Job and Justice
God's Justice & Human Suffering
A READING FROM THE BOOK OF JOB 1:1, 2:1-10
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There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.
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There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.
That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God
and turned away from evil. One day the heavenly beings
came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan
also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
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The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
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Satan answered the Lord, "From going to and fro
on the earth, and from walking up and down on it."
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The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There
is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears
God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although
you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason."
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Then Satan answered the Lord, "Skin for skin! All that people have
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The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
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Satan answered the Lord, "From going to and fro
on the earth, and from walking up and down on it."
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The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There
is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears
God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although
you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason."
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Then Satan answered the Lord, "Skin for skin! All that people have
they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now
and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."
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The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power;
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The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power;
only spare his life."
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So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome
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So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome
sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
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Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself,
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Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself,
and sat among the ashes.
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Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your integrity?
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Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your integrity?
Curse God, and die."
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But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman would
speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not
receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not
receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
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A away up there beyond the clouds, where no human eye can see, an extraordinary conversation took place. It was a conversation between the spirit of all things evil and the Spirit of all things good. It was a conversation troubling to the human mind. It was a conversation that would take everything a man had. When one thinks of the story of Job, the first thing that comes to mind is that no human could ever have eavesdropped on such a conversation - so therefore the story is meant perhaps as a play - a play about God's justice and the problem of human suffering. That is not to say that Job did not exist as a person - the Bible acknowledges that he did indeed exist and perhaps it was his story that inspired the author of the Book of Job,to document this problem of how good people, blameless and upright, often suffer greatly.
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AND SO THE PLAY UNFOLDS. ACT ONE: When called by God to give account for his doings, the evil one, Satan, boasted that he had gone to and fro through the earth, insinuating that he had met no resistance or hindrance to his will and found no one to stand up to oppose his ability to move freely and to act out on his own pleasures and purposes.
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He boasted that he had gone everywhere unhindered and unchallenged, like a king marching through his own dominions, acting out his pleasures and purpose.
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ACT TWO: It was then that the great and Almighty God reminded the evil one that there was at least one place on earth and among people where he would not gain entry.
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It was then that the great and Almighty God reminded the evil one that there was one place on earth and among people where he would find no foothold or entry.
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It was then that the great and Almighty God reminded the evil one that there was one place on earth and among people where his power was totally ineffective.
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It was then that the Great and Almighty God held up to the evil one His servant Job. It was this man, the man named Job, the one we remember wrongly for his patience in the face of suffering, when in fact he is to be remembered for his endurance in the face of suffering - a suffering that most of us cannot imagine.
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ACT THREE: "Have you considered my servant Job? Asked the great and Almighty God. There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason."
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Job. A blameless and upright and Godly man who shuns evil in all its insidious forms. The heart of Job was like an unassailable castle, perfectly loyal to Almighty God, the King of Heaven. "Have you considered my servant Job?"
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ACGT FIVE: It was here, at this point, the question now asked that the evil one defied God, which ought not to surprise as defiance and rebelliousness is his trademark.
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The evil one defied God and told the great and Almighty One that his servant Job was only upright and blameless because of his prosperity. The evil one in his act of defiance insinuated that God’s servant Job was only loyal to God because his prosperity made it profitable to be so. Take it all away and then see if your servant Job will remain blameless, upright and loyal.
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The great and Almighty God, in what give great cause for concern, took up the challenge of the evil one and gave Satan permission to take away all that Job had and owned which Satan insinuated were the props by which Job was held up by. Job only had faith in God because he prospered and was wealthy.
.
AND SO THE PLAY UNFOLDS. ACT ONE: When called by God to give account for his doings, the evil one, Satan, boasted that he had gone to and fro through the earth, insinuating that he had met no resistance or hindrance to his will and found no one to stand up to oppose his ability to move freely and to act out on his own pleasures and purposes.
.
He boasted that he had gone everywhere unhindered and unchallenged, like a king marching through his own dominions, acting out his pleasures and purpose.
.
ACT TWO: It was then that the great and Almighty God reminded the evil one that there was at least one place on earth and among people where he would not gain entry.
.
It was then that the great and Almighty God reminded the evil one that there was one place on earth and among people where he would find no foothold or entry.
.
It was then that the great and Almighty God reminded the evil one that there was one place on earth and among people where his power was totally ineffective.
.
It was then that the Great and Almighty God held up to the evil one His servant Job. It was this man, the man named Job, the one we remember wrongly for his patience in the face of suffering, when in fact he is to be remembered for his endurance in the face of suffering - a suffering that most of us cannot imagine.
.
ACT THREE: "Have you considered my servant Job? Asked the great and Almighty God. There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason."
.
Job. A blameless and upright and Godly man who shuns evil in all its insidious forms. The heart of Job was like an unassailable castle, perfectly loyal to Almighty God, the King of Heaven. "Have you considered my servant Job?"
.
ACGT FIVE: It was here, at this point, the question now asked that the evil one defied God, which ought not to surprise as defiance and rebelliousness is his trademark.
.
The evil one defied God and told the great and Almighty One that his servant Job was only upright and blameless because of his prosperity. The evil one in his act of defiance insinuated that God’s servant Job was only loyal to God because his prosperity made it profitable to be so. Take it all away and then see if your servant Job will remain blameless, upright and loyal.
.
The great and Almighty God, in what give great cause for concern, took up the challenge of the evil one and gave Satan permission to take away all that Job had and owned which Satan insinuated were the props by which Job was held up by. Job only had faith in God because he prospered and was wealthy.
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Do you hear that, the great and Almighty God was willing to gamble with his servant Job’s integrity and loyalty and gave divine permission for the evil one, the accuser, to pull the rug of wealth and prosperity from under Job’s feet.
Do you hear that, the great and Almighty God was willing to gamble with his servant Job’s integrity and loyalty and gave divine permission for the evil one, the accuser, to pull the rug of wealth and prosperity from under Job’s feet.
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The great and Almighty God was willing to put his servant Job to the test. Well, that is perhaps not quite true. The great and Almighty God was willing to put Job through the ringer and allow Satan to kick him then when he was down. The only thing the evil one was not permitted to do was to take Job’s life from him.
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ACT SIX: In consequence of this, all Job's wealth went in one black day, and not even a child was left to whisper comfort. He was left penniless and childless, but Job did not sin by charging God with any wrong doing.
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Next, now poor, penniless, in great grief, mourning the destruction of his family, and loss of fortune, the evil one next assailed Job by destroying his health.
The great and Almighty God was willing to put his servant Job to the test. Well, that is perhaps not quite true. The great and Almighty God was willing to put Job through the ringer and allow Satan to kick him then when he was down. The only thing the evil one was not permitted to do was to take Job’s life from him.
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ACT SIX: In consequence of this, all Job's wealth went in one black day, and not even a child was left to whisper comfort. He was left penniless and childless, but Job did not sin by charging God with any wrong doing.
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Next, now poor, penniless, in great grief, mourning the destruction of his family, and loss of fortune, the evil one next assailed Job by destroying his health.
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Satan, with the great and Almighty God’s permission afflicts Job from head to toe with great weeping sores. Even here, the evil one, the tempter, the accuser, uses Job’s wife to encourage Job to curse God that God might inflict the final stroke due to all who dare curse him. Then Job would die, his suffering ended.
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ACT SEVEN: Job, his integrity intact and his loyalty to God unmoveable, unshakable, only steadfast, tells his wife to not be so foolish. Job’s great statement stands the test of time as he replies: "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?"
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Saint Paul tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. That doesn’t mean giving thanks "for" all circumstances. We don’t thank God when a child is murdered execution style while at school. We don’t thank God when an earthquake happens and thousands upon thousands of people are swept away in angry waters. No, we give thanks "in" such circumstances for the strength to endure and for the hope for the future, or else we may all just curse God and die.
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There is so much more to the story of Job. Satan not only uses Job’s wife to undermine his faith in God, the evil one uses Job’s three friends who conclude after much discussion and deliberation that Job must have done some terrible thing to displease God and thus deserve such harsh judgement and punishment.
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To fully understand the Book of Job, one must understand how uniquely it reflects Israelite thinking. To put it succinctly and perhaps too simply, if one prospered such as the wealthy Job certainly did, then God was clearly with him. If one suffered as Job now suffered this was a sign that God had turned against him. The Book of Job sets out to turn this abstract thinking upside down and on its head. A person can suffer terribly but that does not mean that God has forsaken them.
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ACT EIGHT: Milk truck driver Charles Robert had more than murder on his mind when he entered the one room Amish schoolhouse. Police have revealed that Roberts also had implements of sex and torture with him and apparently his twisted plans went way beyond murder. Also in a suicide note Roberts wrote to his wife, he indicated that he was filled with so much hate against himself, towards God and was filled with an unimaginable emptiness since the death of his daughter, who only lived for twenty minutes after being born in 1997.
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Along side Charles Robert's destructive anger and violent hatred - we find only humble faith and forgiveness from the Amish community. It was reported that the Amish community has plans to help Roberts widow and three children and have asked people not to think evil of Charles Roberts but to offer forgiveness to him and his family. NBC News reported an Amish midwife saying that the Amish community was planning to take food over to the widow and family of Charles Roberts.
Satan, with the great and Almighty God’s permission afflicts Job from head to toe with great weeping sores. Even here, the evil one, the tempter, the accuser, uses Job’s wife to encourage Job to curse God that God might inflict the final stroke due to all who dare curse him. Then Job would die, his suffering ended.
.
ACT SEVEN: Job, his integrity intact and his loyalty to God unmoveable, unshakable, only steadfast, tells his wife to not be so foolish. Job’s great statement stands the test of time as he replies: "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?"
.
Saint Paul tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. That doesn’t mean giving thanks "for" all circumstances. We don’t thank God when a child is murdered execution style while at school. We don’t thank God when an earthquake happens and thousands upon thousands of people are swept away in angry waters. No, we give thanks "in" such circumstances for the strength to endure and for the hope for the future, or else we may all just curse God and die.
.
There is so much more to the story of Job. Satan not only uses Job’s wife to undermine his faith in God, the evil one uses Job’s three friends who conclude after much discussion and deliberation that Job must have done some terrible thing to displease God and thus deserve such harsh judgement and punishment.
.
To fully understand the Book of Job, one must understand how uniquely it reflects Israelite thinking. To put it succinctly and perhaps too simply, if one prospered such as the wealthy Job certainly did, then God was clearly with him. If one suffered as Job now suffered this was a sign that God had turned against him. The Book of Job sets out to turn this abstract thinking upside down and on its head. A person can suffer terribly but that does not mean that God has forsaken them.
.
ACT EIGHT: Milk truck driver Charles Robert had more than murder on his mind when he entered the one room Amish schoolhouse. Police have revealed that Roberts also had implements of sex and torture with him and apparently his twisted plans went way beyond murder. Also in a suicide note Roberts wrote to his wife, he indicated that he was filled with so much hate against himself, towards God and was filled with an unimaginable emptiness since the death of his daughter, who only lived for twenty minutes after being born in 1997.
.
Along side Charles Robert's destructive anger and violent hatred - we find only humble faith and forgiveness from the Amish community. It was reported that the Amish community has plans to help Roberts widow and three children and have asked people not to think evil of Charles Roberts but to offer forgiveness to him and his family. NBC News reported an Amish midwife saying that the Amish community was planning to take food over to the widow and family of Charles Roberts.
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She said, "This is only possible if you have Christ in your heart."
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Like Job, they Amish, in their pain and suffering trusted that God knows best.
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A staggering thought: somehow in the midst of human suffering, our pain and hurt is a part of that great cosmic battle between the powers of good and evil that is beyond our comprehension.
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In the midst of the battle, whether it be battling cancer, fighting other diseases, even in the midst of war and terorrism, our willingness to trust in God shows our hope for tomorrow.
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Christ defeated the powers of sin, evil and death on the Cross.
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We need only speak the name "Jesus" and Satan is silenced.
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posted by vesuvius2 @ 2:58 PM
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