We are in the middle of an extended conversation between Job and three friends. The basic message his friends deliver is (1) God does not make mistakes, (2) God punishes sinners, (3) you are being punished, (4) admit your sin, ask forgiveness, and be restored. Job has been defending himself in that he knows not his sin but his friends essentially say he is in denial and prideful. Slowly Job is spiraling downward. The great expressions of faith in the beginning chapters are gone.
The reading is replete with legal language as Job positions himself as the plaintiff who wants to haul God off to court (9:3). Unfortunately, since the defendant and the judge are the same, what chance does he have? At other times Job seems to be the defendant who has to answer for his life (9:14). Job’s sense of helplessness also keeps coming up, especially in the face of God’s awesome creative power. At any rate, it is clear that Job’s speech is getting bolder and more outspoken.
The friends had argued, “How can one be justified before God?” meaning “All are sinners” (4:17). Job agrees with the question but with quite a different meaning. One cannot be justified when the judge and defendant are the same and so powerful (vv. 2–3). God can overturn the order of creation (vv. 5–7) just as God first established it.
Job’s utter confusion and helplessness are reflected in verses 11–21. He does not know what to do or say that would make any difference. Throughout these verses a series of “if” questions shows Job turning first one way and then another as he looks for some course of action. There is none. He despises his life (v. 21). Who is there to blame but God (vv. 22–24)?
Job is at the tipping point as we have all probably been at some juncture of our life. We don’t know why our world is falling apart, why we are suffering, or where God is in all this. We don’t know. But then knowledge was never the point. Do we trust?
Do we trust that God, being all-loving and all-powerful, did not create evil or suffering? Evil is the absence or distortion of good, and suffering is a consequence of the brokenness and imperfection of the world due to human sin.
Do we trust that God, in His infinite wisdom and love, can bring about good even from the midst of suffering in a way that manifests His mercy and justice?
Do we trust that God does not abandon those who suffer but accompanies them in their pain? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered into human suffering by His own Passion and Death on the Cross. In His suffering, Jesus reveals the depth of God’s love and solidarity with humanity.
Do we trust that the mystery of suffering cannot be fully comprehended by human reason alone and that we must trust in God’s providence and rely on faith, even in the face of unanswered questions?
Job will work his way to that trust in God. May, in the grace of God, each of us remain steadfast in our trust of the mercy and justice of God – even with all our unanswered questions.
Image Credit: “Job and his friends” (1869) by Ilya Repin, Wikipedia, PD-US