Though He Slay Me
“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”—Job 13:15
One of the most heart-wrenching stories in Scripture is about the man named Job. He is a man without equal in the ancient world, a man who feared God, loved his family, and was successful in business. He had ten children: seven boys and three girls, was a livestock titan, and had a house full of servants. Although wealthy, he was not proud or arrogant; rather, he was a man of a humble nature, one who took it upon himself to intercede before God on behalf of his children, who made offerings continually on their behalf, just in case they had sinned against God. He is a godly, upright, righteous, and overall good guy. It is all the more striking, then, to see what unfolds in his life in the next few chapters.
Unbeknownst to Job, Satan makes an appearance before God. Much like a prisoner has to present himself before the warden, so does Satan appear in God’s presence whenever God decides to summon him. It is as Martin Luther said, “Even the devil is God’s devil.” Satan cannot do anything without God’s allowance.
For a reason unknown to us, Satan is allowed in God’s presence and, at God’s initiation, participates in conversation. The conversation begins with a simple question to Satan on what he has been up to, and then transitions to God offering up Job as the supreme example of an upright man who fears God, turns away from evil, and has sought to seek God with his entire heart, mind and soul. Satan couldn’t take this! He had been around humans since the beginning; he knew their weaknesses and how corrupt they could be. If God were to take that protection away, then surely, or so Satan thought, Job would curse God to His face!
God grants Satan permission to do whatever he wants to do to Job, provided he doesn’t physically harm him. Satan leaves the presence of God with the sole task of wreaking havoc in Job’s life.
The story switches from heaven to earth, where we are allowed to see Satan’s diabolical plot unfold on the ground. In one day, Satan manages to plunder Job’s livestock, taking his oxen (1:14), donkeys (1:14), sheep (1:16) and camels (1:17), then had his servants killed(1:15, 16, 17) and then, lastly, all ten of his children killed (1:18-19).
Remarkably, in the face of horrific tragedy, Job expressed his sorrow—and then fell on the ground and worshiped. His faith was not ordinary—it was extraordinary! After everything that happened to him, Job said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD"—Job 1:21. Amazingly, the Bible says of him, “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong”—Job 1:22.
We leave Job and are allowed access to heaven a second time with God presenting Job to Satan as a great success story, despite his efforts to the contrary. Undeterred, Satan lays his failure squarely on God’s lap, maintaining that if he were to have unfettered access to Job, then Job would curse God to His face! And once again, God takes up the challenge by letting Satan afflict Job, provided that he doesn’t kill him. Satan then afflicts Job with a horrible skin condition all over his body, causing unspeakable pain. Job’s wife turns against him and then three of his friends show up to comfort their good friend. The next several chapters are spent describing the verbal sparring match between Job and his friends as they seek to ascertain exactly why he is suffering, believing that it is Job who is clearly in the wrong. But, through it all, Job maintains his position that he is in the right and God will vindicate him.
The story ends with Job and his three friends being rebuked and Job being restored and blessed in a greater way than when he started. But it is Job’s response in the middle of the story that provides us with our passage for today. Job says, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Job’s trust in Almighty God was greater than all of the difficulties he encountered. He was anchored to the person of God, possessing a faith and trust that enabled him to stand against the tragedies and trials in life in such a way that leaves us breathless. He is the example of suffering in Scripture, the prototype of perseverance, so that we look to him for insight into the ways of God when we suffer. Like Job, we long to understand why we go through trials, terrors and tragedies. From an earthly standpoint, Job didn’t deserve to suffer. But, from the perspective of God, there are mysteries and factors that are beyond our ability to understand. While we do seek to understand, it is our duty to trust. We entrust ourselves into the mighty hand of God, knowing that He is greater than our understanding, and believing that He is worth more to us than life itself. We look to Him, knowing that He is loving, merciful, forgiving, and good, believing that even if our life itself is taken away, what will be given to us by Him is far greater than we could ask, think or imagine. Amen.
One of the most heart-wrenching stories in Scripture is about the man named Job. He is a man without equal in the ancient world, a man who feared God, loved his family, and was successful in business. He had ten children: seven boys and three girls, was a livestock titan, and had a house full of servants. Although wealthy, he was not proud or arrogant; rather, he was a man of a humble nature, one who took it upon himself to intercede before God on behalf of his children, who made offerings continually on their behalf, just in case they had sinned against God. He is a godly, upright, righteous, and overall good guy. It is all the more striking, then, to see what unfolds in his life in the next few chapters.
Unbeknownst to Job, Satan makes an appearance before God. Much like a prisoner has to present himself before the warden, so does Satan appear in God’s presence whenever God decides to summon him. It is as Martin Luther said, “Even the devil is God’s devil.” Satan cannot do anything without God’s allowance.
For a reason unknown to us, Satan is allowed in God’s presence and, at God’s initiation, participates in conversation. The conversation begins with a simple question to Satan on what he has been up to, and then transitions to God offering up Job as the supreme example of an upright man who fears God, turns away from evil, and has sought to seek God with his entire heart, mind and soul. Satan couldn’t take this! He had been around humans since the beginning; he knew their weaknesses and how corrupt they could be. If God were to take that protection away, then surely, or so Satan thought, Job would curse God to His face!
God grants Satan permission to do whatever he wants to do to Job, provided he doesn’t physically harm him. Satan leaves the presence of God with the sole task of wreaking havoc in Job’s life.
The story switches from heaven to earth, where we are allowed to see Satan’s diabolical plot unfold on the ground. In one day, Satan manages to plunder Job’s livestock, taking his oxen (1:14), donkeys (1:14), sheep (1:16) and camels (1:17), then had his servants killed(1:15, 16, 17) and then, lastly, all ten of his children killed (1:18-19).
Remarkably, in the face of horrific tragedy, Job expressed his sorrow—and then fell on the ground and worshiped. His faith was not ordinary—it was extraordinary! After everything that happened to him, Job said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD"—Job 1:21. Amazingly, the Bible says of him, “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong”—Job 1:22.
We leave Job and are allowed access to heaven a second time with God presenting Job to Satan as a great success story, despite his efforts to the contrary. Undeterred, Satan lays his failure squarely on God’s lap, maintaining that if he were to have unfettered access to Job, then Job would curse God to His face! And once again, God takes up the challenge by letting Satan afflict Job, provided that he doesn’t kill him. Satan then afflicts Job with a horrible skin condition all over his body, causing unspeakable pain. Job’s wife turns against him and then three of his friends show up to comfort their good friend. The next several chapters are spent describing the verbal sparring match between Job and his friends as they seek to ascertain exactly why he is suffering, believing that it is Job who is clearly in the wrong. But, through it all, Job maintains his position that he is in the right and God will vindicate him.
The story ends with Job and his three friends being rebuked and Job being restored and blessed in a greater way than when he started. But it is Job’s response in the middle of the story that provides us with our passage for today. Job says, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Job’s trust in Almighty God was greater than all of the difficulties he encountered. He was anchored to the person of God, possessing a faith and trust that enabled him to stand against the tragedies and trials in life in such a way that leaves us breathless. He is the example of suffering in Scripture, the prototype of perseverance, so that we look to him for insight into the ways of God when we suffer. Like Job, we long to understand why we go through trials, terrors and tragedies. From an earthly standpoint, Job didn’t deserve to suffer. But, from the perspective of God, there are mysteries and factors that are beyond our ability to understand. While we do seek to understand, it is our duty to trust. We entrust ourselves into the mighty hand of God, knowing that He is greater than our understanding, and believing that He is worth more to us than life itself. We look to Him, knowing that He is loving, merciful, forgiving, and good, believing that even if our life itself is taken away, what will be given to us by Him is far greater than we could ask, think or imagine. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment