On our way to Amber Cove in
Puerto Plata of the Dominican Republic, Beverly and I could see various clouds
casting their shadows on the sun-drenched surface of an ocean of blue in the
Atlantic. I thought about how cloud shadows must have looked never more beautiful to
those who were ever caught up in an “abandon ship” order and stranded out in
the ocean for a time, feeling temporary relief from the relentless pounding of
the sun from the drifting clouds coming between the sun and those trying to
survive. From our perspective, these elusive shadowy islands only appeared as
blemishes on the surface of the azure waters, but they came and went with the
wind.
More than mere misfortune, there
are times in the sovereign winds of God that He allows various shadows to come
into our lives for His glory without explanation other than He can with impunity.
These are not shadows of relief after abandoning the ship but shadows of roughness
that come from the storms of life. It is easy to trust in God when things are smooth
sailing, right? But during difficult and turbulent times, we all know that trust
can be quite a challenge that demands a resolution of faith to see us us through
it.
It is doubtful that any of us
will be tested to the extent that Job had to endure in his life, but even in
the event we are sorely tested out of measure, read and contemplate the depth
of this man’s spirituality under fire according to this interpretation,
“Though He slay me, yet will I
trust Him” (Job 13:15a).
But is this really about
trusting God even in the face of death or is this the last stand in Job’s mind
to prove his innocence? The back half of the verse says, “Even so, I will defend my own
ways before Him.”
Job’s integrity was under attack
by Satan unbeknownst to him, and his three “friends” interpreted what happened
to him as prima facie evidence that Job was guilty of some sin in his life. To
them, it was untenable that a godly man would ever experience such overwhelming things
apart from being guilty of some transgression before God. We learn from Job 42:7,
8, 9; they were dead wrong. Neither Job nor his caring friends were aware that
there was something greater going on here between God and Satan, which had
nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with sin on Job’s part.
Satan’s contention to God’s
question concerning Job was that Job feared God because he was blessed and
untouched. Satan was certain that Job would curse God to His face if he was
able to get to him. So, the hedge was hinged, and Satan and his minions killed
and destroyed but failed to destroy the true saving faith of Job – “In all this Job did not sin
with his lips (Job 2:10b).
One of the answers to one of the
greatest mysteries on why God allowed those astonishing things to happen to Job
and his family or why bad things happen to good people is found in Rom 15:4,
“For
whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that
through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”
(cf. 1 Cor 10:6, 11).
Not
the answer we were looking for? When we add verses like Rom 8:28 and others, it
is as close to an explanation as God is going to give as to why bad things
happen to good people. While we wrestle with the whys and make foolish
statements about God, our adversary is intent on killing us if given permission;
make no mistake about it. We are alive because of Him. It cannot be overstated;
emphatic trust in God is critical in the life of every believer. When we question Him, trust is abandoned.
After
the devastation, Job made some presumptions and allegations against God, but He
understood the divine rebuke and made this statement of contrition out of brokenness,
“I
have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore
I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).
The
reality is this; no matter what happens to us, our family, or our friends, we
have no right to question Yahweh by making presumptions or allegations of
unfairness. God is the sovereign Lord. His love and holiness are immutable or unchanging.
The traditional interpretation
of the first half of Job 13:15, NKJV, is a beautiful and incredible testament
of a godly man under fire who had an immovable trust in God. It is
awe-inspiring, but admittedly, it makes my trust pale in comparison.
Unfortunately, the traditional
understanding of this text is controversial among scholars, because there is an
alternate interpretation that has contextual merit. This is important to note
because the sovereign of hermeneutics is context, not because it has emotional
appeal and stirs our spirit; without its rule, anything goes.
I, as well, love
this statement of faith, but what I love more is the truth emerging from its
context. It is not the scope of this article to discuss the merits of an
alternate view; only to inform the reader if he or she happened to be unaware
of it. The ERV (English Revised Version) translates the viewpoint that it is
not about unconquerable trust, but a dogged determination to prove his
innocence and be exonerated before God though it would probably mean his death.
“Though
he slay me, yet will I wait for Him: nevertheless I will maintain my ways
before him. This also shall be my salvation; for a godless man shall not come
before him” (Job 13:15-16, ERV).
Given the similar prevalent attitude
of Job’s friends today that bad things happen to good people because sin is in
the camp, it makes sense.
Whether this familiar interpretation
of Job 13:15, NKJV or KJV, is correct or not, there is no doubt that Job’s trust in God was
nothing short of amazing (cf. Job 1:1, 8, 20-21, 22; 2:3, 10). He had lost all ten of his children, and all of his possessions, and his health was failing. He didn’t
know if he would survive. He was not privy to the conversation between God and
Satan (Job 1:8). His wife understood on just how important her husband’s
integrity was to him (Job 2:9).
I can say that I don’t blame him for holding fast to his innocence; for he maintained through all of this that what
happened to him and his family was not because of something he did wrong before
God that demanded such a Divine response. He never made any claim to be
perfect; he just knew in his heart he was right before God. He didn’t want to
die with people thinking that the catastrophes experienced by his family were
because of personal sin in his life; I get that.
There are three themes going on
here. (1) Satan is trying to get Job to curse God (Job 1:11; 2:5). (2) His
three friends are convinced that Job had unconfessed sin in his life. (3) Job is holding
fast to his integrity (Job 2:3, 9), which is important to keep in mind while reading
Job 13. I agree with one scholar that either view of Job 13:15 is true to the character of
Job. <><
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