Delivered at St Margaret’s 27 July 2014
The theme of cursing God is present from the beginning of the book. Job in the picture of his piety offered sacrifices early in the morning “It may be that my children
have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts” (1.5). Satan’s accusation was that if
God removed his protection Job “he will curse you to your face”. (1.11). Instead after the first tragedies, Job responded with “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (1.21).
Again Satan predicted if he was allowed to inflict Job “he will curse you (God) to
your face” (2.5).
This act of cursing God is not simply a profanity to clear the air. The idea was that
if a man cursed God, God would retaliate and the man would die. So it was a wilful
act of self-destruction. It is more like the choice, “I will drink myself to death.”
But arguably quicker! So Job refused any temptation to curse in the prose prologue
‘Shall we receive the good fro m the hand of God and not receive the bad?” (2.10).
Again irony: the poetic section opens with Job cursing! But more about that later.
To Curse or not to Curse?
The choice in extremis. Have you known such a ‘dark night of the soul’ when the
choice was so stark? When ‘Curse God and die’ seems a real option. When you
have faced loss, tragic disappointments and possibly health crises. It is the choice
of Job, do we ‘Curse God and die’ or with Jacob ‘Wrestle with the God’ (Gen 32)?
One is the path of despair and surrender to bitterness. The other calls for everything
we have. Jacob would not let God go “unless you bless me.” (32: 26) It is a journey that may not end well, most likely like Jacob we will be permanently wounded,
but it is the way of Job portrayed in the rest of the book.
The idea of a person of faith being tested, by God or life or however we understand
it, is hardly new. I suspect that we often live a life of comfortable routine. Our job,
family life, social and community involvement, maybe attend church and interactions with friends continue with ‘minor dramas’. I visited my family at the coast a
couple of months ago. It is impossible to escape without a few minor dramas. But
this is simply the ‘stuff of life’. But this is not what was happening with Job.
The sufferings of Job are all encompassing, losing everything: children, wealth,
friends, community position and respect – finally his health. There is no comfort
when everything has gone. Sometimes we face such a challenge to how we see life.
It challenges our faith, our resources, our friendships, our family relationships –
everything is tested and sometimes found wanting.
I do not want to trivialize such an event. We may be disappointed if we don’t get a
promotion but we will be devastated if we lose our job, erode our life savings and
perhaps lose a self-image of being a good provider. Or it may be a challenge of
health. I know of a woman who has lost her stomach through pancreatic cancer, it hurts to eat and it is a daily trial not to lose precious calories with overwhelming nausea. Or a man who foolishly had an affair, a ‘one night stand’. He lost his
St Margaret’s News
11
February 2015