Losing It All

Job 1:1-22

 “Losing it All”

03 July 2016 St. Andrew’s Military Chapel Singapore

            Imagine one day you wake up and Twitter and Facebook are blowing up with the news that Warren Buffet has lost it all. Everything. From over 60 Billion dollars of wealth to nothing.

            Then the next day, tragedy again befalls and his family all die in a freak accident. The once wealthiest man in America is now penniless and without his beloved children. Because of this stunning reversal of fortune, the press descend upon him in his fragile state wanting to know what happened. Why did you lose everything? Didn’t you have some money stored away for a rainy day? Aren’t you the best at this investing thing, why weren’t you fully diversified? Why is this happening to you? What did you do to bring on all of this suffering?

            Instead of responding to the unrelenting questions, he goes away with his closest friends and advisors to grieve and figure how what in the world to do. He never lays the blame on anyone or anything no matter how hard people press him to bring out the accusations.

            No one wants tragedy to befall anyone, especially when it is of such a magnitude as what Job suffers. I only used the Oracle of Omaha to illustrate the sheer wealth of Job described at the beginning of this passage. The fact he had seven sons and three daughters along with 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels indicates that his life was complete. I’m going to translate the Hebrew word tam as complete, which based on the specific details regarding Job’s wealth and family size is a better reflection of the story than blameless, perfect, or honest.

            He was such a good person that not only did he offer his own sacrifices to God, he offered sacrifices to God on behalf of his children, for they may have sinned in their hearts. Job wanted his whole family to be right with God just as he was.

Job’s life does seem complete. He has a large family that seems to get along as evidenced by the sons holding a rotating feast at each other’s home and always inviting their sisters to join. His livestock herd is enormous. Plus, he just seems content and caring for those he loves. It’s like he’s the one guy that has fully realized the “American Dream.”

Then it all comes crashing down. In rapid succession his donkeys and oxen were carried off with all but one servant killed followed by a second servant rushing in to disrupt a fine meal describing his harrowing escape from a fiery death that devoured his sheep and the servants tending to them.

As if that wasn’t enough, just after the second servant finished relating his tale a third appeared. The sole survivor from yet another act of piracy in which all of the camels were stolen and those servants murdered. Job has lost all of his wealth in a matter of moments. The evaporation of his wealth was so fast, Job would have rather had his money in the New York Stock Exchange on October 29, 1929 what we now know as Black Tuesday.

After having time to digest the horrible news and probably quietly think, “at least I still have my family,” another servant appears with his head hung low. He can’t even look Job in the eyes so he stares at his feet and breaks the news to Job that all of his children were having dinner when the house fell in and no one survived.

From completeness to seeming nothingness in an instant.

Job just gets up, tears his robe and shaves his head which was the universal sign of mourning back then and then worships and blesses the Lord. I don’t know how I’d react, but I highly doubt blessing the Lord would be at the top of the list. God and I would have a chat, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be saying many nice things at first.

What makes this story even more difficult, is the part that we get let in on as we overhear the tale retold. It was all a bet.

Not a bet for money, for no amount of money could compare to the stakes at play in God’s poker game that is playing out in the hand being dealt Job right now. This really sounds like a bunch of heavenly Public Affairs Officers getting hit by the good idea fairy.

“You know God, people aren’t following you for the right reasons. They’ve missed the strategic messaging. They’re getting this all wrong. People believe that it’s easy to be faithful to you when they have everything and their lives are complete. We don’t think there is anyone on earth who truly is faithful to you.”

God responds, “but look at my man Job. There is no one like him. I know he is faithful to me through and through, no question.”

Then his trusted advisor responds, “Prove it! Let me rock his world a bit and see how his faith holds up.” And in a crazy plot twist, “Challenge accepted. Just don’t kill him.”

So we are just pawns in some weird cosmic game among heavenly creatures?

Maybe not. This is a story about a man who wasn’t an Israelite, but still followed God. A man living outside the promised land without a common Israelite name. Describing him as complete and blameless or without sin definitely makes him fictional because no one is blameless.

Job most likely is an ancient morality play. It’s the Israelite version of Haw Par Villa showing the worst possible outcomes to prove a gentler point. In fact, the story starts out with an intro that sounds vaguely familiar. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Why do bad things happen to good people? Can I endure something like Job? Who can I turn to for solid advice in a time of need? Is God some mean deity that will mess with me to satisfy a bet? What are the limits of my faith? Will God give up on me if I don’t have enough faith? Is it ok to argue with God? Is suffering a form of punishment for prior sin?

Job is a story that provokes a great number of questions and answers relatively few. As we embark on this journey together over the next few weeks, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins.