COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #2: The Book of Job

Once again I have put some words together, aimed at my Bible Study participants, that I trust will offer hope during this challenging time. The Book of Job seemed like a good source for that hope, so I made it the center of this reflection. 

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Responding to a request from one of our Bible Study regulars, I decided to offer a view – a necessarily brief view -- of the current crisis through the lens of the Book of Job. Given the suffering experienced by so many throughout the world today, it was an excellent suggestion. Many are turning to God in prayer, begging for His help as they face not only the possibility of serious illness, but also unemployment and future uncertainty. Others, in the face of real suffering, turn from God in confusion or anger, asking why they or their loved one have become victims of this virus. They blame God and ask how a loving God could inflict so much pain on so many. And, of course, there are some who accept their suffering, who see it as a gift, as a means to deepen their faith, or as a sign pointing the way to a closer, more intimate relationship with God. All of these can benefit from the story of Job, a man who suffered much and also prefigured our Lord, the Suffering Servant [Is 52:13-53:12].

If you have not already read the Book of Job, or if you haven’t read it recently, I encourage you to do so now. Consisting of 42 chapters, Job is not a brief book, but given our situation in the midst of stay-at-home sheltering, I expect you all have more than a little extra time on your hands and should be able to spend some of it reading the Bible. If you are sequestered as a couple, I suggest reading the Book of Job together, aloud, perhaps pausing occasionally to share insights and questions.

You will find that the Book of Job tells a wonderful and interesting story, one that focuses on the meaning of pain, suffering, and tragedy, these ever-present aspects of the human experience. Many of the ancients, among both Jews and Gentiles, saw material blessings or misfortunes as manifestations of divine rewards or punishments. Prosperity was believed to be the result of virtue while sin brought misfortune. In a most wonderful way, the Book of Job challenges this too pat explanation of God’s governance of creation. It does so by introducing us to the book’s title figure, a man named Job. Not only is Job largely innocent and underserving of punishment, but he also calls into question the traditional explanations offered by his so-called friends.

As you will discover, the Book of Job provides no quick and easy answers to some of the key questions that have hounded humanity from its beginnings. But by challenging the usual answers to these questions, this ancient book offers many profound insights into humanity’s evolving understanding of suffering and its relationship to reward and punishment. Most importantly, for you and me as Christians, Job offers an introduction to and a prefiguring of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and its message of redemptive suffering and the paradox of victory in defeat.

Our story is set in the land of Uz. No one knows for certain where Uz was located, but many scholars believe it was somewhere east of Edom, not far from the land of the Chaldeans. The book’s opening verse tells us much about the story’s protagonist:

“In the land of Uz there was a blameless and upright man named Job, who feared God and avoided evil” [Job 1:1]

Job, then, was not an Israelite, but like many in the ancient world he had apparently come to know the God of Israel [Job 1:21]. The book was surely written by a Hebrew, a man of deep wisdom who occasionally turned to the Book of Proverbs for support. He offered insight into God’s plan for salvation, a plan that extends the hope of salvation beyond His chosen people. Here we also get a glimpse into what Israel thought about God’s relationship with the pagan who lacks the benefit of revelation, the man to whom God has not yet spoken. From the very beginning Job shows us that all men wrestle with God, a mysterious, silent God who guides the universe in ways far beyond man’s understanding. The pagan’s God is one who does not explain himself, and this is the God we encounter in the Book of Job. The book, then, takes us into the ancient past, to the past before God spoke to Abraham, and in doing so asks as many questions of man as it does of God. 

Job begins with a prose prologue [Job 1:1-2:13], which provides context in the heavenly realm of Job's character and the circumstances of his suffering. This is followed by several lengthy and highly poetic dialogues between Job and his friends, as well as revelations from God Himself [Job 3:1-42:6] – all addressing Job’s suffering and his relationship with God. The book concludes with a brief prose epilogue [Job 42:7-17] in which the friends are rebuked, and Job’s life is restored. It also offers Job at least partial answers to his questions. 

The first two chapters or prologue describe a dialogue between God and Satan during which Job is depicted as a truly righteous man. And yet, despite Job’s righteousness, God allows Satan to attack him. As a consequence, Job is stripped of his family, his possessions, and his health. This dialogue, and the suffering that results, highlight God’s sovereignty and provide some initial insight as to how we should respond to the suffering that comes our way. 

Today, in the midst of this pandemic, many are asking some of the same questions we encounter in Job. How did this happen? Where is God? Is this a punishment? Some use the fact of the pandemic to deny God’s very existence: no loving God would allow this. Others simply blame Him for the suffering they or those they love must endure. Witnessing Job’s life, we find a man who must endure great suffering, a man who has lost everything. And yet Job perseveres in his acceptance of God’s sovereignty. 

In one sense, the sovereignty of God is one of the key themes of the book, a theme repeated throughout Sacred Scripture, especially in the Psalms. For example,

Say to God: “How awesome your deeds! Before your great strength your enemies cringe. All the earth falls in worship before you; they sing of you, sing of your name!” [Ps 66:3-4].

Or one of my favorites:

Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases [Ps 115:3].

Yes, God is Sovereign, a theme repeated again and again throughout the Psalms. [See Ps 47, 90, 93, 121…]

In Job we encounter another equally important theme: God is just. It is a theme perhaps best expressed by the prophet Isaiah:

Truly, the Lord is waiting to be gracious to you, truly, he shall rise to show you mercy; For the Lord is a God of justice: happy are all who wait for him! [Is 30:18]

The Book of Job examines humanity’s suffering and its relation to our sovereign and just God. It calls forth the same kind of questions people ask today. Is God’s justice different from human justice? Does He personally apply His justice in our world? Or does He simply watch as humanity applies its own imperfect brand of justice? What’s more important, our health or the worship of God? Indeed, is God better than life itself? 

As we make our way through Job, we come to realize that a true understanding of God’s sovereignty and justice is beyond our comprehension. Indeed, in Job it is revealed that our limited human view of God’s creation makes His justice incomprehensible. 

We are, therefore, encouraged to accept God’s sovereignty and realize His infinite value, that He is more satisfying than anything earthly. God is not to be cursed; rather, He must be worshipped and loved – and, yes, even feared – in the midst of our suffering. But that fear of God, that gift of the Holy Spirit, is merely an acceptance of the reality of God’s all-encompassing sovereignty. He is Creator; we are His creatures. But we were created in His image and likeness and created in love. 

Like much of the Old Testament, the Book of Job foreshadows New Testament thought. Consider, for example, how the Apostle James views Job’s faithfulness: 

“As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” [Jas 5:10-11].

Compassion and mercy, even in the midst of suffering, are manifestations of God’s love for us, and display God’s true character. Even though God gave Satan permission to bring conflict and suffering into Job’s life [Job 1:6-8], there still remains the reality of God’s mercy and compassion. God loves His people, just as He loved Job. Despite death, sickness, financial upheaval – all these effects of the current pandemic – we must first consider the character of our God.

God communicates directly with Job, providing answers to many of Job’s questions [Job 38:1-42]. Job is reminded that his understanding is limited, and that God is the creator of all and through His power keeps creation whole. God continues by revealing that even in His omnipotence and omniscience He extends compassion and mercy to His people, the creatures He created out of love. God, therefore, is more than an observer, more even than a participant; He is the ruler of the world, a revelation echoed by the prophets [Amos 3:6; Is 45:7]. As ruler, God alone governs sickness, life, and death:

“Is it not at the word of the Most High that both good and bad take place?” [Lam 3:38]

Today, as we cope with the current pandemic, we can be certain that God rules over our sufferings and our fears. We can, therefore, turn to Him in our pain and reaffirm the response of Job:

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” [Job 1:21]

Despite all that he has lost – his children, his possessions, his health – Job will not react by cursing God. Note how Job responds to his wife when she tells him to curse God:

“We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?” [Job 2:10]

Remarkably, then, for Job the losses he has experienced instill in him a desire to worship the Lord. In the same way, our response to suffering should be one of reverence and worship. God wants us to recognize His sovereignty, to worship Him, and pray that He will intervene and relieve our suffering. 

Are we willing to examine our own fears and our response to God in the midst of this crisis? Can we look more deeply, beyond the obvious, and come to recognize the good that God has brought? Can we bless God for these gifts? 

Job understood that we should not add to our sinfulness by cursing God in the midst of suffering. For Job the only suitable response is to turn to God in humility, and in prayer and adoration. We see this reflected by David in the many of the Psalms, for example:

"My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not fall. My deliverance and honor are with God, my strong rock; my refuge is with God. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge!" [Ps 62:6-9].

We must also recognize that the suffering Job experienced was not the result of his sinfulness. He was not being punished. On the contrary, God acknowledged Job’s righteousness three times in chapter one. You and I cannot comprehend the mind of God, and the pandemic we currently face is not necessarily related to our sinfulness. Yes, God disciplines us…

The discipline of the LORD, my son, do not spurn; do not disdain his reproof; For whom the LORD loves he reproves, as a father, the son he favors [Prv 3:11-12].

Knowing this should lead us to repentance. It should deepen our faith and cause us to turn to the Good News of redemption in Jesus Christ. It should not cause us to blame the suffering so many are experiencing on their sin. In Job, it is revealed that through suffering and pain that there is no greater good, no greater love, than God.

Job seemed to understand almost instinctively that family, possessions, and health are not the source of true happiness. The ultimate satisfaction we all seek can be found only in God Himself. Once again Job prefigures the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” [Mt 10:37-39]

St. Paul brings this teaching to the reality of his own life when he instructs the Philippians:

“But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ” [Phil 3:7-8].

We too, as we make our spiritual way through this pandemic, must recognize that our hope cannot be found in physical health, or in other people and things. As St. Peter reminds us, our hope is only in our loving God, even in the midst of suffering: 

“The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. To him be dominion forever. Amen” [1 Pt 5:10-11].

God is here. He is Emmanuel – God with us – and He continues to rule over the entirety of His creation. Some will be restored from their suffering in this life, and others in the next, but God has promised salvation to His faithful ones:

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death'" [Rev 12:10-11].

And how can we not turn once again to the prophetic words of St. Paul as we seek peace and comfort?

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" [Rom 8:28].

Savor and bask in the glory of God today. As I walked through the near deserted streets of The Villages in this morning’s pre-dawn hours, I couldn’t help but notice that all of creation continued to praise its Creator. A nearly full moon hung over the western horizon while the morning’s first light painted the eastern clouds red. I watched as the planets – Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter -- all named after false gods, faded one after another in the first light of day. The birds, too, greeted the rising sun with a medley of glorious songs. 

Yes, indeed, it is the Rising Son that all creation celebrates during these three holy days of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Thank God for this today. Thank our loving Father, the God of Job, for sending His only begotten Son to live as one of us, to die for our sins, and to destroy death through His Resurrection – all so we can enter an eternal life of happiness with Him.

As we await the end of the current crisis, we should learn from Job who placed his hope in God, knowing that God’s plans, God’s will, cannot be thwarted by any power. 

I see the image of Divine Mercy hanging of our wall and the words, “Jesus, I trust in You!” Trust in God’s mercy. Trust in the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords. Trust in the God who suffered to provide us with life and peace.