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The Journey Toward Mature Faith! from the Book of Job

1,000 ft view of the Book in 6 scenes:
Scene 1: (1:1-5)
Job loved God, served Him, had a big family (10 kids), was a caring dad, had lots of possessions/money, had community influence.

Scene 2: (1:6-2:8)
God had two conversations with Satan, whose accusations were that Job served God because he was well paid (wealth, protection, health, etc.) to do so. Following those conversations, God chose to allow the following to happen: the removal of Job’s property/wealth, the death of his staff, the death of his children, and his physical body became sick/diseased. Initially, Job’s response was “God gives and takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Scene 3: (2:9-chapter 31)
The community began to react. We hear this reaction through the voices of 5 people. His wife, 3 friends, and then a 4th friend who we meet in scene 4. His wife, who had suffered great loss, as well, told him to give up and let the stress of this tragedy take his life. Three of his friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar) told him that his suffering was because he had done something terrible and God was punishing him for it. Through their back-and-forth argument with Job, they projected a one-dimensional view of God, some human qualities but with super strength: simple to deal with, logical, predictable, etc. (They will get in trouble for this later in the story.)

Scene 4: Chapter 32-37
Job began to process his experiences and his understanding of God out loud. Intensity builds. A common theme from Job is that God should explain/justify His actions/non actions. The last friend (Elihu) described God more multi-dimensionally and presented a concept that challenged Job’s thinking: God speaks to us and works in our lives in 
lots of different ways, even through suffering.

Scene 5: (Chapter 38-41)
God responded. He was not sorry. “Who is talking to and about me without knowledge?” Asked Job about two hundred questions. I’m God. You are not. I’ve created all things and watch over all of my creation carefully. All wisdom is mine. I do not need to explain my actions or non-actions to you. I am not accountable to you. You are accountable to me.

Scene 6: (chapter 42)
Upon further reflection, Job responds, 42:3 and 5, “You ask who it is who so foolishly denied your providence. It is I. I was complaining about things I know nothing about and did not understand things far too wonderful for me. I had heard about you before, but now I see you.”

I’m suggesting to you that Job’s earlier faith was based on what he had heard from others and the image he had created of God based on that and his blessed life. Now, after all of this, he not only understood his own self better, but now had a more accurate understanding of who God really is and what He really does. 

God entrusted Job with twice as much as before. 

A summary of what happened: Job had much, lost much, through the suffering, learned about himself and more importantly, about who God really is, renewed his commitment to love/serve God based on the new revelation. God entrusted Job with even more influence. 

Ground level application:
Dr. Floyd Perkins, my theology professor at NBC would regularly talk about the following concept: Unfortunately, many people have a China Doll-type faith. A China Doll is impressive, beautiful, but fragile. We keep it on a shelf and don’t play with it because it will break.

China Doll faith looks/sounds impressive, sits on display and people show it off each Wednesday, Sunday, and special holidays. But when the unthinkable happens, when the messiness of real life, of human relationships, of fragile bodies/minds, of the selfish (sometimes violent) actions of others happens, their faith begins to breakdown, to crumble. Often, the “crumbling of faith” happens on the inside only, while still projecting an impressive-looking faith to others. They still go through the motions, but they don’t know how to reconcile the image they have created of God in their minds with the pain they experience in life.

God wants his people to have strong, tough faith, the kind that is strengthened/sharpened on the anvil of God’s truth and real-life experiences.”

There is a pathway that leads us from a young, idealistic faith to a strong, useful, and mature faith. Undoubtably, that pathway will most likely include suffering. However, in the midst of that suffering, you and I will have the opportunity to better understand ourselves and, more importantly, discover a more accurate understanding of who God really is and how God really acts.

For example, on the anvil of God’s truth and real-life experiences, we might discover: *While God is our Father, He is not always exactly like a good human father. (If I had the power to stop it and still willfully allowed to happen to my children what God allowed to happen to Job, you wouldn’t call me a good father, you would call me a bad father, not fit to be a father, maybe send me to jail, etc.) and yet God, with the full ability to stop it, allows great loss, pain, injustice, and death to happen to his people, all the time. 

Our concept of a good father is one dimensional and limited. God defines human fatherhood for us and gives boundaries to us. While there are some common characteristics, He does not have to live/act within those same boundaries. He’s Sovereign and has all Wisdom!

*God says he is faithful, but God’s faithfulness is not always exactly like our best example of human faithfulness. He decides what His faithfulness means. (If you had the power to stop it and still willfully allowed to happen to your friend or family what God allowed to happen to Job, we wouldn’t call your actions “faithful”. We would say you are unfaithful, you betrayed a trust, maybe even evil, etc.) and yet God, with the full ability to stop it, allows great loss, pain, injustice, and death to happen to his people, all the time.

Our concept of faithfulness is one dimensional and limited. God defines this for humans and gives us boundaries to live within. While there are some common characteristics within the general concept, He does not have to live/act within those same boundaries. He’s Sovereign and has all Wisdom! His faithfulness is multi?dimensional in ways we cannot fathom.

*God says He loves us, but God’s love is not always exactly the best example of human love. He decides what His love means. (If someone had the power to stop it and still willfully allowed to happen to a friend or family member what God allowed to happen to Job, we wouldn’t call that person’s actions “loving”. We would say they don’t love, failed at love, demonstrated the opposite of love, etc.) and yet God, with the full ability to stop it, allows great loss, pain, injustice, and death to happen to his people, all the time.

Our concept of love is one dimensional and limited. God defines this for humans and gives us boundaries to live within. While there are some common characteristics within the concept of His love, He does not have to live/act within those same boundaries. He’s Sovereign and has all Wisdom! His love is multi?dimensional in ways we cannot fathom.

Think about it: We are told to love others like God loves them, but not only is that impossible, we would be sinning if we did, because we are the created and not the Creator. His full expressions of love are off limits to us because we are not qualified to do so.

He is Sovereign, and therefore He will do with us as He chooses.

No amount of discussion, prayer, promises we think He has made, or good works, will change this truth. 

God desires/expects us to choose (with His Spirit’s help) to love/serve Him for who He really is and what He actually does and not based on some image we create of Him in our minds (with many human qualities, logical, predictable, etc.). 

This is the way toward mature, resilient, and useful faith!

 

Will Mackey serves as Vice President of Enrollment Management for Nazarene Bible College.