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Rector's Reflection—18 Pentecost, Proper 22
October 4, 2009
Today is Sunday #1 of four for reading Job as the first lesson.
We will hear more from Job for the whole of October. So fascinating
is this book that, at least for today, I have lengthened the reading (the
rubrics say I can!) to include all of Chapter 1 because Chapter 1 sets
up, a la Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.
There is something for everybody in the Book of Job. One of
the most intriguing pieces early on is the presence of Satan as one of
the "heavenly beings." We're so used to Satan being 'down there'
that his appearance with the heavenly beings is somewhat
disconcerting. It sort of suggests that Satan works for God. We can
spend a lot of time discussing why the 'heavenly beings' present
themselves before the Lord and the implications of Satan (actually
'the accuser'—think 'prosecutor') having seat and voice in that
group, but that discussion allows us to avoid the unsettling nature of
this whole story.
There is a fancy word for the Job story—theodicy. Theodicy literally means "the justification of God" and it attempts to harmonize
the existence of a good God and the existence of evil in the same
universe. Epicureus, a 4th century BC Greek philosopher, used the
existence of evil to conclude that there was no God. Essentially
Epicureus postulated that (a) If God exists, then he is all-powerful;
(b) If God exists then he is good; (c) If God is all powerful and good,
then there would be no evil; (d) There is evil; soooo (e) Therefore
God does not exist. Theologians have spent the last 2 ½ thousand
years disputing Epicureus, all the while trying to reasonably and
finally explain why bad things happen to good people.
Which brings us back to Job. Satan asks an important
question in one of the omitted verses of Chapter One. Finding out
that Satan has been taking stock of the world , God asks if he has
taken note of Job. He's one of a kind, God tells Satan... "a blameless
and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil." To which
Satan replies: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Is there nothing in
it for him by fearing you? Are you telling me that Job isn't pious for
personal gain? Smite him and see how long it takes for him to turn
on you. From here, it's game on.
The fear of the Lord... That is an ancient expression.
Proverbs says that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge." According to John Calvin, basically there are two types
of fear in relation to God: servile fear and proper fear. Servile fear is
self-centered; you fear what's going to happen to you if you offend
God. Proper fear is about respect and reverence for God. Servile fear
hopes for personal gain; proper fear serves God and God's purposes
without a payoff in mind. Job says as much to his wife when she
asks, "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die." Job
simply replies, "... Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and
not receive the bad?"
The Book of Job is tough going. We Christians are more used
to viewing our religion as a religion of redemption focused upon our
salvation. We strive to help the sick and the poor and the oppressed—all
of which are good things. But Job makes us ponder whether we
are the center of things. Did God make the world for our sake? Did
God make the world so that people are always comfortable? If not,
then happiness is not the end for which God created the world.
Hmmm. This is what we'll be looking at in Job. He persists
in his integrity, but even Job has his limits. We'll see him question
God's justice in light of his terrible afflictions. Moreover, he'll have
to endure his friends insisting that he HAD to have done something
really bad to end up in this really bad state.
I hate to give away the ending, but God ultimately vindicates
the righteousness of Job. The book has a happy ending for Job, but
also an important message for you and me. What I take away from
this story is that, in this world designed by God, suffering is not
always a consequence of our sins and happiness is not always a
consequence of our virtue. A long time ago, in the midst of some
really dark days, I realized the God didn't and doesn't owe me
anything. The Book of Job helped me understand that, and, frankly
(and oddly), I have found it easier to live with that knowledge.
Susan+
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