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Job’s roller coaster life
(Job)
Martin Kadir
For whatever reason, I was drawn to Job, in my early teenage years. My favorite thing was a plastic bracelet where we could choose letters of the alphabet to insert. I inserted the letter J-O-B at that time.
Although until this morning when I read passage by passage, verse by verse. The book of Job made many things open up and explained more about Job’s life path whose dynamics got steeper and steeper. It is far from what I used to think.Because I admit, I only heard about Job from a few verses or from snippets of articles in books, or other writings in devotional materials.
Seven years ago when my wife and I decided to move back to Indonesia, there was a statement that I made in relation to my personal life. It went something like this “I really want a life full
of dynamics, I don’t want a stable life like a horizontal line.” I look back on these seven years. Today, it went according to what I thought. My life is full of curves that resemble ‘hills’, ‘mountains’ and ‘valleys’. It is very far away from seven years ago when my family and I lived in Japan. Do I have any regrets? No, I don’t. There was a time I lost hope and despair at what I was going through. There was also the time I felt full of hope and much gratitude.
What happened in Job’s life was very different from my life. Job’s life was much more ‘horror’. It went down and down. One day was happy, the next day sorrowful. Everything that happens in our lives. We all cannot predict or even determine, but it will definitely happen whether we are ready or not. The book of Job contains 42 chapters, with the main characters Job and his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zofar, and the wise man Elihu who appears in the middle of Job and his three friends’ conversations, and last but not least, the Almighty God who is at the center of Job’s story. Is there anything wrong with Job? In the beginning of the book of Job, it is described that Job was pious, honest, God-fearing, shunned evil and he was the richest of all the people in the east. There was nothing wrong, everything was perfect.
One question was asked by Satan,
“Does Job fear God with nothing?”
and God’s answer
“Well, everything he has is in your power; just don’t stretch out your hand against him.” (Job 1:12)
God allowed everything to happen, but God also gave a strict condition
“…. do not stretch out your hand against him.”
Then the first great disaster came, as Job lost almost all of his family and everything he owned in a matter of days. But there it was explained that Job had not sinned, even Job bowed down and worshiped God,
“nakedly I came out of my mother’s womb, nakedly I will return to it. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21)
The second great calamity arrived, and even in this second calamity God allowed only a strict condition to Satan
“Now he is in your power; only spare his life.” (Job 2:6)
The second great calamity was the rottenness that attacked Job from toe to head, It was so itchy. Job had to pick up a shard to scratch his body. Suffering greatly, the first calamity was still very fresh and Job’s sorrow must have still been very strong. But the second calamity that struck himself. Even in such a downturn, Job did not flinch by saying
“Are we willing to accept the good from God, but not the bad?”
to his wife, when she said to curse God after what had happened to Job’s life.
Chapters 4-31 contain the conversations of Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zofar), where the three friends are also written crying because Job’s appearance went so badly. They sat with Job 7 days and 7 nights, no one said a word to him, because his suffering was so heavy.
1. What does suffering mean
In chapter 10:14-16 it says:
“If I sin, then You will watch over me, and You will not deliver me from my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe is me! If I am righteous, I will not dare to lift up my head, having had my fill of insults, and seeing my torment. If I lift up my head, then like a lion you will hunt me down, and show me your marvelous power again.”
Here I can find what suffering means, because everything goes back to God’s sovereignty but not solely for His power. But it all has a cause and effect, like if…, then…. And even if we were righteous humans, we would not dare to raise our heads because our God is far more powerful, more omnipotent than we can imagine. So even in suffering and not suffering, there is one thing that doesn’t change and that is the Almightiness of God.
2. Are you sure God is on your side?
When Job continuously poured out his heart and mind with his three friends.There were probably many tears, complaints, and even anger that overflowed from Job. Likewise, it is very easy for all of us to say “Why?” to God when bad things happen, As if God is the one who deserves to point out, the mastermind of everything that happens in our lives. Believe me, God will not answer when we ask “Why?right away. We tend to corner God even more when we cannot receive God’s Answer. Even though some opinions from Job’s three friends seemed wise. Job firmly stated that Job was confident that God would be on his side
“But I know: My Redeemer lives, and at last He will rise above the dust. And when the skin of my body is worn out, even without my flesh I shall see God, whom I myself shall see on my side; my own eyes shall see Him, and no one else’s. My heart aches with longing.” (Job 19:25-27)
Like Job who held tightly to the belief that his Redeemer lives, no matter what happens even though his skin is worn out, his flesh is destroyed, in the end Job will see God on his side, and this is a very personal belief between Job and God alone that we should all emulate and follow.
3. Job’s misery is also our misery
The affliction experienced by Job is also described in chapter 30:20-23. The affliction experienced by Job, is the affliction that we all experience until this moment. All over the world. People are calling for the same thing, waiting for God’s answer, waiting for the help of God’s hand that does not seem to come.
Chapter 30:20-23
“I cried out to you for help, but you did not answer; I stood waiting, but you ignored me. You have been cruel to me, you have antagonized me with the strength of your hand. You lifted me up to the wind, and blew me away, and crushed me in the storm. Yes, I know; you brought me to death, to the place where the living are gathered.”
Elihu with all his wisdom, in chapters 32-37, ends with an encouragement to look closely at the glory of God in the universe. Through all natural events under the earth, all of which are signs of God’s glory. Elihu also gives pointers such as God speaks in various ways, God also always acts justly, and above all God is concerned about human suffering because the purpose of suffering is to return to repentance.
4. God ‘still’ speaks
The answers are given by God to Job in chapters 38-42. God’s answers are too beautiful to imagine, because they all go back to the glory of His creation and our limitations as humans. We are all so helpless compared to His glory through His creation, His works. God doesn’t give answers that answer Job’s “Why”, but His answers make our hearts tremble and humble. We are only human. God even brought two of His own creations, the behemoth and the leviathan, which were mighty and invincible in every part of their bodies.
Behemoth was like a hippo and the leviathan was like a crocodile. I was confused when I read, especially chapter 40 and 41.
Why did God talk about this creatures as his answer?
Finally I understood it was connected to the next answer to Job. The long-awaited moment came when Job said something to God.
So God said to Job:
“Behold, I am too lowly; what answer can I give you? I have covered my mouth with my hand. I have spoken once, but I will not repeat it; I have spoken twice, but I will not continue.” Job 40:1-5
Only shame might have been felt by Job, a sense of being too humiliated by what Job had thought and said. Continuing with Job retracting his words and regretting himself
“regretfully I sit in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6)
As a bonus, God restored Job and gave him double of what he once had.
Summary
The ‘roller-coaster’ of every human life is different, might be none can compare with Job’s. From the life of Job, we can conclude very crucial things for us and apply it in our life journey with God.
That is we understand that the suffering we experience is a cause and effect that returns to God’s sovereignty. Our confidence in our living Redeemer will give us the assurance that God is always on our side.