Why should we read the book of job today - Essay Example

?Why should we read the book of job today? WHY SHOULD WE READ THE BOOK OF JOB TODAY? Of all the gospels in theBible, the Book of Job is perhaps the most praised in literature. Proof of this are these remarks from writers like Victor Hugo: “tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, I should save Job” (as quoted in Copeland 2006:3) and Daniel Webster: “The Book of Job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of the most wonderful productions of any age or of any language” (as quoted in Copeland 2006:3). More than a masterpiece of literature, however, the Book of Job it provides an insight on the nature of God, on the relationship of God and man, and a criticism to man’s understanding of God’s laws. Most people would say that the Book of Job provides man a guideline on how to suffer (Copeland 2006; Goldberg 2010), but it is more than that. It serves to answer three of the most difficult questions on suffering: What is suffering? Why do people suffer undeservedly? What kind of lessons can be taken from suffering? ALL ABOUT THE BOOK OF JOB According to Mark Copeland (2006), the Book of Job belongs to the Books of Poetry, along with Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Just like the others, it is written in poetic style. Its author is unknown and the date of writing has been hotly debated among scholars. “All that can be said with certainty is that the author is a loyal Hebrew who was not bound by the popular creed that assumed suffering was always a direct result of sin” (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown in Copeland 2006:4). It is often referred to as the “prime example of Hebrew wisdom literature” (Waters 1997:436) because it deals with a number of issues never discussed in the previous books of the Old Testament: the concept of theodicy1 and an understanding of the just and righteous God who allows underserved suffering in the world. At the start of the Book, the reader is introduced to Job, a man of remarkable character who was blessed with a huge family and a good fortune. This was then by a controversy presented through a conversation between God and Satan (Job 1:8-11): Has thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? …[T]hou hast blessed the work of his hand, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face To determine the veracity of Satan’s claim, God allow Satan to test Job. Job then lost everything he had – his children, his possessions, and was even inflicted with a sickness. But still he remained faithful and said “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away” (Job 1:21). After relating Job’s distress, the rest of the Book relates conversation (speeches in fact) between Job and his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. These three friends have incited him to repent from his sins, after all, this could be the only reason he is sufferng. Once he has repented, his friends claim, the Lord’s blessings will be restored and he will be prosperous again. Job was of course, confused. He has always been faithful to the Lord, and he even asked for forgiveness for his children’s errors, what secret sin was he being punished for? After three cycles of speeches wherein Job also expressed his confusion: “Wherefore the wicked live, become old…Their seed established in their sight with them…Their houses are safe from fear” (Job 21:7-9), a new character, Elihu, is introduced. He explains why he does not speak earlier: “Now Elihu has waited till Job has spoken, because they were elder than he” (Job 32:4). Elihu’s views about suffering was unlike the other three friends. Like Job, he knew that he lived according to God’s words, and suffered. He did not see Job’s suffering as due to sin, but instead, “a preventive measure to keep Job from perpetuating a sinful, false theology” (Waters 1997: 445). Elihu’s words prepared Job so that he may be able to understand God’s words. THE BOOK OF JOB AND ITS CONNECTION TO THE PRESENT TIMES Living in a world complicated by illnesses, family issues, crime, widespread poverty and economic instability, we understand Job’s complaints. With so many problems inflicting daily life, many people are wondering whether God is still looking out for them. People are wondering “Am I being punished for a secret sin?” while others may think “Why does God not help me with my suffering?” This has led to people forsaking their own beliefs. It has deepened the battle between science and religion, where science is seemingly winning. Many people work so hard so that they can live morally according to God’s words. But despite their noble intentions and dedication to upholding God’s laws, they still experience hardship and pain. Some people may have discovered what their calling is, and they follow it. But then they are met with frustrations and discouragements. Is He an unjust God? Does He punish according to His whims alone? Aside from these concerns, scientific inquiry say that God does not exist because He cannot be perceived by the senses. Yet, despite all these allegations, religion still exists, and there are many people who have experienced the spiritual. As a matter of fact, findings of quantum physics and astrophysics have led support to God’s existence (Bhaumi n.d.; Merali 2011). While the existence of God has been more or less proven by science, His nature is yet to be discovered, and this is where the Book of Job is important. According to the statements by Elihu, God does not operate on the theology of retribution/recompense. This is a common belief among religious: “whoever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?” (Job 4:7). The righteous are blessed and the sinners are punished. In fact, this was the belief that Satan himself was trying to prove. But then, Elihu says otherwise and according to his speech in Chapter 32, he believes that Job and his friends are misrepresenting God. Elihu argued that God is not unjust, He is not uncaring, or powerless to act against Satan. Elihu maintained that Job’s suffering was not because of a previous sin, but rather, his pain was designed to bring him closer to God. Through Elihu’s words, one can gain understanding of the relationship between God and humanity: His actions cannot be categorized by the concepts derived by man. The connection between God and man is not based on “loyalty, purity or righteousness, but it is wholly of God’s grace” (Waters 1997: 445). Whatever His motivations may be for any blessing or pain He gives is entirely in His will. It was man who created the conflict between “good” and “evil”, it was through man’s interpretation that the good became desirable, and the evil scorned. From Elihu’s words, one can see that the “good” and “evil” are two sides of the same coin, and they are both designed to help man strengthen his connection with God. This is not a new idea, in fact, this has been present for as long as Christianity itself. One will remember the sign of the Yin and Yang where the Yang reaches its peak, it then recedes in the favor of the the Yin. Perhaps, Satan was simply an instrument of God, a tool whose main function was to enable man to appreciate His divine guidance. So many paradoxes have been used to describe this relationship: without sadness, there will be no joy; without fear, there would be no love. Perhaps the role of man is to seek God consciously, and in the way, God sends tests to ensure that man will appreciate the fruits of his own labor. By actively seeking God, man encounters problems, and everything may conspire against him, but all these are not designed to deter him from his destination. But rather, all these were made so that in his search, man become worthy of the blessings he will receive. Through his quest, man learns to be righteous and morally upright. This, I believe is what free will is all about. Though out that journey, man will have numerous instances when he can forsake God and forget about his search, but it is upon his will to continue on despite the pain he may face. When he does decide to continue on, he finds great wisdom, in the same way that Job did. It is through this quest that man will see the face of God, because by then, he is worthy to see his creator. In the earlier part of the Book, God had to give permission to Satan to test Job. Why was this necessary? Perhaps it is because Satan had to authority of man. Whatever happiness or suffering that man experiences have been according to God’s plan. Man’s consuming passion for the just and righteous God is nothing but a societal construction, an idea which has been imbibed by generations. And perhaps, it is in this concept that man has made a mistake. In the hope of pleasing God, people have been killed. Those who are not of the same faith are regarded as enemies. But then, God himself said to Job “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare thou if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it?” (Job 38:4-5). Man may have been given by God the power to name His creatures, but man cannot pretend to understand God’s will. Man cannot begin to understand the power that has created the universe. Waters’ (1997:447) said : God taught his servant the error in assuming that the universe operated according to a principle of rationality. Once that putative principle of order collapsed before divine freedom, the need for personal vindication vanished as well, since God's anger and favor show no positive correspondence with human acts of villainy or virtue. WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY THE BOOK OF JOB? Man’s quest to understand God has led him to science, to greater knowledge. And in this accumulation of knowledge, man has forgotten what the quest was all about in the first place. He has categorized God as if God can be boxed in the same way as plants and animals. God became a finite being – one that had the same temperaments as man. But the Book of Job reminds us that God is nowhere near the descriptions given to Him. He is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. Despite man’s millions of years knowledge, it is not enough to understand God’s motives. While man has no idea what God’s plans are, the Book of Job serves as a reminder of His love. While man may suffer, in that suffering will come the best lessons in life. While man may feel pain, in that pain will blossom a new being that is ready to discover what life is all about. God is not petty being. Whatever His motives are, the Book of Job shows that in the end, man will prosper in ways man can never dream of. WORKS CITED Anon, The Book of Job. In Holy Bible. England: Eyre & Spottiswoode Limited. Bhaumi, M., Quantum Physics Lends Support to The Basic Concept of God. Cosmogenics. Available at: http://www.cosmogenics.org/Concept.pdf [Accessed November 5, 2011]. Copeland, M.A., 2006. The Book of Job: A Study Guide with Introductory Comments, Summaries and Review Question. Executable Outlines. Available at: http://executableoutlines.com/pdf/job_sg.pdf [Accessed November 5, 2011]. Goldberg, A., 2010. The Book of Job, part 1: Who was Job? Why does he matter? The Guardian. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jun/28/philosophy-judaism. Kempf, C., 1912. Theodicy. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Available at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14569a.htm [Accessed November 5, 2011]. Merali, Z., 2011. The Priest-Physicist Who Would Marry Science to Religion. Discover Magazine. Available at: http://discovermagazine.com/2011/mar/14-priest-physicist-would-marry-science-religion/article_view?b_start:int=1&-C=. Waters, L.J., 1997. Reflections on Suffering from the Book of Job. Bibliotheca Sacra, 154, p.436-451. Available at: http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/18-Job/Text/Articles/Walters-suffering-BS.pdf. Read More