My recent studies in the book of Job with Richard Rohr has reminded me once again of the importance of otherness on the journey of faith. The first 37 chapters contain a roll-call of friends advising Job of his shortcomings and Job’s insistence that he has done nothing to deserve the ill that has befallen him. Woven throughout are questions of God asked by Job yet God remains silent. Until, that is, chapter 38 where Yahweh gives Job his answer.
Many confess to being upset or at least disappointed with this God who speaks from “a whirlwind” and does not really answer any of Job’s rightful questions. Missing in this response is an objective response to Job’s legitimate even painful questions. The modern world struggles with a hidden God desiring instead some objective response from God. One answer to this dilemma is to simply throw out all hope of any objective answers and be content as readers with an authoritarian God who owes us no answers. As true as that statement may be, it leaves me wanting more. Until I began to understand this truth: the opposite of subjectivity is not objectivity but otherness.
I know that sounds abstract and philosophical, but it is a crucial piece in appreciating what God is doing for Job in his narrative response. God makes no attempt to respond to each point by point concern because it will not really satisfy anyway. Every attempt to respond to feelings of resentment usually only deepens the resentment. People actually seem disappointed when a logical responses is given to their hurt and resentment. Why? Because logical answers don’t always satisfy our heart and soul.
God seems to be the great dodger of most human questions. More from me to follow. What say you?
03/24/2011
asouljourney
1 responses to “God the Great Dodger”
sheila joyce
March 24th, 2011 at 17:48
I’m not so sure that God is the dodger of human questions. I think we are the dodgers of God’s Holy answers, because they are out of our control and not within our human paramenters. I agree that logical answers do not satisfy our heart and soul, because our heart and soul is not logical…it is more of God than human. As such, can we be objective at all? I believe that much of our anquish stems from being apart from and out of balance with God more than anything else in our lives. So, is it that God doesn’t asnwer our questions or do we not ask the right ones? I do believe most of our questions come from our human pride, not our heart & soul. We feel entitled as God’s people to….something. When we don’t think we are getting that something, we start questioning, not because God is wrong, but becasue we think we are right. That was Job’s failing. We think we are questioning God, but what we are really questioning is God’s will. Because it doesn’t align to our will. Are we entitlled to question God? Absolutely- that is the beauty of relationship. Are we entitled to an answer- yes, but only God determines what His answer is. I don’t think Job is questioning God’s will as much as he is questioning if he deserves the treatment he is receiving, and the crux of the issue is that we cannot determine God’s actions or responses. We need to search for the answers within His will, not within what we want. Jesus questioned the Father, yet always He phrased his questions to be within God’s will. I think that is why Jesus is the greatest teacher we humans have ever had…He showed us how to act relationally with God. And yes, Jesus showed an ‘otherness’. My question of God is, “How do I emulate Jesus?”