I continue to be amazed at the blame God has received for the death toll in the recent tsunamai. For a society that really doesn't believe in God (you're right, 92% of us do, but in reality we don't believe in the God of the Bible) we are quick to put the blame on Him any time something bad happens.

If the Book of Job teaches us anything, and it does teach us a lot, it's that the old notion of retribution theology, where goodness results in prosperity and wickedness leads to suffering, is not valid. A popular doctrine in ancient Mesopotamian culture, God eliminated this way of thinking and application of retribution theology, where the blame was placed on the sufferer and they could only accept the fate hurled on them by the "unfathomable gods." Job was clearly an example of where this was of thinking is wrong, as we the reader get a sneak peak behind the scenes at the beginning of the book and note that Satan was the cause of the hardships. God is not to blame, Satan is the menace and the root of all evil.

Of course, balance does come into effect here, as the covenant between God and the Israelites did set forward this retribution theology, and Dt. 28 wrote of the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. This can be seen as a governing principles of the workd, but not an absolute, as the story of Job attests to.

I see so many like Job in the world today, they enter our churches and workplaces every day. We (I) judge them immediately, accusing them of some wrongdoing, leading to their plot in life. We (I) need to get deeper into the situation before casting judgment of wrongdoing on such modern-day Jobs, lest we (I) fall to the same judgment as Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

Of course, Satan and sin are the cause of the death toll in the Indian Ocean and other places around the world. After the sin in Genesis 3, the world was thrown into chaos, and we are now experiencing the labor pains Jesus told us would come. Amen, Come Lord Jesus, Come!