Though He Slay Me
Elizabeth Turnage, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him (Job 13:15, ESV).
To trust God in the midst of one major life-altering event can feel like leaping from stone to stone while crossing a swollen creek; to trust God in the midst of multiple losses can feel like trying to leap over a vast canyon. And yet, Job, a man who experienced multiple catastrophic losses, manages to leap over such a canyon, insisting in the midst of disaster that he will continue to trust God. How do we discover such a persistent faith in the midst of crisis? Let’s consider Job’s story.
Job’s losses are set in motion by a conversation unknown to Job. God calls Satan’s attention to Job’s uprightness (Job 1:8). Satan argues that if Job lost everything, he would curse God and die (Job 1:9-11). God grants Satan permission to afflict Job, and by the end of Chapter 1, Job’s livelihood is lost, and his children have died. By the end of Chapter 2, Job is struck with a disease that covers his body with weeping sores. His wife herself suggests that he curse God and die (Job 2:9), and his friends quickly turn on him.
For the next thirty-something chapters, Job cries out, Job complains, but he does not curse God. Even in the midst of his ranting and raving, Job reveals deep undergirding of faith. When he learns that his children have died, he declares, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). When his wife suggests that he curse God and die, he refuses (Job 2:10). Even as his complaint continues, Job announces his determination to trust in the Lord, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15). His belief in a living Redeemer centers his faith: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25).
Job’s loud lament makes many Christians uncomfortable, but the Lord is not unnerved by it. When he eventually meets Job, he unfurls his majesty before him, granting him a macrocosmic display of his powerful presence. The Lord neither deigns to defend himself nor does he explain Job’s suffering; rather he offers Job a sweeter gift, the surety that the Lord is ever-present in his pain. When the Lord wraps up his response, Job professes an even deeper knowledge of the Lord, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5).
As we remember Job’s story, we too are reassured that we can trust the Lord who controls the cosmos with our complaints. Indeed, this same Lord allowed our Redeemer, his own Son, to endure multiple losses which culminated in Christ’s death on the cross and his descent to hell. But the story did not end there. Because God raised Jesus from the dead because our Redeemer lives, we can affirm with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).
Prayer
All-knowing and Ever-present God, give us the faith of Job to cry out to you and to discover you as the loving and majestic God who is always trustworthy in our suffering. In our Redeemer’s living name. Amen.
Further Encouragement
Read the book of Job.
Listen to “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman.
For Reflection
Write a letter to God naming your suffering. Then, reading Job 38-42, imagine how God might respond to you.
Excerpt from Recovery to Restoration: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace and Hope in Crisis, by Elizabeth Turnage; used with permission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elizabeth Turnage, writer, story coach, teacher, and the founder of Living Story ministries (https://www.elizabethturnage.com/). She is passionate about helping people learn, live, and love in God’s story of grace. A blogger and the author of three Bible studies published by P&R Publishing, she is a popular conference and retreat speaker. Elizabeth is married to an orthopedic surgeon, Kip Turnage, and they have four adult children, plus three added by marriage. They are also the devoted “parents” of their personal therapy dog, Rosie.
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Originally published Saturday, 09 July 2022.
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