Louise Gevers
My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed. Job 20:2, NIV
When you consider that our verse today is taken from the oldest book in the Bible, wasn’t Solomon right when he observed, “that there is nothing new under the sun”? (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Yesterday, as we reflected on the depth of suffering in the book of Job, didn’t we feel ‘troubled’ by Job’s experiences, especially as we confronted the endless nature of his suffering as he endured pain upon pain, in God’s apparent absence? We’ve all felt the pain and loneliness of loss, and of not understanding why.
Job needed time to come to terms with his grief and loss, and the ear of a compassionate soul when he needed to speak; someone who cared and would be a comfort to a bereft man covered in painful sores, living a bleak life with a callous wife.
Alienated from a life that was once full, Job would certainly agree with Mother Teresa’s view that, “Loneliness and the feeling of being uncared for and unwanted are the greatest poverty.” Job’s experiences had left him impoverished and in need of hope. Hope appeared in the form of his three friends who’d “met together by agreement to go and sympathise with him and comfort him.” (Job 2:11)
They were horrified by what had happened to their friend, hardly recognising him at first, but patiently and silently, they sat with him, “for seven days and seven nights” (Job 2:13) respecting Job’s need for peace to work through his grief and loss; and, keeping him company.
Finally, Job spoke; and pouring out his anguished thoughts, released each man’s verdict of him. Gone was their empathy, Job’s needs forgotten, as each friend, without reflection, pronounced his ready judgement on Job’s suffering, further alienating him, and increasing his sorrow as they decided that he was to blame – as a direct result of his sin – and that he needed to repent for God to restore him.
Eliphaz tells him, “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so, do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” (Job 5:17) Bildad insults him with “Your words are a blustering wind …” and then, cruelly, “When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.” (Job 8:2b,4) Lastly, Zophar’s words added to the attack: “Oh how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom …” (Job:11 5-6a)
What about us?
What are our words to a friend in need? Do we help others with our words and actions, prompted by love after mindful self-reflection, or do “[our] troubled thoughts prompt [us] to answer because [we are] greatly disturbed” like Zophar? We need to ask God for help and divine insight because we don’t have all the answers.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for what You show us of ourselves through Job and his friends, and for what You teach us through them. Help me to respond with compassion to others in need, not motivated by my own anxiety, but in the power of the wisdom, You give, which will lighten their mind and bring joy to their heart. Amen
Louise Gevers
“Ontsteltenis dwing my om te antwoord, dit maak my haastig om te praat. Job 20:2, 1983-vertaling
Neem 'n mens in ag dat vandag se teksvers kom uit wat baie geleerdes as die oudste boek in die Bybel beskou, was Salomo seker reg toe hy gesê het: "Daar is niks nuuts in hierdie wêreld nie." (Prediker 1:9b)
Gister, toe ons oor die diepte van lyding in die boek Job nagedink het, het al Job se rampe en lyding, veral die eindelose aard daarvan,en al die pyn wat hy in die oënskynlike afwesigheid van God moes verduur, 'n mens werklik ontstel. Ons almal het al die pyn en verlatenheid van verlies beleef, en dan sonder om te verstaan hoekom.
Job het tyd benodig om sy hartseer en verlies te verwerk, asook die oor van 'n deernisvolle persoon wanneer hy nodig gehad het om te praat, iemand wat omgee en hom – 'n bedroefde man oordek met pynlike sere wat 'n somber lewe met 'n gevoellose vrou gelei het – sou vertroos.
Job, vervreemd van 'n lewe wat eens vol was, sou sekerlik met Moeder Teresa saamstem toe sy gesê het: "Eensaamheid en die gevoel dat mense nie vir jou omgee nie en jou verwerp, is die grootste armoede." Job se ervarings het hom verarm en met 'n behoefte aan hoop gelaat. Hoop het gekom in die vorm van sy drie vriende wat "afgespreek [het] om deelneming met hom te betuig en hom te troos." (Job 2:11)
Hulle was geskok oor wat met hulle vriend gebeur het, hom amper eers nie herken nie, maar hulle het geduldig en sonder woorde vir "sewe dae en sewe nagte lank" (Job 2:13) by hom gesit. Hulle het Job se behoefte aan vrede en om sy hartseer en verlies te verwerk, gerespekteer en hulle was net daar vir hom.
Uiteindelik het Job gepraat en sy beangste hart uitgestort, wat toe aanleiding gegee het dat die mans hom veroordeel het. Weg was hulle empatie, sy behoeftes vergete, en elkeen van die vriende het sonder nadenke 'n uitspraak oor Job se lyding gelewer. Dit het hom verder vervreem en sy lyding vererger aangesien hulle besluit het hy was te blameer – 'n direkte gevolg van sy sonde – en hy moet sy sonde bely sodat God hom kan herstel.
Elifas sê vir hom: “Dit gaan goed met die mens wat deur God tereggewys word. Jy moet nie die bestraffing van die Almagtige verontagsaam nie." (Job 5:17) Bildad beledig hom deur te sê: "Die woorde van jou mond is bloot 'n groot klomp wind" en dan voeg hy wreed by: "As jou kinders teen Hom gesondig het, het Hy hulle aan hulle oortreding oorgelaat." (Job 8:2b,4, 2020-vertaling) Laastens tree Sofar toe en sê: "As God maar wou begin praat en jou wou weerspreek, jou wou vertel hoe ingewikkeld die wysheid is ..." (Job 11:5-6a)
Wat doen ons?
Wat sê ons vir 'n vriend in nood? Help ons ander deur woorde en dade gedring deur liefde, en nadat ons daaroor nagedink het, of "[dwing] ontsteltenis [ons] om te antwoord, maak [dit ons] haastig om te praat", soos Sofar? Ons moet die Here vra vir hulp en insig, want ons het nie al die antwoorde nie.
Gebed: Hemelse Vader, dankie vir dit wat U ons deur Job en sy vriende van onsself wys en leer. Help my om met deernis te reageer op ander in nood, nie gemotiveer deur my eie angs nie, maar in die krag en wysheid wat U gee en wat hulle harte en verstand sal verlig en blydskap sal bring. Amen
Louise Gevers
Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. Job 30:26, NIV
Hard times and heartache visit us all at some time, exhausting us, robbing our happiness, and draining our self-worth, leaving us to ask, “Why me?”
On reflection, we often recognise our own hand in our suffering, but at times it’s unfathomable, frustrating our understanding. Yesterday, in Jeremiah’s words, we prayed, “when joy is gone from our hearts” and “the crown has fallen from our head,” (Lamentations 5:15-16) recognising words that could describe us, regardless of who we are and where we live.
Job, a man God described to Satan as “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8) couldn’t identify what he’d done to cause his suffering. Compassionate towards his fellow-beings, and doing good to all, he would even “make arrangements for [his children] to be purified …” and “would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them” after their feasting together, in case they’d “sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (Job 1:5)
Understandably, his anguish knew no bounds when, in a short space of time, all his livestock was stolen or destroyed, his “servants put to the sword” (Job 1:15) and his ten children all killed, while feasting together, “when a mighty wind swept in from the desert …. Struck the four corners of the house” which “collapsed on them” (Job 1:19) robbing him of any hopes he may’ve entertained about living life out peacefully with his family and enjoying the fruits of his labours.
Don’t we all cherish this notion deep-down? We live, love, work hard, play hard, and believe we’ll be successful, and enjoy life. But when, amidst it all, suffering finds us, we discover we don’t have all the answers and have to look higher than ourselves for help. Job’s immediate response is worship, despite his grief: “‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” (Job 1:21b)
Everything he’d worked for, everything he’d held dear, taken away; once esteemed in his community, Job is now mocked and spat upon by young boys. So extreme is his fall that he laments: “Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops … ” (Job 30:26-27)
But Job never loses his faith. Although he boldly challenges God as he works through his anguish, questioning how He could allow him to suffer so much at the hand of evil – while wicked people seemed to flourish – his heart longs for God to hear him, to be justified before him, and restored as a man of integrity.
And He does.
God rewards his unwavering faith and ends Job’s suffering, vindicating him and doubly blessing him, that he receives twice as much as he had before. But, for Job, the best blessing of all comes before this: his spellbound experience of Almighty God speaking to him “out of the storm”, (Job 40:6) holding him to account, humbling and restoring his spirit, and giving him true understanding of the nature of the relationship He wants with Job – himself, not his good works.
As He does with us.
Prayer: Loving God, thank you that You never let us suffer alone, but open our eyes to Your presence as we persevere by faith, and grow deeper in our relationship with You. Amen
Louise Gevers
Ek het toe die goeie verwag, maar rampe het my getref, ek het uitgesien na lig, maar donker het my oorval. Job 30:26, 1983-vertaling
Ons almal beleef soms moeilike tye en hartseer wat ons uitput, van ons geluk beroof, van ons eiewaarde ontneem en wat ons laat vra: "Hoekom ek?"
Dink ons daaroor na, herken 'n mens soms jou eie aandeel in jou lyding, maar soms is dit onpeilbaar, frustrerend en onverstaanbaar. In Jeremia se woorde in gister se gebed "vreugde het verdwyn uit ons hart" en "die kroon het van ons kop geval" (Klaagliedere 5:15-16) herken ons woorde waarmee ons beskryf kan word, ongeag wie ons is of waar ons woon.
Job, van wie God aan Satan gesê het: "hy is vroom en opreg, hy dien My en vermy die kwaad" (Job 1:8), kon nie identifiseer wat hy gedoen het om hierdie lyding te veroorsaak nie. Hy was deernisvol teenoor sy naaste, het aan almal goed gedoen en hy het selfs reëlings getref om na feesdae sy kinders te reinig, "... hy [het] vir hulle almal 'n brandoffer gebring, “want,” het Job gesê: “miskien het my kinders gesondig en God in hulle gedagtes gevloek.” (Job 1:5)
Dit is te verstane dat sy benoudheid geen grense geken het toe, in kort tydjie, al sy beeste en donkies gesteel of vernietig is, al sy slawe doodgemaak (Job 1:15) en sy tien kinders almal, terwyl hulle saam geëet en gedrink het, gesterf het toe daar "meteens 'n sterk wind van die woestyn se kant af opgekom en die huis van al vier kante af op [sy] kinders omgewaai [het nie]. (Job 1:19) Dit het Job beroof van enige hoop wat hy mag gehad het om in vrede al sy dae saam met sy familie uit te leef en die vrug van sy arbeid te geniet.
Is dit nie 'n idee wat ons almal diep binne koester nie? Ons leef, het lief, werk hard, ontspan en glo dat ons suksesvol sal wees en die lewe sal kan geniet. Maar wanneer te midde van dit alles, lyding ons tref, ontdek ons gou dat ons nie al die antwoorde het nie en moet buite onsself vir hulp soek. Job se eerste onmiddellike reaksie was om, ten spyte van sy droefheid, God te aanbid: "Die Here het gegee en die Here het geneem. Prys die Naam van die Here.” (Job 1:21b)
Alles waarvoor hy gewerk en omgegee het, is weggeneem. Waar daar eens deur sy gemeenskap na hom opgekyk is, word Job nou deur mense jonger as hy bespot en word daar in sy gesig gespoeg. Job is op sy knieë gewing en hy kla by die Here: "Ek het toe die goeie verwag, maar rampe het my getref, ek het uitgesien na lig, maar donker het my oorval. Dit kook in my, ek kom nie tot rus nie ..." (Job 30:26-27)
Job het egter nooit sy geloof verloor nie. Alhoewel hy, terwyl hy deur sy vrese werk, God dapper vra hoekom Hy toelaat dat hy so onder die bose moet ly – en dit terwyl dit lyk asof slegte mense floreer – verlang sy hart tog dat God hom moet hoor, dat hy as 'n regverdige voor Hom moet kan staan en hy as 'n man van integriteit herstel moet word.
En God antwoord Job.
God beloon Job se onwrikbare geloof en beëindig sy lyding. Hy regverdig hom en seën hom met 'n dubbele porsie sodat hy twee keer meer ontvang as wat hy voorheen gehad het. Maar vir Job is die beste seëning toe die Almagtige hom aanspreek "uit die stormwind" (Job 40:1), hom aanspreeklik hou, hom nederig maak, sy gees herstel en hom die ware aard van die verhouding wat Hy met hom wil hê, laat verstaan – homself en nie sy goeie werke nie ...
Dit is ook wat Hy van ons verlang.
Gebed: Liefdevolle God, dankie dat U ons nooit alleen laat ly nie. Open ons oë vir u teenwoordigheid, laat ons in die geloof volhard en laat ons verhouding met U groei. Amen