Lavender & Lace

I don’t know if you know this, but life is unfair.

No one can argue the point that life is punctuated with hardship, suffering, and heartache. Some of us learned these things very early on in life. One day the full load hits you; life isn’t just difficult, it’s unfair.

When I was in college I picked up a copy of Charles Swindolls study in the book of Job during a time when I was wrestling with depression. Without even realizing it, I had walked onto Jobs turf and learned that not only is Job’s story relevant to my life, but it represents one of the oldest and best pieces of literature in all of time.

Turns out there is a lot of dispute on whether or not this is the oldest book of Jewish scripture. Some would date it back to the days of Genesis. It has no author (although many have argued it was penned by Moses) but given its age, it falls neatly into the category of being written during the days if the patriarchs.

The book of Job is a book found in the “Ketuvi” or “writings” section of the Hebrew Bible and is the first of the poetic books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Many scholars believe Job was written around 1800-1600 BC, but the exact dating is debated. Other books like Genesis, particularly its early chapters, are also considered strong candidates for the oldest written texts.

A couple of blog posts back I mentioned that I didn’t believe Job was a “real story” and I received a bit of backlash because of it. So, just for clarification, I did not say that I do not believe the Book of Job isn’t divinely inspired or doesn’t have a place in our scriptures today. All that I meant to say was that I, personally, do not see there being evidence (archeologically or otherwise) that the person of Job ever truly lived. And that is ok because that is not the point of the book.

It was not written as a biography like the gospels, or a history that point’s us to specific archeological sites, I agree with the biblical scholars who have categorized this book as poetic literature. And I’m not offended by it existing as such because I do not believe that something in the Bible has to be “real” in order to be true or to be useful. Jesus spoke in parables all throughout his ministry and no one has ever said, because the parables are not “real” means they are not true. I think this is something we should all be weary of when it comes to studying the Bible. Wether it is a literal story or not, does not mean that it should be considered less than. Because ultimately the Bible is meant to teach us about the character of God.

And I believe the Book of Job teaches us a lot about the character of God.

I think there are so many people in our world today who have written God off as some kind of moral monster. And when we come to this book it is generally not Jobs suffering that is important. But the undeserved suffering that is.

Job suffered in the same ways that we suffer. In the areas of family, personal health, and material things. But he is also important because he searchingly questioned and boldly protested that suffering.

He was a man of genuine piety, well deserved prosperity, someone we would probably consider a “good person” by today’s standards. Who in the quick sweep of devastation was reduced to a twisted mass of brokenness and grief. He is left bankrupt, homeless, childless, and sick.

His misery turns into mystery with Gods silence. Because it is not until the 38th chapter of the book that God finally speaks.

In the mystery of Gods unfathomable will, we can never explain or fully understand. Our perspective is dreadfully limited.

I don’t know where you find yourself today, but I would be willing to wager that most of you reading this are going through something unfair. Chances are, you don’t deserve what’s happening. The consequences may have started to get to you. You didn’t anticipate and of this. But it happened anyway.

If you have moved onto Jobs turf, it’s important to pay close attention to the message woven through this book. The silence of Gods voice will make you wonder if He is even there. And the absence of God presence will make you wonder if He even cares.

He is. And He does.