God does indeed have a plan for the world. Photo credit: Unsplash/Jack Sharp Is Everything That Happens to Us because of God’s Will?
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.’” You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. He cannot even say, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away” ( Job 3:21).Īs he reflects in Job 42:3-6, “You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. He understands he cannot define God as cruel or arbitrary. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind you toss me about in the storm.”īut ultimately, Job repents of this perspective. You turn on me ruthlessly with the might of your hand you attack me. He moves away from God, and begins to see God as an enemy unworthy, perhaps, of his adoration.Īs he finally utters in Job 30:20-22, “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer I stand up, but you merely look at me.
He sees it as an abuse of power, this God who destroys at will, seemingly for the fun of it. His view of God as one who would arbitrarily give and take away translates into despair. He is plagued with painful sores, and his wife and friends begin to falsely accuse him of bringing these sorrows upon himself-perhaps his sin prompted God’s retribution. While at first Job praises this sovereign God who gives and takes away, later more destruction occurs. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”Įphesians 1:11 says much the same, noting, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”īut taking a look at the entire book of Job gives us more context and understanding of the verse, which should not be read and interpreted on its own. Colossians 1:16-17 tells us that in God, “All things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities all things have been created through him and for him. Revelation 22:13 proclaims God as “Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”Įlsewhere, we are reminded of God’s sovereignty. Genesis 1:1 tells us God “created the heavens and the earth” and went on to create all things in them-people, animals, planets, seas, stars, and more. It is a way Job is attempting to worship God, praising God’s stable and triumphant rulership when all else is lost.Īnd indeed, on the surface, there is truth in this. He’s lost it all, and he clings to the powerful nature of the Almighty God, who created us in the first place and gave us all the blessings we possess. It is a statement uttered by a righteous man of God in the face of calamity. On one hand, the verse is biblical, meaning these words are indeed contained in the Bible. He rules over all and has all under control, and this appears to bring Job comfort. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away may the name of the Lord be praised” ( Job 1:21).Įssentially, Job is acknowledging that despite what happened, God is sovereign. He tore his robe, shaved his head, and worshipped God, crying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
When the cursed day arrived and Job did indeed lose everything, he was devastated. God then granted the devil power over all Job had, though He said the devil could not hurt the man himself (v. God described Job as God-fearing, but the devil said Job was only so fearful and righteous because all had gone well for him. This came some time after God and Satan were said to have argued over Job’s character. 1-2)-lost his 10 children, thousands of livestock, and countless servants in a single day. We find the phrase in Job 1:21, after Job-a man described as blameless and upright, who loved God, shunned evil and was the greatest among all the people of the East (vv. What “the Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away” Mean? While the term “the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away” is biblical in that it does appear in the Bible, uttered by Job in a seemingly worshipful, accepting manner after his family and possessions are destroyed, it’s important to understand that it does not necessarily reflect the truth of who God is in relation to his love for humanity. But what does this phrase actually mean? Is it biblical, and does it accurately describe the nature of God?
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