The book of ‘Job’ #1

Ruelha, 
I always thought the book of Job spoke of faith.
Of patience and endurance, there was never a debate.
And then a very dear atheist friend brought up several points.
This one relentkessly tries to enlighten me with videos of Matt Dillahunty, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.
Why do good people suffer?
I'm dumbfounded with no cogent answer.
It raises a lot of questions on theodicy.
Very difficult for me to justify to an intellectual prodigy.
How does an all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign and benevolent God allow,
such horrendous activities and injustice somehow?

We see the accuser of the brethren,
consorting with God in a rapid session.
First he accuses Job of only being righteous
because of the many blessings, so he was pious.
So God agrees to let the devil test him.
Remember, testing and tempting they're not synonyms.
God never tempts. It's against His nature,
except unto Jesus, the great rabbi and teacher.
Yes, God consented, which seems absurd.
which tells me that nothing ever happens, without to Him being referred. 
The devil can only stretch as much as God permits.
Because on the throne, God is the one who sits.

Another thing that is so obvious is diabolical oppression. 
Which is just one rank below a full fledged possession.
Only the old names from the Bible, a legion or marine spirits get my attention. 
And here we see mentioned, are Behemoth and Leviathan. 
Every time I see 'oppression' mentioned in the Bible, I think differently,
from what most people tend to interpret it as inherently. 

Job lost his ten children, all of his possessions and was smothered with sores. 
Job patiently endured in faith with open, itchy and painfully ruptured pores.
Finally, God comes to his assistance.
Unable to comprehend His infinite divine wisdom.
And restores unto him a few folds more.
Wealth, health, possessions and ten kids all-the-more.
Job is one of the 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Quran,
with burial sites/shrines in both Oman and Lebanon.

I never really understood this, but it didn't bother me anyway.
Free will theodicy is inapplicable here,
because Job was somewhat-righteous, pious and pure.
Why then, did God remove His hedge of protection?
I will refrain from the reasoning and accredit that to divine wisdom.
It is beyond my limited human comprehension.
There is a huge difference between human and God's intellect, intention.

But, knowledge of our limitations keeps us grounded.
And by grace, we are no longer helpless and confounded.
We live in a fallen world.
It is upon us to stay in control.
Every man will be subject to test and temptation.
We must wear the armour and claim the blood of protection.
Some get to taste infestation, obsession, oppression and even possession.
There are forces beyond our vision and control.
You cannot have so many coincidences. 

But, instead of studying these and their characteristics.
Focus on God and your defences.
Magnify God; don't listen to your senses.
The senses will only reveal and worsen the problem.
Sometimes, it takes a while.
Don't give up or be disheartened, child.
Trials teach us to forgive and love unconditionally. 
Within our soul, it brings symmetry.
Whether you call it nirvana, moksh or peace,
After trials, the phoenix rises without fear, to tease.

-RUELHA 
www.ruelha.com 
© Copyright Protected. All Rights Reserved.
(Image source:jesustruthdeliverance.com)

34 Comments

  1. You ask “How does an all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign and benevolent God allow, such horrendous activities and injustice somehow!” It’s really all about free will. Have you read “The Grand Inquisitor” from Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov”? It’s a great piece on how Christ resisted the temptations to preserve free will. God could make us believe, but we can accept him or reject him by our own free will.

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    1. Hey Timothy….I should really try and get my hands on those books you mentioned. It will probably equip me to handle such questions better😊😃🤩🤓
      Absolutely I agree, free will is such a blessing….the gift of freedom and choice is wonderful.
      Well, I’ve been debating with this friend for several years now and I get stuck in a loop with rebuttals and counters that negate my every strong point like grace, new covenant, free will etc….it’s a vain attempt. To me, personally, it all comes down to faith. But I am really hoping to get some points for the next debate 😉🤭😅🙈🤓🤩

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      1. Here’s an interesting article in Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-purpose/201910/why-do-bad-things-happen-good-people

        Your very question has been debated for centuries and will continue to be debated for centuries to come. I think it is well beyond our understanding. Envy is a powerful emotion and envious people tend to do bad things to good people because they are envious of virtue.

        You have faith and that’s all you need.

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        1. That was a beautiful article….
          I agree…it’s difficult to comprehend, hence highly debatable.
          wow…that’s something to look at now….people are envious of virtue….
          🙏🏼🌟🎀🙏🏼🎀💐💐🎀🎀🙏🏼🎁🌟

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          1. Here’s another thing to consider. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they gained knowledge of good and evil, which allowed evil in the world. It’s not really so much of why does God “allow” bad things to happen to good people, as bad things happen to good people because “original sin” allowed evil to take hold in the world. God gave Adam and Eve free will. They had the choice to either obey or disobey him. They disobeyed him. Augustine said we all have original sin, which was his argument for the need for infant baptism. Martin Luther and John Calvin took original sin to leaving all of us with total depravity so that everything we do is a mortal sin. In that sense, there is nothing good that can happen to anyone other than the salvation that Jesus offers. Because God gave men and women free will, he has to allow bad things to happen to good people. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have free will.

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            1. That’s a good angle Timothy. Unfortunately some people question the mercy/all-forgiving/all-knowing nature of God when we go to Eden…😅🙈🙃😅 But it’s definitely a good point.🙏🏼🎁😃🙏🏼🎁😃🙏🏼🎁😃🙏🏼

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                  1. It realy comes down to your relationship with Jesus and your faith. People are going to always question your faith, and people argue all the time about the very points you are considering. When you read books like Job, you have to keep in mind that the Jewish experience and understanding of the old testament is much different from a Christian interpretation. The Tempter in Job is not Satan as we think of Satan. The Satan most Christians think of as the Devil doesn’t exist in the Old Testament. So Christian interpretations of Old Testament books can really be off-track from of what the texts are meant to convey.

                    I remember having a discussion with a person about believing in Jesus, faith and free will. He said “If Jesus had come down off that cross I would believe.” I told him that’s the point concerning free will. If Jesus came down off the cross, you would have no choice but to believe and you would not have free will. Anyone can accept God’s grace or reject it. It really is up to us to accept Jesus or not.

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                    1. You explained it so beautifully Timothy….
                      Absolutely…so many secrets and wisdom keys hidden in the Bible for us….that’s a very good point about the interpretation and language/translation/societal impact.

                      I agree with you a hundred percent..we either accept or reject….and if worldly knowledge and discernment does not suffice….we can take it to the Lord in prayer to minister unto such souls instead of looking for knowledge of this world🤓🤩🙏🏼✝️🎄☃️🎁🌟🧏‍♀️🙏🏼
                      Have a blessed week Timothy…..
                      Peace love and joy to all at home…including your kitties and birdies🐱🐈🦜

                      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Collin. I’m glad you found it thought provoking and liked the heavy bits. 😅😅😅….I need to start reading theses lovely books. Thank you for these great recommendations 😃🙏🏼😃

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  5. I am totally agreeing Timothy price. It’s quite simple, we choose good or bad with our own freewill! Satan tested Job but he withstood in his faith by his freewill! But I so agree with your last few lines .. that we need to focus on Jesus and his teachings. 💕

    Appreciating your writings, you are unique in your own way. Keep writing dear Rue. 🤝❤️💕

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    1. Absolutely my sweet friend ♥️😍♥️
      The choice is ours. The choice of reaction, that is.
      Unfortunately, I cannot find a cogent intellectual rationalization for the action itself. Why was Job put through it all. He did not invite the devil through the known routes. I know too many atheists and agnostics….so the question I am always posed with is ….how do you justify freewill in an action, not a reaction. I often get asked why is there starvation and rapes, abortion etc etc. True, the victims do not will for these things. But my reply would be ….it’s the free will of the person committing the crime that is also at play. My usual reply is that God does not intervene in mankind’s affairs unless requested(by prayer/faith/claim) ever since He surrendered creation to us. It’s all us….we, mankind does what we do. But I get stuck in endless rebuttals so I am really looking for people’s opinion…..how they would explain this better😅🤭😊🙈🤓😅😅🙈
      Since I am ill-equipped to crack these mysteries, I just stick to Jesus in faith.. 👧🏻♥️🎀
      Thank you my dear dear Preeths ♥️😍🎀♥️🎀♥️🎀♥️🎀😍♥️😍♥️😍♥️😍♥️

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  7. Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3 God allows us to be melt and molded to what He wants us to be.

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    1. Aaahhhh….beautiful Eileen …
      Needed this….
      I made another part ….like an extension of this poem just because of your reply….it’s very inspiring ♥️🤩♥️🤩♥️🤩

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  9. Pingback: The book of ‘Job’ #2 – Ruelha
  11. Pingback: The book of ‘Job’ — Ruelha – QuietMomentsWithGod

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