Was it unfair for God to
allow Job to suffer over what was basically an argument between God and Satan?
Job thought he was being punished entirely out of proportion
to any conceivable offense he may have committed. Job questions God incessantly
throughout the dialogue. His protest climaxes in a direct indictment of God on
the charge of injustice. Job finally sees that God’s governance of the universe
is much more wonderful than he could have imagined, and he openly concedes this
so this is what Job spoke about God that was “right.” Job obeyed God and was
rewarded for his obedience. God’s wager with Satan actually achieved an
incredible coup: He harnessed evil and turned it to good and He transformed Job
into the most effective servant of all.
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Ministries
A surface reading of
the book of Job usually evokes a reaction such as “Why is God making a ‘bet’ with the devil? God is being unfair to Job!”
If we are honest and not just trying to
defend God, He seems at first like some kind of cosmic ogre.
God not only wagered Satan over the
outcome of Job’s trials, but He actually provoked the bet (Job 1–2).
To make matters worse, Job never finds
out why he was afflicted in the first place.
This is very disturbing for those who
hope to see God as just, gracious and loving and not just “playing” with us as
if we were pawns on a chessboard.
So, in a way, the story of Job puts God
on trial.
To really understand what is going on
in Job, we need to evaluate how this “trial” is litigated in the book’s
argument.
On the surface, when God finally
“testifies” in Job 38–42, the way He “grills” Job may seem to suggest that God
is “against” Job rather than “for” him.
The God-speeches are notable for their
deep sarcasm, as if God were simply highlighting Job’s cluelessness (Job 38–39).
However, a deeper look reveals a more
redemptive dynamic in this trial: first, Job’s friend Elihu actually serves
under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, both as Job’s advocate before God and
God’s advocate before Job (Job
32–37);
second, we find that God indeed did express His love to Job, both in His
speeches (Job
38–41)
and in finally vindicating Job.
God confirms that Job had spoken “what was right” about Him, whereas his
first three friends had not (Job 42:7).
As Job and his friends debate God’s
fairness, it becomes apparent that all of them basically believe in the
doctrine of “retribution theology” — every act receives just punishment or reward
in this present life, so we should be able to tell who is righteous or wicked
by whether they are visibly blessed or cursed on earth.
This is a false doctrine, but Job
thought it should be true and went on the offensive, charging God with
injustice and calling for a trial (Job 29–31).
Surprisingly, God condescends and
agrees to be put on trial.
The speeches in Job 38–41 actually
consist of God’s testimony in His own defense.
In the “trial” we see that Job has no
legal standing to convict God. Job cannot demonstrate how God runs the
universe, so he cannot present any evidence of injustice (chapters 38–39).
Also, God establishes His absolute
right to act as He sees fit.
As proof, He points to two creatures — behemoth
and leviathan — that mankind has no control over whatsoever and that answer
only to God.
Even before God shows up, Elihu makes
the same points and argues that God is deeply redemptive in His dealings with
man in spite of man’s notorious tendency toward self-destruction (Job 32–37).
Since God validates Elihu’s points (Job 38–41), the adversarial tone
in God’s answer to Job makes even more sense: throughout Job’s dialogue with
his friends (Job
4–27)
and in his formal complaint to God (Job 29–31), Job had assumed that
God was unaware of what happened to him or that He was deliberately persecuting
him or that Job had inadvertently sinned and God was not willing to tell him
what the problem was.
Job thought he was being punished
entirely out of proportion to any conceivable offense he may have committed.
In fact, Job questions God incessantly
throughout the dialogue. His protest climaxes in a direct indictment of God on
the charge of injustice (Job
29–31).
So what did Job “get right” (Job 42:7)?
The upshot of the trial is that Job
finally sees that God’s governance of the universe is much more wonderful than
he could have imagined, and he openly concedes this (Job 42:2-5); so this is what Job
spoke about God that was “right” (Job 42:7).
Now, it is absolutely crucial to note
the sequence of events at this point: it is only when Job obeys God and
intercedes on behalf of his three friends — who had now become his enemies — that
God actually blesses Job with a twofold inheritance (Job 42:8-17).
This “reward” was not at all some kind
of “consolation prize” for Job’s unfair treatment; rather, it was the
inheritance God promises to all who serve faithfully as redemptive agents of
the Creator (cf.
Daniel 12:3).
Job obeyed God and was rewarded for his
obedience.
In the end, God’s wager with Satan
actually achieved an incredible coup: He harnessed evil and turned it to good (cf. Genesis 50:20), and He transformed
Job into the most effective servant of all, one who took on God’s own
redemptive character and loved his enemies.
And this, in fact, is our take-home lesson from Job.
Got Questions
Ministries
seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing biblical, applicable, and
timely answers to spiritually related questions through an internet presence.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a
desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation,
and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical,
theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a
para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers
to their spiritually related questions.
https://www.gotquestions.org/God-Job-Satan.html
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