29 October 2006

Job 42:1-6, 10-17

We’ve been following the story of Job for the past three weeks in the lectionary. Today’s reading culminates the lectionary’s selections from Job. Job is part of the wisdom writings in the Hebrew Bible, which are those writings, like the Psalms, Proverbs and others, that don’t fit into the categories of the law and the prophets. Job is a story to remind us of God’s greatness and power. Today’s reading concludes the book of Job and gives it the happy ending we all want.

At the beginning of the book, we first heard how Job was a blameless and upright man: a man with whom God was pleased. But in a sort of bet with God, Satan gets to inflict sores all over Job’s body. Job’s wife wanted Job to just curse God and get it over with. But Job remained a good and righteous man—even through the itching and the scratching. In the process Job loses everything he has, including his family. Over the following two weeks we hear short selections of the 42 books of Job.

The parts that the lectionary left out are long discourses by friends of Job, who show up when they hear of Job’s suffering.. They come and sit in silence for seven days with Job. Just sitting there as he’s rubbing his sores. Maybe they’re stunned by Job’s misfortune. Perhaps they are planning what they’re going to say—because each of them has a lot to say.

The friends of Job basically have three things to say (since there’s three of them it makes sense). According to Anna Grant-Henderson, an Old Testament scholar in Australia, the friends come with three basic premises:

1 “Eliphaz comes with the basic premise that the innocent never suffer permanently. He believes that Job is essentially innocent and consequently his suffering will be over soon (Clines:1989, xl). But even the most innocent of humans must expect to suffer deservedly.
2 Bildad is even more convinced about the doctrine of retribution after seeing the demise of Job's family- they must have been very wicked. However, Job is still alive and there must be some hope for him
3 Zophar has no intention of trying to lessen the sin for Job. He is guilty because he is suffering and even worse, Job refuses to acknowledge it, therefore he is a far worse sinner than anyone could have imagined. Zophar offers little hope.” (http://oldtestamentlectionary.unitingchurch.org.au/2006/October/Pent21Job42_06.htm)

But none of them seem to hit the nail on the head as far as Job is concerned. They all far short. Job hasn’t sinned and Job doesn’t deserve any punishment.

Then, Job raises his voice in question to God, Godself. But he claims he doesn’t know where to find God. God seems to be absent in the midst of all this, Job says. “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face,” Job says (23:17). I don’t think anyone us fault Job in the midst of all this. Who wouldn’t take his side? Where is God?

Well, God has a few things to say to Job, finally. We heard some of God’s words last week: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?” (38:4-7) In other words, do you really think you’re significant enough to question me? God doesn’t really provide an answer to Job or the friends about Job’s suffering.

In today’s reading, as I said, we get the happy ending. Job answers back to God and basically says that he didn’t know what he was talking about and that God’s majesty is beyond human understanding. And then God restored the fortunes of Job, to twice what they were before.

An interesting side note that has scholars and others wondering is that oddly enough, Job’s daughters are named in the book: Jemimah, Keziah and Keren-happuch. But his sons are not named. And the author of Job further goes on to point out that Job included his daughters in his inheritance. This would truly be an unheard of thing during this time period. Did the author of Job want to emphasize how tremendously gracious God had been to Job and that Job was passing that on? We may never know.

The book of Job is all about suffering and God’s place in that suffering. I’m reminded, through all of this, of what I consider to be the worst funeral sermon I’ve ever heard in my life. It was at the funeral of my Uncle Gerald, who had died after a long, difficult and painful struggle with cancer. The preacher at the funeral said, trying to explain why my uncle’s life at the end had to be so difficult, that perhaps it was because of some small sin that he had committed in his childhood. That was not a satisfactory answer to most of my family there that day.

We try to explain suffering. We try to understand why some people suffer and others don’t. We try to attach suffering to actions or behaviors. But none of it makes the sufferer any less unhappy with his or her suffering. But what do we believe about suffering and where do we believe God is in the midst of suffering?

I don’t believe that some evil form personified, such as the devil, goes around and attacks people just to see how faithful they are to God. Nor does God inflict suffering so that God can see how faithful the sufferer remains. Nor do I believe that God metes out suffering to us according to our sinfulness.

We are just mere humans, as Job learned, who have no idea about God’s ultimate majesty. But I do believe that God suffers with us. As each human goes through suffering of whatever kind, God is there with them.

The book of Job is instructive to us. Not because it answers the big questions about suffering, but because it reminds us of God’s power and God’s majesty in the midst of suffering. This is not about justice—it is about God’s mercy. And God’s mercy is wider than we can imagine.