Silence amid crisis

Anytime crisis strikes, we turn to the Book of Job because the book offers a fresh view of suffering. Job, a man of reputable affluence and someone highly commended for his lofty moral standards, in just a jiffy became the most derided person in his country. His livestock, labourers, and offspring concurrently perished in just one day. As if that were not enough trouble, Job became very ill with ulcerated skin disease. What was going on? Why should the upright suffer?

Many ancient societies, including Israel, understood crisis as a result of disobedience. The Book of Job features this causal relationship between sin and crisis in the lengthy talk of Job’s sympathizers. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, after seven days of mourning in silence took turns with Job to explain that suffering is a result of sin and that he needs repentance to receive divine mercy. The Book of Job challenges this false perception of Job’s suffering. (A similar episode in the healing of the blind in John 9:1-3).

Job had nothing to confess but a lot to say about his own righteousness. Job erred in touting self-righteousness. Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite, joins the conversation by rebuking Job of vain utterances (Job 34:35; 35:16). Similarly, God draws Job’s attention to his utterances: “Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2). The friends of Job were found guilty of perverting God’s ways. All four but Elihu, were guilty of vain talk.

Crisis often gives us much to endure but little answers and solutions. Therefore, the natural human inclination is to seek answers; either to understand the questions of “whys” or what lies ahead of us. It is at this stage of crisis that perplexity intensifies, hope dashes, and words multiply, i.e., being insensate concerning vain utterances.

Do we desire to understand what’s going on today? Do we desire to know where it will lead to? We must guard our thoughts by taking counsel from Job: