There’s a lot to learn from the oldest book of the Bible. As tragedy and uncertainty seem to increase all around us in the modern world we can, ironically, learn a whole lot from the oldest biblical writings, that of Job.
Job lived in a time, likely before Abraham, when the ancient religions around him were polytheistic (they believe in many gods) and they worshipped idols. Life consisted of exhausting activities aimed at pleasing the gods so that they would bless the people and not cause harm to them. If a person was going through difficulties, they would go through painstaking measures to make sure they appeased the gods and did anything to be considered back in their god’s favor.
As we consider Job’s life and how his friends treated him through this context, it gives us even more appreciation for how Job trusted God and walked faithfully when trials came his way. In Job’s culture, his blind trust for God would have seemed irresponsible and crazy…they would’ve expected Job to be working hard to figure out what he needed to do to appease his god. Or, choose a different god, seek favor from another god, do something! Yet, Job remained faithful in trials even when he was surrounded by a culture that did not recognize the God of the Bible. Sound familiar?
As we look around, it is so easy for us to desire to take matters into our own hands and think that God is not in control. Yet, just as Job did, we need to remain faithful and trust that no matter how chaotic and difficult this world continually becomes, God is faithful, He knows our names, and His plan continues in His perfect way. Take comfort, that just as God used Job as an example of faithfulness to be recorded for all of history, so He will use us as examples of faithfulness as we trust Him.
