Trust Us
We Know What We Are Talking About
Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good.”
Job 5:27 (ESV)
Recall the author Victor Hugo?
He wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.
He once stated that if all of literature was lost and we had only one we could keep, he would pick The Book of Job.
I find that profound.
Today Job (pronounced Jōb) is one of the obscure books of the Old Testament, possibly the oldest, no one is really sure.
It fits into a group of books of poetry along with Psalms and Proverbs, and is also considered wisdom literature.
This means it contains lessons worth learning.
And yet, in spite of this, most people today have never read it. If you haven’t yet, you should. And do it with some friends. Read it out loud and discuss it.
The theme of Job is on the question How should good people suffer?[1]
And it is written in a structure similar to an ancient Greek play filled with dialogue -- some people arguing with Job trying to explain why his suffering is the result of some secret horrific sin he refuses to confess; and Job trying to explain why he is innocent of committing a sin deserving such punishment.
As with all great literature, there is more to the story.
We the audience or readers know something the players in this drama do not.
The book opens with a scene in heaven between God and Satan, and Job is the subject.
Here we learn that Job will endure a suffering that is not the result of him sinning or being a sinner, but because Job is actually considered righteous by God.
Satan argues that the reason Job is good is because God is protecting him.
This sets up the test.
What will a good man, someone who loves God, do when he encounters suffering?
And make no mistake about it. Job's suffering is beyond the pale. No one in literature personifies suffering as much as Job does — with one exception.
One of the challenges of this book is that the arguments on both sides have a reasonable ring to them.
They are ideas we hear even today about why people suffer.
“They deserve it!” is a good argument until you are the one suffering, then it just heaps more coals on your head. No doubt about it, Job's suffering was enhanced by the visit of his three so-called friends.[2]
The statement I began this post with — "We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself” — is the final statement of the first "friend" trying and explain why Job is suffering.
What he said represents the opinions of many.
He explains that righteous people don't suffer and since Job is suffering, he therefore cannot be righteous.
Nothing like a good dose of false nebulous guilt to aid in recovery.
It’s easy to judge the circumstances of others without having a real clue about the matter.
I think had Job taken this friend’s advice, he would not have recovered.
It was, in fact vital, that Job speak up and actually put words to his own pain, even when he had no idea why he was suffering.
It was necessary as part of setting the stage for his complete and profound healing.
[1] Note that the book is not about why people suffer. Job never receives an answer to this question even though this is what he wants God to tell him.
[2] Later two others visit Job and their words actually aid in Job's recovery. I don't want to give away a good ending.