there is nothing like confusing the issue with facts

Job’s three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence. (Job 32:1)

There is nothing like confusing the issue with facts.

Job had insisted on his innocence. His three friends saw all of the misfortunes that came on him – his loss of health, his loss of wealth and standing and family – and they assumed, as many do, that “Somebody up there doesn’t like you.”

They assumed that since all these negative things had happened to Job, he had to have done something wrong. He had to have sinned.

They couldn’t necessarily put their fingers on what it was that he had done but, come on, something happened to make God mad.

The idea of suffering being a random thing rather than a specific punishment never occurred to them. And when it finally occurred to them, they rejected it because it just didn’t fit in with their theology.

His insistence n his innocence in the face of their own brilliant arguments made them mad.

But they knew better. They had been around, you know. They didn’t fall off a turnip truck yesterday. They could tell that something was wrong. And it had to be with Job.

That was the problem with the book of Job and with Job’s situation. Nothing that happened was the result of Job’s sin. Job had not sinned. That was the point. He was a righteous man who God was using as an object lesson to the devil.

If Job caused it at all, it was because he had been good enough to attract the attention of the devil.

But his friends had their own theology. It was simple. Sin and be punished. The syllogism goes like this: 1. God punishes those who have sinned by bringing bad things into their lives. 2. You have a lot of bad things in Job’s life. Therefore 3. Job had sinned and God was punishing him. It was simple. It was flawless. They really liked it and had worked a long time on it.

The only problem was: it was hogwash.

First, God doesn’t deal like that with us and second, the Bible makes it clear that Job was an exemplary man living an exemplary life. His misfortune was not his fault, except inasmuch he was good enough to attract the notice of the devil, as I said before.

But his friends were mad that he dismissed their great theological arguments out of hand.

Nothing makes people madder than having their ideas dismissed. After all, they worked hard on those ideas. Then when you find a hole in them, or decide yourself that they weren’t all that good, it makes them mad.

After all, these ideas are their little thought babies. And who are you to be calling their babies ugly or no good.

It is funny that people think that simply because they thought of something, you are supposed to accept it as the wisdom of the ages.

It rarely is. And we all have to get used to the fact that what we think is sometimes full of beans.