Does God love JOB?

by Vivamus 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  Vivamus

  I have a sort of question.

  I have never been able to put together the saying GOD is Love, and the story of Job. Anyone else here got that as well? I mean, here is a guy, who has spent his entire life in service of his God, no man on earth loves God as much as Job. And then some mean person like Satan comes along, walks into a meeting up in heaven (a meeting, what?, why would God need a meeting?) And this Satan says to God, well, off course Job loves you, look at how rich he is. And then God says well, uhm, yeah, but, well, you know, just take everything away from him, thatll show you he really loves me I mean WHAT is that?! God is supposed to protect his servants, and he is supposed to be almighty so he could have just said look Satan, just shove it, Job is okay.

  And what really baffles me is that talking to some JW (like my grandma) they can just justify that for themselves. I mean, How can they do that?!?

  Viv.

  Edited to say that this actually happened to me, I was giving Job as an argument against the GOD is Love and just hit a JW wall.

  Edited by - Vivamus on 22 July 2002 6:44:1
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  SYN

  Well, Vivamus, if the Witnesses are to be believed, God is Love, but he can commit genocide indiscriminately too if he so pleases.

  Which is somewhat puzzling, but if you still believe the GB, we are not meant to "understand" God, only sell books for him. :/
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  Vivamus

  LOL @ SYN. And no, I do not believe anymore, but it can get a bit frustrating to be talking to walls....
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  Amazing

  Hi Vivamus: Taken literally, the story of Job can be seen as disgusting, as is God ordering Israel to kill off entire cities of people in their conquest, including unarmed women, elderly, children and even babies ... or the same God killing babies at Armageddon.

  If taken as an allegory, the story of Job can be a touching tale of integrity, love, and loyalty as well as false frriendship, restoration, etc. The problem is that as I keep developing questions myself regarding certain Bible accounts, such as Noah, Adam and Eve, etc. the more that theological experts keep endorsing more and more allegory and symbolism ... and what concerns me is that eventually, even the core of the Bible, Jesus Christ may turn into a mere allegorical tale ... and we are eventually left with a pile of fiction to teach lessons, but no hard, concrete substance upon which to base our faith and our lives.
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  You Know

  The issue that Satan brought up had as much to do with God's character as it did with Job's integrity. What Satan was saying was that God's creation was incapable of truely loving God because God was unlovable in the first place. The word "devil" in Hebrew literally means slanderer. So, the Devil slandered God. That's a pretty serious deal. Just think if someone publically said that you were a whore and that the only way you could get a man to "love" you is by granting liberal sexual favors. Wha if people belived that about YOU? Wouldn't you want to set the record straight? Of course you would.

  But, God couldn't personally set the record straight because you can't make someone love you. That's what the Devil was accusing God of, that He was bribing Job to be his worshipper. So, that's why God allowed Satan to bring a severe test upon Job in order to allow Job to demonstrate that his devotion to God was not dependent merely upon what he could get out of the relationship. Had Job known what was going on between God and Satan he would have no doubt volunteerd for the test, as Christ later did. But, in order for the test to satisfy the Devil it had to appear to Job as if God was responsible for the evil he was made to suffer, which he was indirectly since he did allow the Devil to have his way. In effect the Devil laid the smoking gun next to Jehovah and asked Job: "What do you think of your Almighty friend now mister?"

  But, Jehovah demonstrated his ability and desire to set things right, which he did by doubling all of Job's losses, plus doubling his children by means of the resurrection. Hope that helps / You Know
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  Vivamus

  You know, thanks for your reply, but NO that does not make sense to me at all. God is supposed to be Almighty here, and yet he ALLOWS all that misery happening to Job. That is malevolency. Think on this, If God is supposed to be my Father the insecurity I would live in. To my heavenly father, the angels and the demons, I would be no more than a laboratory rat with them placing bets on my performance.

  And it would have been in favour of Gods character is he would have just put his fist down and said shut up Satan and keep your hands of My Servant That would have shown character.

  (Note the if, for I do no longer belief in God.)

  Viv.