“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job 1:21
Job responds with this statement of worship at the loss of his children and all his worldly goods. Given God’s commendation in Job 1:1 that Job was “was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil,” we can with assurance look to Job for an example, especially given the conclusion of chapter 1 that in all this “Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
So, what is it that we want to imitate? One of our struggles is the natural temptation to assume that everything that happens is some sort of quid pro quo, or some sort of cosmic action/reaction. On one level this is Biblical. Consider Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” For example, if you break the law, you are at some point going to be held accountable. Proverbs is full of warnings about the consequences of our actions — consider the truism from chapter 1 that bad friends corrupt good morals. So, thinking about consequences for how we live makes sense and usually dominates the framing of our experiences.
But, how does this match with events that don’t seem to be connected to any of our actions? Why did the tornado or range fire destroy my house but not my neighbors? Why did my child get bone cancer and none of our other relatives? Why did this person die prematurely but this other fellow live to be one hundred.
David wrestles with something similar in Psalm 73 making comparisons between the fates of the wicked and the righteous. The former appearing to have it better in this life than the righteous. Still, David concludes in verse 17 “till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” The God of justice will make all things right.
At least initially, Job reaches the same conclusion. God is sovereign. How can I complain if the potter remakes me by either giving or taking away? Later Job’s friends can’t see beyond their assumed connection between Job’s calamity and some unconfessed sin. Our lesson is to foster through worship that deep understanding that God is both sovereign and good. He loves us and delights in us, and in Job’s case boasts. So, as we process difficult circumstance we can confess with Job that God gives and God takes away but in all of this, He is just and good.
Matt Meyer – June 23, 2024
