or more aptly titled: my struggle to follow Jesus

This is two days late. I apologize.

Summary:

Job continues his defense. It’s not you guys I’m complaining to. Just shut up and listen. You can’t possibly think this is what’s supposed to happen to me can you? You keep saying that the wicked get what they deserve, but where can I see it?

Eliphaz takes another turn. Can we give God advice? You have failed, and so you are reaping what you sowed. You didn’t help the people around you, turned them away cold. Can’t we all agree that God is in charge? But you insist on questioning Him. Just come to terms with Him and everything will right itself.

Job replies once again. I’m standing my ground. My complaint is legitimate. This isn’t fair. God would see a straight-living man if I could stand before Him. I have followed Him as closely as I could. I am stuck in the dark. I don’t understand. People get away with murder, and I’m wallowing in the dark here. And God does nothing.

Bildad tries again. God is sovereign. Don’t you get it? How can you stand up before God? Even the stars are imperfect in God’s eyes.

Job responds again. You guys are a big help… Thanks! How did you get so smart? Everyone knows that God is so big. He is beyond what we can imagine.

Zophar says nothing.

Job continues. But He has still denied me justice. I will never agree to these crazy accusations. I won’t deny my integrity. In the end I know the good win out. But where does wisdom come from? We don’t know where to look. It can’t be bought, and it can’t be found by looking. Only God knows where wisdom lies. Wisdom = Fear of the Lord.

I miss the days when God took care of me. People smiled at me and spoke to me. God shined a lamp on my way. But now the pain won’t let up. I’m the punchline in bad jokes. I’m trapped and tortured. I cry for help, but God doesn’t answer. I have tried hard to be integrity-filled. So what should I expect from God? Doesn’t He notice how men live? Does it not matter to Him?

And so Job’s 3 friends had nothing left. Job had filibustered them into silence.

Elihu, who had been standing by watching and saying nothing (younger than the four of them), now lost his temper.

I have sat by and listened as Job blustered like a worthless wind against God. I sat back and listened for the wisdom of the ages to come from three supposedly wise men. But I see now I was wrong. It’s God’s spirit in a man that brings wisdom. So it’s my turn.

And be sure, I won’t be using your trite, tired old arguments. So please honor me now Job by listening to me.

You are wrong. God is far greater than us, and always gives an answer. Even when we don’t recognize it, He supplies an answer. Keep listening, I’m not done.

God can’t do anything wrong. He is the one who makes it all work. God always tells it like it is.

Job, you can’t keep talking to God this way. You are rebelling.

People always cry out to God when things are bad, but where were they when things were good? There’s nothing behind their prayers but panic.

Elihu continues. God is all powerful, but he doesn’t bully the innocent. He cares for the righteous. And he uses pain to show people where they’ve gone wrong. But if we learn from our suffering, we are delivered from it.

God is bigger and further reaching than you can imagine. He commands the weather. How could you even dream of addressing him?

God confronts Job. A violent storm rises up, and God speaks to Job from the eye of it.

On your feet! Whoever it is that is questioning me without understanding, let him stand and face me. How long have you been around? Do you know how all this works? You certainly seem to think you do.

Do you understand where light comes from? Have you seen where snow is made? You can’t possibly think it all just happens…

Can you educate animals in how they are to behave? Can you direct the weather?

Then God moved from general to specific. Now what do you have to say for yourself? Haul me into court, will you?

Job answers. I have made a grave error. I’m sorry. I will shut up now.

God questions Job again. Am I wrong? You’re innocent and I’m guilty?!? Can you lay waste to all the wrong on earth? I’ll gladly step aside and let you take care of that.

Go! Tell the Behemoth what to do. Nothing on earth can move Him. Or catch Leviathan with a fishing rod. I dare you.

Job answers one last time. I’m sorry. I babbled on without knowledge. No one can upset what you’ve set in motion. I made assumptions about you before, but now I have seen. Please forgive me.

God turns to the “friends.” You three are idiots! You haven’t spoken truth about me. So I’ll tell you what, have Job offer a sacrifice on your behalf and I will accept it from him. He is my friend; I will listen to Him.

And God restored Job with double everything he had before. He lived to see four generations of his children.

Tibits:

Job was a stubborn guy. I think most of us would have genuinely begun to question ourselves at some point (before God).

God never said anything to Elihu. Does that mean he was correct (or at least close)?

Thoughts:

There are a lot of lessons we can learn from Job. We can learn about genuine prayer. We can learn about comforting friends. We can learn about enduring hardship with integrity.

But I think the thing that struck me the most, perhaps what bothers me the most, is that Job was never told why.

We always try to find ways to justify our pain.

I went through this at that point in my life so I could learn…

I went through that so I could be a help to other people when they suffered through it too.

I went through that because I disobeyed.

And while those things may be true (or may not), we are always focused on why. We need a why.

I don’t know if it’s based in our distaste for authority or just a need to feel like we’re important enough to demand a reason.

I always need to know why. Why would someone act that way? What could possibly motivate someone to say…? I want to understand people’s reasons for things (psychologically and otherwise), but really I’m just nosy and need to feel important/powerful. If there’s a rule I want to know the reason behind it. That way I can decide whether or not the rule is worth following.

Job was never given a reason. God addressed Job, but he didn’t really answer why.

Job is never told that God was showing him off. Job never gets any inkling that Satan was challenging God to a duel and he was the gun.

Part of me finds this disgustingly unfair.

Job went through this because he was such a good guy. He was so filled with integrity that his life was allowed to be torn apart.

The story of Job is one I struggle with often. How could God allow this to happen?

But if God had explained the whole situation to Job, would it have made a difference? Would Job have understood?

Probably not.

I use this analogy a lot, but I can see God looking at Job (or any of us) like a small child throwing a tantrum.

It’s not fair! I don’t deserve this!

Squealing and stomping and kicking because we’re angry about something that is over our heads.

And that’s the real rub: I don’t have an answer. I don’t understand.

While there are morals to the story (call them application points if you want), there isn’t really a neat resolution like we would expect. We’re kind of left hanging (like Job).

God is sovereign. God is so much larger and more encompassing than we could possibly imagine. His purposes and ideas are so far above anything we could understand.

The story just ends. Happily ever after… as long as you don’t want to know why.