The Lord be with you.

Response:  And also with you.

 

Let us pray:  Your goodness and mercy follow us Lord, and we are so reminded of that as we read your word to us today.  Help us as we struggle to remain faithful and righteous.  We ask that you remain near as the scriptures are read and explored this morning.  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

We’ve probably all heard of the saying that someone has “the patience of Job”.  The story of Job is quite a tale – and it centers about a ‘deal’ that God makes with Satan.  This ‘deal’ makes us Christians very uneasy.  It smacks against most of what we’ve studied or believed.  But if Scripture is indeed meant to teach us more about God – to reveal truths about our loving God, then a truth worth finding must be contained in this very difficult book.  Though we will read only the beginning today, let us see if we can find some foundation for what may be read in the weeks ahead.

We are reading today the first verse in the book and then move on to chapter 2, verse 1-10.  Let us listen for the word of God to us today.

1There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

2One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.” 4Then Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. 5But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.”

7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. 9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” 10But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (NRSV)

This is the Word of the Lord.

Response:  Thanks be to God. 

What we didn’t read this morning in chapter one was the very important first conversation between God and Satan, some of which is repeated in the second.  The first time God offers Job up to Satan.  Satan appears before God and God asks him, “What have you been up to?”  (As if God doesn’t know.) And Satan says he’s been just walking to and fro about earth – checking things out.  God points out Job – “Have you checked out my servant, Job?  He’s one in a million – blameless, upright, does not give in to evil – turns away from it!”  Satan says, “Of course he does!  He’s got everything and more!  Health, material wealth, big family, happiness abounds!  But, if you cursed him…I bet it would be another story.”

And incredibly, God says – “You think you have more power over him than his faith in me??  Go ahead – do what you will – but don’t touch him!”

And Satan jumps on the chance.

Everything bad happens all at once.  Job loses his family, donkeys, servants, sheep, camels and children – all 10 of them and their families. He weeps, tearing his clothes and throws ashes on himself.  But he declares that he will NOT blame God for any of the occurrences.  Not once did Job sin.

Then we read that Satan gets yet another chance at Job.  Satan expresses that Job maintained his health throughout the other calamities – if THAT was attacked, then he would crumble and not keep his integrity.  Satan says, “Skin for Skin!”  In essence – my life for his!  God again allows Satan to have his way with Job except that he may NOT kill him.

And again we read the words – Not once did Job sin – not once did he blame God.  Not once did Job sin with his lips. 

 

        And we never hear of Satan again in the story!

 

“Not once did Job sin with his lips.”  I get a bit of comfort from that statement in itself.  Not once did Job sin with his lips.  If God was talking with Satan about his good and faithful servants, and if righteousness was a plumb line, AND if sinning with one’s lips was part of that – whew – would I ever not be on the radar screen – not even close! 

Certainly I have gotten to the point where I don’t blame God for when bad things happen.  I am definitely in Job’s camp when it comes to that – even when folks close to me don’t agree – but I’m a long way off of the righteousness meter.   A LOOONNNGG way.  Which is also a perverted comfort when reading this text on the surface – God would never counter Satan with “Consider my servant, Debbie!”  Not a chance!

        The fact that Job is righteous plays a big part in all of this drama – especially later on when Job’s three friends enter the arena and accuse Job of sinning, because that’s why one gets punished – and the sin must have been a big one for Job to have been punished so severely.  The Old Testament law does not waiver on that premise – punishment and suffering is a direct result of sinning.  Perhaps Job is trying to correct that misconception – as part of the plot to recognize Jesus and the suffering he was to undergo. 

This weekend we’ve heard of a tsunami in Samoa and an earthquake in Indonesia.  Both countries are dealing with many deaths and injuries.  Is there anyone who believes that the people of Samoa and Indonesia have sinned so greatly that God is punishing them with these natural tragedies?    No, of course we don’t.  But old Jewish law would make us believe that.  Some folks believed it after 9-11 – that America had sinned so badly God was punishing us for it!

The Rev. Dr. James C. Howell remarks that we worship a God of love, not a sadistic God – a God who childishly tries to get even.  That is NOT the God we worship.  God is love.  Sure God could have created a perfect world, with perfect people, no illness, no evil, no flaws.  But God is more interested in love than perfection.  We would all be robots – puppets in a big God-directed play.  But robots and puppets cannot love.   God takes the risk – allowing us free will,  which risks pains and suffering – will the hope, the desire, that we will still love.  A huge risk, wouldn’t we say?

If we believed in a God where we got good for being good – aren’t we making our God awfully small?  Boxing God in?  Placing our own human values or limits on God?  Or even if we make God a tit-for-tat God?

We don’t believe God strikes out against us.  Instead, like Job, we bless God for being there with those that are suffering – like in Samoa and Indonesia.  We bless God for the strength he gives families of the dead, and the great inspiration and love God gives thousands of others to respond with goods and services, with money and personal time to help the affected areas recover from their plight. 

There is no better time than on World Communion Sunday to try and feel the depth of God’s love for each one of us – no matter where we live, no matter what we do for a living, no matter what age or ability, no matter what language might be our native tongue.  God, as our creator, loves us all so deeply and tenderly that God sheds the first tear when these tragedies come about. 

        What we hear in this book is indeed rage against evil – but not rage against God.  And that is key.  We should be outraged at evil – and fight against it.  Resist it. 

It occurs to me that the only other truly righteous one was dealt with in a similar manner to Job, and never once did he sin – not once.  Jesus didn’t stop to try to explain evil – why it is in the world, why bad things happen to good people, etc – he just resisted it.  And then took it on himself.

        On the cross – every evil, every sin, all the pain, all the tears, all the agony, the emptiness, the loneliness, all the hurt of all the people – Jesus took that on.        

        Jesus bore ALL our sins to the cross and beyond.  For ALL of us.

 

        Jesus knows our pain.

        As we come forward for communion this morning, and we think of all our blessings, perhaps we will think a bit about God pointing out to his angels – Consider my servant (and let us fill in the blank with our own names) and then wonder what God might be saying about us. 

        I often think of God shaking his head in wonder at my blunders but muttering all the time, “Oh Debbie, Debbie, are you ever lucky I love you!!!”  And as I take the bread and cup this morning I will be muttering, THANKS BE TO GOD! 

We serve God not for a big payout at the end or along the way, but because God is God, God is love.  And God is with us throughout everything.  We commemorate Jesus in this sacrament, because Jesus is here – and will be always here and close by – through the pain, through the suffering, redeeming the hurt, never, ever letting us go.

        May we all follow Job’s example of not blaming God for the bad things that happen knowing they can happen to anyone, and that we should be praising God for his love that knows no limits.

        Thanks be to God for that!

        In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.