or more aptly titled: my struggle to follow Jesus

Summary: (Job 1-20)

Job is a really good guy. Blameless and upright, and all that jazz.

He was also very wealthy. Had more than anyone else. Far more. People everywhere looked up to Job. He had seven sons and three daughters. They took turns hosting parties in their homes. And each time a party ended, Job would sacrifice on behalf of his kids, just in case one of them had sinned.

Meanwhile, in Heaven: God had called the angels to report, and Satan was among them. He gloats about the condition of the earth, and God asks if he has noticed Job and how good he is. Satan thinks Job is good because of the blessing, and without it he wouldn’t be. He challenges God to a duel.

God accepts, so long as Satan doesn’t touch Job.

One day while Job’s kids are having a party, a messenger runs into Job’s house and tells him that his hundreds of donkeys and oxen were in the field working when Sabeans attacked and stole them all, and he was the only servant that escaped. While servant one was still finishing, another rushes in and informs Job lightning struck his hundreds of sheep and shepherds in the fields and he was the only one who escaped. While servant two is still finishing, a third enters to inform Job Chaldeans stole the camels (all of them, lots) and killed all the drivers and he was the only one to escape. While servant three is finishing, another enters and informs Job that a strong wind came and knocked down the house where his children were partying. All are dead, and only he escaped.

Rough day for Job. (Rough 20 minutes for Job…)

Job tore his clothes, shaved his head (both typical mourning practices for the day) and falls to his face. Then he worships God.

Not once through this did he sin against God.

Meanwhile in Heaven: God calls the angels to report again. Satan is there again.

God asks where Satan has been, and again Satan speaks of the world. God asks if Satan noticed their “mutual friend”, Job. Satan assures God that if Job’s health were to leave as well that he would curse God.

God obliges.

Job breaks out with sores and boils. Gross. They get so bad he is scraping his skin with broken pottery. Grosser. Even his wife tells him to curse God and move on. But Job calls her a fool.

Enter Job’s three “friends.”

The four men sit for seven days without saying a word.

And Job speaks.

He laments the day he was born (quite eloquently, might I add). He wishes for death in more beautiful words than most sing of love.

Then the first “friend” speaks.

Eliphaz from Teman imparts some “wisdom” for Job. He is going to comfort, because Job has done that so often for other. It is popular theology for the day. In essence, bad things happen to sinners… so ‘fess up Job. Confess to God and repent and all will be well again. Lots of comfort.

Job replies:

Show me where I have gone wrong. Something is amiss here. I have not sinned against God. There must be some sort of mix up here. Just end it for me. Kill me and get it over with. This isn’t fair.

Then the second “friend” speaks.

Bildad from Shuhah offers more “comfort.” How can you say this isn’t fair?!? God doesn’t mess up. It’s obvious that your children have sinned and God punished them. If you are truly innocent then call out to God. He will fix it if you are. Listen to our wisdom, we’re old. You must be faking this goodness, because there’s no way God rejects good people.

Job replies:

Call out to God? What else have I been doing? How else can I bring my case before Him? And even if I did, how could I stand against Him? God is so far beyond our understanding that I would have nothing to say. I feel like He’s crushing me, even though I’ve done nothing wrong. I wish there was someone who would stand before God on my behalf.

God, you know I’m not guilty. Please step in and tell me what’s happening here. I’m drowning. I wish I was never born.

Then the third friend speaks.

Zophar from Namaath doesn’t pretend like his friends to offer comfort.

Should we listen to this drivel any longer? No. Listen up Job. You can’t talk to God like that. You need to repent. Then things will get fixed. God knows all and is bigger than all of us.

Job replies again:

Do you think I’m stupid? I know all that. It’s easy for you three to stand and point like I’ve done something wrong here. You’re not in pain. It’s easy from your position to pretend things are that simple. Your wisdom is simply pithy sayings everyone already knows. Real wisdom comes from God.

God tears down what He wishes and builds up what He wishes. I just want to know why this is happening to me.

Don’t pretend you know more than I do. You don’t. Just shut your mouths and let me talk to God. Get out of the way, you’re not helping me, let alone Him. He doesn’t need you to defend Him.

But if you insist, then defend Him. Show me where I’ve gone wrong. Tell me what I’ve done.

Ease up on me God! This sucks. Life is too much for me. Just take it.

Eliphaz (friend 1) again:

You are trivializing our religion. Your sin has taught you to ask questions. You incriminate yourself with your doubt.

We have age on our sides, you should listen to us. Are God’s promises not enough for you?

Evil men always have trouble. They never get ahead.

Job again:

This is getting ridiculous. What is your problem? I thought you were here to help? If the roles were reversed I would never treat you like this.

God, this truly is wearing me out. Please step in. You are beating me up, and I have no recourse. There must be someone who can stand between us.

My friends have betrayed me. I know you can see how useless they are God.

Bildad (friend 2) again:

Are you going to keep talking to us like we’re stupid?!?

Look at reality. Evil men have trouble. Men without God end up in trouble.

Job again:

You all just keep punching away. Is this fun for you? I’m calling for help, being beaten mercilessly, and instead of helping, my friends join the one who is pummeling me.

Zophar (friend 3) again:

This is hurting my ears! You are speaking lies about God and us.

Don’t you know?!? Evil men have good for but a short time, then their evil catches up to them. Evil tastes good for a while, but ends up turning your stomach in the end.

Evil men exploit the poor. Greed drives them. Then God catches up to them and gives them what for.

Tidbits:

Job has more power, wealth, and influence than anyone “in the East.”

The Bible described him as “blameless and upright.” Is this in the eyes of men? or God?

Why do people always feel the need to “help” by offering trite/pithy things to say? Why can’t they shut up and just be?

Semi-spoiler alert: Remember Job’s words at the end… He says some things in anger/frustration that are (at least) borderline accusatory about God.

Thoughts:

I think we (the church in general) overlook an important part of this story.

We’re more than ready to mock Job’s friends for their poor friendship and bad theology. The idea that God only brings bad upon the bad and good upon the good was a prevalent part of many religions, and these men were no different. And we jump all over Job’s friends about it. That’s silly. We know better. How could anyone really believe that? Right?!?

But are we paying attention?!? Job believes it as well. At least, he did until recently. The turmoil he’s suffering is rocking his theological world. What once seemed simple and right is no longer either.

So he begins to question everything he knows. He’s miserable with grief, but I think at least part of his misery is due to the fact that everything he thought he knew had come undone.

So here’s what I think we miss:

Job’s friends weren’t indignant because they really felt like he was assaulting God. They were indignant because he was assaulting their long held system of beliefs.

They spend more time defending their own right to wisdom and religion than they do God. They are more concerned with Job could have possibly done than they are with Job’s emotional condition or the reality of the situation.

If this system of beliefs I have purported my entire life isn’t correct or doesn’t apply, then I have wasted my time.

They’re afraid that Job’s questions are going to wreck their lives too.

The reality of Job’s life was in direct contradiction to everything these four men knew. And they all had to know it.

Job knew that he was “blameless and upright.” He knew that he was a good man. I’m sure his friends did too. I have no doubt there were people around Job cowering in fear.

If Job, perfect, amazing, great Job can suffer like this, then what shape am I in?!?

I’m sure that’s a large part of the reason none of his family or other friends would hang around. There is a gaping hole in their theology… unless they can find something in Job’s life that fixes it. He had to have sinned…

If they can point out something wrong with Him, they will feel better about themselves. Then, they can go back to life, back to the status quo.

I used to read this and think, “Why can’t these losers be better friends? What is their problem? They must be jealous of Job or something…”

But now I’m not so sure. Maybe they were just struggling to hold on to something they had invested so much of their lives in.

…

How often do I do this? How often do I ignore reality to hold on to my “set of beliefs?” It could be something at work, as a parent, husband, or friend. Or it could be theological.

We fight. Because rather than embrace the new reality we are beginning to see and understand, we’d rather hang on to something that we held dear (or not so dear) for a long, long time.