During the past month I spent some time in the book of Job. It wasn't because I thought I was going through the same thing (ha!). Actually, it was just a 'coincidence' that I started reading through the Bible chronologically and Job 'just happened' to be the book I was supposed to read.
I have read Job more than once and it has always bothered me. If you haven't read it lately, here is my paraphrase:
I have read Job more than once and it has always bothered me. If you haven't read it lately, here is my paraphrase:
paraphrase - an explanation of something that is probably filled with mistakes that you would not have made if you knew Greek and Hebrew.
One day God was holding royal court and all of the angels were coming to be seen by Him. Even Satan came and when God asked him where he had been (as if He didn't know) Satan said, "wandering around on the Earth." Then God asked Satan, "Have you seen my servant Job? He is the best man down there."
Here's what I want to know - Why did God have to go and point Job out to SATAN, of all people (ahem, angels)?
Seriously!
The whole book kind of makes sense to me if you leave that part out. See, after this conversation, Satan (not God) goes and takes everything from Job that he owns and kills everyone in Job's family except for his nagging wife, who he probably left for spite. Then Satan goes back to God and God SAYS THE SAME THING to which Satan says, "of course he still serves you, you won't let me hurt his body" and God gives Satan permission to take everything except Job's life. Notice, he didn't tell Satan he had to leave Job's wife alive. See Job 2:9 to see why I think Satan left her alive. Then Satan gives Job a disgusting and painful physical malady that itches and hurts so much he scratchs himself with broken pottery (sorry, I know it's gross).
Finally, close to the end of the book, God shows up. Whew! Finally, we are going to get an explanation for why all of this stuff has happened to Job, right?
Wrong!
God never tells Job about the angel parade or his conversation with Satan. He basically says to Job, "Who are you to question me?" and then tells Job about His greatness.
At the very end of the book, God blesses Job with a lot more than he had in the first place so that the end of his life was better than the beginning. He has more kids and they are beautiful, talented, and good. He has more money and more favor with everyone. He has a blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed life at the end.
Really, this is just a frustrating story to me as a person who loves God and knows God is love. I don't just mean that as a religious phrase - 'God is love'. I mean that I know God and He really IS love. He loves me (and you) SO MUCH. Spend any time with Him and you know that is true.
Here is what I have come to believe about what this book means and why God put it in the Bible. I don't know if it is what I will believe in a few years because I am learning all of the time. Maybe one of you will say something to me about this post that will change my mind, but for right now here is what I think about Job:
I think this book is about how AMAZING God is and that one point of this book is that it is worth even THAT MUCH pain in our lives for God to get glory. God got glory from Job worshipping Him and submitting to Him even when Job had lost everything. God got glory when Job said, "I don't know why this is happening but God is still God and He is still good and someday I will stand before Him because I am still His." And just God getting glory was worth the whole thing.
Worth losing his kids.
Why? Because God made everything. He cares for everything. He knows everything. He is powerful beyond description. He is more nurturing than any mother ever was. He is in control even when it seems like He has lost control.
S-C-R-E-E-C-H!!! HOLD IT A MINUTE!
Here's what I want to know - Why did God have to go and point Job out to SATAN, of all people (ahem, angels)?
Seriously!
The whole book kind of makes sense to me if you leave that part out. See, after this conversation, Satan (not God) goes and takes everything from Job that he owns and kills everyone in Job's family except for his nagging wife, who he probably left for spite. Then Satan goes back to God and God SAYS THE SAME THING to which Satan says, "of course he still serves you, you won't let me hurt his body" and God gives Satan permission to take everything except Job's life. Notice, he didn't tell Satan he had to leave Job's wife alive. See Job 2:9 to see why I think Satan left her alive. Then Satan gives Job a disgusting and painful physical malady that itches and hurts so much he scratchs himself with broken pottery (sorry, I know it's gross).
After this, Satan is finished with Job but then Job's friends start in on him. They spend most of the rest of the book telling Job he brought this on himself by sinning so much. Job defends himself and makes some really good points like the wicked prosper so you can't say that suffering shows that you are wicked. He does cry out to God, asking to know why all of this is happening but he also asserts that man cannot know the mind of God and that anything God does is good. I think one of the most amazing verses in the book is Job 19:25, where Job says, "I know my Redeemer lives and at the last will stand upon the earth." and then he says "and I will stand before Him. Wow!
Finally, close to the end of the book, God shows up. Whew! Finally, we are going to get an explanation for why all of this stuff has happened to Job, right?
Wrong!
God never tells Job about the angel parade or his conversation with Satan. He basically says to Job, "Who are you to question me?" and then tells Job about His greatness.
At the very end of the book, God blesses Job with a lot more than he had in the first place so that the end of his life was better than the beginning. He has more kids and they are beautiful, talented, and good. He has more money and more favor with everyone. He has a blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed life at the end.
Really, this is just a frustrating story to me as a person who loves God and knows God is love. I don't just mean that as a religious phrase - 'God is love'. I mean that I know God and He really IS love. He loves me (and you) SO MUCH. Spend any time with Him and you know that is true.
Here is what I have come to believe about what this book means and why God put it in the Bible. I don't know if it is what I will believe in a few years because I am learning all of the time. Maybe one of you will say something to me about this post that will change my mind, but for right now here is what I think about Job:
I think this book is about how AMAZING God is and that one point of this book is that it is worth even THAT MUCH pain in our lives for God to get glory. God got glory from Job worshipping Him and submitting to Him even when Job had lost everything. God got glory when Job said, "I don't know why this is happening but God is still God and He is still good and someday I will stand before Him because I am still His." And just God getting glory was worth the whole thing.
Worth losing his kids.
Worth losing everything he had ever worked for.
Worth losing his self esteem.
Worth losing his standing in the community.
God was worth it.
Why? Because God made everything. He cares for everything. He knows everything. He is powerful beyond description. He is more nurturing than any mother ever was. He is in control even when it seems like He has lost control.
And Satan was wrong. He thought that people only love God for what He gives them. But God knew that Job LOVED Him and God knew that God is worth being loved THAT MUCH. And that truth was so TRUE, so ACCURATE, so CORRECT, that it was worth everything that Job had to go through to say it.
2 comments:
Sister i feel the exact same way you do about Job! It's a book that hurts me. I guess we all feel there's a little Job in our lives! I know I do!!!!
I see God's glory being shown through awful things so much in my job (little j, not big J) and I see so much scriptural precedent for it. Joseph, the man born blind, the cross . . .
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