As pointed out by the late John Frame, professor of systematic theology and philosophy, we are confronted with evil at two levels ( “The problem of Evil”): Firstly, evil and suffering hurt on an emotional-existential level. The physical pain and anguish which afflict all animated beings are tangible in Job’s prayers, e.g. in chapters 7, 10, 13:20-28, 14. In addition, evil consumes the intellect because on a philosophical level, unjust suffering raises questions about the existence of god and his character.
The problem of evil is probably the most difficult problem in all of theology, and for many atheists it is the Achilles’ heel of the theistic worldview.
John Frame (2008) “The Problem of Evil.” p141 In: Suffering and the Goodness of God. Edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson. Theology in Community 1. Wheaton: Crossway.
For if God exists, the coexistence of evil seems to imply that he is either not good enough or too impotent to prevent it. And if he were not all-good and all-potent, he would not be God at all. And if there is no god, our notions of good and evil are but arbitrary conventions, and the justice of the strongest is the only “justice” there is. And if there is but the law of the jungle, how can we live?
The temptation to yield to atheism initially came to Job in the form of a temptation to only give up his hope in God’s justice: That will do. But Job refused: Hope in God’s justice was precisely what energized him to endure rather than yield to injustice (2:9-10). Evidently, Job recognized that atheism is no solution. Atheism provides no basis for justice. For by denying that justice is divine and therefore objective, and by reducing it to merely subjective human opinions or illusions, atheism reduces the quest for justice to only an eternal struggle for power of one group over another, with the “justice” of the stronger being imposed on those who regard it as “injustice”. However, while Job rejected atheism and its denial of justice (21:14-16), the resulting logical conundrum why this God lets bad things happen to good people made him lose faith that God is good, 30:20-21 (cf chapters 12, 21 & 24).
Job’s religious peers were not ready to consider whether their theology is flawed. They came to rebuke a dissident: “No one perishes who is innocent, 4:7. Everyone gets what their own free choices deserve: Your misfortune is proportional to your bad kharma, which is the magnitude of the sum of your sins!” (cf Lk 13:4). They didn’t come to hear Job in search for answers; they came on a mission to either get him back in line or silence him, full of false assurance even from “night visions” that they were on God’s errand, 4:13.
The book of Job does not dismiss their arguments lightly without due consideration: No less than 28 chapters (Job 4 to 31) are devoted to let these ministers prove in their own words who truly inspired them, and to what end, 41:34. However, it takes more than cursory reading to appreciate the author’s biting sarcasm how these theologians got it all wrong and stood condemned by their verdict about Job.
Therefore, to explore what these debates were all about and how the error of those theologians prepared Job to understand how he himself got stuck, this blog will try to first summarize the chief accusations in chapter 4 to 31 and Job’s replies by paraphrasing them in abbreviated form, bared of their pious-sounding disguise: Of course, this interpretation is not meant to replace the text itself in Job, but rather to encourage personal study of it.
Eliphaz, first round
Job 4 and 5:
- 4:1-5 It is difficult to argue with you, because of your impatience. You are gifted to teach and support others, but now look at your behavior: You let yourself quickly wear out by adversity; you overreact and panic for no acceptable reason.
- 4:6-7 If you were innocent and as godly as you claim, you would remain confident.
- 8-11: In my experience, trouble is only the harvest of those who sow iniquity by how they bite others.
- 12-16: In one of my power encounters with God’s presence (I’m sure it was God, because it was so mysterious), He gave me this word for you:
- 17-21: No one can be more just than God, and the only reason why God beats men to pieces is that He is too holy to let any injustice pass unpunished.
- 5:1 Ask around: Who would defend your case? Not one saint would dare to do so.
- 5:2 You will perish as a fool because of your anger and jealousy.
- 5:3 You are not the first where I have seen how they lost their salvation, where all was well until they gave in to the temptation to betray God so that I was forced to separate from them.
- 5:4-7 You bring down even your children and their inheritance.
- 5:8 If I were you, I would seek God and trust him more sincerely:
- 5:9-16 God works through the miraculous (knowledge only puffs up). Unlike you, we believe that God always saves the needy but that you are punished because you mistake your craftiness for wisdom.
- 5:17-25 Just acknowledge that you deserve to be disciplined! And be patient! Then you will surely find favor again with him.
- 5:27 Look, we have come all your way, we have listened to you and examined your case and concluded that it must be your own fault. Therefore trust and submit to our verdict for we are the experts.
Job’s reply: You are not even listening
Job 6:
- 6:1-13 Instead of prolonging my misery, God should take me off life support while I still believe His word. For my only consolation and joy left to me is to know that I have remained faithful.
- 6:14-21 Genuine friends would have remained devoted even if I had lost faith. But on you, one cannot depend; you are like a Fata Morgana: you too proved to be of no help, because of your fearfulness.
- 6:22-23 I never used you. I never came to you for my personal advantage. What I expected of you was never about my deliverance.
- 6:24 If you accuse me of wrong, teach me by proving your point, or else I have no reason to listen.
- 6:25-26 I would welcome frankness even if it hurts. But your argument proves nothing. Indeed, you could not be bothered to even try to answer me. Instead, whatever I say, you have treated as only a fart (lit. as wind).
- 6:27 Thus, your professed empathy is vain. In reality, you readily barter away your helpless friend, if it serves your interests.
- 6:28-30 But be so kind and look me in the eyes: Why would I lie to you? So I am asking again: Please end this injustice and reconsider, instead of continuing to besmear my integrity. If not, the burden is on you to prove that any of my words are wrong or tainted by malice.
Job 7
- 7:1-21 Job takes his cry to God and eventually concludes (vv17-21): What is the point of living on earth when retribution for failing God’s testing causes so much suffering?
- 7:8-10 rule out re-incarnation, not faith in a bodily resurrection (cf 14:12). Accordingly, failure to escape from bad karma and its curse of re-incarnation were clearly rejected by Job as explanations for his sufferings.
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