Week 1 – The book of Job: Not a beach-read

You know how, when you’re going on vacation, you just want a light, easy, feel-good book to read? Here’s a pro-tip: Avoid the book of Job. The book of Job is like no other book in the Bible. Written by an unknown author living in the land of Uz (likely a land northeast of Palestine), Job is the story of a God-fearing man who enjoyed all the good things in life – abundance, a large family and respect among his community… that is until he didn’t.

 

The story of Job begins with Job -righteous, wealthy, rich in family, possessions and prestige doing everything he could to honor God with his life. Cut to the angels having a meeting with God, telling him what they were up to I suppose, and planning out their next righteous work on earth, when Satan crashed the meeting. Satan, technically an angel named Lucifer, had long ago turned his back on God, loving darkness, chaos and all things evil. Well God and Satan got into a conversation about our man Job, “blameless and upright” as he was (Job 1:8). Satan contended that Job was only righteous because he was abundantly blessed, that if he didn’t enjoy so many of God’s blessings, he wouldn’t be so righteous and good. In fact, Satan said, he would probably turn his back on God if life wasn’t so nice and easy for him. So God agreed to let Satan have his way with Job so long as he preserved his life. Satan wasted no time. In one day, Job’s many servants and abundance of livestock were attacked and stolen or killed. His children were killed in one fell swoop when their house collapsed in a wind storm. In a single day, Job’s family, possessions and livelihood were wrecked. His life literally left in shambles.

 

Job mourned and grieved deeply, yet he did not sin or blame God.

 

So, naturally Satan upped the ante. After another meeting with God, he was again given permission again to do with Job as he liked, as long as he spared his life. So Satan began yet another personal attack on Job. He went after his health, inflicting terrible boils that covered his body from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Job was in so much agony, his wife told him that he should just “curse God and die”. Yikes.

And yet. Job’s faith remained as steadfast as ever.

 

The next test came in the form of Job’s friends. With the intention of helping him through these unfathomably difficult circumstances, they first sat silently, grieving with their friend. Then they spoke (and this is where it all goes downhill).

 

We’ve all had times when a friend or family member, in an effort to console us, says all the wrong things. This was Job’s friends in a nutshell. They launched into long monologues about how Job’s trials were his own fault. He must have sinned against God, he must have been proud, he must have done something to deserve all this. In other words, just what you want to hear when nearly everyone you love has been killed, you’re in constant physical pain and everything you’ve worked for has been taken from you.

 

After many, many…. many chapters full of Job and his friends arguing, puzzling, and agonizing over the meaning of all of this suffering, God finally speaks. In true boss fashion, God doesn’t give them a reason for these trials. He simply reminds Job that his ways are higher, that they are indeed unfathomable. He asks Job if he really wants to contend with the Almighty.

Boom. Mic Drop.

 

Job is humbled and acknowledges God’s sovereignty. He is so humbled that he is speechless. God then rebukes Job’s wayward friends and goes on to restore Job’s material possessions. He is given a new family and enjoys even greater blessings than before.

 

So the question you may be wondering is, where does our scripture passage come into play in the midst of this tragic and dramatic story? The answer is not wat you might expect. Job’s praises of God are not in response to the restoration of all the things he’s lost, but right smack in the middle of his loss. That’s right, Job praised God in the middle of his own suffering.

 

That’s the theme we’ll be focusing on throughout this scripture study. We’ll explore how we, too can remain steadfast in our faith like Job, trusting in God’s power even when we are struggling and questioning everything.