Devotion - Tuesday, October 2

I probably should have told you, when making my first post on Job, that the seminary professor who made scripture come alive for me was a Job scholar.  He spent his entire professional life working on a commentary of Job.  The choice of this book probably had much to do with the effect he had on me (and other students as well.)

As I said yesterday, God does not really answer any of Job's questions.  In fact, God tells Job they are the wrong questions to be asked.  Job wants to know the "why", while God is providing the "who".

Nietzche is quoted as saying, "He who knows the why can bear any how."  If we can see the purpose beyond the route that lies before us we can pass through even the most difficult of events.  Job moves deeper.  While he still does not know the why, he learns to accept the how, because he knows the Who.

God is the Who that lies behind, beyond all things.  God is the Who that loves us and cares for us, no matter the why's or how"s.   As William Hulme wrote:    "Know the Who without knowing the why leaves room for faith.  It brings security without having answers.  The experience of love makes pressing questions less pressing."

In the end, Job does not get answers, but he is allowed to encounter God.  He does not hear anything which changes his mind, but he sees God's hand in all that happens.  Seeing God and understanding God's presence is sufficient.  Job's trust in God will enable him to bear all things.

Perhaps this is the reason why those often reported discussions with skeptical roommates or friends never reach a satisfying conclusion.  The reports of those conversations most often depict attempts to discover the why or the how - while Christian faith is mostly about the Who.  As we discussed on the weekend retreat, when in such discussions it is not always so helpful to find the perfect proof text.  Most often the best response is to share an experience, a sighting, and encounter with God.  This is what sustains Job.