David Bahn – Reflections

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These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Job 5-7; Psalm 15.

Job 5:8-16

“As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God would I commit my cause,
⁹ who does great things and unsearchable,
    marvelous things without number:
¹⁰ he gives rain on the earth
    and sends waters on the fields;
¹¹ he sets on high those who are lowly,
    and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹² He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.
¹³ He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
    and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
¹⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime
    and grope at noonday as in the night.
¹⁵ But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
    and from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶ So the poor have hope,
    and injustice shuts her mouth.

Job’s friends finally speak – after sitting in silence with him for 7 days. Job laments even being born, and Eliphaz answers Job. His message is simple, at least partly true, but will not help. As the dialogue continues between Job and his friends, it becomes more of an argument than a discussion. Job’s friends conclude that Job must have done something wrong, and that’s why Job is suffering so. Job maintains his innocence even though he is suffering. They are both wrong, although Job’s contention that he has done nothing wrong is closer to truth than his friends accusatory comments.

Eliphaz’ comments here are true. As he says, God gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. In other words, God is good. He does good things. He thwarts the designs of the wicked. He hears our prayers and answers them.

There is a time to contend for the goodness of God. And Eliphaz believes this is the right moment. His and his friends comments rise out of a conviction that God governs the world by a moral principle of retribution: the righteous prosper, the wicked suffer. They presume that because Job is suffering he must have done something wrong.

We know from Job 1-2 that Job is righteous. His suffering is not punitive. God himself has declared Job blameless. Job’s friends speak many true things about God, but they speak them at the wrong time, in the wrong way, and to the wrong purpose. Their theology is correct in principle but cruel in application. They defend God by abandoning Job — and in doing so, they misrepresent them both.

The friends operate by law without gospel. They speak truth without grace. They offer explanation instead of promise. And we need all of these things: Law and Gospel; truth and grace; explanation and promise.

Those are hallmarks of the true Christian faith, and are perfectly found and embodies by our Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh full of grace and truth. Next time you have the opportunity to speak to someone who is hurting, don’t just say the true thing. Say the graciously-true things about God’s love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. Those are true words rightly spoken.