Posted: 5/25/07
BaptistWay Bible Series for June 3
When bad things happen to a good person
• Job 1:1; 1:6—2:10
Logsdon Seminary, Abilene
They had it all figured out. Actually, they thought they had God all figured out. Before the time of Job, the Hebrews believed all punishment or reward happened in this lifetime.
Life was simple: If one did good, God would bless. If one sinned, God would curse. The signs of God’s blessing? Again, very simple: God blessed through granting health, wealth and long life. Nice and tidy. However, in Job’s instance, that conventional wisdom everybody knew (including Job) just did not work.
The opening verses of Job describe Job the man as “blameless and upright.” It does not mean Job was without sin. Instead, it has to do with completeness. Many Bible passages tell us one’s relationship with God shapes one’s relationship with other people. Regarding God, Job was reverent. As a result, regarding others, he was just. Simply stated, Job was a man of integrity. As we put it in Texas, “Job talked the talk and walked the walk.”
Readers of Job’s day expected, then, that Job was rich in every sense of the term. However, they would have been taken aback by what was about to happen.
The scene shifts from Job to heaven. There, in 1:6, “sons of God” are appearing before God and reporting their activities. This confuses many contemporary readers. However, these were not sons of God in the unique sense of Jesus as the “only begotten Son of God.” Some translations render that term “heavenly beings.” Some scholars have suggested these were angels.
The name “Satan” comes from the Hebrew word for an accuser or adversary. Satan is mentioned as among the “sons of God” or “heavenly beings.” God points out Job as an example of a person who truly loves their Creator. Ever the adversary, Satan asks, “Does Job fear God for nothing?”
That is, what is in it for Job? Was Job motivated by profit and hope for gain or truly by love for God? Satan was questioning if anyone would love and serve God simply out of love for God. He certainly was claiming God was only fooling himself.
In verse 11, Satan more or less says, “Let me at him (Job), and we will see if Job really loves you simply for the sake of loving you.” God approves but makes Job himself off limits. True to his word, Satan heaps wave upon wave of woe and calamity upon Job. In 1:13-19, Job’s oxen and donkeys were stolen and plowmen killed. His sheep and shepherds were destroyed in a fire. His camels were stolen, and the herdsmen killed. Finally, a wind destroyed Job’s house, killing all his children.
Job 1:20-22 shows how, despite Satan’s thoroughness, Job did not turn from God. Job grieved at and over the reality and enormity of his loss. Job even saw disasters as signs of God’s disfavor and, so, took on symbols marking his fall. Still, Job was unyielding in his love for and trust in God. So, God’s trust in God was vindicated.
However, Satan was not done yet. In 2:3, God notes Job had remained a person of integrity and that Job’s love for God was steadfast. Satan’s response sounds a little like, “Well, if you have your health, you have everything” and “Let me touch him!” God remained confident in Job and responded with permission for Satan to touch, but not kill, Job.
The result of Satan’s work is pretty gory. Job 2:7-8 describes how, suddenly, ulcers or boils covered Job’s body. (The disease is further described more graphically in later passages in the book.) Job’s scraping the sores probably was another act of mourning, but also served to alleviate their itching and irritation.
So, here we have him. The pillar of the community is now an outcast and sitting on a garbage heap. To make matters even worse—yes, that was possible—in 2:9, we read that Job’s wife joined with Satan. “Curse God so that he will put you out of my misery” or “just get it over with!” she was saying.
Job was not in on the questions, challenges, dares, discussion, etc. about him. His theology—the “old time religion” for Job—still assumed all things, whether good or bad, were caused by God. He did not understand why these bad things were happening. Job did, however, see a certain balance: we accept the good things from God, why not accept the bad that happens?
Like Job, we have free will in choosing how we react to tragedies in our lives. Being Christians does not render us immune to tragedy. Actually, by allowing evil to touch us shows God’s confidence in us. That assurance is not based on our power and strength. Rather, it grows out of God’s promises of Ephesians 2:10 and Philippians 1:6.
When we and others are confronted by life’s difficulties and bewildered as to why they are happening, let us not respond with pat answers that simply do not work. Instead, let us rely on God’s work in and through us. Only then will we respond as people of integrity and in ways that honor our Lord.
Discussion question
• Does righteous living provide insurance against bad things happening to us?
• What confidence might God have in you and your responses when bad things unexpectedly happen to you?
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.