Why Me?

Two years ago on August 31 Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car accident in Paris. An extraordinary outpouring of emotion followed which was displayed in the £27 million worth of flowers placed outside the Royal Palaces. The television cameras focused on one of the bouquets which had a card pinned to it. The card had just one word on it: Why? So many people were asking that question. Why do fatal car accidents happen? Why do beloved people die early in life? Why are young children left without a mother? And today many people are probably asking the question why in Turkey, in the southern Sudan where chemical weapons are being used against the Christian south, in Indonesia where Christians have been murdered. Why me? Why me, Lord? Why us? Why them? Perhaps there have been times of suffering in our lives when we have asked the same question: Why? Maybe it's a question we're asking at the moment. It's the question Job asks God throughout chapters 3-27. As we saw last week Job lost all his animals, his servants and his children. He was then afflicted with painful sores all over his body and ended up scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. Now we as readers of the book of Job know why he was suffering. We are told in the first twelve verses. Job is suffering as a test of his righteousness. God allowed Satan to bring disaster on Job within limits. But Job does not know why and he then spends over half of the rest of the book arguing with his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar and struggling with God over why these terrible things have happened to him. In one way therefore the structure of Job reflects life. As Bryson Smith, who has written an excellent short Bible study booklet on Job for St Matthias Press, puts it:

"In a chapter and a half, Job loses everything, but then for the next 30 chapters there is endless soul-searching, grieving, arguing and wondering why. That is so much like life. It can take a five minute phone call to bring your whole life crashing down, but the grieving and confusion can go on for months if not years".

Eliphaz is the first friend to speak in chapters 4 and 5. He tries to offer Job counsel and comfort. He concludes that Job must turn from unrighteousness and resentment against God to humility and the acceptance of God's righteous discipline. Like the other two friends Eliphaz believes that Job's suffering is the result of unconfessed sin. Essentially they argue that God is just; so Job must have done something to deserve what's happening to him. Eliphaz in 4:8 says:

"As I have observed, those who plough evil and those who sow trouble reap it".

Now Eliphaz is right to say that it matters how we live. We reap what we sow. And he is right to remind Job that he lives in a moral universe, and that godliness will bring its good reward but he is then wrong to also argue that everything you reap must result from something you have sown. (cf. John 9:2-3) Eliphaz is therefore saying to Job, "Because, Job, you are reaping disaster you must have sown iniquity". So Job stop protesting your innocence and take responsibility for the sin which must lie behind your present suffering. "Can a mortal be more righteous than God?" asks Eliphaz in 4:17. And Job be thankful, says Eliphaz in 5:17,

"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so Job do not despise the discipline of the Almighty".

Eliphaz sees suffering as a means by which God disciplines and chastens. And sometimes this is true. The writer to the Hebrews in the NT repeats the proverb that the Lord disciplines those he loves. (Heb. 12:5-11) But in both arguments Eliphaz is wrong to apply them to Job. If Job will only admit his sin, says Eliphaz, there can be happiness again. How insensitive too at this point! So, although sin can lead to suffering, we the readers know Eliphaz to be wrong in Job's case. We know from the very first verse of the book that Job is a blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil. God himself said so in v.8 of chapter 1. So suffering can happen to anyone. Undeserved suffering can happen in this life. In this fallen world sometimes even the innocent suffer. Although none of us are perfect, suffering can still happen which is not the direct result of some sin we have committed. But why does God allow it? Sometimes God allows us to go through experiences in which his face seems turned away from us. Sometimes we learn in that way lessons of faith that we could never have learned in any other way. But we should remember that the book of Job is not only concerned with why undeserved suffering happens but is also and perhaps chiefly interested in how to respond to God when it does happen. Jesus is our supreme example here as we heard in our NT reading from 1 Peter 2:19-23. Peter writes:

"For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of GodTo this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly".

Well let's now go back to Job chapters 6 and 7 to look in more detail at how Job, as he asks the question why, replies to Eliphaz and responds to God. In chapter 6 vv.14-30 Job bluntly tells Eliphaz what he thinks of his counsel and comfort. Look at vv. 14 and 15:

"A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams..."

And Job is right. His friends have a too simplistic and mechanical idea of God and miss Job in his need! So don't take any counselling tips from these people! And in vv.24-30 Job denies Eliphaz's accusation that his suffering is due to unconfessed sin and that God is chastening him for that sin. Look at v.24:

"Teach me, and I will be quiet ; show me where I have been wrong".

And vv. 28-30:

"But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face? Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice?".

Job is not claiming to be perfect but rather insisting that he hasn't done anything to warrant such suffering. There is no secret sin lurking in his life. His present suffering would be easier to accept and manage if there was. According to his friends it would then simply be a matter of confessing and repenting of the sin and then he would be restored (5:17-27). Well God does restore Job. But it's not that simple as Job knows there's nothing to confess. So all that is left for Job at this point is to mourn the extent of his suffering (6:2-3), pray that God might shorten his life (6:8-9) and struggle over why God would do this to him (7:17-21), which are my 3 headings. Headings which perhaps reflect our experience and feelings when we go through times of suffering. So first: JOB MOURNS THE EXTENT OF HIS SUFFERING (6:2-3) Look at vv. 2 and 3:

"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas - no wonder my words have been impetuous".

His loss and suffering is very great. And he can't understand why. No wonder his anguish and misery is very heavy. No wonder his words in chapter 3 were impetuous. Perhaps some of us have experienced similar feelings of anguish. Job's "loss of family, friends, health and the sense of the presence of God, are all bereavements" (Atkinson). Grief which follows bereavement can often go through various stages, such as: numbness, shock, questioning, depression, anger and resolution or acceptance. At the end of chapter 2 Job is numb and silent after his losses, a state of shock and disbelief. For at least seven days he sat on the ash heap unable to say anything. In chapter 3 he breaks the silence with a lament and much questioning, asking why? why? "Why did I not perish at birth.." He longs for death.

"Why is light given to those in misery,and life to the bitter of soul?" (3:20)

In chapters 6 and 7 his questioning continues as does his depression, especially as Eliphaz has proved to be of no help (6:21), only wounding him further with false accusation. In his anguish Job is also now becoming angry in vv.4-7 of chapter 6:

"The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God's terrors are marshalled against me. Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder? Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavour in the white of an egg? I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill".

Job feels that everyone is against him and that God is against him. He begins to believe that God is aiming his arrows of judgement at him - though he still doesn't know why. So he claims the right to bray and bellow since he's been wounded by God and offered tasteless food or words by his friends. As we've already seen he gets angry with Eliphaz in v.14 which is a rebuke:

"A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends".

In vv.15-21 he describes his friends as being about as useful to him as a dry river in summer when in need of refreshment. And as we shall see later in chapter 7 Job seems to get angry with God as the questions flow, Why? Why? Why? Have we ever felt like Job as we struggle with innocent suffering and the question why? Full of anguish and anger? Well anger is not always inappropriate in Christians. But we must be careful, it must be appropriate anger and therefore creative and not hostility which is destructive. The boundary between anger and sin is a fragile one. Here it is not inappropriate for Job to express anger in response to his own innocent suffering as we shall see. Secondly: JOB PRAYS THAT GOD MIGHT SHORTEN HIS LIFE (6:8-9) Look at vv.8 and 9.

"Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!"

Job wants to die. 'If God were really compassionate He would crush Job now.' Perhaps we've felt the same. It's important to note that here Job's focus is still on God as the source of life. There's no thought of suicide here in the mind of despairing Job. No, he prays that God might shorten his life. So completely is God's sole power over life and death recognised that the thought of suicide as a remedy for life's ills never enters the book of Job. And if God was willing to crush him then, verse 10, Job states that:

"I would still have this consolation - my joy in unrelenting pain - that I had not denied the words of the Holy One"

i.e. then in the afterlife, Job would have the joy of knowing that he'd remained true to God. And anyway he hasn't the strength to hold out for the renewal promised by Eliphaz in 5:17-27. Verses 11-13:

"What, strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?"

All his resources are spent. He is a man of flesh and nerves, not stone or bronze. Job has no power to help himself now that his human resources are gone. He believes his condition is hopeless. "Do I have any power to help myself?" Maybe we've heard similar words said by people suffering in bereavement or in depression or said them ourselves in such times, words such as "I just don't have any energy anymore" . And although we may have had the support and encouragement of friends to help us carry on, Job has the presence of friends but not their help or kindness. Which leads us on to chapter 7 where Job directs his complaint and anger towards God and where: Thirdly, JOB STRUGGLES OVER WHY GOD WOULD DO THIS TO HIM It seems that Job here in his anguish becomes angry with God and complains to him and remonstrates with him (see v.11). Job knows his suffering is not related to any specific sins as we saw in 6:24. He is under what feels like the tyranny of God, the arrows of the Almighty.

"Does not man have hard service on earth?"(v.1)

He is like a slave who longs for relief from his master. Look at vv. 1- 10 of chapter 7. Job feels that his life is futile. He feels like a man who has been conscripted into the army against his will. At least the slave and the hired man had something to look forward to, but his future looked hopeless. Instead of pay there is emptiness and futility, and instead of rest there are nights of misery.

"When I lie down I think, 'How long before I get up? The night drags on, and I toss till dawn."

Who can identify with Job in that? Night time can be the worse time for the kind of depression that comes with sudden deprivation. And verse 5 reminds us of Job's physical pain as well as his mental anguish. His nights were sleepless and his days futile and the Lord didn't seem to care. In verses 6-10 Job focuses on the brevity of his life. Time seemed to be dragging at night but was also passing swiftly. So if God was going to do anything, he'd better hurry (vv.7 and 8).

"Remember O God, that my life is but a breathyou will look for me, but I will be no more."

Job's life is like the weavers shuttle, verse 6, moving swiftly with the thread running out, seemingly without hope. His eyes will never see happiness again. He is like a cloud that so quickly vanishes. His life has become as empty as a vapour. He is on his way to the place of the dead in Sheol, where all will be rubbed out.

"As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return. He will never come to his house again; his place will no him no more" (vv.9-10).

So if that is the case why should Job not speak his mind to God?

"Therefore", Job says in v.11, "I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul."

Job is determined to cry out against the apparent injustice of God, who it seems will not leave him alone (vv.17-20). As we've already mentioned it can be appropriate to be angry in the face of what appears to be injustice. We need not be afraid to bring our hurt and anger to God. We do not have to pretend we are rejoicing and feeling good or be in anyway dishonest. God understands and cares. As my Old Testament lecturer used to say: "The problem we have with the language of hurt and anger is that we think God is not big enough to handle it. We think that God is so delicate, so naïve that he can't handle this kind of anguish. We also naively think that if we only feel that way and do not express it in words then God won't know how we're feeling! There persists in us the feeling that God has to be cocooned and cottonwooled. In fact we often treat God as if he were like some fragile maiden aunt who would collapse if we talk about anything outside her limited experience" (Fyall). If you read chapters 4-27 of Job you will see that the three friends speak all the commonplaces of orthodox theology while Job speaks apparently blasphemous words. Yet in chapter 42:7 God says to the friends, "You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has". Look at what Job says in v.17. He dares to take up the wonderful words of Psalm 8 about the glory of man and turn them into a parody: "What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention". I despise my life Job says to God, leave me alone, my days have no meaning (v.16). I don't seem to be important to God anymore. But then why is God expending so much energy on me to cause me such misery? Is God's only interest in man to scrutinise him unmercifully and take quick offence at his slightest fault? Look at vv.20-21:

"If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my offences and forgive my sins? Why? Why? Why? Job says in his anguish, I have not been perfect, but what terrible sin have I committed that deserves this kind of suffering? He then confesses that he is a sinner but can't understand why God refuses to forgive him. And v.21b God had better realise his mistake and do something about it quickly, for Job is on his way out! Job is angry and full of anguish. He tell it how it is. And at this stage he can see no hope at all. Which is sometimes how some of us might feel in times of suffering. Sometimes when we're going through the tunnel we don't see a light at the end of it but rather only another train coming. But Job has not yet lost his focus on God. Rather like the psalmist in Psalm 88 which we read earlier who has no hopeful expectation in his troubles and yet can still grasp the fact that God is Saviour and sovereign.

We know, though Job doesn't, that God is working to some divine purpose. And we know too that God does not deal with us simply on the basis of you reap what you sow. It is not a simple matter of getting what we deserve.

"In the Christ who suffered for us on the cross, the simple law of deserts is superseded and God meets us in grace, not because we deserve it but because of his love. Within his love, the mystery of suffering will find its own purpose and power." (Atkinson)

Why me? Sometimes God for his own inscrutable reasons witholds his face from us. Sometimes God allows us to go through experiences in which his face seems turned away from us. Sometimes we learn in that way lessons of faith that we could never have learned in any other way.

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