God Knows Your Name by Ed Backell

It was a Thursday.

It was like any other day; I got up, made breakfast, went to school, came home, got a snack. Captain Crunch. I turned on the TV, fairly loud so I could hear the sound over the crunching. I thought I might wake up my Mom from her nap on the couch, but I was fifteen; I didn’t think about if she’d mind. She didn’t wake up.

After a while, I noticed that something wasn’t quite right. It was hard to define, but something was definitely missing. I turned down the TV, and stopped my crunching to see if I could tell what it was.

Silence.

Not just quiet, mind you, but SILENCE. The absence of all sound. The dog and the cat were huddled in the corner, not making any noise, and sitting very still. I noticed that my mother, who usually snored up a storm was silent as well. I crossed the room to wake her up, and when I touched her, she was stone cold. That’s when it hit me...

What do you do when your world comes crashing down around you? How do you deal with the pain of losing a loved one? What happens when you get laid off and lose everything, or when that close friend stabs you in the back? Do you ever ask yourself, "God, why are You doing this to me?" Is it ever okay to doubt God? Can we honestly ask the question: Is God fair?

This isn’t a new question; mankind has been asking it in one form or another for thousands of years. In fact, there’s even a special branch of study to describe this search for understanding of God’s fathomless ways: it’s called theodicy, and it’s "the justification of the goodness and righteousness of God in the face of the evil in the world." It helps the reader understand why bad things happen even though God is good. I’m sure you’ve heard the objections.

"If God is so good, then why did 9/11 happen?"

"Where was God when those Amish children were killed in their schoolhouse?"

"Why didn’t God prevent my loved one from pain and suffering?"

"Why did this happen? Doesn’t God care?"

After all, it’s fairly easy to reason that if bad things happen, and God is supposed to be infinitely good AND in control of everything, then He must not be doing His job. In fact, some atheists use this argument as their primary reason for rejection of God’s existence. An infinitely good and infinitely powerful God would not allow evil to exist. Since evil does exist, they conclude, God does not.

How do we answer questions like that? This morning, I’d like us to look at the book of Job. It’s one of the oldest books in the Bible, and it has a unique understanding of how we deal with life, God, and suffering. Normally, when I preach, I’ll take just a few verses and zero in on a specific thought; however, with such a broad topic, we’ll be taking a birds-eye view of the entire book; sort of a biblical snapshot of the big picture found in Job.

Even in today's’ society, the name Job evokes a certain image, that of an old man who is racked with suffering. References to Job can be found in diverse cultural references: Job is the subject of a Neil Simon play, God’s Favorite; he is sung about in popular music; there is a reference to Job in The Da Vinci Code; he even is mentioned in the counterculture cartoon South Park!

With so many different views of Job, it can be daunting to tackle this subject. For our discussion this morning, I want you to focus on only one image. If you can plant this one image in your mind whenever you think of Job, I believe you’ll have a much better chance of understanding the overall message of this book. Are you ready? Here’s the image:

A Tricycle.

Everyone have that picture in your mind? A little child’s tricycle with three wheels? Good. Here’s why I’m suggesting that you mentally associate a tricycle with the book of Job. Three cycles of conversation in Job help the reader understand God’s response to events that happen in our lives. Three cycles... tri-cycles... tricycle. Get it? You see, in the book of Job, a series of conversations between Job and his friends look at how we perceive God’s actions as fair or unfair.

Let’s get some background to this story. At the beginning of our tale, Job is a rich man with a big family; he’s been blessed by God. In chapter two, we see that God and Satan are having an argument about why Job loves God. Satan accuses God of buying Job’s love with blessings; God responds by giving Satan permission to afflict Job with tragedy and sickness. The rest of the story describes how Job deals with his afflictions, and his friends’ attempts to explain them. Based on the loss of everything he owned and the death of all of his children, it’s pretty obvious that Job was overwhelmed with grief and stress.

There are three comforters who show up in the story; Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Later in the narrative, a young man named Elihu also makes an appearance. Now, those aren’t exactly popular names by today’s standards. Let me show you a way to get a good mental handle on these friends. You see, each one of these biblical characters demonstrates some pretty specific personality traits. And as I was studying this book, I realized I’d seen these same personality traits before in a different context.

Does anyone here remember a television series that was on from 1982 to 1993 called Cheers? The sitcom based on a bar in Boston, Massachusetts, became known to millions of American viewers as the place "where everybody knows your name". Cheers had a number of memorable characters in its ensemble cast, but four of them fit the character qualities of Job’s comforters. So, let me re-introduce you to these sitcom characters and associate them with their biblical counterparts.

First, we have Dr. Frasier Crane, psychiatrist. He presents himself as an intelligent, reasoning man. Sometimes with an air of arrogance, Dr. Crane can often be counted on for the "right" answer. The biblical character he most resembles is Eliphaz, the first comforter that we hear from. This leads us to our first cycle of conversation.

In this first wheel of the tri-cycle, Eliphaz introduces the idea that God punishes sinfulness and blesses goodness. In Job 4:7-8, the Crane-like Eliphaz says, "Stop and think! Does the innocent person perish? When has the upright person been destroyed? My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same."

Our second character from Cheers is one of my personal favorites, Cliff Clavin, the mailman and resident bar know-it-all. Bildad, like Cliff, is full of opinions and ideas. In our first cycle, we see Bildad’s take on God’s punishments and rewards in verses 8:5-6,8: "But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, if you are pure and live with complete integrity, he will rise up and restore your happy home...Just ask the former generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors."

What discussion of the Cheers sitcom would be complete without Norm Peterson? This ever-present customer was an accountant, an interior decorator, a house painter, and one of only three cast members to be in every single episode. Norm is very blunt and direct; he speaks his mind and doesn’t really care what other people think about what he says. This is a lot like the third comforter, Zophar. An example of Zophar’s direct style is found in chapter 11:3, 14. He says, "Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed? Get rid of your sins and leave all iniquity behind you."

Now while it is true that God does punish sin, and God does bless faithfulness, life isn’t always as cut-and-dried as that. Job’s response to these characters is pretty direct as well. "You really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you! Well, I know a few things myself - and you’re no better than I am... I am a man who calls on God and receives an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me." Job reminds his friends that God hears his heart.The second wheel in our tricycle is this: The sinful suffer because they fight God. Dr. Eliphaz explains to Job: "If you will listen, I will answer you from my own experience. And it is confirmed by the experience of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers... Wicked people are in pain throughout their lives. For they have clenched their fists against God, defying the Almighty." (15:17-18, 20, 25)

Know-it-all Bildad adds: "The truth remains that the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow. They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God.’" (18:5,21) And brash Zophar can’t resist chiming in: "Don’t you realize that ever since people were first placed on the earth, the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived and the joy of the godless has been only temporary? This is the fate that awaits the wicked." (20:4, 5, 29)

So, is all suffering a result of fighting against God? Job knows that’s not the case, and he tells his friends "... as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?" (19:25-28) Job reminds us that suffering is not always a result of an attack from God, or some kind of vindictive punishment.

The search for a better explanation for suffering is found in the third cycle: God Is Perfect, but YOU are Sinful. And true to form, our three "comforters" lodge their complaints against Job according to this conventional wisdom. Eliphaz tells us his thoughts on the matter: "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect? Is it because of your reverence for him that he accuses and judges you? Not at all! It is because of your wickedness! Your guilt has no limit!" (22:3-5)

Bildad throws out his opinion: "How can a mere mortal stand before God and claim to be righteous? Who in all the earth is pure? God is so glorious that even the moon and stars scarcely shine compared to him. How much less are mere people, who are but worms in his sight?" (25:4-6) And as for Zophar’s comments? He doesn’t seem to have any credited comments in this cycle. Some scholars attribute some of Job 24, 27, and 28 to Zophar, but it’s not conclusive. Other scholars have determined that he doesn’t get a third speech because he just doesn’t have anything good to say.

Have you ever met anyone like that? That no matter what situation you happen to be going through, they just don’t have anything good to say about it? I know I have, and personally, people who only speak negative thoughts are wearying for me to be around. They make me tired. I just try to meet those people’s negative outlook on life with resignation: if they’re determined to think the worst, then they will. I can’t change how other people think; I can only manage my reaction to what happens to me. I think Job must have felt the same way. Job knew that God’s perfection and our sinfulness isn’t the answer for all suffering. Look at his response in 23:10-14: "And when he has tested me like gold in a fire, he will pronounce me innocent. For I have stayed in God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from his commands but have treasured his word in my heart. Nevertheless, his mind concerning me remains unchanged, and who can turn him from his purposes? Whatever he wants to do, he does. So he will do for me all he has planned. He controls my destiny."

Now, through these three cycles, Job has given an answer for all of his friends’ attempts at wisdom. At the end of the tricycle, we see a young person named Elihu chime in. The Cheers character that Elihu reminds me of is Woody Boyd, a young and idealistic speaker. And just like many of our own young people in our lives, this young man gets right to the heart of the matter. Elihu reminds us of four main points he wants to bring up to Job.

1."God disciplines people with sickness and pain." (33:19)

2."God will not do wrong. The Almighty cannot twist justice." (34:12)

3."But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen, to say the Almighty isn’t concerned." (35:13)

4."Look, God is exalted beyond what we can understand. His years are without number." (36:26)

These few phrases remind us that God’s perspective is different than ours. And too many people go through suffering in this life without understanding God’s perspective on their pain. They experience pain, loss, and grief; and sometimes they are tempted to believe that God is playing a vindictive game of punishment and reward. But there is another answer for the pain that we all feel.

God lets us know the Divine perspective on life: "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. (38:2-4) Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know! Where does the light come from, and where does the darkness go? Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth? (38:18-19, 33) Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? Are you as strong as God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? No one is brave enough to provoke Leviathan. Then who can stand in front of me? (40:8-9, 41:10)"

You see, the answer to the question "Is God fair?" comes down to perspective. Do we have the necessary perspective to understand God’s idea of what is fair? No matter what pain you’ve gone through, Jesus knows what that pain is like. You feel hurt? Jesus had his best friends turn their back on Him. You feel under attack? Jesus took the blows of the Roman soldiers. You feel betrayed? Jesus was sold out with a kiss for cash. Jesus knows your pain; He took that pain and more to bring us back to God’s family.

Because of Job, we can respond to life’s difficulties with an expanded perspective. One example I’ve found of that expanded perspective is found in music. Perhaps the lyrics for this song will help you as much as they’ve helped me. The song is called "He knows my name":

I have a Maker; He formed my heart.

Before even time began, My life was in his hands

He knows my name...

He knows my every thought.

He sees each tear that falls,

and He hears me when I call.

I have a Father; He calls me His own.

He’ll never leave me, No matter where I go

He knows my name...

He knows my every thought.

He sees each tear that falls,

and He hears me when I call.

(ｩ1996 Doulos Publishing; Words and Music by Tommy Walker)