Job 42:10b–17 (ESV)
And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.
So, the book of Job ends just like A Christmas Carol with everyone living happily ever after?
Not quite, and this is where it gets really interesting. Job doesn’t end like a fairy tale. God gives Job more children, but his first kids are still dead.
This is the bit that troubles people. Everything is not okay. Yes, Job’s character develops and a lot of good things happen in the end, but that doesn’t fix everything.
Yeah, what about the first kids? Are they sacrificed on the altar of Job’s character development?
That’s not the right way to look at it. The blunt truth that we see throughout scripture is that people die; all of ’em. It’s a matter of when, not if.
Job’s blessings in the end are nice, but let’s be honest. It’s hard enough to replace a pet. You can’t replace a child, and this book doesn’t suggest that you can. That wouldn’t just be wrong; it’d be offensive. The book of Job has a much deeper message.
God’s ways are higher than our ways—and we’re not smart enough to understand them. Job’s character development is the positive outcome here. He gets a lot of material blessings, and a long life too, but that’s not the key.
The point, for Job and for us, is that God’s agenda is not our agenda. He keeps His promises, but He most definitely does not promise us a long or pain-free life.
I get that. I know someone else who got it too—Martin Luther King Jr. Check out the words of his final speech in Memphis on April 3, 1968.
“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”
Most people don’t know that King gave this “mountaintop” speech extemporaneously. The plan was for Ralph Abernathy to speak. That gives its prophetic feel an extra pop.
Exactly. Now look at Job 42:11b
And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. (ESV)
But this makes it sound like God is the author of evil.
No, but that is a classic comeback line. Notice that God did not tell Satan to attack Job; He only removed the restrictions that held him back. Satan did the evil. He is its author.
But still, can you see God working all this, even the wicked bits, for His purposes—for His glory? This is the part that many people, even believers of the Bible, get hung up on.
Yeah. It does seem anything but glorifying.
Well, consider this. What everyone wants the universe, and their lives, to be is “boring.” Almost anything people want, and almost everything they pray for, is for the action to go away. They want a world that would be an absolutely terrible play or novel—no drama.
So, God is a drama queen?
No, but this might be the most complicated part of everything I’m trying to explain. I’m using analogies to expand your thinking, but those analogies are not truth. The whole point is to give you ways of imagining something working.
But they aren’t how things actually work. God did not create a universe designed to entertain an audience. I only use that analogy to cure you of the view, “I can’t imagine how this could glorify God.” Once you can imagine a way, even if it’s wrong, you’re unstuck on that issue. Remember, our tiny minds are incapable of knowing the whole truth. All I want is to free you up, in humility, to accept what we do know.
Okay, so can you see God working all this, even the wicked bits, for His glory.
Sure.
Even what happened to King? Including his assassination?
Can God glorify Himself through things like that?
Oh. I need to process this.
See you tomorrow.
