Chapter Five is more ranting by Eliphaz, who comes across as a legalistic believer, at least to me. While I sometimes enjoy pointing out the Christian deficiencies in others from time to time, this guy is brutal. He tells Job to embrace the discipline God is giving him, as if Job needed to be corrected. According to the beginning of the story, Job was nearly perfect. What did he need to improve on? Of course, it's easy to talk down to others when it isn't happening to you. Isn't that right, Eliphaz?
Again, I understand that Eliphaz is just trying to make sense of all of the bad things that have happened to his friend. I would appreciate that if bad things happened to me. Ahem. But in quickly saying that it is Job's own fault that bad things are happening to him is bad theology, of which I used to buy into. I often thought that bad things happen to Christians, more specifically me, because of something that I did to upset God. Granted, God does get mad and throws bolts of thunder down upon us sometimes, but most of the time, I believe, bad things happen because that is just life. And life does not discriminate between believer and non-believer. That's why good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. It just happens. There is no direct correlation between goodness/badness and how life treats you. This, in a way, is nice. If only good things happened to you if you were a good person, no one would be nice for the sake of being nice. Good deeds would carry baggage with them, which is, of course, a bad thing.
So while I do worship a God who COULD make my life an easy drive down main street, it doesn't mean that He will do that for me. And I shouldn't expect Him to do that either. That is important in my life. No expectations. I believe, but don't expect things to happen. Yes, call me a pessimist. I'm a "glass is half empty" kind of guy, but it's only empty because there is a crack in the side. I have faith that God will take care of me. The details are for Him to worry about, not me.
A weekend in Fort Collins sure clears the mind.
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