September 1

Job 40:1-42:17; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 22:14

Well, does God put Job in his place or what?

That’s usually my first response when I read today’s passage. And as I read it again today, I did have that same reaction. But a part of me was also a little frustrated with God. Did you feel that at all? Here God is, allowing Satan to rip everything from Job – his children, his wealth and his health – and when Job responds with questions, as any of us would, God answers back with about a hundred questions of his own. And did you see how they don’t answer Job’s question of how all this tragedy could have happened to him, but rather are rhetorical questions about Job’s power (or lack thereof)?

Of course, God is right. Job doesn’t “have an arm like God” (Job 40:9) nor can he “draw out Leviathan with a fishhook” (41:1). But I still feel for Job that his direct (and I believe valid!) complaints aren’t answered. Job asks God, “Why does this happen to me when I’ve been righteous and humble?” and God answers him, “Who are you to question God?” So Job gets an answer, but not the one he was looking for.

When I was doing a little bit of reading about Job recently, I was struck by one author’s theory. He wondered if we should view Job not as a book out why the righteous suffer, but rather, how the righteous suffer. As I read today’s passage, where God doesn’t actually answer the “why” questions of Job’s suffering, but rather reminds Job that he is God and Job is not, I think this author may be on to something. In Job, we don’t get a reason for suffering; we get a model on how to do it without turning our backs on God. We see an example of a righteous man who does not let his tragedy cause him to sin, but rather to pursue God. And it shows me that when we pursue God, we don’t always get the answer that we want. But we do always get God.

I don’t know what your situation is today. Maybe, like Job, you’re in the midst of a very serious crisis and you’re looking for answers. I pray, like Job, that you’ll hear the voice of God, and that you’ll respond as Job did – “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

I have to make mention, too, of the reading in 2 Corinthians. There are some really powerful verses in there, ones that I hope we’re all taking to heart. Listen again to what Paul says: “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died” (2 Cor. 5:14). That’s the gospel, folks. It doesn’t get plainer than that! And how about this one? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (vs. 17). Paul is talking about us – about you and me and everyone who has put his or her faith in Jesus. We are NEW. Wow.

And one final verse that I just had to draw our attention to: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Again, that means me! That means you! For OUR sake, because God loved US so much, he put all our sin on Jesus, so that we would stand before God righteous and pure. Sometimes I can make things too complicated. In this passage, I feel like Paul is really saying, “Let me strip this down to the bare essentials for you,” and I’m so thankful for the powerful truth of this words. Thank you, Lord! Amen!!

- Esther McCurry

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