Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Job 23: Searching For Answers

There is an exquisite agony in "not knowing."  Three modern examples: When medical tests are run to check for a disease, the time of waiting may be even worse than receiving the bad news itself.  After we take a final examination in class, it's hard to wait for the grade.  The justice system churns slowly, and it is difficult to bear up patiently when waiting for the next phase of the legal process.  While we remain in ignorance of results and outcomes and verdicts, we are unable to take action.  We must be passive and patient, which is difficult for many people to do.

In chapter 23, we see that such waiting is a difficult task for Job.  Even though he has a reputation for patience, it is wearing thin.

Job begins an apparent new day (vs. 2) with the same old bitter complaints and sufferings.  His pain is not going away.  But his focus this day is on his search for God so that he might find answers to the cause of his suffering.  Job is eager for an audience with God, believing that once all the facts are known, he is sure to be acquitted.

The problem isn't that Job doesn't know what he would say to God, or fear that he might be found guilty.  He is still unaware of any sin he has committed and isn't afraid to say so.  Instead, Job's frustration comes in God's elusive presence!  No matter where he goes, Job can't seem to find God (vs. 8-9).  His questions go unanswered, his knowledge incomplete, his search for answers unending.  This lack of closure compounds his suffering.

Yet even though Job is confident of his innocence, he is still terrified at the thought of an actual encounter with the Lord.  Job understands that a mere mortal like himself cannot truly contend with the Almighty God (vs. 15-16).  So even though he spends most of this chapter pining for a conversation with God, by the end he has concluded that he would rather be veiled in darkness for his own protection (vs. 17)!

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