Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshipped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, June 7, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: The parable of Job challenges us to ponder just what faith is.
The parable of Job puts to the test the limits of a human being’s willingness and ability to hold on to faith in the midst of terrible suffering. It flies in the face of the prosperity gospel, which suggests that good things will happen to those who have faith. Job’s story is quite the opposite—a good man that awful things have happened to.
This first description of Job’s life focuses on what Job has—sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, servants, and even several children. Satan’s goal was to break Job so that Satan could show God that God’s people were not faithful out of loyalty or devotion, but out of fear or perhaps out of thankfulness for how blessed they believed they were.
But Job’s faith in these early chapters remained steadfast, even when Satan took everything from him except his health. So far, Job had not yet reached his breaking point.
This story poses a fundamental question that only we can answer for ourselves: what is faith? Is it fear? Is it hope in something better? Is it habit? Or is it devotion, loyalty, love? When all of our possessions are stripped away, what remains of our faith? When our health is challenged, do we begin to doubt, or do we double down?
Later we will learn that even Job has a breaking point. But for today, the losses of possessions and children were not enough to shake Job’s faith—“He did not sin or charge God with wrong-doing.” For Job, faith meant refraining from sin and holding God blameless.
Explore what it means to have faith, and consider whether doubting, questioning, or shifts in what you believe weakens or strengthens faith.
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