I just finished re-reading the book of Job. It’s fairly long at 42 chapters. It’s also pretty dense with poetic language. I’ll be reading it again a bit more slowly! 😁 But it’s worth it.
Job’s Story
The short version is that God was proud of Job. In a heavenly council chamber, He bragged on Job to Satan. Satan said “Job only worships you because you’ve given him a bunch of goodies: Wealth, health, family, prestige. Take those away, and see how quickly he abandons you!” God gave Satan the go-ahead, and Satan destroyed everything worldly thing that Job had. His children were killed; his herds and flocks were stolen; he was stricken with a chronic illness with painful oozing sores. That all happens in the first two chapters!
Job’s Questions
Then there are 36 chapters of back-and-forth between Job and the four friends who came to comfort him…and did not do a very good job of it. They all said, and Job agreed, that God is all-powerful and unquestionable. They all also agreed that He is good and righteous, and that He supports the upright and punishes the wicked.
But they differed on why Job, who had always been known to be a good man, was suffering so terribly. The friends were sure that Job must be getting punished for some horrible hidden sin. Job knew that — though he didn’t claim to be perfectly sinless — he had done nothing heinous enough to deserve this treatment.
Job spent his time alternately questioning, pleading, and even raging at God. Why was he being treated so unfairly? If God would just tell him what he had done wrong, he would understand…but he couldn’t see any of God’s reasoning.
Through it all, though, Job didn’t give up and turn his back on God. He complained to Him; he cried to Him; he asked for explanations. But he didn’t say “OK, then, I’ll quit trying. I’ll just go find a different god to worship.”
God’s Answer
In chapters 38-42, God showed up. He spoke directly to Job. However, He did NOT explain Himself. Instead, He reminded Job that the Almighty Creator does not owe anything to anyone. As I’ve put it to myself in the past: We absolutely belong to Him to do with as He chooses. Even if He were totally nasty, hurting us just for the fun of it, He has the right to do so. But I know, and Job knew also, that is not the case. As a righteous, loving, omnipotent, sovereign God, whatever He does is for good reason. We don’t have to know or understand that reason. Our mandate is simply to trust, no matter what.
Job did, and was rewarded for that. After hearing from God, he repented of his earlier demand for answers. God praised him, and restored — even doubled — all that Job had lost. He regained his health and wealth, had ten more children, and lived to see his grandchildren growing up.
Job’s Lesson
As obnoxious as Satan is, he did have point: If all I have is fair-weather trust, then it’s pretty wimpy. It’s not really trust if I insist on understanding and agreeing with everything. Trust and faith continue to act in spite of incomplete information.
That is true of a parent giving their child no more explanation than “Because I said so.” It’s true of a patient following a doctor’s instructions. It’s true of a client listening to their attorney, and of an investor listening to their financial advisor. How much more true should it be of a Christian trusting their Savior?!
Our choir recently did a song named “Bow the Knee” that seems relevant to Job’s story. The lyrics say that “When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.” They remind us that we can “Trust the heart of your Father when the answers go beyond what you can see.” Mostly, they remind us that even when we “don’t understand the purpose of His plan“, we aren’t required to.
What IS required is that we “In the presence of the King, bow the knee.“