As I have started reading through the Bible chronologically, one of the first books we read is the book of Job. That is because many scholars believe that it is the most ancient of Old Testament writings. Most of the events in this book appear to have happened before Abraham or Moses. Most likely it was a story that was passed down verbally for many years, perhaps hundreds of years, before it was written down.
One of the things that makes Job enduring is that it deals with the question of the unfairness of life and the problem of evil. Here is Job who worshiped God and put him first in his life and God allows Satan to take everything except his life. For many chapters, Job has to struggle with the idea that it appears that God abandoned him. To make matters worse, he lived in a time when it was assumed that if a person was rich or blessed with material things that he was in God's favor. So, his illness and the disasters that occurred to him make it appear to Job's friends that he has done something horribly wrong. They are there on an evangelistic mission to turn Job away from his sin and turn him back to God. It appears obvious to them that he did something wrong.
This idea is still apart of our culture today in some ways. A person may come to the conclusion that if things are not going well for them that they are not favored or that God is angry with them. Job himself stated that he wanted an interview with God to declare him own righteousness. Maybe because he has also bought into this idea that God's favor is displayed when things go well and you are blessed with material things.
One of the things you also see in these verses is that although he doesn't understand God's ways, he clearly still loves God in a profound way. In the middle of sitting in a ash heap with boils on his skin, thinking that death is imminent, he talks about the glory of God and the greatness of God Job 26:5-14. Here he sits in the ash heap wondering aloud when God allows the sinful person to die in peace, but he doesn't curse God for it Job 24: 1-2. I think that is one of the profound messages of Job, that sometimes we won't understand God, but are we still willing to praise him in the middle of where we sit when things are not going our way.
In the group I am a part of someone asked how long God allowed Job to suffer before he appeared. Because in Job 38, God does show up to speak to Job. He doesn't show up because Job is right and he feels obligated to repent. He shows up to speak to Job about himself. It doesn't say how long Job suffered. The text makes it appear that it could have been only a few weeks or months. But, I think it if it was clear, we would probably have some churches or people today running around claiming that they suffered longer than Job or that your truly only righteous if you suffer as long as he did. People tend to get caught up in things like that. We tend to make minor points into major points and lose our perspective.
The silence of God can be profound at times. When it appears that he has hid himself and life doesn't go the way that we think it should. If that has never happened to you as a believer you are fortunate. It happend to the psalmist. In Psalm 13:1-2 the psalmist writes "How long, O Lord? Wilt Thou forget me forever? How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my sould, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" I want you to notice that this is a psalm. That God didn't condemn the psalmist for asking this question any more than he did Job. God can take our questions and not condemn them.
But, at the end of the day we have to come back to the idea that though I don't understand him I will trust him. I will trust that one day he will make things clear. I trust him with my conflict, I share it with him. I share my hurts, fears, worries and concerns with him, whether I feel his presence or not. I do that because I walk by faith and not feeling. Because I know God is a loving and compassionate God who doesn't abandon people though it feels like it at times.
One of the things that makes Job enduring is that it deals with the question of the unfairness of life and the problem of evil. Here is Job who worshiped God and put him first in his life and God allows Satan to take everything except his life. For many chapters, Job has to struggle with the idea that it appears that God abandoned him. To make matters worse, he lived in a time when it was assumed that if a person was rich or blessed with material things that he was in God's favor. So, his illness and the disasters that occurred to him make it appear to Job's friends that he has done something horribly wrong. They are there on an evangelistic mission to turn Job away from his sin and turn him back to God. It appears obvious to them that he did something wrong.
This idea is still apart of our culture today in some ways. A person may come to the conclusion that if things are not going well for them that they are not favored or that God is angry with them. Job himself stated that he wanted an interview with God to declare him own righteousness. Maybe because he has also bought into this idea that God's favor is displayed when things go well and you are blessed with material things.
One of the things you also see in these verses is that although he doesn't understand God's ways, he clearly still loves God in a profound way. In the middle of sitting in a ash heap with boils on his skin, thinking that death is imminent, he talks about the glory of God and the greatness of God Job 26:5-14. Here he sits in the ash heap wondering aloud when God allows the sinful person to die in peace, but he doesn't curse God for it Job 24: 1-2. I think that is one of the profound messages of Job, that sometimes we won't understand God, but are we still willing to praise him in the middle of where we sit when things are not going our way.
In the group I am a part of someone asked how long God allowed Job to suffer before he appeared. Because in Job 38, God does show up to speak to Job. He doesn't show up because Job is right and he feels obligated to repent. He shows up to speak to Job about himself. It doesn't say how long Job suffered. The text makes it appear that it could have been only a few weeks or months. But, I think it if it was clear, we would probably have some churches or people today running around claiming that they suffered longer than Job or that your truly only righteous if you suffer as long as he did. People tend to get caught up in things like that. We tend to make minor points into major points and lose our perspective.
The silence of God can be profound at times. When it appears that he has hid himself and life doesn't go the way that we think it should. If that has never happened to you as a believer you are fortunate. It happend to the psalmist. In Psalm 13:1-2 the psalmist writes "How long, O Lord? Wilt Thou forget me forever? How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my sould, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" I want you to notice that this is a psalm. That God didn't condemn the psalmist for asking this question any more than he did Job. God can take our questions and not condemn them.
But, at the end of the day we have to come back to the idea that though I don't understand him I will trust him. I will trust that one day he will make things clear. I trust him with my conflict, I share it with him. I share my hurts, fears, worries and concerns with him, whether I feel his presence or not. I do that because I walk by faith and not feeling. Because I know God is a loving and compassionate God who doesn't abandon people though it feels like it at times.
