The Good Life

I was preparing a blog post (about something totally unrelated to this one!) when I came across some vocabulary in an Old Testament verse that surprised me.

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” – Job 3:26

Nothing about this verse seems special or unusual on the surface. But the Spirit must have been prodding me, because when I began to dig in, my eyes opened.

In the first two chapters of the book of Job, God touts Job as a righteous soul. This perspective gets challenged by Satan the accuser, who proceeds to ruin the poor man’s life to get him to curse the Lord. It doesn’t work, but Job’s family is killed, his property is wrecked, and his health is damaged.

Three of his friends visit him, but there’s little they can say, so grief-stricken are they by their fellow’s devastation. Finally, Job speaks up in chapter 3, and this sets the stage for the discourses that make up most of the book.

The verse I quoted is a fair assessment of Job’s condition. I get the impression that the three positive nouns (peace, quietness, and rest) describe his life before the calamities hit. If they don’t, if Job is struggling with all sorts of problems even before his testing, he would complain about those, too.

But he doesn’t.

So I assume Job used to enjoy what many of us seek: a life of peace and quiet.

Sort of a perpetual vacation!

Businesses know people value rest and relaxation because they promote these themes in their advertising. Companies sell products to alleviate pain. Financial service industries paint a picture of a dream retirement complete with golf, friends, and dinners.

Nothing but smiles.

Job was living the good life until it crashed.

And I’m sure he wanted it back.

While looking into the grammar of this verse, I decided to check the Greek version of the Old Testament. (It’s called the Septuagint and it goes by the initials LXX.) There, I discovered the book of Job in Greek emphasizes the three positive terms (peace, quietness, and rest) more than most other books of the Old Testament do.

Let me show you.

The first word is eireneuo, which is the noun “peace” in verb form. It refers to making peace with someone, keeping the peace, or living in peace. It’s found in 9 verses in the LXX, but 5 of them are in Job. 

The second word, hesuchazo, means “to keep quiet.” 35 verses in the LXX use this noun and of those, 8 are in Job. Again, this is more than any other OT book.

The third word, anapauo, is more common than the other two nouns, occurring 62 times in 59 verses. The book of Isaiah uses it the most (15 times), with Job coming in second place at 7 times. The verb conveys the ideas of resting and refreshing.

Peace.

Quiet.

Rest.

Sounds like a good life!

But now, all Job has left is turmoil. Except that’s not how the LXX translates the Hebrew term. The Greek word is orge which refers to wrath, anger, or punishment.

It’s a common word, occurring 231 times in 219 verses in the LXX. The book of Psalms has the most verses which use this word (41 of them). Job is second at 25 verses. (Combined, Jeremiah and Lamentations also have 25 verses.)

These four words in Jobs 3:26 encapsulate what the book of Job is about. It’s the struggle of a person yearning to return to a peaceful life in the face of what feels like divine judgment.

He doesn’t know that God has declared him righteous (1:8; 2:3). He doesn’t understand the extent of the spiritual battle taking place over the condition of his heart. All Job knows is he’s suffering and he doesn’t deserve it.

And he wants the chance to defend himself.

“Only grant me these two things, God, and then I will not hide from You: ²¹Withdraw Your hand far from me, and stop frightening me with Your terrors. ²²Then summon me and I will answer, or let me speak, and You reply to me. ²³How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin. ²⁴Why do you hide Your face and consider me Your enemy?” – Job 13:20-24

But after God addresses him in chapters 38-41, Job is chastened.

Then Job replied to the LORD: ²“I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ³You 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. ⁴You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ ⁵My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. ⁶Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” – Job 42:1-6

The Lord follows up by blessing Job with property, family, and long life (Job 42:12-17).

He got what he had before.

When we jump over to the New Testament, we find only one reference to Job. It occurs in a passage about patience and suffering.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! ¹⁰Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. ¹²Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear–not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. – James 5:7-12

According to James, we Christians can learn endurance through the example of Job. We will go through trials of many kinds before Jesus returns to rule this world. We can interpret the difficulties of God’s indifference or animosity toward us. Or we can see them as occasions to demonstrate loyalty to the Lord and dedication to His people who serve Him.

Although James didn’t use the phrase, he’s describing the good life. A life of peace, quietness, and rest.

Primarily spiritual.

But it’s also social.

And material.

Jesus leaves out nothing.

He’s offering us eternal life. That’s not just the good life; it’s the best life!