i could kiss them
The book of Job is often said to address the problem of suffering. A fancy word for this is theodicy. But the way it turns up in regular conversation is, “why do bad things happen to good people.” Or, “If God is good, WHY does God ALLOW bad things to happen at all.” The truth, though, is all those questions are more manageable than the one the book of Job itself addresses. And it’s the question none other than Satan himself poses. “Does Job fear God for nothing,” the old satanic foe asks.
…Well, what do you think? Does a person worship God just because? Or do we only worship God for what we get out of it? I suspect we would all rather think on theoretical questions about hypothetical bad things and good people out there somewhere. Rather than this question about the mettle of our faith that hits close to home. Wouldn’t we?
A finer point of Bible study is in order here. Job was written in Hebrew, so what we’re reading is a translation. And like all translations, choices were made. And one, in particular, is how Satan is translated.
Satan is basically a transliteration of the Hebrew word “Sa-tan.” But in the original Hebrew, there’s a definite article before the word. For those who need a brush-up on their grammar, a definite article is a word that introduces a noun. So in English, “the” is THE definite article.
What this means is, it’s not just Satan who asks the questions. It’s the Satan. In other words, Satan isn’t a title for who the troublemaker is. Instead, Satan is a title for what the agitator does!
The word “satan” comes to us from the courtroom. The Satan was the accuser. A prosecuting attorney. And as you can see, that’s exactly what the Satan does when the heavenly beings present themselves before the Lord. Isn’t it? He makes an accusation about the quality of Job’s faith. He puts it on trial.
This is how the Satan always works, by the way. And it’s very likely how the Evil One is working on you right now. The temptation is to read Job and wonder if you’d come out standing as tall if you were in the same spot. After all, as Scripture tersely notes, “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong-doing.”
You should know, though, that’s precisely the question the Satan wants you asking! So long as you’re wondering about faith, the less likely you are to use it! And the thing and faith is, it’s not an abstraction! Faith doesn’t work by wondering how it might work in this or that situation. Faith works by receiving it as the gift it is and put to use as the giver intends!
When you read Job and wonder if you’d do the same, you miss the point! And you miss the power, too! Because in the end, what’s remarkable about Job isn’t how remarkable he is. It’s how unremarkable he is!
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve talked with someone during the week when, like Job, they got news that flipped their world on its head. But then, on Sunday, do you know where they were? That’s right! Right here! Doing exactly what you’re doing! Doing exactly what Job did, worshipping! Sure, their heads may have been bowed a bit more than usual, but there they were! Standing tall under the wings of the Lord!
In fact, I’d be willing to bet that’s been you a time or two. It might even be you right now. I mean, for heaven’s sake, haven’t we all come through a year to forget?!? And I know, at the time, it doesn’t feel like you’re standing tall. In fact, at the time, it feels like you’re barely standing at all. That’s probably how Job felt at the time. But this is how faith works best!
Faith isn’t an exercise of willpower. Faith is a gift of God! This is the very thing Luther was talking about when he confessed, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel….”
As long as you turn Job’s witness into a job description, you miss the lifeline this book throws your way when you find yourself on the witness stand facing the ol’ accuser. Because it’s not what Job does that reflects so well upon him. It’s what he doesn’t do!
So let me ask you, what does Job do when all this evil befalls him? …That’s right, he doesn’t do much of anything! Job doesn’t come up with a strategy to repair his life. He doesn’t visit a coach to do something about his grief. And he doesn’t write a book about how to keep the faith when life gets hard, either. Does he? No! Instead, Job just grieves and turns around and goes to worship. But in those little acts, he stands tall. And in those little acts, he’s held up, too!
One way or another, this is the crucible you find yourself under right now. And the only chance you have to come through the ordeal isn’t to strengthen your resolve. No, the only chance you have to come out the other side standing tall is to receive the gift that sent Job running to worship in the first place! Which just so happens to be the gift your strong defender loves to give! The gift of faith! So get ready!
Remember at the end of the Gospel of John, when Jesus said he’s sending the advocate? Paraclete, in Greek. Well, Paraclete is a courtroom word, too! A Paraclete is a defender! And the Paraclete Jesus sends isn’t any ol’ defender! No, the Paraclete is the defender, par excellence! Definite article applied emphatically!
In Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up your case before the accuser! And if the Satan’s an ace prosecutor, the Holy Spirit’s an even better defender! What’s more, the Holy Spirit is in cahoots with the judge, God the Father!
At the cross, your case has been laid to rest. And the verdict is innocent!
This means you no longer need to worry about the quality of your faith! That’s the question the accuser wants you wriggling under! And anyway, in Christ, it’s not a matter of if you’d do as well as Job. It’s a matter of receiving the very gift that gave him the freedom to grieve, sent him running to worship, and held him up; the gift of faith!
Faith, the case the defender takes to the Lord on your behalf. Faith, the acquittal the Holy Spirit gives to you. Gives to you as walking papers. And on account of this acquittal, not only are you free from the old foe’s accusations, you are free in the rest of your life, too! You are free to grieve when life gets tough. You even are free to run to worship when you have nowhere else to go. You are really, actually free! And the content of your freedom is faith.
And when you see it all that way, you can’t help but make the stunning realization that the Holy Spirit is alive and well! Alive and well in our midst. Alive and well, making the story of Job a lot more common than it would be otherwise.
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