By Gary L. Clendenon, January 4, 2021
(All Bible verses quoted from The Message Bible)
In the biblical book of Job, chapter 35, after Job’s three friends have all expressed their arguments against Job, a young man named Elihu continues to speaks. He says to Job, “I’m going to show you that you don’t know what you are talking about, neither you nor your friends.” (verse 4). So, this young man has all the answers, he thinks. I was a young man once, and I recognize that “confidence”. LOL.
Elihu says, “If you sin, what difference does that make to God? … If you are good, what would God get out of that? Do you think he’s dependent on your accomplishments?” (verses 6&7)
Is GOD dependent on our behavior? Obviously, He’s not Co-dependent—because that would be unhealthy. But, look at the whole Old Testament: It’s basically GOD grieving all out loud and messy that His people’s behavior is hurtful to Him! So, whether or not He has to be dependent, He has chosen to be effected by our behavior. That’s what happens when you choose to Love and be in relationship with others: their behavior effects you!
Elihu continues, “When times get bad, people cry out for help. … But never give a thought to God when things go well. People are arrogantly indifferent to God—until, of course, they are in trouble, and then God is indifferent to them.” (verses 9-13)
Although I agree wholeheartedly with Elihu’s first thought—after all, it is human nature to take relationships for granted when they are going well, I strongly disagree with his conclusion that “God is indifferent” to us when we call out to Him in trouble. Elihu’s argument is completely debunked by the outsider’s view of the Job story where we get to see the whole picture—the whole story. We know that God is not only NOT indifferent to Job’s life and story, but intimately involved with it and very closely monitoring every act and word of this story!
One might say, “Well, that just Job’s story!” But, I would argue, based on the very intimate and personal promises made to His children and sprinkled throughout the whole Bible, that if these promises are true, and I choose to believe that they are, then GOD is also intimately involved with each of our lives. GOD desires that intimacy and, as much as we let Him, GOD will be that close to us. GOD wants to be, as “The Carpenters” famously sang, “Close to you”!
Once again, Elihu continues in Job chapter 36, verses 3&4, “Trust me, … I know these things inside and out. It’s true that God is all-powerful, but he doesn’t bully innocent people.”
In other words, Elihu is saying, “Job, logically, you have to be wrong. Because, obviously you cannot be ‘innocent’ because these bad things have happened to you. So, you must repent of your sin. This is the reason for your suffering. You are only making things worse by fighting us, your friends, and GOD on this. This is all on you. So, don’t be stupid here!”
Ironically, this is the same argument that Job’s “3 Friends” had already made in so many different ways, and therefore, nothing new.
It is my understanding, as learned from Professor Alden Thompson in his “Old Testament History” class, that the Old Testament view of suffering was that all things—good and bad—came from GOD, and that GOD took credit for everything. (1) That is to say that the Old Testament mind had no knowledge of Satan or demons bringing trouble to us. Obviously, that perspective changed with Jesus enlightening His followers to the works of Satan and demons. Now, because of that and other New Testament writings, we have a more balanced perspective on this topic.
So, it is actually true that Job’s friends’ logic was not that far off—based on their understandings of the Universe they lived in. I like what Eugene Peterson, author “The Message Bible”, says about this in his “Intro” to the book of Job: “Many of the answers that Job’s so-called friends give him are technically true. But it is the ‘technical’ part that ruins them. They are answers without personal relationship, intellect without intimacy. The answers are slapped on Job’s ravaged life like labels on a specimen bottle. Job rages against this secularized wisdom that has lost touch with the living realities of God.”
In the end of Job’s story, when GOD finally does answer Job, we find out that everyone was wrong—Job and all of his friends! But, and this is a very interesting point to ponder, out of all of them, according to GOD, Job was the most right in his words and actions.
Prayer: GOD, your mysterious ways are unfathomable to us mere humans. Help me to maintain a proper perspective of humility in what I think that I know about you—or anything else for that matter. ~ Amen!
(1) For more on this idea, read Alden Thompson’s book, “Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God?”
No comments:
Post a Comment