Knowing God through His Word … Day by Day

Dr. Kim Riddlebarger introduces the next section of Job, beginning with chapter 15:

From the perspective of Job’s friends, the reason why Job lost all of his possessions, his children and his health is very simple. God is holy, therefore he must punish all sin. Since it is obvious that Job is being punished by God, there can only be one explanation. Either Job or his children have committed some horrible sin which has kindled the wrath of God. But Job knows he is innocent of such a sin. His heart is broken because he has no idea why God is subjecting him to such an ordeal. Even as he cries out to God, lamenting his sad state and asking “why?” Job knows that his friends have no clue as to why he is suffering. He knows their attempts to “comfort him” are cruel, self-righteous diatribes which have no basis in fact. As Job becomes increasingly defiant with his friends, they become increasingly frustrated and angry with Job, who, in their estimation, could easily remedy his situation, if only he’d see the light and repent of his sins. The dialogue between friends of Job in 4-14, now becomes a full-blown argument in Job 15-21.

We return to our series on Job and we pick up where we left off, as we turn to a second cycle of speeches between Job and his three friends. This second cycle (Job 15-21) includes speeches (diatribes) from Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, followed by responses from Job. As we saw when we covered the first cycle of speeches (Job 4-14), these speeches began when Job’s friends responded to Job’s lament (Job 3).

What began as an effort to comfort Job quickly takes on the air of a tribal council of elders, who, instead of comforting their suffering friend, are now trying to correct him. As this second cycle of speeches unfolds, the discussion becomes more and more confrontational as Job’s friends become angry with him. Job not only refuses to take their advice, but even has the nerve to defend himself against the accusation that the root cause of his plight is the retributive justice of God. Before we work our way through this second cycle of speeches, we need to keep in mind several key facts.

First, the reader knows what neither Job nor his friends know–that Job’s trial by ordeal does not stem from some secret sin in Job’s life, but comes about because God called Satan’s attention to this man Job, who is the apple of God’s eye. Ever-scheming, Satan sees a chance to undercut the foundation of the gospel when he challenges God to remove Job’s prosperity and destroy his family. Satan is convinced that Job is not a righteous man, but a self-centered opportunist who fears God and shuns evil only because God provides Job with all kinds of material blessings. Take them away, Satan contends, and Job will curse God to his face. Yet when Job’s possessions are taken away and his children are killed, instead, Job praises God. And so Satan tries again. This time Satan dares God to take away Job’s health and predicts that Job will curse God to his face. Once afflicted with a horrible skin disease, Job does not curse God. Again, Job praises God and Satan’s scheme comes to naught. But as time goes on, Job is not only a physical wreck (sick and miserable), deprived of sleep and rest, an outcast forced to live on the town dunghill, but Job’s emotional state deteriorates to the point that what had been unrestrained praise for God, becomes a plaintive cry, “why?” and a demand for vindication. Job is heart-broken at the loss of his children. He is sick. He is an outcast. It is Job who ends the silence, pouring out his heart, speaking at times either directly to his friends, while at other times speaking directly to God.

A second thing we need to keep in mind is that Job acknowledges that he is a sinner. Job also believes God’s promise to provide a redeemer who will save him from his sins, which is why Job made burnt offerings on behalf of himself and his children. He knows that his sins are covered. His blameless and upright life is the fruit of his faith in God’s promise to deliver him. This is why Job is so perplexed when these horrible things come to pass. While Job does not disagree with the substance of his friends’ arguments to the effect that God is holy and that he must punish all sin, Job knows that this is not the situation regarding him. Job knows that he has done nothing to provoke the kind of divine wrath to bring about the loss of all of his possessions, his children and his health. As his angst increases, Job senses that what is needed is a mediator between the holy God and sinful people. As Job wrestles with those questions associated with the suffering of the righteous, ever so slowly he begins to direct us to the doing and dying of Jesus Christ, that redeemer, who, one day, Job believes, will stand upon the earth.

Third, what probably hurts Job the most is the loss of his good name and reputation. He knows that everyone from his wife, to his three friends, to the citizens of Uz, were all thinking the same thing. “What sin did Job commit which brought all of this to pass?” “What did Job do to bring about such punishment from God?” But Job knows there is no such sin. He cries out for a trial before God even though he knows God’s greatness is too much for him. This is why Job demands that God vindicate his good name. Apart from such vindication, it seems to Job that God is his enemy and that the armies of heaven are arrayed against him. Job would rather die than go on feeling like God has turned against him and is punishing him when he has done nothing wrong. Yet throughout this entire ordeal, Job refuses to curse God as Satan predicted he would. Job successfully passes his ordeal, frustrating the schemes of Satan, and introducing the principle into the redemptive drama that a greater Job (Jesus Christ) will one day triumph over Satan through his own perfect obedience.