The Man Who Sued God 1

Part 1: God On Trial

The Trial of Job is one of the most interesting stories in the bible. Like many people, who struggle to read stories with spoilers, I didn’t see the need to read a book that I already knew the ending.

Rich man loses family; suffers for a while, and gets double for his troubles.

I had assumed that was all to the story.

But I was wrong.

The Book of Job is more than a story of restoration. It is a book of lamentations, poetry, and the philosophical ramblings of a suicidal man and his gang of friends. It is also a book of court proceedings.

First of all, I believe that the book is incorrectly called ‘The Trials of Job.’ Yes, Job went through his fair share of trials and tribulations, but Job wasn’t really the one on trial. The opposite seemed to be the case.

It seems to me that Job was the man who sued God.

Follow me.

Job called God to question without a defence attorney, or witness on his side. His wife had abandoned him, and his friends had partnered with the accuser in one of the greatest legal battles in cosmic history. This lawsuit was so intense that God had to take the stand to ‘defend’ himself.

THE ACCUSATION

Job spends the early part of the book bemoaning his misfortune and then turns to God for a frank conversation. Although it is recorded that Job did not curse or blame God (Job 1:22) for his misfortune, he had pressing questions. Questions that required swift answers, because he was fast sinking into nihilism and depression.

I mean, he had already lost his family, business, and health. What was left to lose?

His accusation was this:

Why would God stand aside while good people (Job included) continued to die in squalor while the wicked seemed to flourish?

We still see echoes of this sentiment today during conversations on religion and God. Come to think of it, how could such calamity fall upon a man whom God had vouched for?

THE DEFENCE

Many days after Job’s subpoena and submissions from his miserable comforters, God showed up as you would expect. First, he shows up in the eye of a violent storm, and then speaks in His Majesty — almost like a Nigerian billionaire asking… “Do you know who I am?” “So mo age mi?”

God does not show up to put up a defense. He shows up with questions. He says:

“Even if I were to be questioned, it wouldn’t be from the likes of you!”

Even if the whole of the human race puts up a class action against Him, He was under no obligation to answer to his creations.

This almost reminds me of the 1999 Oputa panel in Nigeria. President Olusegun Olusegun Obasanjo had set up the panel to uncover the misdeeds of the military era and human rights violations that characterized the era. President Obasanjo was subsequently summoned by the panel for the role he played in the military era — an invitation he obliged.

He showed up in his regal white agbada, to be cross-examined by legendary lawyer and advocate Mr. Femi Falana (SAN).

Sometime during the proceeding, President Obasanjo reprimanded Mr. Falana for using a question he felt was insulting. Apparently, Mr. Falana made certain insinuations that rubbed the then Commander in Chief some type of way. The chairman of the panel chided Mr. Falana to tread carefully, as the president could unilaterally shut down the entire hearing, just as he commissioned it.

Anyway, I digress.

God drops his questions, makes his closing remarks, and exposes the gaping folly in the words of Job and his gang. Then God steps out of the witness box.

THE FIRST MISTAKE

Job’s first mistake was to assume that God was responsible for the calamity that had befallen him. He would tell his wife that whoever could receive good from God, should also be able to stomach the bad (Job 2:10). In later chapters, he would say things like:

…the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the terrors of God set themselves in array against me ( Job 6:4).

Indeed, Job was not oblivious of God’s magnificence. He alludes to this fact in Chapter 9 saying:

“God… who shakes up the earth out of its place… commands the sun; seals up the stars and stretches out the heavens… (9:6–8).”

But somewhere deep down, he believed God directed this mighty power to torment him: “For He overwhelms and breaks me with a tempest and multiplies my would without cause. He will not allow me to catch a breath but fills me with bitterness. (9:17–18)”

He continues his lamentations with: “He has walled up my way that I cannot pass, setting darkness upon my path. He has stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head.”

This is evidence that many people believe God, but don’t trust that he has the absolute best plans for them. This is one of the greatest deceptions of the accuser.

If the devil can successfully convince you that God is responsible for your misfortune, one day you might run to the devil for salvation. No wonder Jesus explicitly differentiated the vision statement of both organizations in John 10:10.

Devil: Steal. Kill. Destroy.

Christ: Zoe.

Next time we will talk about Job’s ‘support system’… or lack thereof.

Till then,
Stay Alive.