NOTES ON THE WISDOM OF GOD
The book thus begins by presenting Job as a “man of integrity and uprightness, fearing God and far from evil.” (1, 1) It is almost impossible to say something more and better about a man. This man is what we can call, if we move away from the sarcasm of the world, a good man.
And it seems even more relevant and creditable when we are also informed that “was the richest among all Orientals”. (1, 3) But it is very clear that his kindness and generosity is greater than his material wealth, when we read that he not only prays for and for him, but also prays for and for his children, with generous reasoning and merciful: “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (1, 5)
A dialogue between God and the Evil One, the Adversary, will twist that wonderful happiness to unimaginable limits. The Lord says: “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one like him on earth: he is a man of integrity and upright, fearing God and far from evil.” (1, 8) To which the Evil One responds: “But extend your hand and touch him on what he possesses: he will surely curse you in the face!” (1, 11)
This is an accusation many Christians may have received many times: faith in comfortable First World situations is easy to live with. That which has a certain part of reason, is dismantled with so many believers, close to Job, from the Third World, which is where Christianity is growing the most. And it is that sometimes it happens that we look at our navel too much and we believe that the prototype of the faith of the West is the one that should serve as a model for the whole world. And that the Pope writes only for us Westerners.
After losing all the property he owned, he also loses his children: “Suddenly a strong wind blew from the desert side, shaking all four angles of the house. It collapsed on the young men, and they died. I could only escape to bring you the news ”. (1, 19)
I have a feeling that if I don’t say it I’ll burst. For this I need to take an example from our days. There is a series called “Cuéntame” starring the Alcantara Family. This family is a model, prototype, of the average Spanish family of the 50-60-70 … Of course, if we don’t want to have to release new protagonists every week (with their consequent different actors), then it will have an inevitable effect : everything has to happen to that family. Everything to the point of ridicule. Because it happens that a daughter falls in love with a hippy, or a separated mature man, or with her priest … but everything in the same girl, what has been said, borders on the ridiculous.
Well, that’s what happens to Job, everything happens to him. He, as the only protagonist of his book, receives all the situations with which the author wishes to exemplify.
Pero la respuesta de Job, he aquí el target de presentación de este libro, es que sigue siendo fiel a Dios. Si tuviésemos delante el trabajo de hacer un tráiler sobre una película de la vida de Job… tras unas cuantas escenas dramáticas aparecería la respuesta desnuda (se lo han quitado todo) de fidelidad. Todavía anda en carteleras la película “La montaña entre nosotros”, donde los protagonistas sufren un accidente de avión en mitad de las montañas nevadas. Tras la escena del accidente, con imágenes nerviosas, ruidosas, llega la escena del silencio, la imagen de la montaña silenciosa y solitaria, el protagonista se encuentra “desnudo de todo” ante la majestuosidad de la Montaña. Siento que lo mismo le ocurre a Job, que en ese espacio de dolor, de soledad, de desnudez de bienes… ahí sigue encontrándose con Dios. Y muy importante, no es un Dios magia que le quita el dolor. No, el dolor persiste. Pero sí que es un Dios que llena su vida de convicción. Tanto como para seguir diciendo “¡bendito sea el nombre del Señor!” (1, 21)
Quique Fernández
Miracle Sound Radio
