Job in the Bible is complicated. I would venture to say it's as complicated as Revelation. It's a frustrating book to read through. Obviously your heart goes out to Job. God is portrayed as the "god who just stands on the sideline" and lets evil go to work. Just reading the first two chapters I'm sitting on Job's sidelines and cheering for him: "You can do this!" Ironic, because the first minute trouble comes my way, where's the easiest way out? I only read through chapter 5 and it sucks. I've read it in the past, however it's amazing when you read God's word, and then read it several months or maybe year later how much more is revealed. We feel bad for Job. While reading I'm not happy at God. Then again the author of life, creator of this universe has every right to do what He wants, what's my happiness at Him have anything to do with it? Who am I to question God for his motives? Maybe Job's rubbing off.
Eliphaz says something interesting in chapter 4 about the wicked. My concern is not about the wicked, but what God can do: "at the breath of God they [wicked] are destroyed; at the blast of His anger they perish. The lions may roar and growl, yet the teeth of the great lions are broken. " Related to yesterday's post, it's amazing to read what God can actually do with a single breath. Wow. His holiness is not just this amazing, loving, gracious God, but the God with a single breath can declare me dust. We rarely talk about God in this manner. Too frightening, too fundamental, not what society wants from Him. "We want love and peace, man!" It seems to me, we're heading into a direction where our views/demands of God is the way we want God to be like. Period. If I don't get my desired goal/thing/prayer request, God is then something of a jeenie in a lamp, that we tell him to go away. Then pick Him up, rub the side of piety to get Him to appear again. I may groan and tremble like Job while reading these next 42 chapters, but imagine what I may come to know.
Photo: Job's face, woodcut by Sevak Karabachian.
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