Reflection on Job 3-5 by Calvin Griffith

In Job chapter 3, Job begins lamenting the day that he was born. He asks God why he was even born, considering his life up to this point to be a total waste. He even calls down darkness on the day that he was born, which is interesting because (obviously) it is in the past and there is no way to go back and change anything. However, that also brings up the issue of God, being the creator of everything, also being responsible for the creation of time itself. Thus God would not be constrained by time or space, and would, theoretically, have the ability to somehow go back and change the past. All of this being said, I do not think that is a likely occurrence, since the Lord has predetermined all the events of the world anyway, so He has no reason to go back and change them. But it is an interesting topic for thought. Anyway, returning from that little tangent, Job's friend Eliphaz speaks up in chapters 4 and 5 and basically tells Job that he needs to be careful. He says that Job has imparted much wisdom to others throughout his life and that he now needs to apply that wisdom to himself, lest God smite him. It is a common theme among Job's friends throughout the book to assume that Job is guilty of some sin for which God is punishing him. This may seem like a reasonable assumption from their point of view, taking into account the series of misfortunes that have assailed Job and the fact that they do not know these things are a test for Job. However, the idea of the existence of what is commonly known as "Christian Karma" is a fallacy. Why, might you ask, is it rediculous to think that God punishes people for the wrongs they do? It is true that God did punish His people in the Old Testament through a series of captivities by stronger nations. However, there is a new covenant in existence, one which places all of our blame on Christ's shoulders and none on our own. Thus, it makes no sense for God to judge people for specific sins now when He is going to do it on Judgement Day and when the punishment for those sins will be eternal, not temporary. With that being said, it seems more realistic that God brings circumstances on His servants to test them and to strengthen them, not to punish them, not yet anyway. In Job's case, we have the advantage of seeing that God is testing Job's faith and that, in the end, He will bring him through his trials.