Day 16: Job

Job is one of the more interesting books in the Old Testament. As early as the late 6th/early 7th century, commentaries were being written by great thinkers of the faith (one example would be the Magna Moralia of Gregory the Great).

There have always been questions about Job - such as "What exactly is the 'Leviathan' referred to in the text?" & "Is Job a retelling of real events or some sort of Old Testament 'play' meant to illustrate a spiritual point much the way the parables do in the New Testament?"

Add to that the deeply personal nature of Job and the emotions conveyed in its words and you have a recipe for a good book.

Worst. Friends. Ever.

Much of the book centers around speeches made by Job and three of his so-called "friends." Prior to the speeches, Job undergoes a litany of terrible events: he loses all of his property (and he had been very wealthy), his children are killed and he is afflicted with a bad disease. It is while Job is mourning for all that he has lost that his "friends" show up, ostensibly to bring comfort to their wounded friend.

I put quotes around "friends" because whatever these three men are, they are not real friends to Job. Each of them spends the majority of their speeches trying to convince Job that he has somehow sinned and brought all the calamity on himself. Meanwhile, Job protests his innocence. Over and over the cycle repeats itself - Job proclaims innocence while his "friends" pronounced him damned. It's enough to make you wonder why Job even puts up with these guys.

It also brings to mind an experience I had some years back. I was working at a church when I first recognized that I was having issues with depression. When I went to my boss to seek counsel, though, he simply asked me if I had prayed about it...as if whatever was going on in my head was being caused by a lack of prayer or some other spiritual misdeed. I distinctly remember what I felt when he said that - ignored, diminished and unheard. My boss - from whom I sought comfort - became an agitator instead, condemning me instead of comforting me.

Perhaps the moral here is that it is better to be silent than to say something stupid. As difficult as it is for me, I have learned that when I am in the presence of deep grief, sadness or other emotion, I am much more helpful if I simply keep my mouth shut. To be sure, Job's "friends" could have been better friends if they would have foregone their strange need to condemn.

Defending God? (Job 13.2-7)

The following verses stood out to me on the page as if they were in bold font:

"Are you defending God with lies?

Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?

Will you slant your testimony in his favor?

Will you argue God's case for him?

What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?

Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?

No, you will be in trouble with him if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.

Doesn't his majesty terrify you?

Doesn't your fear of him overwhelm you?

Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.

Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.

In a time when we are quick to come to God's defense with proofs and arguments in favor of his existence and logical PowerPoint presentations that prove Jesus is the son of God, these words should provide a much needed caution. We have to be careful in our apologetics that we do not get off-track, that we do not cross the line in our zeal. It is not okay to do anything to win souls - we have to work within the boundaries of Scripture and of good morals. Should we fail to stay within those boundaries, we will find ourselves in the place of defending ourselves to God for our out of bounds efforts.