Job was wrong.
I’m not sure why it’s so hard for us to admit that. Likely it’s because we say, “Well, if it’s in the Bible, it must be true, then.” But of all the statements to latch onto, Job’s most famous statement is a little far-fetched.
He said three things in the Old Testament book named after him, three statements that are quoted more than others.
“I know that my Redeemer lives.” (19:25) I’m OK with this verse.
“Though he slay me, yet I will trust Him.” (13:15) Not so much with this one.
And then, the famous one: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (1:21)
Now, let me say, that I understand the intention behind the statement. Job was saying that he was going to praise God, no matter what bad things were happening in his life. God was worthy of attention, just because He is. Many people love to curse God when things get difficult, so I can appreciate Job’s heart.
So my beef is not with Job’s desires or Job’s affections. He was a man of faith, and I can resonate with that.
But why we hold him up as a paragon of good theology, I don’t know. Many people sing the words of Job 1:21 as a praise song, and I wonder if they really know what they are singing. Sure, God is blessed when we go through good times and bad times (which are the lyrics of the song’s verses), but then we sing that God gives and takes away.
Maybe we are more comfortable with the idea that God takes away than we are with the idea that Satan takes away. After all, who in today’s modern culture wants to think about such foolish “superstition” as a devil? But I’m talking about Christians who, like me, generally do believe in a fallen angel called Satan.
So, rather than blaming Satan for the bad things in our lives, we are somehow “thanking” God for them. Now, I certainly don’t believe that every bad thing in life comes from the devil. That’s extremism, in my mind. But Job’s words suggest that it is indeed God, and not Satan, who takes away.
All it takes is a quick glance through the book of Job is see that it is most certainly NOT God who takes away. It was Satan, pure and simple. Read for yourself. God did not take away all the things that Job loved the most. It was Satan using natural disasters, and so on.
So people sing the song about God taking away, hoping to remain true to scripture, when the context of the verse shows that it was certainly not God who takes away.
People love to defend the words because they assume that if it’s in the Bible, then it’s true. Well, it’s a person making a statement, that’s all. It’s like saying that the early apostles on Pentecost were indeed drunk, just because someone said it in Acts 2:13.
Keeping in mind a few things... The book of Job is considered the oldest book in the Bible. Christians everywhere (even if they don’t realize it) believe in progressive revelation, which is that God becomes clearer throughout history as recorded in the words of the Bible. So, while it is uncomfortable to say that Job had his theology wrong, what are the alternatives?
That Jesus had it wrong? He said in John 10:10 that He came to give life, but the job description of the enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy (like what happened with Job). These words of Jesus are also the reason I don’t buy Job’s words in 13:15 where he says, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Trust in God despite hardships is a good thing. Saying that He took the life of your loved one (or yourself) is ascribing Satan’s work to God.
Or did Paul have it wrong? He said in Romans 11:29 that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Paul didn’t think that God gives and takes away.
To believe that God might take away something good, simply because you can’t know if He’s giving or taking, really leads to a misguided picture of a loving Father. This is where we get statements like this:
“I don’t know why God gave me this sickness.”
“God, why did You take them away?”
“I don’t know why God is making all these bad things happen to me.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Now, there is much I don’t know. Why some people seem to face so many difficult situations, I don’t know. Why scoundrels live so long and good folk die early, I don’t know. Why kids get cancer, I don’t know. Please don’t take this article to sound as if I have all the answers. I don’t.
But I am no longer comfortable with blaming God for the bad things in life. People are quite willing to dismiss posts like this because they chalk it all up to the “mysterious ways of God”. I’m just a man, so I can’t possibly comprehend God’s ways.
And then I think of Jesus who said in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is who God the Father looks like. Jesus is the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:3). While a certain cloud of mystery surrounded Jesus’ actions and words while He walked this earth, I think we know what He thought of sickness: it was not from God. Same with death. If sickness and death were what God wanted, then Jesus was actually UNDOING the work of God on earth by healing the sick and raising the dead.
So stop blaming God for the difficult times you face. They may be the result of your own bad choices, or they might be from the enemy of your soul, or they might be because we live in a fallen world. But God did not kill that person. God did not give cancer. God did not take away that thing you love. God did not send that earthquake. Please, folks. God wants you to know Him as a Father who loves you deeply and desperately, and took some pretty extreme measures to prove it.
I know I have said some things that people will want to argue with, and you are allowed to disagree, but let’s keep it civil, and not question others’ motives, sincerity, or faith.
(This article was borne from a desire in my heart to say it, even though it is not part of the Shelburne Coast Guard column Crossroads, for which I write a monthly piece.)
I’m not sure why it’s so hard for us to admit that. Likely it’s because we say, “Well, if it’s in the Bible, it must be true, then.” But of all the statements to latch onto, Job’s most famous statement is a little far-fetched.
He said three things in the Old Testament book named after him, three statements that are quoted more than others.
“I know that my Redeemer lives.” (19:25) I’m OK with this verse.
“Though he slay me, yet I will trust Him.” (13:15) Not so much with this one.
And then, the famous one: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (1:21)
Now, let me say, that I understand the intention behind the statement. Job was saying that he was going to praise God, no matter what bad things were happening in his life. God was worthy of attention, just because He is. Many people love to curse God when things get difficult, so I can appreciate Job’s heart.
So my beef is not with Job’s desires or Job’s affections. He was a man of faith, and I can resonate with that.
But why we hold him up as a paragon of good theology, I don’t know. Many people sing the words of Job 1:21 as a praise song, and I wonder if they really know what they are singing. Sure, God is blessed when we go through good times and bad times (which are the lyrics of the song’s verses), but then we sing that God gives and takes away.
Maybe we are more comfortable with the idea that God takes away than we are with the idea that Satan takes away. After all, who in today’s modern culture wants to think about such foolish “superstition” as a devil? But I’m talking about Christians who, like me, generally do believe in a fallen angel called Satan.
So, rather than blaming Satan for the bad things in our lives, we are somehow “thanking” God for them. Now, I certainly don’t believe that every bad thing in life comes from the devil. That’s extremism, in my mind. But Job’s words suggest that it is indeed God, and not Satan, who takes away.
All it takes is a quick glance through the book of Job is see that it is most certainly NOT God who takes away. It was Satan, pure and simple. Read for yourself. God did not take away all the things that Job loved the most. It was Satan using natural disasters, and so on.
So people sing the song about God taking away, hoping to remain true to scripture, when the context of the verse shows that it was certainly not God who takes away.
People love to defend the words because they assume that if it’s in the Bible, then it’s true. Well, it’s a person making a statement, that’s all. It’s like saying that the early apostles on Pentecost were indeed drunk, just because someone said it in Acts 2:13.
Keeping in mind a few things... The book of Job is considered the oldest book in the Bible. Christians everywhere (even if they don’t realize it) believe in progressive revelation, which is that God becomes clearer throughout history as recorded in the words of the Bible. So, while it is uncomfortable to say that Job had his theology wrong, what are the alternatives?
That Jesus had it wrong? He said in John 10:10 that He came to give life, but the job description of the enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy (like what happened with Job). These words of Jesus are also the reason I don’t buy Job’s words in 13:15 where he says, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Trust in God despite hardships is a good thing. Saying that He took the life of your loved one (or yourself) is ascribing Satan’s work to God.
Or did Paul have it wrong? He said in Romans 11:29 that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Paul didn’t think that God gives and takes away.
To believe that God might take away something good, simply because you can’t know if He’s giving or taking, really leads to a misguided picture of a loving Father. This is where we get statements like this:
“I don’t know why God gave me this sickness.”
“God, why did You take them away?”
“I don’t know why God is making all these bad things happen to me.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Now, there is much I don’t know. Why some people seem to face so many difficult situations, I don’t know. Why scoundrels live so long and good folk die early, I don’t know. Why kids get cancer, I don’t know. Please don’t take this article to sound as if I have all the answers. I don’t.
But I am no longer comfortable with blaming God for the bad things in life. People are quite willing to dismiss posts like this because they chalk it all up to the “mysterious ways of God”. I’m just a man, so I can’t possibly comprehend God’s ways.
And then I think of Jesus who said in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is who God the Father looks like. Jesus is the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:3). While a certain cloud of mystery surrounded Jesus’ actions and words while He walked this earth, I think we know what He thought of sickness: it was not from God. Same with death. If sickness and death were what God wanted, then Jesus was actually UNDOING the work of God on earth by healing the sick and raising the dead.
So stop blaming God for the difficult times you face. They may be the result of your own bad choices, or they might be from the enemy of your soul, or they might be because we live in a fallen world. But God did not kill that person. God did not give cancer. God did not take away that thing you love. God did not send that earthquake. Please, folks. God wants you to know Him as a Father who loves you deeply and desperately, and took some pretty extreme measures to prove it.
I know I have said some things that people will want to argue with, and you are allowed to disagree, but let’s keep it civil, and not question others’ motives, sincerity, or faith.
(This article was borne from a desire in my heart to say it, even though it is not part of the Shelburne Coast Guard column Crossroads, for which I write a monthly piece.)