SEEK 21 – The Book of Job
Question: Can you justify the book of Job?
Bible Reading: Job ch.1
Text: ‘At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
may the name of the LORD be praised.”
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.’ (Job 1:20-22)
What an interesting question! In some ways it ties in with question 16 – because it is all about suffering.
The poet John Milton wrote an extraordinary poem – one of the greatest ever written in English – called Paradise Lost. In it he said that his purpose was ‘to justify the ways of God to men’. You have asked me to justify the book of Job – possibly the greatest poem ever written in any language. Why is it in the Bible? What does it all mean? In one way it seems a really horrible story – and yet in another way it deals with exactly the same subject that Milton was writing about – the relationship between God and suffering.
I have preached through the whole book of Job – twice. The first time I did it I wasn’t sure how I could. Would it not be a bit heavy for people? After all it is 42 chapters of death, megadeath and more death! It just seems so miserable. And yet I have never had a greater response from ordinary people, than I had for this book. Why? Because it’s a book that deals about the realities of life, and the questions we all have. And it does so in a deep and intense way.
When we were in the midst of Covid and not able to get out much I recorded a series of short five minute talks called ‘Coffee with Job’ on YouTube. We ended up doing 140 of them! For many of us it was so helpful – just seeing how the Bible is applied to normal life.
And at the time of writing this I am working with a filmmaker as he seeks to bring the book of Job to the big screen. It’s such a dramatic, poetic and moving story.
So, I don’t feel any need to ‘justify’ the book of Job. It justifies itself.
But perhaps you mean – can you justify the storyline? After all Job suffers so much – and for what? Again, I don’t feel that I can or have to justify that story. Because it is, admittedly in a much more intense form, the story of us all. We are all born into a world of suffering. We all suffer. And we will all die. In Disneyland it’s hard to face up to that reality. But we don’t live in Disneyland! We live in the real world – the world of Job.
Is the message of Job really ‘we all suffer – just suck it up – that’s your karma!”. Not at all.
The key in Job is that God asks Job deeper questions, than Job asks God. This is a poem about worshipping God, seeking answers in humility – and above all it is a book about Jesus. All the suffering of Job finds its absolute height in the suffering of Jesus Christ. Job looks for a Redeemer. Jesus is that Redeemer. Has there ever been a greater statement of real faith that this from Job in the midst of his agony?
I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27)
I love the variety that there is in the Bible – the historical books, the books of the Law, the gospels, the letters, the prophets and the poetic books – Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Psalms, and of course, the book of Job. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit inspired this great poem – and for the enormous source of comfort, teaching, encouragement and above all revelation of the beauty of Christ, it has been. I would strongly recommend you sit down and read the whole book for yourself – meditate on it – discuss it with others. I’m pretty sure you will soon find it justifies itself.
Consider: What would be missing from the Bible if the book of Job was not in it? In what ways does Job give us a picture of Christ? Will you sit down and read through this whole book?
Recommended Further Reading:
Job – The Wisdom of the Cross – Christopher Ash (This is a big book and it is a commentary. But don’t let that put you off. But it’s so brilliant and really readable. You will love it!).
Paradise Lost – John Milton
Prayer: O Lord God, like Job we know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Like Job we confess that too often we speak of things we do not understand and too wonderful for us to know. But we thank you that you are not a God who remains silent. You speak. You question us. And you draw us to yourself. O Lord, even though this part of your word may we come to see your Son, in his Name we pray – Amen.
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SEEK 20 – God and Swearing
A book on Job aimed squarely at the average parishioner is the seventh book in the guide series produced by Evangelical Press titled Job and written by Peter Bloomfield.
Peter was the Bald Hills Presbyterian church minister in Brisbane Queensland for many years. Peter takes the reader “through the book of Job revealing it as a powerful antidote for well-meant but simplistic answers to life’s problems.”
Peter writes from an orthodox Evangelical Reformed position and his book has been a great help to many in understanding how God is in control and that it is “his wisdom that calls us to a life of patience and perseverance, trusting in his compassion and mercy.”
I found a little book by George Philip (brother of James) very helpful in Job. A very rough paraphrase of something he wrote that I thought was good went something like the following: ‘ Job didn’t realise that behind his incomprehensible suffering God’s glory was at stake. God had staked his reputation on Job and Satan was determined to prove him wrong. In Job’s life a cosmic battle was being fought’.