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PUTTING GOD ON TRIAL: The Biblical Book of Job.
In
times of suffering and despair, many turn to The Book of Job for answers to the evil that has befallen
them. Rabbis, priests and pastors
recommend The Book of Job, as perhaps
no other, to those in need. Many find a
deep consolation in a reading of this book that they rarely find elsewhere in
the Bible. They deeply identify with the person Job. They share his anguish and his anger. They share his driving need for
answers. Like Job, they long to meet
God personally and find those answers.
They walk the road Job walks through the wilderness of their lives. And as he is restored, they themselves find
a measure of renewal and comfort. Evil
is not always a punishment. Evil is not
always a means of character development.
And with that insight, they can put down the burden of false guilt. Readers
may not, as of a first reading of The
Book of Job, have a deep appreciation of the role of evil of the world: its
necessity and sufficiency. And they may
not fully understand all the dynamics of good and evil at play in the
book. But they do apprehend that
somehow in the midst of it all, God is with them as they read the book, just as
he was with Job. He has not deserted
them in the hour of their need. It is
my hope that which each reading of The
Book of Job, they will come to an even deeper understanding of the mystery
of evil and God’s use of this evil in the world. Hopefully, this work will contribute to that spiritual
quest. In
the meantime, we can all remember three things. We are called to be as patient as Job, enduring a suffering we do
not always fully understand. We are
called to be as honest as Job, refusing to give pat answers to the problem
evil, refusing to call evil good and good evil. And we are called to be as devout as Job, exercising faith in the
midst of pain and trusting that answers will be given. A world of undeserved and unremitted
suffering may be morally necessary and sufficient to bring about the purest
form of selfless love. If that is the
answer, then God certainly knows the how and the why that must be the
case. There are good reasons, rooted in
the goodness of human life and in human nature, to believe God will ultimately
give those answers in his time, eternity.
As we
close this reading of The Book of Job, we
open a new chapter in our lives. We go
forth in the knowledge that, however unsearchable and inscrutable the ways of
Lord may seem at the moment, God is with us in the midst of our suffering; he
will never leave us or forsake us.
There is an answer to the question of why there is evil in the world and
God will ultimately give it. This is
the hope and dream of all the mankind.
That is the message of The Book of
Job. |