The Book of Job

There are three

book

s in the Bible, known as wisdom literature: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. First, Proverbs showed us that God is wise and just. Yes, we learned that God has designed the world to be just. The righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished; In other words, everyone gets what they deserve. But then we meet the Preacher, who observes that people don't always get what they deserve. Yes, he says the world is not fair. Life is unpredictable and difficult to understand, like smoke. And he makes you think: well, is God wise and just? Precisely, that is why this question is examined in the last

book

of wisdom, Job.

Okay, so let's dig in. Job begins with the strange story that takes place in the heavens, which are described as a kind of celestial command center. God is with these angelic creatures, who are called children of God, and they are reporting to Him. And God mentions this person, Job, his servant and how righteous he is. Then, one of these angelic creatures approaches him. In Hebrew he is called Satan. Who is this Satan? This word is actually title, which literally means one who opposes. Of the entire team, he is the only one who questions the way God is leading the world.

And he suggests that Job may not really love God, that he is a good man, only because God rewards him. If God took away all the good things he has given Job, then we would see who he really is. Do you think Job is simply manipulating the system? It's exactly like that. Maybe he is obeying, just to get what he wants. So, God agrees to this experiment and allows Satan to cause Job suffering. And Job loses everyone and everything that is valuable to him. He is very heavy. And he remembers that he doesn't deserve any of these things, God Himself said so.

The amazing thing is that in the midst of all this suffering, Job still praises God. At least in chapters one and two. But then in chapter 3 we see how he really feels inside. He begins to cry when he discovers this tragedy. It's a long, detailed curse on his birthday. After that, some of Job's friends come to visit him to offer help, and they all tell him, "Job, you must have done something terribly wrong to deserve this. After all, we know that God is just and the world is just." ". administered by the justice and equity of God.

So you are surely getting what you deserve. And throughout the next thirty-four chapters, the companions and Job argue, using very dense poetry. His companions continue to speculate as to why God might have sent such suffering. They even begin to make lists of possible sins that Job must have committed, but after each accusation, Job maintains his innocence. And Job is also in an unstable state. fair. However, at other times he doubts the goodness of God. He even begins to accuse God of being cruel, unjust and corrupt. At the end of the dialogue, Job demands that God himself come and give him an explanation.

And God too. He comes in the form of a storm. God does not give Job a direct answer. He does not tell Job about the conversation with Satan. Yes, he does something completely different. He takes Job on a virtual journey into the universe. He tells Job how big the world is. And he asks Job if he is able to guide him or understand him even for a single day. He shows you how many details there are in the world, things we can see every day, but don't really fully understand. But God knows everything in detail. He highlights the beauty and workings of the universe in ways we never imagined and in places we will never see.

And to top it all off, God shows Job two magnificent beasts and boasts about how big they are. Yes. And they are dangerous. They would kill you without a second thought. And God says they are not evil. They are actually part of his good world. And that is. All this is God's protection. It's a bit strange. What is it about? This seems to be implied: from Job's point of view, it seems that God is not fair. But God's perspective is greater and limitless. He dynamically interacts with an entire complex universe as he makes a decision. And this God calls his Wisdom.

So Job's request that God protect himself is somewhat absurd. He wouldn't be able to understand such complexity even if he wanted to. So where does that leave us? Well, it leaves Job humiliated. He never knew why he suffered. However, he can live in peace and in the fear of God. But, the book does not end here, because later God returns to Job double of everything he has lost. And this again is surprising. Is this reward? Is God saying, "Congratulations Job, you passed this great test"? In fact, the entire book simply implies that Job losing everything was not a punishment, so now the return is not a reward.

So why are you removing them? Apparently, God in His wisdom decided to give Job a gift. We don't know the reason, but we know that Job is now the kind of person who no matter what comes, whether good or bad, he can trust in God's wisdom. This is the book of Job and the end of the wisdom series. These biblical books of wisdom are amazing. Each of them offers a unique perspective on the good life. You will have to listen to them all together as you learn to live in wisdom and fear of God. Write to us: [email protected]