The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-04-14


than are answered, in the Bible
study for this week, that is be-
cause for three weeks the center
Of attention is on the book Of Job,
part of the Bibles Wisdom Lit
erature.' The book of Job itself
raises a question which it does
not finally answer. The impor-
tant thing this week is to get hold
of the problem. Next week and
the week after that we shall
be concerned more with the an
SWerS.
Job Is Every Man
There is no need to inquire
whether this book of Job refers
to some historical individual
named Job, or whether this is a
drama. a book of profound
thought cast into the form of a
story. For Job lives on every
street, your middle name is Job
Job is the man who has every.
thing. He is the man that Ameri-
cans all want to be. He has il
made" He has a big family that
is a credit to him, he has wealth
more than he needs. He has
solved the problem of security
He does not need help from the
government nor from any man
He is. you might say, insured
against trouble. Wealthy, respect
ed, successful put Job into
modern tailor-made clothes, eX
change his tent for a big house
at a desirable address, and he
looks so much like a 20th-century
American of the "high salary
bracket" kind, that play car
actually be written today, witt
the scene laid in our time anc
nation. using the very plot of the
book Of Job. and that play can be
a smash hit on Broadway anc
around the country.
Most other books of the Ole
Testament are distinctly Jewish
This book of Job is not. The mar
Job is not a Jew; he is calico
(purpOSely) vaguely a man from
w.. one of the children of the
East" no son of Israel. Here is
universal man. His questions are
all mems questions, his problem
is our own.
When Life Crashes In
The reader of Job should no.
inch along a few verses at q
time. Take your next day off ane
read the book straight through
or if you can't do that, then take
at least a chapter at a time. The
book is mostly debate, but the
debate begins with a story abou
another debate, one between Goo
and Satan. God asks Satan if he
has taken a good look at Job
there is a good man for you
Satan does not agree. Job is no
good, he is only smart, Satar
says. He is good because God has
blessed him with success ane
happiness. Let God las it were
stop Jobs pay and he will see the
last of Job. So God gives Satar
leave to do his worst, only hi
must not touch Job himself.
Then comes a smashing serie:
of disasters. Jobs wealth and hi.
family are all swept away, anc
Job is left poor and lonely will
only bitter wife for companion
But Job does not turn away from
God. The next time Satan come
to visit God, God asks him: Die
you see my servant Job He il
better than you thought. Yol
moved me against him. to de
stroy him without cause; but HI
still is a good man. Oh, Satal
says. he still has his health. H,
can start life again. Let me dra,
him down in sickness and pain
and you will hear him curse yov
to your face. Then God. who be
lieveS in the man Job, give
Satan permission to wreck thi
mans body. and it is done. Nov
the problem is a terrible one.
is this: Why does God pcrmi
disasters
No Insurance
Some of the answers brough
out in the book Of Job will b.
mentioned in the next two weeks
columns. For the present. tn
point is that there is no insur
ance. in this world. agains
trouble. To be sure. you can bu,
insurance which will put checl
in your hand if your husban,
dies. But you cannot buy insur
ancc which will guarantee he vii
live as long as you do. There j
absolutely no. insurance that life
your life. will not crash in NJ
amount of goodness. no hcrnlMn
no amount of service done t,
others. will insure YOU that VOL
will so down TO your grave with
out care or a grief III the world
The only insurance you can bu,
fand it is good so far as it goes
will pay you money when th'
crash comes.
BASED on outlines copyrighted
by the Division Of Christian Edu
cation, National Council Of TIL,
Churches of Christ in the U. S. A
Released by Community Pres
Service.>