Daily Butter 9/13: Good Grief!

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (9/13/11):

 

Then Job stood up, tore his robe and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,

(Job 1:20 HCSB)

 

We are emotional beings and with the example of Job we can conclude that these emotions can be expressed without sin. I’m no Hebrew scholar, it seems this verse encompasses more than five minutes of action. (I know of no way with modern technology let alone what Job had available to shave ones head in less than ten minutes without severe blood loss.) The tearing of the robe and shaving of the head is throughout Scripture as an expression of grief. Job had his life utterly turned upside-down and emptied in a matter of moments. Obviously a great man of character that throughout this “Job did not sin or blame God for anything” (v22), but unlike the rapid-fire entry of the messengers (vv14-18) there is some time between the lines as there is a process of grief behind this verse between the renting of his robe and the worship. It is not wrong to go through this process. It’s not wrong to shout or scream or weep or (as the rest of Job shows) to throw up your hands and wonder why. I pray that I can come to the same conclusion of worship.

 

- Andy