God Gives, God Takes

Job 1-2

Why do the righteous suffer so? Why do the evil prosper like they do? Why is their uncontrollable calamity in the world? How do you make sense of it? Where is God in it? What do we do with it? And God?

It's these kind of ancient and modern issues that the book of Job wrestles with. But it is important to note that what we're reading is how the ancient Israelites wrestled with God and evil and suffering and righteousness. It's not very helpful to discuss whether Job was a real person or a fictional character. The point of the story and the poems is the wrestling with the ideas, the realities we as humans deal with.  Ultimately, the book of Job is a carefully crafted wisdom book - authentic instructions and honest ideas on how to deal righteously with suffering.

The story possibly dates before Moses, but after Abraham. There is no mention of Torah, but there is acknowledgment of God. There is no mention of Abraham, but Job kind of sounds like Abraham (eventually he had lots of kids!). Some of the Hebrew is so old that scholars aren't sure how to translate confusing passages.

The book begins and ends with a narrative piece - it sets up the story and wraps it up. But the real meat of the book is in the poetry, the artful and passionate dialogue between Job and his friends. It's important to note that as you track through all that Job has to say, he gets it right most of the time. His friends, as you follow their logic and reactions to Job - well they don't always get it right. This is one of those books where you have to be careful to discern who you are reading - they may be saying something that isn't true of God or humanity!

Again, the classic questions are relevant here: what does this story and poem teach me about God? About humanity? About suffering? About injustice? About evil? About righteousness?  About wisdom? About life? About me? Ask lots of questions as you read. Ask what you would do if you were Job? Consider what you would do if you had friends like Job? What would be your attitude towards God if he seemed to be unjust?

God Charts The Road You Take

Psalm 1 

When you read the psalms, remember they are prayers that are sung. You know when you read the lyrics to a song, and then you hear the song - big difference! So it is with the psalms - the ancient hymns of Israel. If you are musically inclined, you can put your own tune to each psalm.

When you read the psalm, try praying the psalm. Don't read it to "get something out of it." Read it as a prayer - as your prayer. This can be a odd exercise - usually you use your own words when whispering out your prayers. But then most people I know have a hard time knowing what to say when they do pray. And this is why the psalms are so helpful to us - they give us new words, new ideas, new patterns, new depths for our praying to God. It's a way for God to chart the road you are taking.

Make the psalm personal. Let it shape you and how you think about God. Let it probe you and disturb you. Mull over why the psalter wrote out this prayer - consider what his circumstances may have been. If the word "king" shows up in the song, you'll know that it's probably a royal psalm, connected to politics, national issues, and the monarchy. Israel believed that God would bless their king and nation when he and the people kept Torah with all their heart. The psalms often flow out of this hope - and failure.

When you are praying the psalms, you will find God charting the road you take. So many turns and forks in the road each day - may God be the one to prompt you left, nudge you right, keep you straight. May you invest much time into God's Word, and may it bring forth in you a fruitfulness and vibrancy that adds life to those around you.

As you learn how to pray the psalter, may you take the road God charts for you.