Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
We have some readings from the book of Job this week. We probably could use some background material. The scene is the king’s court or the President’s cabinet meeting. The Satan figure is something a CIA operative or a mafia hitman; Satan is not the person of the devil in this book: that would be a later development. The Lord is presiding over the meeting and bragging about the top citizen of the realm, Sir Job the Blameless and the Upright.
Why should Job not be so blameless and upright, after all, God has greatly blessed Job’s coming ins and going outs? Satan seeks permission to test Job, by wrecking his family, his health, and his wealth and standing in the community. If Job were not the apple of God’s eye, Satan suggests, then would Job still be the model citizen?
With permission granted, Satan wastes no time. Sabeans rustle the livestock, Chaldeans steal the camels, and the hurricane winds blow Job’s children away. It is a stylized narrative: each time one only is left to spread the bad news. Finally, naked and bereft of all his possessions, with nothing to cover his destitute condition, Job surrenders to God. It seems that Job has thwarted the sinister deeds of the Satan figure.
A series of discussions will follow involving, eventually, four friends, Job and God. The question will be what causes the evil in the world and how does it relate to the goodness of God the almighty creator and redeemer. Since we shall have only five short readings from Job this week, we may want to consider reding the whole book of Job this week on our own. In the end will we stand up in the king’s court or the President’s cabinet to denounce or acquit Job or God?