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The Lord had blessed Job with many sheep, donkeys and cattle and he had a large family, 7 sons and 3 daughters and many servants. He was ‘blameless and upright, feared God and shunned evil’ (Job 1:1). In addition Job was generous to the poor and a respected member of the community. He was a good man. Job 31:32 His ‘door was always open to the traveller’.
One day, the enemy said to the Lord that should Job suffer, he would certainly curse God. Satan accused Job of having a superficial religious life because of what he would gain from it. The Lord allowed the enemy to test Job, but not take his life. Job lost everything, including his wife and children, his property was destroyed and he was also covered from head to foot in painful leprous sores. The latter made him lose all standing and dignity wth the community. Job became dispised by the people because they thought he deserved his suffering as he must have sinned to be in that awful state.
Job 16:10 ‘People open their mouths to jeer at me, they strike my cheek in scorn.’ Job 30:10 ‘…they do not hesitate to spit in my face.’
Job had three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who visited him to speak with him and tried to console him, but they just ended up condemning him with their lack of wisdom. They said he must have sinned to bring about his awful circumstances and suffering. This faulty doctrine, called the doctrine of retribution is corrected by the book of Job. Suffering is not necessarily a result of sin – real life is not like that. It’s full of uncertainty and meaningless suffering but we have faith, even if it is difficult.
The Lord allows suffering because we learn and grow from it, it deepens our faith and it removes things which hinder our walk with God. (Our dead branches are pruned.) Suffering develops our character and produces perseverance and hope (Romans 5:4).
Job continued to maintain that he had done nothing wrong, which we know was true. In Job 7:11-21, Job turns to God and pours out his heart to him – his fear and his longing for death, but the Lord did not offer an explanation. Although Job protested and had thoughts of death, he also continued to have hope. Job 13:15 ‘Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.’ Job 19:25 ‘I know that my redeemer lives…’ Instead of giving up on God, Job tries to understand his relationship with God despite the suffering, hardship and grief.
Key in the book of Job, besides looking at suffering, is wisdom. Job’s three friends’ words were without wisdom and they could not correctly explain what or why this was happening to Job. They only managed to condemn him. Job 42:7 shows that the Lord was angry with the 3 friends, the useless comforters, who were stuck in their narrow dogmatic thinking. Who is wise then except God?
Eventually the Lord speaks to Job and shows him that his thinking is limited and he is in no way capable of doing the things only God can do. He used examples like creating the earth or knowing what God knows, or how many stars he put in the universe. Job was guilty of being impatient and not trusting the Lord. The Lord is accessible (he does hear and speak to us) and we should not try to limit him by our imperfect understanding.
After the Lord spoke to Job, he quickly saw his error and sin and voluntarily repented for questioning the Lord’s wisdom and power. The question of why Job had to suffer was not answered but the Lord humbled Job to accept his sovereignty. In Job 28:28 Job’s conclusion was: ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding.’
The book of Job illustrates that ‘God is glorified through the suffering of his faithful servants’ because the transformation of our lives brings glory to God. Only the Lord is wise and we need to repent and submit, even in the midst of suffering, just like the Lord led Job to do.
The Lord in his mercy and grace, redeemed Job from his suffering and restored his wealth, his family and servants to more than he had before. Job was restored, he reached a new level of faith because of his meeting with God and lived a long life, seeing his children grow up. Importantly, Job remained faithful to the Lord and did not give up. Job’s belief in the Lord’s love for him, his redeemer and advocate, got him through the worst possible circumstances. Job did not curse God when his life fell apart, he continued to hope in his final redemption.
In the New Testament, the most profound reaction to suffering by God, is Jesus, God’s own son, suffering on the cross voluntarily to help sinners. In Christ, God suffered deeply and so is with us in our suffering. Although Jesus’ death on the cross did not put an end to suffering, he is with us and alongside us holding us closely when we do suffer and he has the deepest understanding of it.
We share in the sufferings of the Lord, but through the Holy Spirit and our Christian community we receive comfort.
The Lord restored Job to a better position than before. The Lord turns our suffering around for good (Romans 8:28) as we trust him and continue to put our faith in him. He delivers us from our suffering as we continue to be submitted and guided by the Lord. Jesus loves us and wants to help us, even though we may not receive all the answers as to why we are suffering. Trust the Lord Jesus anyway. Psalm 46:1 ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’
Lord Jesus, I depend on you in difficulties and times of suffering. Please lead the way out of this situation or these circumstances. I depend on you completely for guidance and wisdom. I surrender all to you Lord. Hold me in your arms Lord. You are my strength, my everything. Amen.
Psalms 30:5 ‘… weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’
References:
1) An Introduction to the Old Testament:1995, Dillard, Longman p208-p210
2) ‘Job’ by Derek Kinder in The Lion Handbook to the Bible, Pat and David Alexander, eds., Lion Publishing: Oxford, 2002, p352-353)
3) Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Because He First Loved Us 