“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa November, 2024 No one knows why Job suffered. Perhaps it’s simply an example of what life is like. The Talmud, a collection of writings of Jewish law and tradition, teaches that Job was one of three advisors to Pharaoh, and when Pharaoh plotted the murder of all the male Jewish babies (Exod. 1:15-16, 22), Job didn’t speak out against it. And now, because of that, God was punishing him. Another interpretation is that Job’s suffering represents Israel’s suffering in the Exile as punishment for breaking its covenant. But both interpretations have one idea in common: that Job somehow deserved what happened when it’s pretty clear that he didn’t (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3). Then we get to chapter 9 and Job says, “‘Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God. / That’s why I say, “He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”’” (9:22 New Living Translation). Job’s faith in God’s righteousness has started to fray, even if it’s just a little, and the book isn’t even half over. The Talmud says Job didn’t “sin with his lips, but in his heart, he did.” And some Rabbis say this is when it happened. While Job was suffering, he must have been sad and confused. He thought God was amusing Godself at his expense. Finally, we get to chapter 38 and God appears and says to Job, “Where do you get off questioning me? Only one of us is God, and last time I looked, it wasn’t you.” (38:2-4 paraphrased.) God goes on and on like that for four full chapters. And Job never gets a good explanation for what happened (and neither do we) except “I’m God and you’re not.” Fortunately, God doesn’t stop with just chastising Job. Instead, when everything was done, “. . . the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.” (42:12a NLT). Paul knew something about suffering. Here’s what he had to say to the church in Rome: “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Rom. 8:18 NLT). Our call is not to have all the answers, our call is to have faith. But sometimes, circumstances can make it hard to keep believing, it can be challenging to have faith. James wrote, “. . . when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (Jas. 1:2b-3 NLT). But troubles don’t feel joyful when they’re happening, and they didn’t feel joyful to Job. Worse than being tormented by God, we can feel abandoned. But David the psalmist wrote, “I can never escape from your Spirit! / I can never get away from your presence! / If I go up to heaven, you are there; / if I go down to the grave, you are there.” (Psa. 139:7-8 NLT.) God may have appeared to be missing for all those chapters when Job was suffering and his friends were lecturing him, but I believe God was there all along. Whatever comes our way, whatever we go through, God was there before us and God will bring us through it. Rejection? Jesus was there. Loss? Jesus was there. Pain? Jesus was there. Death? Oh, yes, Jesus was there. Job didn’t know it, but God was there all along. We can never run far enough, we can never be so lost God can’t find us, because God is already there. Things might not turn out the way we want, but God will be there. So keep the faith and don’t bet against God. “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.” (Jas. 1:12a NLT.) (Based on a sermon I preached at Centenary UMC in St. Louis, September 15, 2024) Copyright © 2024 by David Phelps
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