A friend recently quoted the first sentence of James McClendon’s three volume work of systematic theology: “Theology means struggle.” It’s a fitting phrase for this month of exploring difficult passages in the Bible. It’s a good reminder that our faith is not just about comfort and refuge, but about venturing out from our comfortable places and walking into an expansiveness that we can never fully comprehend or tame.
Along with Genesis 32:22-32 (Jacob wrestling with God) and Genesis 18:22-33 (Abraham haggling with God), another valuable text of struggle is the book of Job. The...