Suffering in a
Time of COVID-19: A New Reading of Job in
the 21st Century – Part I
This was going to be part of a book, and perhaps it will be
one still someday. However, with the advent of COVID-19 and the havoc it has wreaked
on the world, I felt that the message here could not wait for publishers…nor for
my tedious proofing process. Rather, we need some answers now. So, here are
some thoughts that I hope will help people see this pandemic and this virus for
what it is. Here in Job, we find a way to
understand suffering and evil and pain and loss in a way that is theologically
consistent with Scripture and Christian message—but this is a different reading
from what the reader may have encountered before.
This essay (and those
that follow) grew out of a sermon series I preached back in 2016. But, don’t
read this as a sermon. I’ve reworked these words more into a more conversational
format for ease of reading. The message, however, has not changed since 2016…and
I would argue that the message has not changed since these words were first
penned in ancient Hebrew 2,500 years ago. However, our understanding of the
words has changed. And, my hope is that after readers have considered these
words that they will never read Job the same again.
May this pandemic pass
soon. May we survive these unprecedented times. May the God of Job be with us…and
may we trust in that God, our good and gracious God, to carry us through and
into better days.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beginning at the
End
Job 1:1-22
Today, we begin a journey. Perhaps
this is a new direction for you, a new destination, a first-time visit to this
ancient place; perhaps you are returning yet again to a well visited landmark
in your life of faith. We travel back in time to the Old Testament to one of
the most read books: the Book of Job.
Job the man has himself drawn us in
for centuries. We talk about ‘the patience of Job,’ but do we know where that
idea really comes from? Is this truly a story that tells us about Job’s
patience?
Many
may know that the book has to do with suffering—something common to all of us. This
theme of ‘suffering’ draws us in. We all want to understand suffering...and
learn how deal with suffering, how to understand why we have suffering in our
lives.
We
suffer emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically. We suffer
illness, depression, ‘faith-fatigue’…if not we ourselves, our loved ones
suffer. Wired as we are, we want answers—why?
With
this in mind, let us begin the journey now into this ancient world to see what this
book teaches us about Job. And, since we Christians hold that God inspired the
writing of our Biblical texts, let us then see what this book teaches us about God
. . . and about ourselves.
Getting Started
1In the land of Uz there
lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared
God and shunned evil. 2He had seven sons and three daughters, 3and
he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen
and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the
greatest man among all the people of the East.
4His sons used to hold
feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three
sisters to eat and drink with them. 5When a period of feasting had
run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in
the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps
my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular
custom.
6One day the sons of God
came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Adversary—Satan—also came
with them. 7The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord,
“From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8Then the Lord said to
Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him;
he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9“Does Job fear God for
nothing?” Satan replied. 10“Have you not put a hedge around him and
his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so
that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But now
stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse
you to your face.”
12The Lord said to Satan,
“Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do
not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from
the presence of the Lord.
13One day when Job’s sons
and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14a
messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were
grazing nearby, 15and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them.
They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to
tell you!”
16While he was still
speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the
heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has
escaped to tell you!”
17While he was still
speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding
parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the
servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18While he was still
speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were
feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19when
suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of
the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who
has escaped to tell you!”
20At this, Job got up and
tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21and
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.”
22In all this, Job did not
sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Job
1:1-22 (NIV)
And oh
How He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us
how He loves us oh
What a contrast between that song and the text
of this passage! “How He Loves Us”…and then the words of the Book of Job—words of
loss, destruction, and suffering? Are we talking about the same God here? What
a seeming contrast between the God in song who loves us so, so dearly and this
seemingly capricious God of the Word who wills or allows the worst to happen!
What is going on? Well, that is exactly what we’re here to find out.
Beginning at the End
In order to understand the opening
chapters of this book, we need to know the whole story. Without knowing the
whole story, we cannot make sense of the beginning.
Have you ever watched one of your
favorite television shows, and in the opening scene, the door of the apartment
is just slightly ajar and the main character—the hero or star—is standing there
over a dead body with a bloody knife in his hand with a stunned, shocked look
on his face? You know there has to be more than meets the eye, there has to be
some explanation for what you have just seen. There is no way—NO WAY—your
favorite star or actor could have killed someone with the knife in hand, or at
least there must be some terrific explanation. After the commercial break, the
show resumes with “12 hours earlier...”
at the bottom of the screen. You have to watch the whole show in order to make
sense of the first five minutes.
The same is true of the Book of Job—we can’t read only chapter 1 and
say, “Ah! Wow! I’ve got it!” If we do,
we presume a very simplistic, Western plot-line. We’re reading Ancient Near Eastern
literature—something written long before the genre of ‘short-story’ or ‘novel’
were even a thing. We cannot make the same presumptions about the narrative
here we might make if we were reading a generic novel published in 2019. So,
how do we read the Book of Job? We read this book, all of it, with the end in
mind. So, let’s get a preview of the story so we can come back to the
beginning.
Job begins—as we have already seen—as
a story of loss, pain and destruction. And, it gets worse! After Job loses
almost everything—his health included—his three ‘friends’ come to bring him
counsel, to help him through this all. Their worldview is one of “cause and
effect,” or as it often rendered with respect to the Ancient Near Eastern
peoples, the “Retribution Principle” or karma: A general belief that doing good
resulted in good, prosperity; doing bad resulted in bad, harm, illness.[1]
Since
this is how they see the world, the good friends spend chapters of the book trying
to get Job to admit he has some sin in his life—“You had to have done something
bad, Job, or things would be going good for you.” For them, nothing else serves
to explain Job’s losses, his suffering. Job gets frustrated with them, and they
with him. Finally, in Chapter 38, God steps into the picture and shows Job that
he—Job—really has no clue as to what is going on in the world, that his
understanding of things is so shallow, so limited. In the end, God restores all
of Job’s fortunes and more besides…gives him a new family…and thus ends the
book.
The very important thing to see in
this story is that in the beginning, Job has such a limited view of things, a shallow
understanding of realaity, that…well, Job
is wrong. He is wrong about God. He is wrong about how the world works. He
is wrong about himself. He is not evil or demonic or anti-God; he is simply
wrong, mistaken…something any of us could be at any time.
Really,
this should not be a surprise to us. Most stories—even the ancient ones—begin
with the main character in one place—geographically, emotionally, relationally,
spiritually—and then he or she embarks on a journey of experiences and thoughts
that leave the character in a new place, with a new and greater understanding. Just
read the story of Moses, or Ulysses, or other ancient narratives.
Where
is Moses at the beginning of his story? Unsure, untrusting, hesitant. Where is
Moses at the end? Certain, faithful, bold.
Where
is Peter at the beginning of his story in the Gospels? He walks around braggadocios,
usually with one if not both of his feet in his mouth. Where is Peter at
Pentecost? A changed man with a new humility and greater understanding.
In
the same way, Job at the beginning of this story is simply wrong (perhaps ‘ignorant’
would be a kinder description.) Now that we know Job is just plain wrong, we
can come back to the beginning and deal with what we find there. Let us find
out what Job is wrong about.
Sovereignty ≠ Universal Cause
One of the key doctrines or
teachings of the Scripture and the Church is the “sovereignty of God.” We talk
about our God as “omnipotent,” all-powerful. We claim this truth, and we rightfully
find a great deal of assurance and security in such a statement. However, we
then tend to make a great leap of logic—and when we do, we’re wrong.
Our
great, erroneous leap of logic goes like this: If God is all-powerful, if God
is omnipotent, then God must control (i.e.. cause) everything that happens in this world. That is, everything that
happens is because our omnipotent, almighty, all-powerful God is making it
happen. This, my friends, is not only a false and unbiblical assumption, it is a
dangerous assumption. And, it is the assumption Job (and later his friends) makes
here at the beginning of this narrative.
“The Lord gave and
the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
At best, Job is
half right in this statement. Yet, I’ve heard Christians quote this bit of Job’s
bad thinking so many times.
Unfortunately,
one of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is anchored to this false
assumption and based on this passage from the Book of Job—“You give and take
away, You give and take away, My heart will learn to say, ‘Blessed be Your
name...’”[2] The tune is catchy, and
some of the lyrics are really good, but the underlying premise is that God does
all of the giving and taking away in our lives—a seemingly capricious God
brings good and evil, joy and suffering into our lives.
The
contemporary song that perhaps most poignantly captures this worldview is “Thy
Will” by Hillary Scott & the Scott Family. Ms. Scott’s voice is beautiful,
enchanting…but the lyrics reveal this same mistaken view of reality, something
contrary to a biblical worldview.
The lyrics include
these lines:
I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of your
plan
And later in the song:
I know you're good
But this don't feel good right now
These lyrics claim
that God has broken our hearts, that our good God brings ‘not good’ things our
way but also bad, painful, hurtful things as well. God is omnipotent and all-causing in the lyrics of this
song.
Perhaps
some people find real consolation in ascribing everything to God. However, as Leslie
Weatherhead points out in that wonderful little volume, The Will of God, if we console someone with a lie, in the end there
is no real consolation.[3]
Perhaps
somewhere along the way you, like me, have said these words—with the very best
intentions—to those we’ve known, hoping to provide a bit of comfort to someone
in a time of loss: “God is in control…the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” How
many times I have stood with the loved ones at a funeral service or in the
‘receiving line’ at the funeral home and heard these kinds of words:
“God
only takes the good ones.”
“I
guess God needed her more than we do.”
“We
all know, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.”
Many people seek
consolation in thoughts like this, finding some kind of peace in assigning even
the most horrific things to God. In any other situation outside of a funeral, I
would stop the person then and there and ask, “You think God gave this woman
cancer?” “You think this young man was taken by God? I thought is was the fool
driving drunk down the middle of the road!” (I would do it kindly, but—really—we
must bring an end to this damaging way of thinking.)
As
we go forward, we will unpack all the ways this kind of thinking, this kind of
theology, is more than wrong; we will look at how it is harmful and
destructive.
So, let us get back to this issue of
the ‘sovereignty of God.’ We like the idea of our omnipotent, all-powerful, all-in-control
God directing all the happenings of our lives. But, there is a problem with
that approach to life.
If
God is so completely sovereign that everything happens at God’s bidding, will,
and desire, how does that allow for or account for the existence of evil, the
evil one, Satan, the Devil? If everything
is from God, then “evil” has no need to exist, or evil is just a term we use
for those acts of God we don’t like.
Surely,
taking the Biblical text into account, that is not true. From the very beginning, in the Garden, evil and evil
forces exist. In the New Testament, Jesus wrestles with the devil in the
Gospels in his wilderness temptation. Paul writes about Satan and the devil...and
about “powers of this dark world” and “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12).
In our world, evil—contrary-to-God-forces—exist as Satan, the Devil, demons, illnesses,
disasters…whatever stands in direct opposition to the goodness and grace of
God. Add to that the reality of “free will”[4]—the human capacity to
reject God’s will and ways—and we find that there is plenty that can go ‘wrong’
in this world.
So,
if evil exists and impacts our lives, what about the sovereignty of God?
Some
of my students and colleagues at a seminary where I teach who ascribe
unswervingly to the absolute sovereignty of God would be quick to argue that
“God simply ‘allows’—in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and wisdom—the evil to reign
briefly in order to teach or discipline us.”
For
this situation in Job, in their understanding, God basically steps back and
allows the Satan to abuse Job. But, would this be to teach Job or to discipline
him? If we follow this line of thinking as we go to this text, we find—not
suggested but stated—that God is doing neither…neither teaching nor
disciplining Job; rather, God is allowing the Satan, the Accuser, to prove to
himself if Job is truly faithful to God or if Job is only situationally
faithful.
That
seems rather capricious of God. (Some would hit the brakes here and ask, “Who
are you to question God?” Well, in fact, I would be joining a host of biblical
examples in questioning God, so I gladly join their ranks—Abraham, Moses,
David…and most of the prophets!)
Or,
perhaps something else is true. Maybe we’re not dealing with a capricious God.
Instead, something else is going on in this text…and in our own reality.
Perhaps God—all-powerful, omniscient—voluntarily limits God’s own
sovereignty. God, the omni-everything, chooses NOT to be omni-everything
(when One is omni-everything, One can certainly decide not to be omni-everything or decide not to play the omni-card.)
For
argument’s sake, let’s presume for a few paragraphs that God steps back and
allows another force to reign in Job’s reality, a force that is evil, hurtful,
destructive. Let’s see how this plays out if we look at things from that
perspective.
Job the man is simply wrong in thinking
that God is doing to him what he is experiencing. We need to read this passage
again and see what is really going on here…to see who is doing
the giving and who is doing the taking.
God is Challenged
In the opening part of this chapter,
the “sons of God” have come before the LORD, and “the Adversary” is there as
well. (Who the “sons of God” are may be a fun question to pursue, but we can
presume that these beings are probably on God’s side.) Rather than dive into a prolonged
discussion as to whether the Adversary and Satan and the Devil are all the same
person or being, perhaps we can simply agree that these beings—whether one in
the same or different creatures—all of them run contrary to God and the things
of God.
In
this opening scene, the Adversary taunts God regarding Job, saying that Job is
faithful only because God is protecting and blessing him, that if God’s
protection and blessing were not there, Job would curse God. In short, this is
akin to calling someone a “fair-weather friend,” or, in this case, fair-weather
faithful—like that person who praises God, goes to church, serves on
committees, and smiles...as long as all is well. Once some part of their life
crashes, they disappear, they fall apart. They fall off the faith wagon. The
Adversary is betting Job is fair-weather faithful.
And, then what happens in Job’s
story? Well, if God ignores or dismisses Satan and his accusations, it would be
the same as admitting this is true—Job is faithful only because all is well
with him. So, what does God do?
12The Lord said to Satan,
“Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do
not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went
out from the presence of the Lord.
First of all, going “out from the
presence of the Lord” is never a good thing. It is to walk in darkness. It is
to be in a way that God is not, to be where God is not. And, when we think of
Satan, this is exactly what we expect—the Adversary, the Satan, is one who
operates outside the will and reign of God.
Then—and this is very important—we
need to see who is doing what in the life of Job. “…Everything he has is in your power….” Who is the cause of the Sabean raid? Who is
the source of the devouring fire? (The servant says ‘fire of God,’ but he’s
living in the same mistaken understanding as Job and his friends, thinking
everything is from God!) Who is the source of the Chaldean attack? Who is the
source of the desert winds? Not God. Satan is the one who brings all of these
calamities to bear on Job.
Therefore, a better, truer utterance
on the part of Job in his situation would have been, The
Lord gave and Satan (the Adversary) has taken away….
Interestingly, this is not the only
occasion in which God and Satan have this sort of conversation. Evidently,
Satan is astounded again and again that people would actually love God and want
to serve God. So, Satan seems to want to prove this to himself from time to
time by testing God’s people.
Look at Luke 22:31 in the New
Testament. Jesus is speaking here to his disciples just before his crucifixion,
just before they arrive at the garden for that agonizing time of prayer. Jesus
says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to
sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may
not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
So, here again, Satan comes before
God and asks to test the faith of God’s people.
As I read this first chapter of Job
again and as I read through this passage in Luke, I keep asking, Why? Why would God allow Satan to do
this? What is going on? These don’t seem to be times in which God is somehow
‘disciplining’ the faithful for unfaithfulness or teaching an important lesson.
So, what is going on?
Perhaps
you saw it before I did. As I read and reread the words of Job 1 and Luke 22,
it quite suddenly hit me. I am not talking about some idea that popped into my
head; I am not talking about some clever re-reading or rewriting of Scripture
to fit my own preconceptions. The truth is right there in black-and-white (or
red, if you have a red-letter Bible) in those last words of Jesus on this topic
in Luke 22: “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers….” Not “if” you turn back, but “when”
you turn back. What does that mean?
You see, we talk a lot about
trusting in God, of having faith in God. One of the things the book of Job
teaches us, and what Jesus shows us in Luke, is that God has faith in us. God was so confident—trusting, believing—in
His servant Job that He could allow Satan to do his foolishness…and He was confident that Job’s faith would not
fail—regardless of the circumstances of life. Jesus was so confident in his
band of disciples that he could allow Satan to “sift them as wheat.” In the
same way, God has faith in us—in you, in me.
Let that sink in:
God…has…FAITH…in…US!
We’re not talking about a salvific
faith, that God trusts us for God’s salvation…as if that could ever be. We see
here a confidence that God has in God’s people. Even though Job was wrong in his
understanding of God, he was confident in God. Even though his worldview was
simplistic and incomplete, his simple faith in God—in the goodness, rightness,
and trustworthiness of God—was true and sure.
Wrapping-Up
Perhaps some who are reading here
have made that same leap that Job did, mistakenly believing that everything that happens is from God. Unfortunately,
too many ministers and churches have propagated this false notion (though with
the best intentions.)
Job teaches us—better, reminds
us!—that there is an ‘adversarial’ power (or powers) that/who wants to see us
fall and fail. Satan is the one who takes, divides, destroys and kills. We see
this evil, contrary-to-God power in the world around us robbing us health,
happiness, and wholeness.
As I write these words, the COVID-19
pandemic has most of the world locked in homes, many people out of work, and
far too many frightened. I have already heard some say, “This is God punishing
us for our sins.” Some have indicated that this is a “Chinese” thing—God punishing
those “godless atheist, communists.” (Except China has a rapidly growing
Christian community[5],
and there are now more infected people in ‘Christian’ countries.)
No. This is the power of evil
robbing people of the gift of life that God has given. I may not go so far as
to say that the virus is a demonic force, but I will say that this virus is
possibly a result of powers and people living apart from or in opposition to
the will of God.
As
mentioned above, God—the sovereign, omnipotent, all-powerful God—has given us
‘free will’: the ability to make choices that are with or against that same
God. So, the Adversary can act against us, we can act against God…and the
results are NOT God’s will or God’s doing.
Another
foundational doctrine and belief of the Christian faith is that God is exactly
who we find in Jesus Christ—How He Loves Us! God is exactly as James describes
Him—Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change (James
1:17)...that is, God is the source of all that is good and perfect.
That same God—in whom we trust, in
whom we place our faith, to whom we lift our prayers and praise — that God has
faith in us, trusts us to trust in Him. How shall we now live knowing that the
God of the universe, the Creator, has faith in us? The Creator has confidence
in us!
When we encounter the trials and
pains and hurts of this life, let us not make the mistake of Job and think God
is the cause of our suffering. In these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, let us
not imagine that this from God. Let us claim the truths we find in Scripture that
God is on our side, that He is the author of all goodness and blessing. And,
let us hold fast to that promise we find in Paul’s letter to the Romans:
And
we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who
love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans
8:28 (NLT)
Our good, loving, amazing God will
bring good out of this.
Amen.
[1]
“Major Background Issues from the Ancient Near East,” NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Craig S. Keener and John H.
Walton, eds., (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers, 2016), xxxv – xxxvii.
[2]
Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name.” 2002.
[3]
Weatherhead, Leslie D. The Will of God. Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury
Press, 1944.
[4]
We will address this issue in detail in another essay. Stay tuned!
This is an abridged copy of a paper posted originally here: https://www.academia.edu/s/f00fb94bd8?source=link
No comments:
Post a Comment