Take This Job and Shove It!

When people are really mad at work, and old expression was "take this job and shove it."  In another context, it seems like I run into people inside and outside the church who when it comes to the book of Job, are basically saying shove and shelve this book.  When you hear people tell the story, they tell this story badly.  God is like the divine torturer who makes a backroom bet with Satan to make Job's life miserable.  Even Job's children are killed by God watching it all and letting it all happen.

The ancient cultural background and backdrop to the story is not some private bet between Satan and God.  Modern people read this story in the worst way and take Pascal's wager and bet against God or there must be no God at all.  If there is a God, it certainly is not the moral monster and tyrant described in the book of Job. 

This testing of Job was not hatched in some secret meeting rather it is decidedly public before the heavenly assembly (heavenly court).  The prologue is letting the reader in on what's happening behind the scenes which Job has no idea about.  Again, this is for the reader's benefit and not some quick surface reading of the text for people to stand over the text making their own authoritative judgements.

Like Job, we need to come to this story with humility and listening ears rather than a faultfinding spirit like Job's friends.  Spiritually, there is the descent of Job and the story's climax is Job's ascent.  There is always a cost to spiritual awakening.  Real faith is forged in Job's trials and suffering where every assumption he had about God was put to the test---even God's goodness.

In the story of Job's with it's beautiful poetry, are many reversals.  Job was powerful, rich and gave generously to the poor and the oppressed.  Now Job is weak, powerless, oppressed and in utter poverty.  He had literally lost everything except his faith in God.

Job has no where to run and no where to go but to God.  But God is silent and this is the one thing Job can not stand.  He longs for death but even more longs for God to speak to him.  When God does speak, he does not answer Job's questions but takes him on this grand tour of the cosmos.  God shows him the wonders of creation and even the creatures of the earth that lived in the wilderness that people did not care much about.  Here is God who cares even after the creatures that seem to have no value to man.  Job's awareness grows through the conversation until he simply breaks down before a holy sovereign God.

Job is no longer distracted by material things, family, or wealth.  Like a mystical experience or encounter with God, Job has seen the other side and lived there for some time and is profoundly changed by it.  Job has a cosmic vision of God that changes everything from how he sees himself, the world and God.  The book of Job does not answer the problem of pain and suffering but it does call us to have a greater vision of God and his created cosmos.