Job - A Story of Hope in Nature

Christian or not, Job is one of the most controversial books of the Bible. I know I've had my fair share of questions - Who really wrote it? How did the author get such prime access to Divine happenings to know what happens in the heavenly realm in such fine detail? And how is God's response to Job so well documented? I can't say I have all the answers, but in faith, I am believing that the book is true...after all, that why it's faith!

In preparation for my Sunday School class, I read through a part of Job again, specifically Job 38 and 39. I've read these chapters several times before, but it was only today that it hit me - God used his Sovereignty over science (primarily nature) to give Job the perspective he needed! Job had gone through a lot - he lost his wealth in the form of livestock, he lost servants, and lost his children. To add insult to injury, he then lost his health - sores and boils of the worse kind. His friends went through a slew of reasons why God is punishing him. All the time, Job maintained that he was righteous, and after responding to his friends, took it up with God. 

Being the Divine, all-knowing and all-powerful God, He was under NO obligation to give Job a full response to the questions he was asking. He chose, instead, to pose some of His own to Job to make it clear who's boss: 

• "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations?", 
• "Have you ever given orders to the morning?", 
• "Can you raise your voice to the clouds?
• "Do you send the lightening bolts on their way?"
• "Have you ever journeyed to the springs of the sea?", 
• "Do you hunt the prey for the lioness?", 
• "Who provides food for the raven?"
• "Do you know when the mountain goat gives birth?"
• "Who let the wild donkey go free?"
• "Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?"

The list goes on. In the end, Job was duly schooled! 

When I reflected on the passages, it was clear that God identified Himself with his creation. The earth,  the skies (heavens), the animals and plants were deliberate and ordered and made to, among other things, sustain that which was in His image (i.e., us humans). One of His first commands to us was to actually care for the earth, not just for our benefit, but because it reflects His glory. 

Job did endure a lot, and it was natural for him to want answers when it seemed unjustified. But after God's response, Job couldn't help but see beyond his pain and suffering and acknowledge the awesomeness of God. He knew of the earth and the seas and the skies and animals were but a sample of how majestic and in-charge God is. Job is a story of how a righteous man suffered seemingly unfairly. But today, it expanded to a story of how nature can be a way for us to see the hope that God offers. If we put our faith in Him, He can take us through the darkest times. And if we need a way to remember that, we need just look around at nature, because the One who made and sustains it all promises to never leave or forsake us.