Good morning, all!
After a good night's rest, I'm ready to tackle the passage, so here we go.
1) I had to share this statement from a commentary by Elmer B. Smick which helps capture the essence of the book. He says, "The Prologue introduces us to Job as a man of faith and shows how his fortunes on earth were directed by heavenly forces beyond his control. But its full purpose lies even deeper... With this prologue, the purpose of the book is clarified - to show that in a world where evil is a reality, good people may appear to unjustly suffer, but that such injustice is precipitated by the Accuser and, though permitted by God, it is an expression of God's total confidence that the faith of his servant will triumph" (Job, The Expositors Bible Commentary, Zondervan, 1988. pp. 878).
2) Again, Job is considered to be blameless and upright. He even goes out to sacrifice for his children to protect them after they had great parties. Sounds like a devoted father and a very righteous man.
3) Then the scene cuts away to the spiritual realm, where the "sons of God" (supernatural beings that are below God but above humans, and possibly angels) come before the throne of God. Then enters hassatan, the Accuser, or as we've come to call him "Satan." (Cue the church lady from SNL "Could it be, SATAN?!?!"). If my understanding is correct, Judaism does not understand Satan as the enemy of God, but rather as "the Satan" or "the Adversary" who works for God and apparently makes the decision to choose good over evil difficult. That seems to be the understanding that is put forth in Job . What we know understand as the Christian concept of Satan developed over some time and, by the close of the New Testament, Satan was now understood as God's enemy. Here, however, we must be true to the original understanding and see Satan as the Accuser, the one who is not to destroy but only test/challenge humans before God.
4) Great calamity befalls Job at the hand of the Accuser. I alone have escaped to tell you. A random story: Many of you may remember back in May of 1985, there was a large tornado outbreak in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. For those unfamiliar, the rarity of this event makes it quite memorable and it is now embedded as a part of our local cultural story. Anyway, I'm told that when one of the tornadoes took the roof off of a church in Western PA, the pastor later entered the wrecked church to find that the Bible on the Altar was opened to Job, chapter 1, and this was the passage that caught his attention on the page: "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.". Creepy. But the point is that Job looses everything here: his oxen were stolen, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sheep, his servants were killed and their camels stolen, and worst of all - a great wind (possibly a tornado) swept away the house in which his children were partying. It was as if everything was taken from him. "And I alone have escaped to tell thee."5) Job begins to mourn. Yet he says, "'The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.' Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." I think we are probably first tempted to start asking God "Why?" And yet Job's first thing is to simply bless God. He may have been angry with God, He may have been upset that it happened (and we will find that this is the case in the near future), but He never rejects God. What a very hard thing to do in the face of calamity. And yet, by doing this, Job blesses and does not curse God - and the work of the Adversary is foiled.
6) Then it gets worse: The Adversary goes to work again. He smote Job with boils. Job's wife says, "Haven't you had enough. Why not just curse God and die already!" But then Job does a funny thing and says, "You talk like a foolish woman. What, should we only accept good from God and not accept adversity?" Some people would say yes, but Job says no: and it seems that there is a depth of understanding here upon which we must meditate. If we were in Job's shoes, what would we do? Would we curse God and die, or would we bless Him? What is the model of Job? Is it the correct model? Again, don't think Job doesn't get angry with God or upset with him - we spend most of the book wrestling with his comments and complaints against God. It's just that he doesn't reject God.
7) The three friends. They come to mourn with Job, to sympathize with him and to comfort him. They go through the typical ritual of mourning and do not even speak to him for seven days. Finally, Job lets out a song of lament and mourning. It's pretty moving poetry here, and any who have undergone some kind of suffering or hardship in their lives can relate to these emotions and sentiments.
8) Then the friends try to comfort Job. DISCLAIMER: the following several chapters are an example of what not to say to people who suffer in their lives because they lack an understanding of the bigger picture.
9) However, Eliphaz the Teminite has some interesting things to say here. "Behold you have admonished many, And you have strengthened weak hands. "Your words have helped the tottering to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees. "But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; It touches you, and you are dismayed. Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?" It's like the time I was told, "I thought you were a Christian - you aren't supposed to complain or be upset." Although the complaining part could be correct, what is implicit in this is that true followers of God should basically act like they've had a frontal lobotomy. Eliphaz says, "You've encouraged so many others in the mourning; and yet here you are whining and complaining. Isn't your hope in God." I just want to scream "You moron! What, is he not allowed to express emotions or grief?" Am I allowed to say that to a biblical character? I will anyway.
10) He goes on to start then talking about human sinfulness. I know where he's going with this, and he's going to come to a pretty idiotic conclusion, but we'll get there later in the day. One statement that jumped out at me was: "Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?" It seems to me the implied answer is no, not on his/her own merit. Or, from this perspective, even if he/she can, it is quite difficult. Either way, this part of the statement is a real downer, a very stoic, unfeeling, sense of doom and gloom for all humanity.
Well, on that wonderful note, I hope you all have a great and blessed day. The peace of the Lord Jesus be with you!
In Him,
Pastor Nathan
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