Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

by Rachel Held Evans

In short, when it comes to the nature of suffering and blessing, the Bible does not speak with a single voice. There is not a biblical view of theodicy. There are biblical views of theodicy. And the people who wrote and assembled Scripture seemed perfectly fine with that unresolved tension. Job’s friends make the mistake of assuming that what is true in one context must be true in every context—a common error among modern Bible readers who like to trawl the text for universal answers. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar said some “biblical” things in their remarks to Job, and yet in that context, those things weren’t true. We should be wary, then, of grand pronouncements that begin, “The Bible says.” Where? To whom? In what context? Why? “You reap what you sow” may apply in one circumstance, like when the apostle Paul said it in his letter to the Galatian church to encourage them to continue in good works (Galatians 6:7), but it fell woefully short in the context of Job’s plight. So Job rightly condemns his friends-turned-accusers, saying, “If only you would be altogether silent! For you that would be wisdom” (13:5, emphasis added). Wisdom, it seems, is situational. It isn’t just about knowing what to say; it’s about knowing when to say it. And it’s not just about knowing what is true; it’s about knowing when it’s true.