“The whole book of Job is about the question, Who is right about Job: God or Satan?” –Dick Keyes
That bothers me.
Job’s family died. He lost all his possessions. He developed painful sores. He had to deal with a nagging wife and insensitive friends. The guy was put through the fire and his life was pretty much destroyed (at least for a season). And for what? So that God could win an argument with Satan?
In angrier moments–those foolish moments which Asaph talked about in Psalm 73—I’ve shaken my fist at God and placed myself in the position of Job. When suffering doesn’t make sense I figure God has a bigger purpose and plan, you know, like winning a chess match against one of his cloven angels. Who is right about Mike? God or Satan? Well let’s put him through some intense suffering and find out.
And that ticks me off. At least in my dark and angry and dull moments.
But you know why that upsets me? It upsets me because I value safety and security and smooth sailing above the approbation of God. But that’s not all the way true. I can handle speed bumps. I’m not looking for no suffering. It’s the really bad trials that confound me: the ones where I feel completely undone and lost and empty and helpless and hopeless. I’m talking about the times when I feel as if the darkness is going to swallow me whole. In those moments I’d prefer a cease to the suffering over the smile of God.
That’s really what God is doing, helping me value His approval as the treasure it truly is. And that’s what he was doing in Job’s life. This “chess match” isn’t for God’s own sake. “Who is right about Job?” isn’t a battle taking place so that God can win an argument. It’s taking place for Job. That’s hard to see when you’re picking at your sores whilst sitting on a heap of ashes and mourning the death of your beloveds. But what is going to happen is that Job is going to come through this fire and he is going to have something more valuable than anything.
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The book of Job shows us that God is right about Job. And he’s right about Job because nobody can snatch Job out of God’s hand. All the forces of hell can come against him and his faith is going to stand—even when it totters and weakens and questions and looks as if it’s going to be dashed upon the rocks. His faith is going to stand because God’s purpose for Job will not be thwarted.
There is a line that I stole from another pastor that I say at almost every funeral I am given the opportunity to preach. I say something along the lines of this: “If ____ could come back for one moment, seeing what he/she has now seen, I’m confident that they would say that Jesus is worth it. He is the greatest treasure in all the universe. If you have Jesus you have everything.”
Do I really believe that? If I do, then I understand that “Who is right about Job” is one of the most significant questions of the universe. If God is right then everything is settled. And He is right not because of Job’s faith but because of Jesus’ accomplishment.
Checkmate!
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