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People of Hope, Part II Sherry Lohman – Oct. 11, 2009 Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Today we begin part two of the story of Job; a folktale about the life of the good and blameless man, who is pious, to a T. A quick synopsis for those of you who were not here, last Sunday. Job’s life has been well-suited. He has a great family, a home and an abundance of livestock. But imagine God and Satan, the antagonist, looking down upon Job and having a conversation—a conversation that quickly becomes a duel. Satan’s role in the story, is to ask the tough questions; legitimate questions that we might ask. He wants to know, or maybe prove, that Job is faithful, so long as things are good in his life. But what happens if life goes the other direction, and Job must contend with suffering, when there are no benefits for his goodness--will he still be loyal to God? With God’s permission, and the condition that satan not take Job’s life, satan puts Job to the test. Job’s life is spared, but his children and livestock are obliterated. He might have preferred death, to the suffering he must now bear. Along with his losses, he becomes covered, from head to toe, with sores./ Job’s wife is ready to throw in the towel, but Job---he remains faithful to God. “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” He asks. In all of his trials, Job does not turn from God. Thus far, we are pressed to consider how we think of God. Does God’s character, as it is reflected in this story resemble the God you know? And how do we make sense of suffering? Job’s comment to his wife, about receiving the good as well as the bad from the hand of God, implies that suffering may be imposed by God. It might if we put things in the perspective of Old Testament times. In antiquity, reverence to God/awe, was wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 puts it nicely. “The fear (awe/reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Wisdom falls within an orderly creation under God. Everything has its place. Anything beyond that order is assigned to evil. God/Job and goodness/wisdom and the good life on one side, and evil/Job’s cursing wife, foolishness, and suffering on the other. So then, if something bad happens to you, you may quickly find yourself on the other side…a consequence of your wrongdoing. You get what you deserve, “good begets good,” and God is the one doling it out. That’s sometimes referred to “just retribution.” Skin disease, barrenness, poverty---all of those things were thought to be imposed by God. The reality is, things get out of whack, and sometimes, bad things just happen---even to faithful folks, like Job. Things go awry, quickly. Today, we’re jumping ahead a whole 21 chapters. Life has changed, considerably, for Job, as it might well have changed for you over the last week. You heard the scripture reading. Life has gone from bad to worse for Job. He has grown bitter in his despair. He blames God for his oppression. He believes God has abandoned him---God appears aloof, disinterested. Still, Job believes that if he could only find God and reason with him, that he would be acquitted…..but God is absent, leaving Job terrified, faint hearted and wishing he could just disappear. It’s beginning to look as if Satan was right about Job. Take away all he has, and Job’s faith begins to crumble. Enter, then, three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. When they see Job in his suffering, they cry out in grief. For seven days and seven nights, they sit with him, on the cold ground, no one, speaking a word. They just sit there with him. And finally, Job breaks the silence, opening his mouth and curses the day he was born. He begins asking the “why” questions. Why me? Why didn’t I die at birth? Why are some people well, and others suffer? Why can’t I just die? We probably all know those questions or similar ones. Why must I struggle to keep a job? Why does my neighbor have more than I? Why aren’t my kids well behaved and happy?/ One by one, Job’s friends begin a theological dialogue. Eliphaz is the first to respond, but not without asking permission. He is careful not to offend Job, and yet, he can hardly contain himself. He is courteous and as gently as he can, suggests that God is disciplining Job; this suffering—it’s a form of discipline. If Job would simply ask for forgiveness, all would be well. “Happy is the one whom God reproves; therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” Perhaps you have said something like that, yourself. Job’s friend Bildad is next to speak up. He can scarcely hold his tongue. His words fuel the flame of this debate. He asks, “Does Job really believe that God would pervert justice and what is right? What kind of a God would go so far? Is it possible, he wonders, that Job suffers for the sin of his children. What do you think? Remember, Job tried to compensate for their sins when they were alive…a sort of preventative measure. Bildad’s advice: follow the traditional teaching of their ancestors and confess your sinfulness. If Job is truly without sin, then God’s acceptance was certain. Alas, Job’s third friend, Zophar, can no longer restrain his theological passion. It’s clear in his mind. Job struggles with guilt for the sin he has committed. He deserves to be punished. But backing down, somewhat, Zophar contends that we cannot know the deep things of God, and with that, we should be encouraged, holding on to our confidence and hope. First point) Suffering arrives as a form of discipline from God. Ask for forgiveness. Second point) Job suffers as a consequence of his children’s sin. Confession is good for the soul. If you’re free of sin, you have God’s acceptance. This brings to mind the act of sacrificial atonement. Job suffers because of his children’s sin. What do we believe about God sacrificing Jesus for our sin? Also, if (a big IF) you are without sin, you don’t have to worry about God’s acceptance./ Bildad’s thinking leaves no room for God’s unconditional love and grace. Third point) You get what you deserve; punishment for sin. Hold onto your hope, because that’s all you’ve got. You can’t figure out God. These are the beginnings of the conclusions Job’s friends debate among themselves. Try putting yourself in Job’s place. What is he to think? What would you think? Well, Job isn’t convinced by any of them, yet, and responds, addressing God, directly. He is most sincere…he truly wants to learn if he has done something wrong. He goes as far as reminding God of the hard life mortals live, as if God doesn’t know. He appeals to God’s compassion. He even goes as far as provoking God (7:20) “If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of humanity? Why have I suddenly become your target? Am I a burden to you?” You see, as Job’s sorrow increases, he believes God is not for, but against him. He begins losing his faith in God. Everything bad that happens in his life, he attributes to the hand of God. Have you ever felt this way about God—or maybe the disloyalty of a former friend. Job feels lost; totally alone. And in his suffering, he begins to threaten God. “Why,” he asks, “do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be.” It’s a sort of tit for tat---you hide from me, watch this—I’ll hide from you. Do you see the human thinking going on here---the reasoning and debate./ After considering all that his friends have to say, Job has an amazing insight, futile as it may be./ If this were a lawsuit, the creator God surely has the advantage of strength. It’s Job against God. You see where this is going? If this were a boxing match, God is in one corner and Job in the other. Job’s got it figured out, in some small way. There is no human or divine judge of God. There’s no mediator; no umpire. Job stands against the power of the almighty God./ This doesn’t seem fair, does it? Not only is it not fair, but God has turned into the bad guy---the accuser. Chapter 9:16, Job cries, “If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not believe that he would listen to my voice, For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not let me get my breath but fills me with bitterness….I am blameless; I do not know myself; I loathe my life. It is all one; therefore I say, he destroys both the blameless and the wicked.” Job goes on and on about the state of his misery and his perception of God, until finally, he begins dreaming of escape. That’s one way we deal with our suffering. Job entertains three possibilities: 1) Forget about his complaint; deny the bad and put on a happy face. 2) attempt to cleanse himself; ask forgiveness again, 3) dream on about some saintly umpire. Of course, none of these are really feasible. What more can he do? He’s got nothing to lose anymore. He begins to think about the divine God who cares about creation. If he could just reconnect with that God. He questions if God really knows what God is doing, because of course, it doesn’t appear that way. What about our own lives? Doesn’t it appear that sometimes, God doesn’t know what God is doing? If only God would listen to us! We could tell God a thing or two. We do, in fact, when we are suffering---we send out all kinds of orders for God. The questions in this story are before us. We’ve all suffered at some point in our lives; maybe some, more than others. We’ve all lost someone we’ve loved. We’ve all experienced poor health to some degree. Which of the answers stick or work for us? How do we envision God? Is God punishing; a disciplinarian teaching us wayward children? Are we under the constant, watchful eye of a God who is ready to pounce on us; a target for reprimanding? Do you ever feel like God has abandoned you? Jesus did, on the cross, when he cried out for help, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”/ Last Sunday I asked you to read the same Psalm as a prayer, every day of the week. This week, I would ask you to do the same, reading Psalm 22:1-15. It begins with those same words….My God, my God, why have you forsaken me. It is a prayer. If you have never felt that way, open your eyes, because there are plenty of folks who do….some, right here in this sanctuary. Who can understand the ways of God? How do you make sense of suffering? If this is an omnipotent God, why doesn’t God just intervene rather than allow it? Questions aside, for all that transpires throughout this section of today’s text, we might return to the part Job’s friends play, early on, in his crisis….the reality of the situation that they experience. Remember, they arrive, grieving alongside of Job in his suffering, and for seven days and seven nights, they sit with him, without saying a word. It’s not that we shouldn’t try to learn about God ---but when all is said and done; the questioning and debates, what is evident and true, and maybe most important is what Job’s friends do at the onset of his crisis. Perhaps you have heard the expression that we are the hands and feet of God. Try as we may, to make sense of life, perhaps the greatest thing WE can do is sit silently, reverently, beside those who are suffering during a time when they feel God may have forsaken them. This calls upon our faith, people of hope to those in despair; US, YOU, a glimmer of God beside them. May the spirit of God within you be there, for others, and they, for you. Amen. |