Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-one
Job is refuting the dominant belief of his day that God smites the wicked in the here and now through a number of ways.
In a world where miscarriage seemed mysterious, it was often thought to be God's judgment on a family. If one was fortunate enough to be a live-stock owner, miscarriages among livestock could also be seen as divine disfavor.
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| Ethically, a calf might be saying, "Why am I being punished for the sins of my parents? |
Job seems to say that there are wicked people who never experience this as a disincentive for bad behavior whether it be through their loss of livestock or children.
In fact, Job states that even those who scoff at God seem to get away with it.
If we see Job as a stand-in for the country of Judah who was carried away to Babylon in the Exile, we know that there were some within that country that didn't follow as faithfully as they should have. But there would also have been people who did do the right thing most of the time. If you looked at the behavior of some of the other countries in the region, it may be that they felt they were getting a raw deal.
They might very well be asking God, "Why would we lose all that we had while the aggressors who murdered your people seem to increase their holdings?"
Prophets within the day indicated that the injustices toward the widow and the orphan and the outsider by the country as a whole led to the Exile.
And so, we seem to have a both-and.
It may be that we find ourselves questioning our own behavior, when we face difficulty. When things make us move toward better action, one could say that God is utilizing calamity to move us toward holiness. But at the same time, it's important to note that Job's critique seems to be saying that God doesn't work that way or else you would see it universally applied.
As a pastor, I would never want to blame the victim. However, I know that sometimes drastic change brings upon self-reflection which may be helpful.
How do I open myself to the possibility of change during suffering while simultaneously seeing God giving me the strength to live through it?
This is a theological movement that Job seems to be nudging God's people toward. It would speak to a people in exile.
Prayer for the day:
God, the hosts of evil round us scorn your Christ, assail his ways. From the fears that long have bound us, free our hearts to faith and praise. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the living of these days, for the living of these days. Amen.
Prayer by Harry E. Fosdick, "God of Grace and God of Glory", 1930.
Photo by jomango274 via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
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