it, Job?"
Job reasons, "Okay, sure. Sometimes the wicked prosper a short time and then are destroyed. But what relevance is this? A man who dies rich and happy and a man who dies starving and miserable... they both die. Why does my suffering have to mean that I'm a wicked person? Honestly, at this point, I would rather argue with God himself, because I feel like he would be more reasonable."
Bildad scorns, "Reason with God? Really? We are all as worms next to him."
Job is really getting annoyed.
What have you done to help anything whatsoever? Just be quiet! I was once powerful and respected and loved. Everyone knew my character. All I ever did was good things. You know me! You know how I've lived! Why do you now despise me without cause? I even have a covenant with my eyes. I have never even so much as lusted after a virgin in my heart! What would it profit me? Surely, if ever I have sinned, then the Lord be my judge. But I tell you I have not." (That bit right there hit me hard. Extremely relatable in a few things in my own life.)
Here's where it gets interesting. A fourth friend, Elihu, appears out of seemingly nowhere. Some say that perhaps he is the author of the book of Job, and has spent the entire time writing the conversation. Now, he enters it.
"Enough already! I know I'm the youngest man here, but I've listened to the entire conversation, I've heard enough nonsense, and I can't contain my anger any longer! Job, great men are not always wise. You other three, old men do not always have understanding. For this reason, I refuse to give undue and flattering honor to any man, because clearly none of you have matured in your wisdom! Now I will speak, and you will listen!"
Elihu's monologue is as such.
"Job, who are you to say that God is evil for doing this to you? You other three, who are you to say that Job is evil? Have you ever seen a man like Job? A man who would insist on his innocence despite the fury of blows you all have laid on him? Have you even considered the fact that Job might be right about his own righteousness? Even so... Job, you only create a sin for yourself by thinking that God is sinning for doing this to you. What debt does he owe you?
"Do you think God is damaged by one sinner becoming even more wicked? And what does it profit God if a righteous man becomes more righteous? God is not a mere man, and he can not be damaged or profited as though he were a man. So why do we assume man's actions have any influence on God's actions whatsoever? He is God and he can do whatever he wants to do, and who are we to judge whether his actions are good or evil?"
Elihu keeps talking, till eventually God speaks and draws the story to a close. But this was the bit that really drew my attention.
Job's three friends insisted that he was being punished for his sins and righteous people never suffer hardship. God got mad at them and would've punished them except that Job prayed for them.
Job was right in stating his own freedom of guilt. He knew he stood right before the Lord. His only error was assuming God owed him anything.
But how often do we fall into these traps for ourselves? Assuming suffering is punishment for our own sins, or assuming God is immoral and unjust? I know I've been at fault for assuming things before.
Sometimes, we do bring things upon ourselves through our own actions. Sometimes wise actions can still lead us through times of suffering, sometimes foolish actions take the same path. Sometimes God does do things to correct our errors, sometimes he is merely refining us and making our character stronger.
Sometimes the wicked prosper while the righteous are suffocated. Sometimes the righteous prosper and the wicked are destroyed. There is simply no blanket statement to be made. Except for the attribute of God's character.
God is all-moral. He is the source of our morality. He can do or allow whatever he will, and it is right. He doesn't have to answer to us. (Although he sometimes CHOOSES to, such as Abraham pleading for Sodom, or Lot begging for Zoar to be spared.)
So the next time you're ready to condemn a righteous man for experiencing hardship or you're ready to praise a prosperous man who is obviously barren of the fruits of the spirit, remember.
God is God. God is all-moral. Trust the source.
I love the book of Job. It's definitely one of my favorites, and having a handy-dandy summary like this makes it even better.
What about you? What are some of your favorite books of the Bible? What are some of the best lessons you've learned from those books? When was the last time you read your Bible? (Hint, hint. XP)
Until next time,
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!! ^_^