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This entry is part of the Blogging-the-Bible series. To see a list of passages, covered so far click here. |
Cursing the Wicked
Still at warp speed, we see a lot of flailing about from Job’s friends about how the wicked really do get their just deserts (and therefore Job must be one of them). Like much of Job, it’s repetitious but there are some gems. It is telling however that the best poetry from the Bible often tends to be gore. Here are some things that happen to wicked people:
The tendons under his skin is consumed
Death’s first-born consumes his tendons.
His roots below dry up
And above, his branches wither (18:13,16)
He perishes forever, like his dung
The riches he swallows he vomits
God empties it out of his stomach (20:13, 19)
The vomiting metaphor may be false (since even those criminals who are put to justice usually end up seeing at least some of the benefits of their enterprise) but ’tis a good one.
Theodicy and Human Relations
About a year ago I was talking to a friend who said “don’t you think everything happens for a reason?” Ever the snarky one, I replied: “so children get raped for a reason?” She said something to the effect that this isn’t what she had in mind — a perfectly reasonable answer which shows that trying to explain bad things (especially specific bad things) in terms of some transcendent purpose is qualitatively different to trying to trying to explain good things. It’s hardly something you can offer victims as a source of comfort.
This however is exactly what the bulk of the book of Job is about. Theodicy is an attempt to provide a solution to the problem of evil. And therefore explain bad things like children being raped in terms of it happening for a reason. This is very damaging to human relations. I’ve written before about how forgiving genocide can harm victims and how religious claims that suffering is part of a greater plan can harm victims.
Job’s friends try to console his horrible suffering by saying the equivalent of “everything happens for a reason”. They may be well meaning (although their previous assholery puts that in question) but the result is expectedly negative. Job states his grievance perfectly in the section in question: Why then do you offer me empty consolations? (21:34)
Pre Existentialism
Finally in line with believing that indeed there are some amazingly beautiful passages in the Bible, here is Job lamenting. In a way that oustrips all the supposed Existential, Nihilistic and Postmodern angsts of the 20th century:
One man dies in robust health
All tranquil and untroubled
His pails are full of milk
The marrow of his bones is juicy
Another dies embittered
Never having tasted happiness
They both lie in the dust
And are covered with worms (21:23-6)
4 comments ↓
Everything does happen for a reason.
The problem is when people excuse things that happen or shrug their shoulders and think they can’t change it because of God’s plan.
The religious who think Katrina hit New Orleans as part of God’s will are not interested in building up ocean defences as it is God’s will that decides if another storm will hit.
Those of us who know everything happens for a reason and look into what that reason is and how to avoid it happenning again (assuming it’s a bad thing!) are the people who develop penicillin, enhance safety in automobiles, put guard rails on bridges etc.
Anyone who believes it’s all part of God’s plan (or think “what’s for you won’t go past you”) are living in the land of make-believe and will never adapt the world to their or other’s benefit.
Unfortunately, those who say everything happens for a reason usually mean “some mysterious [vacuous] supernatural reason”. But yes, maybe that phrase should be reclaimed by those with secular agendas of improving things.
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