Job Part Two Deep Dive

THEODICY | JAMES WEEKS

The knowledge of God without that of man's misery causes pride. The knowledge of man's misery without that of God causes despair. The knowledge of Jesus Christ constitutes the middle course, because in Him we find both God and our misery. 

Pascal, Pensées, VII, 527. 

The Book of Job introduces us to the genre of Old Testament Wisdom Literature. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been numerous debates concerning the authorship and historicity of Job and as such, it is all too easy to be buried under scholarly technicalities that readers will often abandon any real attempt to dive into Job before they’ve even begun. The simplest question to ask wisdom literature like Job, is this: ‘What lesson am I supposed to come away with?’ That’s the question I am aiming to answer. But this question means that we, as modern readers, must adopt a humble approach to reading Job so to avoid drawing conclusions which are simply not being communicated.

Job often finds itself the subject of debate because in many ways it isolates the problem of Theodicy. Simply put, theodicy seeks to give an account for evil in light of the existence of God. It is an attempt to vindicate God’s justice in the light of suffering. Or, to frame it in a way which is perhaps felt more personally, it attempts to answer the question: ‘How can a loving God allow suffering and evil?’

That is a question I am sure almost every follower of Jesus has asked at some point. The death of a loved one, an unexpected diagnosis from a doctor, or those moments in life which blindside us and leave us spiritually winded, wondering if our prayers have fallen on deaf ears. When faced with these kinds of experiences, the typical reaction is a deep, gut-level groan which often surfaces as a question, ‘God what are you doing?’

This is essentially the scenario Job found himself in. You and I, as the readers of this story, have been given front row seats looking on as the story unfolds. So if Job is included in the Canon to offer us wisdom, how are we to read this story in order to mine it for its wisdom-treasures?

Looking Through the Wrong Lens

We are children of the Enlightenment (c. 1715-1789). We have inherited an intrinsically Western, rational and materialistic worldview, whether we realise or not. Our inherited worldview means we often bring to the Scriptures certain cultural presuppositions about the nature of the world. Blissfully unaware of this lens through which we read the Scriptures, our tendency is to assume that the way we as modern people understand the world to work is the same way people have always understood it to be. 

I make mention of this because classical-philosophical theists have generally framed evil as a question of God’s sovereignty, and indirectly as a question of the very character of God. On the one hand, we know the Scriptures tell us that God is loving and good, and yet, on the other hand, we try to read Job through our modern lens which brings God’s character into question. This leaves us with the overwhelming task of tirelessly sifting through every painful event in life hoping to ascertain some good reason for it, or else surrender to some form of cosmic fatalism. I do not believe these are the conclusions Job is presenting us with. 

On a personal level, this approach plays out like that of Job’s friends who, well-meaning as they may have been, concluded that Job’s suffering must have been a result of his own wrongdoing; a conclusion which you and I as readers already know is off the table (Chapter 1:8). Without room given for nuance, this framework falls into the trap of its own logical conclusions. A loving God would want to protect Job. A God who is in meticulously detailed control over every event in the cosmos would be able to protect Job. And yet Job, like so many others, experiences unfathomable suffering.

When we bring our Western, post-enlightenment presuppositions to our view of God, and in particular when we attempt to read Job through this lens, we find ourselves hung on the horns of the Epicurean paradox. 

A Hopeful Conclusion

There is one final verse which has caused many headaches over the years.

J 42:11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

Whatever your interpretation of this verse, it is important that we don’t come away from the story of Job assuming that this verse stands to endorse a theology for which Job has repented. Although we are not left with a simplistic, formulaic explanation of the reason for suffering and evil, the lesson we are offered, and the wisdom we gain is far more comprehensive. 

In the epilogue to the story, Job concedes. He admits that his attempt to comprehend his suffering as a tit-for-tat formula has fallen spectacularly short. 

J 42: 3,6 Surely I spoke of things I did not understand… therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.

This is precisely the wisdom Job offers us. We may not come away with a slam-dunk solution to the problem of evil, but we are offered an invitation to join with Job in yielding to the God who speaks in the midst of our pain. 

Here we are presented with a connecting line from Job to Jesus. God may not be personally culpable for the evil and suffering in the world, but He takes responsibility for it. He does so by taking the full weight of it on His shoulders and bearing it on the cross. In taking on the weight of evil and suffering He overcomes it—He destroys it, exhausting its power once and for all. 

Just like Job, you and I, along with all of creation, are caught up in the middle of a cosmic drama. The stage has been set for the true Hero of the story to be revealed. Shall we read on?


James Weeks is the Student Engagement Officer at Raymont Residential College in Brisbane, Australia. He previously was the College Principal at C3 Church Bridgeman Downs for five years. James is an incredible writer, academic with a Pastors heart.

recommended

An Introduction to the Old Testament

Job part One

Job part Two