Job is an honorable and righteous man who loses everything. His family is killed; his livestock is captured or killed; and he is afflicted with an ulcer that reaches from the “sole of the foot even to the top of his head” (Job 2: 7). Having lost virtually everything the distraught Job demands an explanation from God as to why he has been victimized by this evil. Job expects God to justify His actions. God responds defiantly:
1” Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said: 2 ‘Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words? 3 Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me. 4 Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding.’” (Job 38: 1-4)
And later:
3 “’Wilt thou make void my judgment: and condemn me, that thou mayst be justified? 4 And hast thou an arm like God, and canst thou thunder with a voice like him?’” (Job 40: 3-4)
Stunned and realizing that the servant has no right to question the master, Job apologizes profusely:
2 “’I know that thou canst do all things, and no thought is hid from thee. 3 Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have spoken unwisely, and things that above measure exceeded my knowledge. 4 Hear, and I will speak: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me. 5 With the hearing of the ear, I have heard thee, but now my eye seeth thee. 6 Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes.’” (Chapter 42: 2-6)
Job learns the difficult lesson that we all must learn: God’s ways are not our ways. And because He is the Omniscient Creator, He is not required to justify His actions to us, His creations. Our responsibility is to accept and trust in His decisions, acknowledging that His plans are beyond our understanding.
Make no mistake about it. This is a lifetime endeavor that does not sit well with our emotions or our intellect. Our instincts tell us to rise up in rage against God . . . and that is okay. God doesn’t expect us to be robots. What He does expect from us is Faith—Faith in His mercy and His love. Faith is not an emotion. It is an act of the Will. It doesn’t mean living life oblivious to evil and suffering. Quite the contrary it means that despite evil and suffering you believe that ultimately our lives are in God’s protective hands. Faith is the reed NOT swayed by the wind.
No, Job’s way will not prevent bad things from happening to good people. Nor will it prevent pain and anxiety from reaching us. But it really is our only choice when facing the miseries of this world.
One side note: Interestingly, once Job allows God to be God, his fortunes return in twice the amount he had previously. Perhaps this is the Lord’s way of saying that if we stand fast by our Faith now, the rewards in the afterlife will be greater than we could ever expect.
Donald Tremblay
