“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1:22 AV)
I thought about this and wondered if I would have been as spiritual. For Job to lose everything and not with his lips to express anger toward God is more than admirable. Just the other day, we were watching a program where one of the closing scenes was a graveside service for someone very close to the main characters. A flag was presented to the mother of the deceased and it was very moving. The day before, I watched another scene of a murder victim. The friends and family were casting mementoes into the grave as they departed. The last in line released a dove. I remember making the statement that I hope I never have to attend another funeral, much less officiate one. The emotions involved are getting a bit too much to handle. The pain that cannot be healed but be the touch of God is too deep to internalize. I know that in the future, there may come a day when I will have to lie to rest the body of someone whom I love dearly. I hope the rapture happens before then! Now, multiply that ten times over, all at once, and add leprosy to it. Just about the time that sinks in, your bank calls and tells you all your assets are gone, they are calling the loan on your home, and there is a freeze on all your accounts. When you seek relief from church folks, none can be found. The only help you get is four close friends who condemn you for none-existing sin. If I were Job, I am not so sure I would have been able to hold my tongue.
It is that last phrase that strikes me as very admirable. To charge God means to assume God is unjust, unfair, or uncaring. It is to suggest the Creator of the universe is directly responsible for allowing unfortunate circumstances which we do not deserve. To charge God foolishly is to make God something that He is not. Again, this is a hard temptation to avoid. In our scheme of things, we have an idea of how life should work and how God should respond. As Job, we think if we talk in faith and obedience, life should be a bowl of cherries. If we do right, God responds in kind. That is our hope. If we do evil, He will likewise. He will send bad things our way if we walk in rebellion toward Him. This is more true than not. But not always true. There is an entire psalm written by someone working through feelings of bitterness over the prosperity of the wicked. He doesn’t understand why the LORD refuses to immediately judge the sinner for their sin. There is a man of God who deeply desired God to remember him for the good he did even though the people he lead did not follow. There is a reasonable expectation that if we please the LORD, He will bless us. So, the temptation to charge God foolishly would be a natural response to those expectations.
What sets Job apart is his willingness to accept at the hand of God, both good and evil. He knew God had the right to do as He wished. He simply didn’t know why. If he could not know why, then it made no sense to him and he lacked the motive needed to endure through it. Say what you will about Job. I think he crossed a line or two in the processing of his grief. He saw no purpose in it, so he questioned the purpose for his existence. BTW, everyone goes through this at one time or another. Most face that question at the end of life. They wonder why they must suffer if there is no purpose in it. When faced with impossible situations, just remember Job. For some of us, silence and discipline of mind are the key. Until the LORD visit us in our trouble, keeping both mind and mouth closed is the better part of valor. Checking ourselves and giving God the benefit of the doubt is the more reasonable and wiser thing to do.
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