Old Sandals

Zophar remains convinced that Job is finally getting his just deserts, as will all who do evil, of whom it can be said, “They oppressed the poor and left them destitute. They foreclosed on their homes. They were always greedy and never satisfied.”

To oppress the poor or take advantage of others less fortunate is evil because it is so opposite the revealed character of God. God is a Redeemer, not a Robber.

Bildad speaks again, and it is more of the same.
“All memory of [the existence of wicked men] will fade from the earth. No one will remember their names.”

Isn’t it often the case, however, that the opposite is true. How many godly men and women have lived and died without any notoriety at all?

As poignantly expressed by Gerhard Tersteegen in “Pilgrim Song”:

“We follow in His footsteps;
What if our feet be torn?
Where [God] has marked the pathway
All hail the briar and thorn!
Scarce seen, scare heard, unreckoned,
Despised, defamed, unknown,
Or heard but by our singing,
On children, ever on!”

Job lost his family, his possessions, his health, his friends, the encouragement and support of his wife and even the sympathy of those around him. “God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face.”

Even his hope is gone. “My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken.”

But still he does not curse God. His wife thought he would. Even Satan, the Accuser, was sure that he would.

This is the story of one man’s suffering. In many ways, it is not unlike the stories of many men down through the centuries. Men who have suffered great misfortune, and endured miserable circumstances.

But this is the story of a godly man. A man who acknowledged (even though he didn’t understand) the sovereignty of God. A man who did not bitterly turn away from God because of his circumstances.

To Job’s probing questions, Eliphaz offers very shallow answers.

This life is all there is. God’s judgment is meted out in this life according to one’s deeds. Do good, and you will prosper. Do evil, and you will suffer for it. And although one may point to evil men who seem to prosper, “their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure.”

Job seems to be the only one who is wrestling with unanswered questions. The three men beside him have it all neatly figured out.

But, in their defense, if a righteous Judge is behind it all, and in control of it all, and if this life is all there is, is it that far out of line to understand our good and bad circumstances as either the result of God’s favor or displeasure?

There has to be more to it.

“Can the dead live again?”, Job asks, almost wistfully.

Since life on earth is so short, and death is endless, what eternal purpose did God have in mind in forming man from the dust of the ground?

Prolonged suffering. Profound questions.

Job says again, “I am a just and blameless man, yet my friends laugh at me.”

Job is at a loss to explain his circumstances, but he cannot accept the explanation offered by his three “friends”.

Job is certain of this: Although God’s ways are mysterious, and his purposes inscrutable, yet “I call on God and expect an answer.” This that has befallen me is of God, for he is very much at work in the affairs of men, and is in control of everything, even the very breath we breathe. All creation knows this. “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.”