Job 9-10 “Lashing Out at God”

READ: Job 9-10

Verses chosen for meditation: Job 9-10

We will refer to the full poetry of Job’s replies to his friends (Job 9:1-24) and address to God (Job 9:25-10:22) as our meditation verses, summarised below:

- Job acknowledges God’s power and justice (9:1-13)

- Job expresses hopelessness at facing God in court (9:14-24)

- Job continues his complaints in despair (9:25-35)

- Job protests at God’s treatment of him (10:1-17)

- Job longs for death (10:18-22)

REFLECT

Job began his reply by basically saying "Bildad, these things you tell me about God, I believe them too, but they pass me by. Why won’t God make himself known to me, here and now, in this misery of mine?"

He acknowledged the validity of Bildad’s words (9:2), but reasoned that he has not forsaken God, so why should he be punished? As God tormented him, an upright man, how then, Job reasoned, could any man stand righteous before God? Job answered his own question by stating than man cannot dispute with God and expect to win. He concedes the truth of his friends’ words that God cuts off the wicked, but added that in God’s omnipotence, He cuts off both the guilty and guiltless (9:22).

Job could not agree with his friends’ view that God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked, because God destroys both as he saw it. His friends’ over-simplified theology of God’s justice can’t be reconciled with life’s facts. Job’s personal experience as an upright man suffering at God’s hand refuted their misconception of God’s justice. The refuting of his friends, however, did not console him, but only added to more despair.

There is despair because there is no way of meeting God in court to plead his case. The gap between God and man can’t be bridged, unless there is an arbiter who could listen to both sides and speak on his behalf. But there is no such arbiter! God plays the role of judge, jury and executioner here. What hope did he have?

RELATE

Job’s response shed light on a few strands hard to reconcile in life. Many go to the book of Job to get answers on suffering, only to be hit with more questions. Let’s look at some of these strands.

Flawed Theology and Harsh Counsel of Job’s friends

We read much about how Job’s friends, though well-meaning, make miserable comforters. They started well, offering their comforting presence for 7 days. However, when Job finally spoke, they did not meet him at his misery and pain. Instead of listening, they were busy crafting theological answers to explain the tragedy without knowing better. They took the deep and complex issue of suffering and reduced it to this: "Job, you’re suffering because you sinned!"

Sadly, this happens all the time, with many well-meaning Christians trying to offer counsel. Perhaps we are not used to the ministry of silence, feeling compelled to say something. Our presence may be sufficient for those in pain, not explanations to the tragedy. Perhaps we like to use our own experience to generalise all situations, when only God knows the unique reasons behind why some suffer. In our limited understanding of God’s ways, we may make accusations like Job’s friends.

I personally know of these remarks made by people: "You’re not healing because you don’t have enough faith." "You’re not receiving blessings because you’re not committed enough in attending." "Did you pray enough? No wonder your situation doesn’t improve." How does God view these remarks? We need only to look at the last chapter to see how God’s anger burned against Job’s friends.

Basis of Faith

One thing that adds to the credibility of the Bible is how it tackles difficult life situations with honesty. It doesn’t sugarcoat. It doesn’t hide the frailties of even the most faithful servants of God. I imagine if authors of the Bible conspired to write something fake to convince people to believe, they would leave out many difficult texts that are hard for humans to reconcile.

Job is one such text hard to reconcile for some. It takes the popular equation of "Be good → good life. Be bad → suffer punishment" and throws it out the window. This book reveals that the most faithful do suffer and the most wicked do prosper. Job wrestled with life’s harshness and unfairness, with God seemingly aloof. We see Job’s pain to the point of desiring death, yet you don’t get a sense of him losing belief that our God is the one true God. His faith was challenged, yes, but it stood. His faith was not based on the circumstances of life.

What do we base our faith on? In the gospels, many requested for Jesus to perform miracles, so that they could be convinced of Jesus’ Godhood. Jesus instead warned about faith based solely on miracles, which is a weak foundation. Likewise, faith based on how good our life is will crumble easily.

Questioning God

Job lashed out at God in a way many wouldn’t dare. So much anger, misery and despair. Are we allowed to bare it all and lay it upon God? The assurance of this book is that, despite Job’s emotions, God commends him at the end. We discover that Job had not been wrong to feel this way. God did not hold anything against Job.

Job’s feelings are true feelings in many faithful servants of God. These feelings need to be acknowledged and recognised. Take anger for instance. Many may think anger is unhealthy and should be suppressed, but anger can be used positively. It can be a necessary signal that things are not right in a relationship. It can also be a driving energy to put things right. Job’s anger is valid. It was anger towards injustice (in this case towards himself). Whatever Job threw at God, it was not going to make a difference to how God would love him.

What hope is there in facing God?

Job, in his helplessness, may have produced one of the most insightful moments in the OT. He mentioned that an arbiter was needed, though expressed hopelessness since no such arbiter was available. If only he had such a mediator, with one hand on God and one hand on him, he could plead his case.

Such a mediator eventually came, in Jesus Christ, who will become our arbiter, standing in the gap of irreconcilable differences between us and God. That is the image when Christ died on the cross, reaching out with one hand touching the holy God, and the other hand touching sinful men.

Though Job’s cry for such a mediator temporarily fell on deaf ears, it teaches that the answer to human suffering is reconciliation, in Christ. The answer is not reason, since using reason, Job hit a dead end. We are luckier to have experienced the grace of Christ, which helps us more than Job in making sense of our suffering.

REST

Dear God. Even as Job suffered, his devotion and faith in you remained. Teach us to be the same. As Job did in Job 1:21, expressed in the worship song "Blessed be Your Name", we sing your praises no matter our circumstances. You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, "Lord, Blessed be Your Name!". Amen.

Chris Chong