Life's Hidden Pattern

Take away the picture of divine prpose that spreads as a vast and sublime tapestry across the literary structure that is the book of Job, and the whole building becomes nothing more than a mockingly dark, terrible, and enigmatic shell that makes the whole of life appear to be only a grim and empty tragedy. 

Here is Job, a righteous man folowing God as perfectly as he knows how; conducting himself as a good husband, father, master, neighbor, and citizen. The Sacred Record testifies of him that he "was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1). But suddenly, for no reason humanly discernible, an overwhelming flood of calamity sweeps over him, and when it has passed he has only his life-- a miserable life at that-- and his wife. And Job's eyes are closed by his adversities to te meaning of it all. He is shut up in the dark, narrow cell of human limitation and suffering, where to himself and his would-be comforters there comes no real gleam of light that explains the reason for his misfortunes. 

In many respects Job is an allegory of the whole of human history, with its suffering, tragedy, deprivations, and its questions with no human answers. Take God out of the human picture and the whole of life becomes a stark question mark set up on the cold and bare mountains of human existence. "Destiny without God is a riddle; history without God is a tragedy."

To multitudes the purpose of their lives is truly a riddle, the sum total of human experience a grim tragedy, because they do not see that picture of divine purpose; they cannot understand that "behind the dim unknown, standeth god within the shadows, keeping watch above His own"; they do not see that "above the distractions of the earth He sits enthroned; all things are open to His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His providence sees best."

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

 Job 23:10