“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.”
Job 1:1, 3
We’ve seen, or heard, the meme, “whoever dies with the most toys wins.”
It’s a reasonably accurate assessment of life in first world nations...our affluence is what defines us. Affluence produces all sort of anomalies in our character: greed, hedonism, vanity, even philanthropy, guilt and shame for some who have social conscience. More likely, affluence only reveals what’s already there. One thing we know for certain, when we have the resources to get whatever we want, what we have tells us who we are.
We spend our lives accruing things (you should see my basement) and at some point we decide to “downsize” or “simplify.” For many of us, that process results in having less “stuff” but, I notice the quality and value of what’s left seems to increase. Yes, life seems to be about stuff. Not necessarily by design, but simply through the natural order of things. Every day we need something and...if we have the resources...we get it; food, water, shelter. If we have sufficient resources we get steak rather than rice, San Pellegrino rather than tap water, a house rather than an apartment. There isn’t a thing inherently wrong with this natural order. Over time, we own a lot of stuff.
Or...does it own us?
Job was truly blessed. “He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants”. (V. 2)” We might infer he was part of the one percent in his day. Which begs the question; what did all this “stuff” say about Job? Well we know He regularly sacrificed a burnt offering for each of his children just in case they had sinned (v. 5). We know he was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and shunned evil (v. 8).
Which brings us back to the original question: Was Job’s righteousness the result of the lavish blessings God bestowed upon him or, did they merely reveal who Job was?
There are some things that make me question the historical events surrounding Job. Most curious is the dialogue between God and Satan. How could Satan (evil personified) approach God when we know God will not tolerate evil? Why would God ask Satan where he had been when God is omniscient? It’s possible the Account of Job is not historical but is parable. This question is simply a distraction and only serves to diminish the point of the lesson.
Satan loves to distract and dissemble...
I shy away from the notion this is all a cosmic game of “truth or dare” between God and Satan. That would malign the holy and loving character of God while burnishing the character of Satan who has no standing before the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Nevertheless, the question is posed...does Job serve God for nothing?
And the story unfolds...absolutely, Job serves God for nothing.
Satan takes it all away...in a flash...and Job responds with these eloquent words:“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21
Job’s affluence did not own him because he knew nothing he possessed was his. I need to remember this when I get frustrated with the state of my IRA that I worked so tirelessly to build. However, we need to remember loss was painful for Job just as loss is painful for us. The question for us today is clear: Will history testify about us as it testifies concerning Job? “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Remember...if we have nothing...we have nothing to lose.
Live boldly out there today...
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