You Give and Take Away
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13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
In the Job story, Job’s wealth and all he loves suddenly vanishes. The only surviving servant informs him about the servants, oxen and donkeys that are killed or captured. Then it’s more servants along with the sheep, then it’s more servants and the camels, then it’s all his kids killed as the house collapses on them.
All these animals, servants, and many children are signs of tremendous wealth and of course God’s blessing. A long, theological discussion ensues between Job and his friends. Who’s to blame? Was Job indeed a righteous man? God is punishing you because . . . Job, let me explain how God works in the world. Job you should do this. Job, here is what wisdom is. Wait Job. You’re a righteous guy! Job you should repent, God is angry with you. Etc. etc.
There is a lot of pontificating on what has happened and why to Job. Why Job is responsible, guilty, deserving and why Job is righteous, upright, and pious.
And the Lord answers angrily back with an outpouring of questions. They’re great questions with obvious answers. There are only 3 correct answers. They are either, “no” “I don’t know” or “not me” / “you do Lord.”
NO:
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, 13 that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?
I DON’T KNOW:
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
“NOT ME” / “ONLY YOU LORD”
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
5 “Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied its ropes?
Who marked off the earth’s dimensions?
Ultimately Job understands his place before God:
1 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
Things I do not understand. Things too wonderful for me to know.
Having answers is a good thing and is valued in our society. We like to know the facts and we place a heavy emphasis and trust on data/analytics/algorithms which can help us make good decisions and help us find the right answers.
In our faith too we need to know truth, have answers, and security in our beliefs:
6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
Definitely an important part of our faith is having answers, a rich knowledge of scripture to analyze and refute falsehood, and a security that we know our Saviour—he’s not a myth, a ghost, or an unknowable/distant God.
In the Churches of Christ we have traditionally valued scripture knowledge. It’s in our blood to study, find answers, know chapter and verse. That’s a good thing.
I don’t like hearing, “well I think it says somewhere in the Bible.” Well, have you tried to look that up? You say you think, don’t you want to know? Or the lazy answer-the Bible has so many contradictions, you can’t believe it. Or people twist and turn scripture to make it say whatever they want. I don’t like any of those. Yes, for those afraid to dig in, study, dialogue, discuss, read scholarship there are tough and difficult things to understand in God’s Word.
And our tradition gets high marks for our diligence in this regard.
Yet, along with Job it’s a good idea to also be certain of another thing: That we don’t know everything. After hearing God’s questions, job said, there are “things I do not understand. Things too wonderful for me to know.” Not only is that OK, that’s healthy and is a right attitude towards God. We say, “That’s above my pay grade.”
Song “Blessed be the Name of the Lord”
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Mike Murrie, Communication professor at Pep, sang in the Choir and on praise team. He and his wife were in the process of adopting a teenager Kimberly who came from a broken home. She excelled in school and had Pepperdine on her list. Her older sister went to our church and also went to Pepperdine. She had been in our youth group and because of her home situation had started to life with Mike and his wife Jacquie as they went through the adoption process. While in a car, traveling to a youth retreat of all places, the car filled with an adult driver and several teenagers was hit by a drunk driver and Kimberly was killed. Several others in the car had severe injuries.
Young girl, so many possibilities, troubled past but a loving older couple willing to take her in and help her make her way through college. Sounds like a screen play for a movie. Killed on her way to a church retreat?
Do we try to explain that? It is our job to explain God to someone who uses a story like that to justify unbelief? Do we need to protect God? Should we sit in a circle with Job’s friends and stroke our beards and provide answers? “That’s above my pay grade.”
Maybe job should have stopped while he was ahead:
20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
About a year or so after Kimberly was killed: On the day we were singing the song “Blessed be your name” in church I was standing right next to Mike Murrie. He has a rich deep voice. Much better than mine. You know sometimes you’re singing in church and your sort of singing, sort of mind wandering? I was doing that. Not really paying attention. Then we came to “when I’m found in the desert place, though I walk through the wilderness. On a road marked with suffering, though there’s pain in the offering.” I began to realize really who I was singing next to and that he was singing these words:
You give and take away, you give and take away. My heart will choose to say Lord blessed be your name.
More than any answer, justification, theological doctrine on suffering, explanation of evil and the sovereignty of God, any explanation of why or how God works in the world. Just hearing that broken man sing those scriptural words of faith and trust built my faith and hope far more than any other type of knowledge or answer.
12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Until then I walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes.