Job's friends finally begin to offer their opinions as to why all of this suffering has befallen him. Eliphaz's offers a commonly held theory that one's own sin is responsible for suffering... that when bad things happen it is because it was deserved due to some specific transgression. Eliphaz says, "it is my experience that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same." That is true some of the time, but we all know of "bad" people who prosper and "good" people who suffer. Jesus himself explained the folly of this line of thinking when referencing the tragic deaths of some men killed by Pilate and others killed in an accident. This is from Luke chapter 13.
1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Jesus makes plain the fact that these men were no more sinful than their countrymen and bore no responsibility for what happened to them. He does not go so far as to explain why it did happen to them, but we know that it was not punishment for sin. If that were the case, we'd all have been annihilated shortly after birth. Not one of us is punished as we deserve.
Job knows that he has no blatant sin in his life that could have brought on such tragedy and refutes the idea. He engages in an extended pity-party, understandably so, but never does as his wife suggested in chapter 2, "curse God and die". He wants to die, but he does not curse God. He questions Him, but never crosses the line. I like knowing that Job, who is recorded as being "blameless", questioned God Almighty. We can do that! In a spirit of trust and reverence, we can be angry at God, we can wrestle with God, we can even argue with God, as we will see Job do later on. When our hearts seek resolution and not retribution, God seems content to be patient with our tantrums. Such encounters can actually build our faith when handled properly.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 8-11
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Wonder if Mordecai remembered the story of JOSEPH WHEN HE SAID TO Esther, you were born
ReplyDeleteThis is all so overwhelming. I know I will have to read and re-read Job again. I wonder why God would allow Satan to put Job through so much. Not for me to ask why...just coming to grips with it.
ReplyDeleteBrings me back to what my sister-in-law is going through with her chemotherapy treatments. She is in agony with nausea and sickness for 9-10 days out of 14 days, and then has to start the whole process again. She does have an end in sight, unlike Job. I just can't imagine Job going through the agony day in and out, and finally gets to the point that he is questioning God and asking for death.
i liked your comment that none of us get the punishment we deserve...so many of my thoughts are self-serving, and that is my sin "at best"...yet not only does God not give me what i deserve, He actually blesses and provides and loves and forgives and guides me and my family...thank you God for putting up with ALL of US! we do not deserve YOU!
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