Something We Miss in Job

There is an interesting flaw in the way that many of us look at the book of Job. First, we tend to look at the first 2 chapters, skip the poetic section, and read the end. It is as if we think that God inspired 42 chapters, but only 3 of them matter. Of course, I understand that it is hard to mentally work through the repetition of chapters 3-ff, but we really need to be engaged.

One of the things that we miss is the fact that Job was not perfectly righteous in all his response. Yes, in chapters 1-2, we see that Job did not sin with his lips. But that was before his friends came to “comfort” him. After his friends came, they told Job that his suffering was because of personal sin. In response, Job defended himself and began to accuse the Lord of doing wrong. That is sin.

In case you are not sure whether Job knew he sinned in the book, note that Job declares that he repents: “therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:6). In his debate with his friends, Job went too far and was not honoring to the Lord. It is one thing to ask questions; it is another to make accusations. Job put himself in a very dangerous position.

Another passage that helps us here is the beginning of the speech of Elihu.

Job 32:1-3 – 1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.

Elihu is the only voice in the conversation with Job who does not sin. In fact, Elihu shows us the right response to all of what has happened. What we expect to be true is true: Elihu is angry with Job’s 3 friends for accusing Job of wrong and not having an answer to job’s questions. But we also see something we do not expect. We see Elihu burning with anger against Job because Job attempted to justify himself rather than God.

Elihu shows us so much about the book, and his speech is so often skipped by readers who do not want to slog through the poetry of Job. But to miss Elihu is to miss the failing of Job. To miss Elihu is to miss the fact that Job did too much to try to make himself look right and God look wrong. To miss Elihu is to miss an important spiritual check we should perform when we hurt.

In so many ways, the book of Job is intended to show us right and wrong responses to personal suffering. Job’s 3 friends show us that we dare not assume that we know why God allows certain people to go through certain hardships. So, when we see a city ravaged by a hurricane or a nation’s economy collapse, we must not assume we understand the motivation of the Lord in allowing such a thing. We dare not tell somebody that they are suffering a particular hardship because God is judging them. We just do not know enough of the ways of God to make that declaration.

At the same time, we must learn from Job, Job’s repentance, and Elihu’s rebuke of Job that, if we suffer, we must not accuse the Lord of wronging us. God is holy. His ways are beyond us. His judgments are sound. God does not do wrong. Nor does God have to explain to us his rationale. We are the creation. He is the Creator. We are the servants. He is the Master. We must not think that he owes us an explanation for how he uses us. God is holy and right, and that is what we must know and believe from beginning to end, even in pain.