The Book of Job

Man, this is a powerful story. The Book of Job has a complex message which is still relevant today. Job was a righteous man who did all the right things in the eyes of God. He was thus rewarded for this. But God, persuaded by Satan, decided to test Job in a harsh way. God destroyed Job’s livestock, killed his children, destroyed his house, and covered him in boils. Job understandably falls into despair and curses the day he was born. He laments and, at times, his faith in the fairness of God falters. Why has a righteous man been forced to suffer so much? But we learn from the fable that this is a narrow way of looking at things. This way of looking at things doesn’t do justice to the immense complexity of the universe - a universe which includes but transcends individual human concerns.

The story of Job warns us against descending into bitterness and resentment and encourages us to maintain our humility and faith in the cosmic order. It shows us that it is important, whenever possible, to be humble and grateful and to not feel as though the world somehow owes us something. Mark Twain once quipped “The world owes you nothing, it was here first”. This to me is what makes the story so relevant nowadays. I see a lot of bitterness and resentment in modern times. Many people seem to have forgotten what a miracle and wonder it is just to be alive. Through the story of Job, we learn that suffering and hardship are essential to life. Suffering and hardship give beings the opportunity to rise and face challenges. To develop and grow.

Through a revelatory vision, God provides Job a deep understanding of the cosmic process. God shows Job the majesty, vastness and complexity of nature. Through this vision, God seems to be advising Job that one should maintain perspective and shouldn’t dwell on individual worries. Job's primary response to this revelation is one of silence and awe. This revelation reminds me of a passage in the Bhagavad Gita, when Krishna reveals to Arjuna his full, divine form - a form described as “wonderful and terrible”. Krishna's full embodiment of the cosmic process is not only one of sheer wonder and creation but of terror and destruction. The vision gets so intense that Arjuna pleads to Krishna to return to his gentler form. We learn that the cosmos in its essence transcends human concerns and dualities.