The Bravery of Job

A Necessary Choice

When facing great times of crisis or trouble in life, the choice of many is to take the road of the coward. This road can manifest in different ways, such as: self-deprecation and self-blame, blaming others, or avoidance and escape. Each of these ways has one thing in common, a refusal to confront the problem directly. While this may not be possible in every instance, the question of “fight or flight” will separate the brave from the coward in any crisis.

Job’s Choice

Job demonstrated his bravery in what would qualify as a true crisis in the life of any person. The loss of his family, his fortune, and his personal chronic pain and anguish would be debilitating. What separated Job from the cowards was how he chose to confront an impossible situation.

Job did not blame himself

While his friends were convinced that his great misfortune was caused by personal sin, Job doggedly stood by what he considered to be the truth: he had not sinned. While this determination is manifested with periods of confusion and frustration, he did not sink utterly into a pool of woe which would end in avoidance. On the contrary, he sought to confront God concerning his situation with all haste.

Job did not blame others

While some may see Job’s challenge and questioning of God as blame, this would conflate the two concepts. If it were true that Job truly sought to hold God solely responsible for his misfortune, he would have taken his wife’s advice and chosen to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9, NASU). It is also important to note that Job did not place any possible blame upon his children for their untimely death. The redirection of blame is a common avoidance tactic, but Job was not interested in avoidance.

Job dod not seek escape

Many who advocate assisted suicide or other means of euthanasia for those experiencing great pain should consider Job as an example. He was literally covered from head to toe in painful blistering sores, yet did not harm his body more than the scratching relief brought by pieces of pottery. Job may have cursed the day of his birth, but he was not about to bring about the day of his death.

Job’s actions were not perfect, but they were indeed brave. A lesser man would have given up long before a single friend had chosen to speak. Job teaches us many important lessons about dealing with the struggles of life. He teaches us how simply choosing to face the problem can be brave in and of itself.