Job, Why?

Have you ever endured hardship? Maybe it was the loss of a loved one or a terminal illness. Maybe you faced difficulties at work or school. All of us, at one time or another, must face situations and times that are hard. All of us inevitably ask why.

One of the great things about the Bible is that there is a book that deals with this very issue. The book of Job is the first of the five books of wisdom. As we discussed last week, the wisdom literature is different from the books that come before it. They are poetic, not historical, in nature. They also are focused more on the human response to God.

As we dig into the book of Job, I think we shall see that it is a very different book than what we normally picture it to be.

Background

Not much is known about the background of the book of Job. We do not know who wrote it, nor do we know when it was written. We don't even know when the person of Job lived. Some have suggested he lived during the days of the patriarchs, the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Others suggest that he lived much later. The simple answer is we don't know. 

Another important thing about the book of Job that I have mentioned before and can't stress enough is that it is a book of poetry. This is an epic poem. It is not trying to relate exactly when, where, or how events happened. Instead it is trying to make a point based on events. 

Themes

The book of Job revolves around one, central question; why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? 

For a long time I didn't know that this was what the book was all about. Every study I have been in that centers on the book of Job never makes it past chapter 2. We spend all of our time on the first two chapters and then, if we are lucky, we skip to the end. 

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You are in a class studying the book of Job and you naturally start at chapter 1. You reach the verse that mentions Satan presenting himself before God and someone asks the question, "Why is God talking and making a bet with Satan?" The class then stops being a study of the book of Job and becomes a discussion on the relation between God, angels, Satan, and other things.

This is what usually happens. Now that isn't a bad discussion to have, but it doesn't fit the book of Job. The book of Job is not trying to have a discussion about Satan and God's relationship. In fact after chapter 2 Satan is never mentioned again! Chapters 1 and 2 are simply a set up for the rest of the book. The point of those chapters is this; Job is righteous man and God allows bad things to happen to him. 

Done. The other 40 chapters of the book are where the meat is. Job is wondering why these terrible things have happened to him. His friends are trying to provide answers, but they are coming from a very narrow point of view. They think that God is like a vending machine. Put in righteousness and out pops blessings, but put in sin and out pops judgment. They assume that since Job is facing hardship he must have sinned. 

Through all the hardships and not so helpful friends, Job refuses to turn his back on God. He does question why God is doing this to him, but he never abandons the position that God is right. At the end of the book God himself arrives and speaks. What's interesting is that God doesn't answer Job's question of why. God helps Job realize that he couldn't possibly understand the mind of God. 

It is also interesting to note that God does not fault Job for asking the question. God does challenge Job to listen and be willing to accept that he doesn't know everything, but God doesn't say Job shouldn't ask the question of why. 

Theological Point

Why do bad things happen to good people? How could a righteous God allow such evil in the world? These are questions that not only we have as Christians, but much of the world has as well. They are natural questions to ask in the face of such sin and brokenness. The book of Job tackles these questions head on and systematically walks through various human answers. 

The hard part for us is learning the same lesson that Job did; we don't deserve an answer from God. Job refuted his friends' accusations that he sinned, but he drew the wrong conclusions about his own status with God. He thought he deserved an answer. God arrived on the scene and it became very apparent that he owed Job nothing. 

God is God and we are not. It is impossible for us to fully comprehend the mind and nature of who God is. As we ask questions of God in our grief and anger, sometimes he answers and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes the answers make sense and sometimes they don't. We must realize that God owes us nothing, and even if he did answer us fully we probably wouldn't be able to comprehend it anyway. 

The lesson that Job learned is to trust fully in God no matter the situation. No matter the agony or grief he endured, God was God and he was not. The same goes for us. No matter the losses we face or the hurts we endure, no matter whether we are joyful or full of sorrow, we must fully trust God. 

Conclusion

The book of Job speaks to us at our lowest, when we are in grief and pain. It reminds us that God is beyond our understanding, which is exactly why we should trust him. It tells us that it is OK to ask questions to God, but not to demand answers. It also reminds us that God's answers don't always make sense to us.

When we read past the first two chapters we see a book that isn't afraid to be honest about who we are. We are a broken people who live in a broken world. We are a people who search for answers, but we must realize that what we really need is God.