| THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD A DIFFERENT VIEW Mike Clegg |
| Job Revisted |
T or F: Of all created beings Satan is doing the perfect will of God fulfilling his
created purpose.
God’s power over the works of His hands is demonstrated in various acts
recorded in the Old Testament. Inanimate matter such as a floating axe head in 2
Kings 6. Also, celestial bodies such as the sun stood still in Joshua chapter ten and
went backwards ten degrees in Isaiah chapter 38. The earth opens up in Numbers
16 and the Red Sea parts in Exodus 14. Even irrational creatures such as the
ravens carry food (1 Kings 17) and the lions are tamed when Daniel enters their
den. It seems that all perform the Creator’s bidding and “whatsoever the Lord
pleased, that He did in heaven and in earth, in the seas and all deep places"
(Psalm 135:6).
In times of tragedy, people often quote Job’s words “the Lord gave and the Lord
has taken away” (Job 1:21) when someone has lost something or someone
precious to them. This, incidentally, is the same perception that Jesus had when
He uttered “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Even though the
words are spoken from an honest and upright heart, the ideology is part of a
theology of which Job later repents. Though Job initially “did not sin or charge God
with wrong-doing” (Job 1:22), this theology ultimately led Job to complete despair
and God did not forsake His Son nor has He ever forsaken us. Jesus cry was from
a perception of abandonment and despair and is the same we feel when we try to
see God under the weight of the perceived guilt of sin. God was not forsaken as
God was present in Christ reconciling the world (2 Cor 5:19) and God brought
about His word to His Son as seen in the prophecy of no bones being broken and
totally pictured in the empty tomb. God was always with Him as we were in Him
during this time.
The picture of God depicted here is one who arbitrarily takes a child from their
mother or kills a loving husband in a job accident or some other tragedy. It makes
God the source of all suffering and calamity and a God who does not hear the
prayers of those in need.
The book of Job begins and ends and Job himself never learns that another party
other than God was involved. Job never recognizes or mentions any such entity as
Satan for in all his trouble – he only recognizes God. His statement indicates that
all good and evil must come from God. Also, in the view that God has a dark side
as in the case of Job, indicates God was having a discussion with Himself in the
congress of heaven.
Another point of note, no where in the book of Job does God acknowledge that He
is the one behind Job's trouble. God does explain using various factors in creation
as to why Job is unable to understand his calamity. God tells him that there are
parts of creation that are very chaotic, an idea of evil that does not come directly
from God and nor can it be incorporated into the fault of human behavior (as Job's
friends alluded to). Essentially, Job held God responsible for all the evil in
existence and God rebukes the charge by revealing to Job the mystery of evil in
the chaos of creation as partially seen in the Behemoth (Job 40:15-24) and
Leviathan (Job 41:1-34).
God's position seems to be that even as calamity occurs although not at my hand I
still take responsibility for what those whom I permit freedom of choice do. Even
though their choices are not in my will I, all the same, take responsibility for what
they do with the freedoms I delegate to them. A New Testament point is the
incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of the Christ in that sin and death entered
because of man (1 Cor 15:21), He takes responsibility for it by take all sin upon
Himself. In taking responsibility for sin and death he overcomes and abolishes it
demonstrating evil is not something He willed into existence but removes from
existence.
One of the things we must not do is use the book of Job as a blueprint to determine
the absolute rules for God's interaction with the satan and man. In other words, the
book of Job was not written to answer questions such as, "does satan have to get
permission every time he touches man” or “Is every affliction on man the results of
a challenge of divine authority?” Job was written as epic poetry which is a story
that has significance to a culture or a people. For example, the book of Job never
mentions satan as the problem for Job's calamity and satan is directly involved
because he invited himself to the congressional meeting in heaven and sparred
with God according to the author of Job which is generally ascribed to Moses. It is
purposeful to remember when God does show up to set the matter straight in
chapters 37 through 41, He does not confirm that what happened to Job had
anything to do with sin and punishment. He does rebuke Job's friends for speaking
erroneously about God and tells Job to pray for them to receive forgiveness for
speaking in error about Him.
It also seems possible that God was letting Job in on a behind the scenes look at
the complexity of creation. There seemed to be things happening that although not
the perfect will of God still effected human lives. Like the book of Job, the main
characters in the book are not made aware of the initial influence of satan to
instigate the calamity on Job.
The Bible is full of passages that are truthfully stated but are not statements of
truth. There is a vast difference between fact and truth as a facts comes to us by
our senses but truth comes to man from God. Truth is an expression of reality
coming from confirmed knowledge. Job is a great Old Testament example but there
are also passages in the New Testament that indicate this as well. Job spoke out
of his sense experience in Job 1:21 but was completely awed at the truth
presented him after his face to face with the Creator of All as seen by his testimony
in Job 42:1-5.
Luke 9:37-42 is about a man who asked the disciples to heal his son and “they
could not”. But the truth is found in Luke 9:1-2 as Jesus gave them power and
authority over all demons and to cure diseases. We must base our knowledge of
God on truths not facts of the Bible as facts are cold, impersonal, and
disassociated from life while truth is warm, creative, and transforming.
created purpose.
God’s power over the works of His hands is demonstrated in various acts
recorded in the Old Testament. Inanimate matter such as a floating axe head in 2
Kings 6. Also, celestial bodies such as the sun stood still in Joshua chapter ten and
went backwards ten degrees in Isaiah chapter 38. The earth opens up in Numbers
16 and the Red Sea parts in Exodus 14. Even irrational creatures such as the
ravens carry food (1 Kings 17) and the lions are tamed when Daniel enters their
den. It seems that all perform the Creator’s bidding and “whatsoever the Lord
pleased, that He did in heaven and in earth, in the seas and all deep places"
(Psalm 135:6).
In times of tragedy, people often quote Job’s words “the Lord gave and the Lord
has taken away” (Job 1:21) when someone has lost something or someone
precious to them. This, incidentally, is the same perception that Jesus had when
He uttered “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Even though the
words are spoken from an honest and upright heart, the ideology is part of a
theology of which Job later repents. Though Job initially “did not sin or charge God
with wrong-doing” (Job 1:22), this theology ultimately led Job to complete despair
and God did not forsake His Son nor has He ever forsaken us. Jesus cry was from
a perception of abandonment and despair and is the same we feel when we try to
see God under the weight of the perceived guilt of sin. God was not forsaken as
God was present in Christ reconciling the world (2 Cor 5:19) and God brought
about His word to His Son as seen in the prophecy of no bones being broken and
totally pictured in the empty tomb. God was always with Him as we were in Him
during this time.
The picture of God depicted here is one who arbitrarily takes a child from their
mother or kills a loving husband in a job accident or some other tragedy. It makes
God the source of all suffering and calamity and a God who does not hear the
prayers of those in need.
The book of Job begins and ends and Job himself never learns that another party
other than God was involved. Job never recognizes or mentions any such entity as
Satan for in all his trouble – he only recognizes God. His statement indicates that
all good and evil must come from God. Also, in the view that God has a dark side
as in the case of Job, indicates God was having a discussion with Himself in the
congress of heaven.
Another point of note, no where in the book of Job does God acknowledge that He
is the one behind Job's trouble. God does explain using various factors in creation
as to why Job is unable to understand his calamity. God tells him that there are
parts of creation that are very chaotic, an idea of evil that does not come directly
from God and nor can it be incorporated into the fault of human behavior (as Job's
friends alluded to). Essentially, Job held God responsible for all the evil in
existence and God rebukes the charge by revealing to Job the mystery of evil in
the chaos of creation as partially seen in the Behemoth (Job 40:15-24) and
Leviathan (Job 41:1-34).
God's position seems to be that even as calamity occurs although not at my hand I
still take responsibility for what those whom I permit freedom of choice do. Even
though their choices are not in my will I, all the same, take responsibility for what
they do with the freedoms I delegate to them. A New Testament point is the
incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of the Christ in that sin and death entered
because of man (1 Cor 15:21), He takes responsibility for it by take all sin upon
Himself. In taking responsibility for sin and death he overcomes and abolishes it
demonstrating evil is not something He willed into existence but removes from
existence.
One of the things we must not do is use the book of Job as a blueprint to determine
the absolute rules for God's interaction with the satan and man. In other words, the
book of Job was not written to answer questions such as, "does satan have to get
permission every time he touches man” or “Is every affliction on man the results of
a challenge of divine authority?” Job was written as epic poetry which is a story
that has significance to a culture or a people. For example, the book of Job never
mentions satan as the problem for Job's calamity and satan is directly involved
because he invited himself to the congressional meeting in heaven and sparred
with God according to the author of Job which is generally ascribed to Moses. It is
purposeful to remember when God does show up to set the matter straight in
chapters 37 through 41, He does not confirm that what happened to Job had
anything to do with sin and punishment. He does rebuke Job's friends for speaking
erroneously about God and tells Job to pray for them to receive forgiveness for
speaking in error about Him.
It also seems possible that God was letting Job in on a behind the scenes look at
the complexity of creation. There seemed to be things happening that although not
the perfect will of God still effected human lives. Like the book of Job, the main
characters in the book are not made aware of the initial influence of satan to
instigate the calamity on Job.
The Bible is full of passages that are truthfully stated but are not statements of
truth. There is a vast difference between fact and truth as a facts comes to us by
our senses but truth comes to man from God. Truth is an expression of reality
coming from confirmed knowledge. Job is a great Old Testament example but there
are also passages in the New Testament that indicate this as well. Job spoke out
of his sense experience in Job 1:21 but was completely awed at the truth
presented him after his face to face with the Creator of All as seen by his testimony
in Job 42:1-5.
Luke 9:37-42 is about a man who asked the disciples to heal his son and “they
could not”. But the truth is found in Luke 9:1-2 as Jesus gave them power and
authority over all demons and to cure diseases. We must base our knowledge of
God on truths not facts of the Bible as facts are cold, impersonal, and
disassociated from life while truth is warm, creative, and transforming.
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