The Wisdom of Justice: Job

So far in my series on the theme of justice in the Wisdom books, we have looked at the Proverbs and Israel’s Psalter. In the Proverbs, we saw a revelation of God’s character as someone who is personally involved in bringing justice to the world and rewarding those who worked toward justice. As we sang through the Psalter, we saw God’s Son, the King, who works to bring God’s kingdom to the world and remake its citizens as people who look like God. Yet, for some, this might still remain somewhat abstract. So what if God is working to bring justice to the world? We don’t live in the eschaton: we live in the now, where violence still disrupts life and people still love themselves over their neighbors.

This is where the story of Job can help fill in the gaps.¹While it may not be completely right, for many reasons, to equate Job’s suffering with systemic injustice, I think there is still a lot to learn from Job. Job is the story of a man who had it all, even by our standards. He had a large family, good standing with God, and a lot of possessions. He even used these possessions for the advancement of his community (Job 28). He made sacrifices, anxious to keep his family right in the sight of God. His children gathered often to feast and make merry together. He had servants who watched over his cattle and his fields. One day, though, that all changed.

Satan came and told God that Job only worshipped God because of His blessings; take them away, Satan taunted, and see where your precious servant falls then. So, God did. Without provocation, really, which God Himself admits (Job 2:3). In four seemingly unrelated events, Job’s house, children, servants, cattle, and possessions are taken away. Even his personal health is attacked. All he has left is his wife and his friends (if, by the end of the story, we still think of them as friends!) What can the story of Job teach us about justice?

First, it tells us that just because we are a victim of injustice, it’s not necessarily some “karmic” retribution for our sins. The book opens by telling us that Job is a righteous man. If we take N.T. Wright’s definition of righteousness, which I do, then we understand that righteousness refers primarily to fidelity to the covenant between God and man.²N.T. Wright, Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision (Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press, 2009), 64-65. To frame Job as a righteous man is to frame him as a man faithful to God, careful to keep his statutes as defined by Torah. Again, Job’s troubles were not brought upon him because of his sin, since God says that they were brought on without reason. When we become victims of injustice, we might be tempted to think of it as something that happened to us because we did something wrong. Or, when we see people who become victims of injustice, we might blame their past. We see this a lot: a victim of a shooting might be reported with their rap sheet attached. In a world wrecked by sin, God does not need to lead us to evil: evil is everywhere, lurking, and waiting for us to experience it. When evil is expected to be experienced everywhere, we’re going to be affected by it whether or not we’ve committed a certain sin.

 Not only does the story of Job show that injustice isn’t some form of karmic retribution, it shows us that we can actually bring these issues to God.

Not only does the story of Job show that injustice isn’t some form of karmic retribution, it shows us that we can actually bring these issues to God. When Job fell victim to the trial put forward by Satan, his first response was not to turn and curse God, even at the provocation of his wife. Rather than sitting idly by, crying “woe is me,” Job started seeking an audience with God. Job was even more honest than we might think we can be: not only did he demand an audience with God, he was blunt and said that he didn’t think God was listening to him. He wishes for a mediator, someone that God would listen to if God wasn’t planning on listening to Job (Job 9:33). As we saw in the Psalms, because God has chosen to cut a covenant with us, we are both able to be held to our end of the covenant. Because God has promised to be with us and faithful to His covenant, we can call out to Him to come to our aid and rescue us. Remember that in Christ, through the Spirit, we’ve inherited Christ’s righteousness. This does not create an imposition on God: he is the one who initiated this covenant deal with us! Remember, at the end of the book, God tells Job and his friends that Job hadn’t sinned in anything that he had done.

Third, because we can call on God when injustice befalls us, we can draw nearer to Him even in the midst of injustice. Job’s insistence upon an audience with God did not go unheard: rather, it brought God to him. At the end of 36 chapters of lamenting and arguing between Job and three of his friends (and one seeming interloper), God appears to take on Job’s complaints. God’s response is puzzling: where were you when I created everything? Can you tell me these facts about nature? Who do you think is in control of the entire world? After a few chapters of questioning, God relents. He tells Job’s friends that not only did Job do nothing wrong, they must also implore him to make sacrifices on their behalf!

 Job’s response to injustice was not passivity; rather, he called on God to be faithful to God’s word and deliver him from his afflictions.

Some think that God’s appearance in the whirlwind, and His puzzling response to Job’s questions, was God’s way of saying of “I’m bigger than you, so just shut up and listen to me.” When we jump to that conclusion, though, we miss something big: Job wanted God to appear, and God granted that request and appeared to him and gave him a face-to-face audience! So really, Job’s insistence, and his perseverance, brought him closer to God than he would have been without suffering. Job seems to be anxious at the beginning of his story, making constant sacrifices because he was afraid that his children would accidentally turn from God. At the end of the book, God clearly communicates His will and His judgment on Job. While we may not get this type of assurance on the other end of our suffering, we’re promised something that helps us better understand God and be closer to Him through his Spirit.

Job’s sufferings were probably more incredible than anything that we might suffer, but he stands as a type of righteous sufferer that we can try and emulate through God’s grace. Job’s response to injustice was not passivity; rather, he called on God to be faithful to God’s word and deliver him from his afflictions. We don’t always suffer injustice because of sin, but because the world is still an evil, broken place. Finally, Job shows us that we can trust that when we are a victim of injustice, God can and will draw near to us in it and bring us closer to Him as well.