Some Thoughts on the Book of Job

By Alex Webster

Sermon notes, 15th, October 2006. Job 23:1-9, 16-17 

During October, some of the lectionary readings are taken from the book of Job. I want to make a few introductory remarks about Job. 

The question of genre. What type literature are we dealing with? Is this a true story? (This is usually taken to mean, “Did this actually happen?” The (unhelpful) question asked in Sunday School, “Boys and girls do you believe this story – could God really have done this”? If a book or story begins, “Once upon a time in a land a long, long way from here there lived a …”. 

Some clues to the genre of Job. The land of Uz. The perfect or well rounded numbers. (Note must be taken of the numbers of animals at the beginning and at the end of the story – exactly double) The “stage managed” calamities – 4 messengers with exactly the same ending, “And I alone have escaped.” 

Two natural disasters and two by human hand 

The Sabaens were feared warrior from the South 

The fire from heaven – lightning from the West 

The Chaldeans were feared warriors from the North. 

The great wind from the desert – disaster from the East 

The clincher for me (Job 1:4) – “Job’s sons used to go and hold feasts in one another’s houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them”. (Yeah, right!) 

What then is the book of Job about? What issues are raised in this book? I would like to suggest that there are four main topics covered in the book. They are as follows: Firstly, why do we suffer? Secondly, do the innocent suffer? Thirdly, how should we conduct ourselves during suffering? Fourthly, what is the God we worship like? This morning I want to look at the first two questions. Why do we suffer and do innocent people suffer? 

Why do we suffer? This is a question about the origin of suffering. Someone has suggested that a feature of our world is a desire to know the origins of things – what causes things to take place. Behind this type of questioning is the assumption that if we knew why it might make things easier. Another reason we want to know about the origin or source of something is that we are convinced that any problem we face can ultimately be solved. 

There are a number of reasons put forward as to where suffering comes from. I was interested to watch part of an Assignment programme on TV that was looking at the way in which some of the Balinese people are dealing with the bombing in Bali that of course has had a devastating long-term effect. Most Balinese are Hindu and they are asking the question, “What have we done wrong”, in what way have the gods been offended? Underlying this question is clearly unease at the changes brought into their world in the pursuit of the tourism dollar. 

Many people look on suffering as being part of some plan for us – it is through suffering that we grow and learn the true value of life – we learn what is really of value. In this view it is God who is ultimately allowing or causing the suffering – God has a higher purpose in mind and this purpose will become plain in another realm and in another time. This line of reasoning is sometimes illustrated by the “tapestry” story – all we can see is the reverse side – God sees the finished article. Of course this may hold true in some cases but there will be so many exceptions that it is only of very limited value. Friends of ours lost their 12-year-old son when he was knocked off his bike and killed. A minister friend of theirs told them that he had seen that God saw this boy like a beautiful flower in God’s garden and he was picked by God! All of these kinds of explanations arise because we are convinced that there must be a reason and that the reason is knowable. 

What does the book of Job tell us? Does it explain why suffering happens or what is its origin? The short answer is “No”. The reader of Job is not helped if this is the reason for reading the book. We need to notice that Job has no idea of what is taking place outside of his world. He has no inkling as to what is taking place when the angels parade before God. We, the readers, have a glimpse of another realm but even that is totally unsatisfactory. It appears that God allows or gives permission to this being called the Satan to afflict Job. Even if that were the case and in my view we cannot take this literally. But if it were the case that the Satan is given some kind of permission we still don’t know the reason for it. The only hint we get is that this is the result of some kind of divine game. God boasts to all and sundry about how good Job is, the Satan challenges this claim and so we have the story. Of course this is a laughable explanation and it is meant to be that way – the writer of Job is saying to us, “Don’t even go down that track”. The reason is simply not given out. I can suggest two reasons for this withholding; Firstly, perhaps we would not like the answer if we knew it or secondly, perhaps there is no reason – suffering happens, end of story. I think the second explanation is the best one – for me! 

A second question about suffering is both raised and convincingly answered by the book of Job. Is there such a thing as innocent suffering? The answer is a resounding yes. Job’s innocence is demonstrated to us in exaggerated fashion in this story. The author of the book attests to Job’s innocence, Job himself protests his innocence and finally God attests to Job’s innocence. 

Look at Job’s report card in the first chapter – he worshipped God, he was faithful to God, he was a good man and he was careful not to anything evil. Remember the feasts that Job’s sons used to put on? Well it seems that Job did not attend them. (He certainly wasn’t present on the day they were all killed) Perhaps Job felt that the feast got a bit out of hand. We are told that the morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them in case one of them had inadvertently insulted God. Job lived a faultless life and even had an insurance policy for his children – just in case. We are told at the end of chapter one that after losing everything he had, “Job did not sin by blaming God”. This is repeated after Job is afflicted with the terrible skin disease, “In spite of everything he suffered, Job said nothing against God”. The message if the story is clear – if there ever was an innocent person then Job is the leading contender. Job suffered and so we know that the innocent do suffer. So the book of Job has a clear message, perhaps you do not need to blame yourself – suffering is not always a matter of desert. 

So we cannot answer the “why”, but we can partly deal with the “why me” question. If there is no obvious cause of suffering don’t try to find one. Suffering is not some form of divine punishment. Most of the book of Job is taken up with dialogue between Job and his three friends. At the end of the book of course, the advice and theology of his friends is shown to be short of the mark. His friends, generally speaking, held to the view that sin and suffering a linked together – if you suffer you must have done something wrong. Listen to Job’s good mate Bildad – listen to his words of comfort. 

Job 8:1-6 “Are you finally through with your windy speech? God never twists justice; he never fails to do what is right. Your children must have sinned against God, and so he punished them, as they deserved. But turn now and plead with Almighty god; if you are so honest and pure, then God will come and help you and restore your household as your reward.” Notice the “if” in this statement, clearly Bildad does not think Job is innocent – his logic is simple, straightforward, but wrong – his logic goes something like this, “You are suffering therefore you cannot be innocent, your suffering proves your guilt”. 

It is interesting to note that right at the end of the book, God comments in Job’s three friends. (Job 42:7-8) All that they have said is summed up in two verses and only one of his friends, Eliphaz, is named. We are simply told that God is angry with them because they did not speak the truth about God. They are told to offer a sacrifice and to get Job to pray for them and then they will not be disgraced, as they deserve. Punishment for their folly is only averted when the righteous and still suffering Job prays for them! This turned their reasoning on its head because for them how could God answer the prayer of a sinful person? 

We are therefore left in no doubt as to the value of the link between suffering and sin – seeing suffering as divine punishment is based on faulty logic. The last thing a person needs when they are suffering is to be told that it is their fault. The very people who could be of help, the very people who could stand with the sufferer only add to the pain and what is more they declare that even God cannot help them because they are wrong. 

Now it is true that we often do suffer because of choices we make. If we violate so called laws of nature, we run the risk of paying the toll. To bring God into the equation is not helpful. In the late seventies, a well-known Christian singer died in a light plane crash. Following this “tragedy” I read all kinds of explanations as to why it had happened and what God was doing or saying. The best explanation I discovered was that the plane was overloaded. The inquest that included the report of the accident investigators revealed that the aft luggage locker was overloaded, this affected the centre of gravity and the plane simply stalled on takeoff – God does not over-ride the theory of flight. There are not a group of angels assigned to protect Christians when someone makes a basic error.

It is also true to say that many people caught up in a tragedy do experience personal growth – many say that they have been brought loser to family and to God. In the case I have just talked about, the wife of the singer took over the ministry that had surrounded her husband; she was very successful and clearly “grew” through the experience. She may well have said that in the end God “took” her husband but that is only a metaphor, a manner of speaking and in my view is a very unfortunate metaphor. It seems to conjure up an image of God that is more like the grim reaper – an angel of death. 

Suffering and tragedy are part of life; they fall on the just and the unjust. It doesn’t really matter why such things happen. Some are shaped on the anvil of life, others are gently moulded. We are all called to take life and to live it to the full helping each other to come to our full potential – a potential seen and demonstrated in Jesus of Nazareth.