God and the Problem of Evil: The Book of Job
Job is by far the most enigmatic book in the Old Testament. The primary purpose of the story has been a point of contention amongst scholars throughout history and a general consensus has proved elusive. In fact, pick up any two commentaries on the book of Job and chances are they will disagree. The difficulty lies in the fact that the story of Job deals with the most perplexing issues we face this side of eternity – the problem of evil, the suffering of the righteous, divine retribution, justice and equity. The story raises serious questions and yet, at the same time, presents a God who seems entirely disinterested in answering any of them. But, instead of seeing that as a problem, perhaps we would do well to see that as precisely the point.
Before we begin, let me say this upfront. The book of Job is a problem for everyone. It would be ludicrous for me to suggest that I have the answer. I don’t. What I present here is a meager attempt at a solution. And for that, we will do three things. First, we will look at the story of Job in its entirety. Second, we will talk about what this book is not about by seeking to discount two prominent theories. Finally, we will address what I believe to be the central point of the book.
The Story of Job
We begin with the story of Job. There was a man who lived in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. The Bible declares that he was blameless and upright and uniquely blessed of God. He was a father to seven sons and three daughters and he was exceedingly wealthy. In fact, he was the greatest of all of the men of the east.
Until one day, Satan presented himself to the Lord. Job 1:7- 12: “7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.”
And just like that, all that Job had was taken from him. The Sabeans came and took his oxen and donkeys and killed his servants. Fire from heaven consumed his sheep. The Chaldeans stole his camels and killed still more of his servants. Then a mighty wind tore down the house of Job’s eldest boy and killed all of his children and the remainder of his house. Eventually, Satan was even allowed to take Job’s health and he was afflicted with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head and when his three friends came to comfort him they found him seated on an ash heap scraping his boils with a potsherd. They were so astonished at what they saw they fell on the ground and sat there and did not say a word for seven days and seven nights.
After seven days and seven nights, Job finally spoke and he and his friends made several speeches – three cycles of dialogue and then three discourses. And at various points in his speeches, in the midst of his suffering, Job asked the question that comes to all who live to see such times: Why? Job demanded of God an audience and an answer. And God showed up in a whirlwind. God appeared in His majesty – in thunder and in fury. But, God never answered Job’s question. And Job finally had the good sense to stop talking.
God then, in the end, chose to bless Job. He gave him twice as much as he had before. He restored unto him seven sons and three daughters and his latter days were more blessed than his former.
Two Things the Book of Job is Not
There are two popular theories that seek to explain the main point of the book of Job. I would submit to you that both are wrong.
One prominent theory is that the book of Job is a proof text for disinterested righteousness. The argument being that this was a contest initiated by Satan’s accusation that the righteous in general and Job in particular were mercenaries who maintained their righteousness and their allegiance only because they were paid to do it. The purpose of the story then was to prove Satan wrong. It is difficult to claim that the story of Job did that. Satan was certainly not right about Job in the end, but it is difficult to say he was completely wrong either, because there are points in the narrative when it is frankly hard to read some of the things Job said about God. In Job 9:22-24, Job actually said this about God, “22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. 23 If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent. 24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?” Job accused God of being unjust, sadistic and the ultimate source of injustice. It is hard to make the case that Job maintained a disinterested righteousness here. Later on, when God finally did show up, Job said this in Job 42:6: “6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” This would suggest that there was an unrighteousness in what Job said that required repentance. If this was indeed some cosmic wager on disinterested righteousness in general or on Job as a test case in particular, then I would submit to you God lost that bet.
A second prominent theory is that the book of Job is about the eventual goodness of God. This is Romans 8:28 writ large. The argument is as follows: The world in which we live is broken by sin, ruled by Satan and good people suffer. God has nothing to do with the suffering, but He works all things together for good in the end. After all, God gave to Job twice as much as he had before. This is not what this book is principally about for two reasons.
First, God was ultimately responsible for Job’s suffering and everybody knew it. God is holy and He does no evil. Satan conceived of and executed all of the evil that befell Job, but never once did God ever hide from responsibility. Instead, God openly acknowledged responsibility for all of Job's suffering (Job 2:3). God was the One who invited the challenge from Satan in the first place. He was the One who initiated the suffering of Job and singled him out when Satan had no intention of doing that (Job 1:8). Job knew God was the one responsible for his suffering (Job 1:21). So did Satan (Job 2:5). The Holy Spirit inspired author of the book of Job wrote that it was God who brought "all the evil" upon Job (Job 42:11). Never once did God ever shift the blame to Satan nor did He hide behind the free will of the Sabeans or the Chaldeans. Never once did He blame the complexity and the fallenness of creation for the natural evils that were the cause of so much of Job's suffering. Those who insist that the book of Job is about the goodness of God have to try and somehow get God off the hook for Job’s ordeal. When they do this they put on offer an absolution God never seeks.
Second, this argument that the end of the story makes up for all that preceded it creates more problems than it solves. We still have no idea why God made Job go through what he did. For the ends to justify the means we have to be able to make a connection between the two and we cannot do that here. Additionally, this argument is rather crass and it elevates wealth for the Christian to a place it does not belong. We are not mercenaries. We do not submit to God in our suffering because we think He’s going to cut us a check. Moreover, this argument gives no account for Job’s children. Children are not fungible. They’re not chattel. They cannot simply be replaced. The pain of losing children is profound and deep and it cannot be healed with more children and more money. The death of his children was a scar Job carried his entire life.
To be clear, God did bless Job in the end and we are even exhorted in Scripture (James 5:11) to patiently endure suffering as Job did knowing God is merciful and compassionate. This is surely a part of the story, but it is not the whole of it, nor is this the primary lesson to be learned. God is good, of this there is no question, but surely there are other books that convey that message more clearly.
So, then what is the book of Job about?
The Central Lesson of the Book of Job
In order to answer this question we have to look at two things.
First, it is critically important to see Job’s place in the biblical canon. It is wisdom literature along with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and, depending on your perspective, Psalms and the Song of Solomon. A central theme in this literature is wisdom as the preeminent good (Proverbs 4:7). Throughout the wisdom literature, wisdom is depicted as a gift from God (Proverbs 2:6), a treasure for the righteous (Proverbs 2:7), and a means to blessing (Proverbs 3:13). Wisdom is intimacy with God (Proverbs 8:30). It was utilized by God in creation (Psalm 136:5). Wisdom is more precious than rubies (Proverbs 8:11) and more valuable than gold (Proverbs 16:16). In Proverbs 8, wisdom is eternal, it is Christ Himself. And wisdom cannot be obtained without the fear of the Lord. Wisdom and the fear of the Lord are inextricably linked in Scripture. In fact, the fear of the Lord is wisdom's ontological starting point (Proverbs 1:7) and its end (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Second, this idea that wisdom and the fear of the Lord are inextricably linked is central to the structural framework of the book of Job. According to Dr. Kenneth Way, the book of Job is structured as a chiasm. The prologue (Job 1-2) is counterbalanced with the epilogue (Job 42:7-17). Job's lament (Job 3) finds its reverse parallel in Job's closing statements (Job 42:1-6). The three dialogue cycles (Job 4-27) parallel the three discourse cycles (Job 29-41). Finally, at its center is the hymn to wisdom (Job 28). This hymn to wisdom is the apex of the book. It stands alone – separate and apart from the rest of the discourse. And this is how the hymn ends, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." The "fear of the Lord" is defined in the wisdom literature as reverent, abject submission to God.
Wisdom is the preeminent good. The only way to get it is to have a proper fear of the Lord. To have a proper fear of the Lord is to acknowledge His supremacy and His sovereignty. And that is precisely what the book of Job does. It is not about disinterested righteousness. It is not about the goodness of God. The book of Job is about the sovereignty of God. God can do whatever He wants to do for whatever reason He wants to do it. He requires submission from all and He answers to none. He is the Creator. He is the King.
And this central lesson of the book of Job is so clear because it is so stark. God took an innocent person and devastated him for reasons that are not entirely clear to even those who are ostensibly told the reason. God did the inexplicable and never explained Himself. That, ladies and gentleman, is sovereignty. It was an important lesson for Job and it is a critical lesson for us.
Job initially operated under the assumption that God's prerogative was circumscribed within certain limits that Job and his friends deemed appropriate – God blesses obedience and He punishes sin. Fearing God under certain set preconditions and in times of plenty is easy to the point of abstraction. Genuine reverence and submission is never made manifest in fair weather. The fear of the Lord is only made real when it hurts – when what God does makes no sense. Job was pressed to that depth because in the midst of his pain, still with no answers, God showed up and Job submitted.
And this is why the book of Job is so critically important for us and for the church of Christ. It is the starting point. It grounds our prayers, our relationship with the Almighty, and our approach to suffering and it fundamentally alters the complexion of our Christian walk. Because it serves as a necessary counterweight to this relentless emphasis in preaching on the love of God. Over the past several decades, that is all we ever seem to hear. God loves you. God is for you. This is certainly true, but when this truth is not grounded in the primacy of God as Creator and King we skip a foundational step in Christian formation and the results are always devastating. The landscape of Christianity is now flooded with prosperity gospel dispensaries with Christians stuck in a state of arrested development and perpetual infancy who approach the Almighty with nothing but their honey do lists under the fatal misapprehension that God exists for them. He doesn’t. We exist for Him.
God is good and God is love. He is our Heavenly Father and He desires an intimate relationship with us. But, would to God may we never lose our place.