Job

Is everybody ready for Job? I must confess that I have issues with Job sometimes. Two of my favorite verses are found in Job:

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding. (37:5)

and

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. (19:25)

However, there is an awful lot of accusation, complaining and just general bad advice to go along with all the tragedy and drama and sometimes it's a little hard to take.

My little book of wisdom says this about Job: The book wrestles with the age-old question; If God is a God of love and mercy, why do the righteous suffer? In answer, Job clearly teaches the sovereignty of God and the need for man to acknowledge that sovereignty. Job's three friends gave essentially the same answer to the problem of pain: All suffering is due to sin. Elihu, however, declared that suffering is often the means of purifying the righteous. God's purpose, therefore, was to strip away all of Job's self-righteousness, and to bring him to the place of complete trust in Him.

Though we do not know who wrote the book or when it was written, the book of Job appears to be set in the days of the patriarchs-though not in the land of Israel.

There are two keys to reading this book. One is recognizing that it is 'wisdom literature'; the other is noticing the uses of the names of God. As wisdom literature, the book of Job tells us in proverb form about the order of the world God has created. That account can be summarized in proverbs because God is a God of order. There are exceptions, however, to many proverbs because sin has marred the perfection of God's creation.

When Job's friends discover he is destitute and diseased, they immediately confront him with wisdom based on common sense. God judges the wicked and prospers the righteous, so confess your wickedness and be restored. Job, however, maintains his righteousness in spite of their seemingly well reasoned but misapplied statements.

This is where noticing the names of God becomes important. We, the readers, have information the biblical characters did not have--the heavenly scenes presented in chapters 1 and 2. We know that Job's condition is a result of a battle between God and Satan. Our special insight is underlined by the use of the name Yahweh, whereas Job and his friends, who do not have the whole picture, use various names of God to refer to Him. When God finally reveals Himself in chapters 38-42, the name Yahweh again dominates the text.

The story of Job teaches the limitation of wisdom. Regardless of how much theology we know--or think we know--we never have the complete picture. We must use compassion rather than condemnation when dealing with others, both believers and non-believers. And when we seem to be on the short end of God's promises, we must wait on God and trust in Him rather than question His character. (pg. 10-11)

With that last sentence, I think now would be a good time for me to remind myself of my new memory verse: I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore, I will wait on Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him; to the one who seeks Him; (Lamentations 3:24-25)

May you see God in the pages ahead...