I recently finished the story of Job, and I am very grateful that I did 🙏
(Source: https://blog.cph.org/study/job-an-overview?hs_amp=true)
The Book of Job is perhaps one of the most controversial stories in the Bible. It has been widely misinterpreted by readers, myself included. I, too, used to believe that God "punished" Job for no other reason than to show Satan what a devout follower Job was.
However, like many others, I was wrong.
The book begins by introducing us to Job. "This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). He was very blessed in life, with many sons and daughters, and plenty of lifestock. "He was the greatest man among all the people of the East" (Job 1:3).
One day, however, Satan approaches God, and God begins to admire Job in front of him. Satan asks, "'Does Job fear God for nothing? ... Strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.'" (Job 1:9-11) So God gives Satan permission to do what he will to Job, except end his life. Satan destroys everything and everyone that Job has, even inflicts him with sores, but Job does not curse God.
"'Shall we accept only good from God, and not trouble?'" (Job 2:10)
(Source: https://www.kouya.net/?p=12594)
After this, Job sits with some of his friends, and they all mourn together. However, Job becomes very self-righteous in his suffering. He curses the day that he was born, saying it would have been better to have died than to suffer this fate. He questions God's justice, how sinners are meant to be punished for their sins, yet some go on to live full lives.
"'Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come?'" (Job 3:20-21)
"'Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power? ... Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone! We have no desire to know Your ways.'" (Job 21:7-14)
His friends try to dissuade his opinions countless times, but Job rebukes them each time.
"'Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?'" (Job 4:17)
Job wishes that he could plead his "case" before God.
"'Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?'" (Job 8:3)
It is not until Job's friend, Elihu, says his part that everyone starts to listen. Elihu reminds Job that God does not make errors with His justice, and that it is not our place to question His judgements.
"'I am pure and without sin; I am clean and free from guilt. Yet, God has found fault with me.' ... But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man.'" (Job 33:9-12)
Job believes he is an upright and is being unjustly punished; however, Elihu reminds him that we are ALL sinners! Therefore, no one is ever exempt from God's judgement. Elihu also reminds Job that God desperately tries to correct our sinful behaviors, so that we might be saved from the pit of Hell before it is too late.
"For God does speak ... and terrifies them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit." (Job 33:14-18)
"Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. He repays a man for what he has done; He brings upon him what his conduct deserves." (Job 34:10-11)
Then God comes, and finally answers Job's pleas -- and He is NOT happy! 😅 God reminds Job of all the wonders He has done, how no man can EVER be fit to question Him.
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? ... Surely you know!" (Job 38:4-5)
"Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? ... Tell Me, if you know all this." (Job 38:17-18)
"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer Him!" (Job 40:2)
In the end, Job recognizes his mistake; he realizes that he was wrong to question God's judgement. And so, Job and his friends repent, and God eventually blesses Job with even more fortunes than before.
"After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10)
Again, Job was a sinner, just the same as the rest of mankind. And if you are still confused on what that sin was -- it was pride. Everyone, excluding Elihu, believed that they knew better than God! They all believed in the human dogma of retribution: that those who live justly should be rewarded, and those who live sinfully should be punished. However, this is viewing things from a HUMAN perspective, and God does not operate according to human belief.
For example, people blame human or earthly disasters on God, that "no loving God would give a child cancer," not realizing that such tragedies are not His doing. We were promised that suffering would accompany our choice to have freewill, as well as the fact that Satan was supposedly given his domain to rule over. Contrary to popular belief, not EVERYTHING is God's will.
(Bear in mind -- NOBODY was actually present for the supposed conversation between God and Satan in the Book of Job. It was most likely a fictional account, made up by someone trying to portray God's message)
We also need to consider that what we see as punishment could actually be PREPARATION. Sometimes tragedies befall us in order to mold us for our purpose here on earth. For example, I can choose to view our miscarriage as unjust punishment, OR I can choose to see it as God saving me from something else. Maybe our child would be born with complications that we couldn't afford to treat. Or, maybe our child would have perished in a terrible accident. Or, more likely than not, perhaps God was saving me from myself, the same way He corrected Job's outlook and saved him from the pit of Hell.
