“It sort of seems like God is gaslighting Job?”
A friend of mine raised this concern after I preached on Job 38–41. I hadn’t considered the question in my sermon prep, but especially in our therapized and therapeutic culture, it’s worth considering.
I’d like to look at the question in three phases. First, we’ll broadly consider the pastoral implications of reading clinical mental health dynamics into the Scriptures. Second, we’ll consider what exactly gaslighting is and how one could in good faith map the concept onto what God does at the end of Job. And, third, we’ll take a fresh look at God’s speeches in Job and consider how the label “gaslighting” fails to summarize Job’s encounter with God.
Pastoral Considerations
Living in the context of what Philip Rieff called The Triumph of the Therapeutic, followers of Jesus need to be aware of a few key dynamics.
First, relational and power dynamics are top of mind for young Bible readers. From labeling biblical characters as “toxic” to reading between the lines to look for internal motivations that don’t show up in the text, people will encounter the stories of Scripture as though they are watching a counseling session unfold. One of the things that, for C.S. Lewis, makes something a children’s story is the “absence of a close psychology.” Modern adult readers will intuitively supply a close psychology even when one isn’t offered in the text.
Second, in biblical application and in preaching, it’ll be tempting to speak far beyond the Scriptures in this arena to tickle the ears of listeners. There is a lot we might want from Scripture that it doesn’t give us; like Job, we must learn to perceive God’s silence as God’s wisdom.
Third, we ought to demonstrate awareness of pop-psychological thought processes. The next generation is incredibly online, and pastors have two options for how to minister into that arena: be incredibly online themselves, or be immersed in relationships with people who are incredibly online and learn from them. The overwhelming majority of people we are seeking to evangelize are people with a digitized sense of self. If we can’t speak their language, we’ll fail to contextualize.
This doesn’t mean we adopt the assumptions that come with the pop-therapeutic worldview. But if we can’t say, “You’ve heard it said, but I say unto you,” we can’t preach like Jesus did. That being said, let’s look at the terrifying encounter Job has with God.
The Whirlwind
Gaslighting, an increasingly common term, speaks to the “crazy making” dynamic that exists in some abusive relationships. The term comes from the 1944 movie Gaslight in which a controlling husband makes his new wife doubt her memories and perceptions, over time convincing her that she can’t trust herself and that she’s imagining things.
There are a few elements in the Job narrative that might tempt a good-faith reader to see gaslighting in the way that God deals with the suffering Job.
First, there is a power imbalance. The show of force God makes in appearing in a whirlwind combined with the overwhelming metaphors for God’s power over the earth, the stars, the Behemoth, and the Leviathan could be read as attempts to silence and stifle rather than engage; who are you to question me, when I can do all these great things?
Second, God seems, at a first read, to ignore the questions Job asks regarding God’s justice and fairness; his real grievances seem dismissed or ignored. God doesn’t answer Job’s questions and instead redirects the conversation toward His own questions and emphasizes Job’s smallness, limited nature, and inability to comprehend God’s infinite activity. Job’s questions are framed as being invalid; who are you to question me, when you don’t have the mental capacity I have?
Third, God withholds key information. Job never learns about the deal God makes with the satan in Job 1. Why does God not tell Job the whole endeavor was a test? That He bet on his righteousness against the evil one and won? How is Job expected to live his life in soberness if God isn’t going to let him have all the facts? Job’s agency seems to be undermined.
If we had a husband interacting with his wife like this, we’d rightly support her and rebuke him. “You’re going to complain about my inattentiveness when I bring the bacon home? You’re going to raise concerns about how I treat the kids when my SAT score was 500 points higher than yours? You’re tracking my location? Mind your own business!” It looks manipulative and demeaning.
So, how are we to answer in defense of the Holy One of Israel?
Job’s Encounter
First, just to get clear on the concept of gaslighting, it’s about making someone question their sanity over time. Someone could be manipulated or lied to in one interaction, but they can’t be gaslit, per se. Gaslighting requires a pattern. The story of Job doesn’t technically meet the criteria for gaslighting in the proper sense. But what about in the sense that Gen Z and the TikTokers use it? In which it’s more of a synonym for manipulation or being sketchy?
God’s presence in the whirlwind isn’t intimidation; it’s revelation. Job is a wisdom book, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fearing God is about reverence, respect, and mindfulness. When you’re afraid of birds, you’re constantly on the lookout for them. When you’re afraid of God, you’re looking for Him in the nooks and crannies of your life. The whirlwind is powerful and attention-capturing, as is the Lord. Yahweh is revealing Himself in a palpable and compelling way.
Job’s primary angst and question are not dismissed, but are answered with God’s very presence. Whole chapters of Job are devoted to him wrestling with questions about whether God has abandoned him, whether God can hear him, and whether God will ever answer him. God showing up in the lightning-snow-tornado is God definitively answering, not in words but in deed, Job’s central question: No, I’ve not abandoned you. Yes, I can hear you. And, yes, I’ll respond to your questioning.
God’s response is not a dismissal of Job’s perspective, but a contextualization of his perspective. Job isn’t told “you haven’t suffered” or “your experience isn’t valid” or even “you are wrong.” Job’s speech and conduct are commended and blessed by God. What Job is told is “you are limited.” Job isn’t getting new information here; he’s getting a new experience. “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5).
Job’s questions about God’s justice were rooted in his belief in God’s goodness and the struggle to reconcile that belief with his lived experience of suffering. When Job is captivated by God’s power, he’s able to locate his experience more tangibly in the context of the world which is governed by the God who holds Leviathan’s leash. The incomprehensible power of calamity is as mere pet canary to the Lord. Job “knew” this; now he “knows” it differently.
Job isn’t left questioning his sanity. He’s left in a state of wonder and awe. Recognizing afresh the Over-and-Aboveness of the majesty of God. He levels up his wisdom not because his theology of God has changed but because his proximity to God has changed.
Let’s now consider the argument that God doesn’t tell Job about the bet He placed in letting Satan destroy what was most precious to him. First, in a sense, God does generally tell him what happened behind the scenes; Leviathan, the great agent of chaos, Job is told, is under the control of Yahweh. Yahweh does take ultimate responsibility for all that happens in the cosmos.
Second, God gives Job the perspective he needs to grapple with the reality he’s living in. Job is brought into further alignment with reality, not separated from it like what happens when someone is gaslit. If we are in fact living in God’s world, then awareness of and respect for God’s sovereign providence over all things is sobriety. The fear of the Lord truly is the beginning of wisdom.
Students of the Scriptures
People can’t really help seeing what they initially see or hear when reading the Scriptures. What we bring to the text is our whole selves: our sociological context and our theological assumptions are both a part of that. Yet, the temptation and tendency to see what isn’t there is something we should be conscious of and concerned about as students of the Scriptures. God is not an abuser of Job.
In fact, He’s the opposite. God is good. He invites Job into reality, out of chaos and confusion, and blesses him afresh.
Job’s grief remains, but his crisis of faith dissipates when his core question (“Where is God?”) is answered with God’s very presence.
