The Book of Job Is God Just
A question of justice must first be prefaced by a definition there of. Without any idea of how we perceive justice, there is no possible way to discuss it. If we look to the dictionary we see it defined as the administering of deserved punishment or reward, but how can we determine the merits of punishment set out by God? We have to take it on ourselves to decide if we accept and agree with what people are given in life. This question can only be answered objectively for it directly relates to our experiences and perception of life and in this case the material, The Book of Job, given to us. Solely looking at either one would almost undoubtedly cause one to come to the conclusion that God is unjust. He can and will turn you against yourself, take away everything, and have those you love most shun you. No matter there being a divine plan or not the punishments placed on people are not always fair or what they deserve, if anything they are often the ones who deserve it the least. A just God would not put undeserving through the pain they receive.
I started this essay on the opposite side, claiming that there had to be a plan in existence that we would never comprehend or know of, but in lieu of recent events my mindset switched completely. This Saturday my father’s best friend took his own life, leading me to question how a so called “just God” could possibly justify taking away our closest ally, ourselves. Not only do we see this in real life occurrences but also in The Book of Job, in which Job curses his life and everything he has ever lived for. After being punished by God for no other reason than to prove God right he cries out, “God damn the day I was born and the night that forced me from the womb. On that day-let there be darkness; let it never have been created; let it sink back into the void.” The punishment of God drives him to seek an escape so drastic as to never live again. For God to take away all incentive to live and even supply reasons to die
I started this essay on the opposite side, claiming that there had to be a plan in existence that we would never comprehend or know of, but in lieu of recent events my mindset switched completely. This Saturday my father’s best friend took his own life, leading me to question how a so called “just God” could possibly justify taking away our closest ally, ourselves. Not only do we see this in real life occurrences but also in The Book of Job, in which Job curses his life and everything he has ever lived for. After being punished by God for no other reason than to prove God right he cries out, “God damn the day I was born and the night that forced me from the womb. On that day-let there be darkness; let it never have been created; let it sink back into the void.” The punishment of God drives him to seek an escape so drastic as to never live again. For God to take away all incentive to live and even supply reasons to die