The Book of Job – Why does God allow pain & suffering?
There is a well-known book written by an American Rabbi named Harold Kushner. The title of his book is that age old question “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
If you’ve never asked that question certainly you’ve thought about it, or at least something to that effect. Christian pastor, author and theologian Dr. R.C. Sproul once commented on this book by Rabbi Kushner and Dr. Sproul lamented the fact that he hadn’t thought of it first, to write a book on why bad things happen to good people.
Dr. Sproul said “that would have been the shortest book I ever wrote, along with the easiest!” Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s simple, they don’t! After all the Scripture says that there are none righteous no not one, and as Jesus told the rich young ruler, there is none good but God. So there are no “good people.”
So that was Dr. Sproul’s answer from a theological standpoint, but when people are going through pain, heartache and suffering and they ask that question, or they ask why does God allow pain and suffering they’re not asking a theological question, they are trying to find the meaning in / and purpose of human suffering. So with that said, turn to the book of Job.
Before we start reading from Job chapter one I think we should recognize the fact that if one does not believe in God, or if atheism were true there would be no answer to this question, there could be no answer! No answer, no meaning not only to suffering but there would be no meaning to any of it, no meaning to our existence! Anything and everything that happens would just be nothing more than cause and effect, random acts, survival of the fittest and in the end nothing really matters. Well, ironically and I guess thankfully even unbelievers and atheists don’t fully accept that conclusion, because deep down they know there is something more.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Let’s begin by reading Job 1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.
3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.
So right away we see that Job was what you would call a “good man”. It’s not a matter of him being sinless, that wasn’t the case but he was upright, Job feared God and he shunned evil. If there was ever a mere man who could stand blameless before God it was Job. He was a good man, he was also a wealthy man, having many possessions.
Job is likely the oldest book in the Bible, he may have lived around the time of Abraham which was around 4,000 years ago. Back in those days wealth was measured not by money, not even by silver or gold but rather with land and livestock. Job had it all, he had his health, his family and he cared so much about his children he offered up sacrifices to God “just in case” his children may have had evil thoughts in their minds and in their hearts. Everything was well with Job, until one day…..
Look at verse 6
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
There is so much packed into these verses, first we are transported to heaven as the Holy Spirit reveals to the author of the book information that couldn’t possibly be known except through divine revelation. Job was unaware of all this and most scholars agree Job didn’t write the book of Job, some think Moses is the author, others have suggested Salomon (we don’t know) but we see this scene in heaven where the Sons of God come and present themselves before the Lord.
The Sons of God here, this is almost certainly a reference to angels. In the New Testament “sons of God” are a reference to believers but in the Old Testament, the Hebrew term Ben-Elohim, translated Sons of God is a reference to angels and of course Satan was created as a cherub angel, so Satan is among them and look at verse 7
7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
So we see that Satan has some level of access to heaven, but apparently spends his time here on earth. This of course flies in the face of the unbiblical myth that Satan is in hell or that he is the ruler of hell. Not true, not only is it not true - Satan has never been to hell nor does he ever want to go to hell since hell is a place of conscious torment. He will end up there but he isn’t there now and certainly wasn’t there 4000 years ago as we see him in heaven having this conversation with God. And who is the object of conversation? Job! And notice it is the Lord who initiates this, look at verse 8 again
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job
This is the start of a chain of events that brings about pain and suffering into the life of Job. There is a type of wager between the Lord and Satan over him. Satan claims Job only serves God because God has blessed him, the Lord however will show the devil that Job’s devotion towards God is real and while some people struggle with this story remember these important principals when it comes to pain and suffering.
# 1 There is always a purpose! We might not always know what it is (Job didn’t know why these things were happening but there is always a reason. That’s # 1
# 2 Pain & suffering is either a testing or a chastening.
Sometimes we mess up, and we mess up bad and the Scripture says the Lord chastens those whom He loves. Sometimes Christians suffer because of the sinful choices they make and we have no one to blame but ourselves // Now thankfully God is willing to forgive us, but he won’t necessarily remove the consequences of our actions.
But often times (as is the case here with Job) often times pain, trials, suffering is a testing from God to prove our love and trust towards Him. Not so much for the Lord’s sake, He already knows, rather it’s for our sakes, for when our faith is tested and we endure we come out of it stronger than where we started. The only way our faith can grow is through moments of testing.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5 “but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
So # 1 there is always a purpose, # 2 it’s likely either a testing or a chastening, and # 3 perhaps the most important thing to remember in the midst of suffering is that God is sovereign and we are His children to do with whatsoever He chooses.
In Isaiah 46 the Lord says For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
God is God and we need to come to terms with the fact that God can do whatever He wants. This does not make God unjust because we are all sinners living in a fallen world. God doesn’t punish innocent people, that only happened once when the sinless Son of God was punished on the cross for the sins of mankind and even then Jesus voluntarily laid down his life. God doesn’t punish innocent people, God is not unjust, God is not unfair and in the story of Job it isn’t God who brings death and destruction rather God allows Satan to do it, and He allows it for a reason.
Now I would be the first to admit that in life, yes, things seem unfair but that’s only because we don’t know what God is doing. We only see things from our angle in a moment of time without being aware of the big picture.
We know the promise of God in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good to them that love God, we remember the words of Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery, how he was brought to Egypt and exalted by God to where he could say to his brothers,
you meant it for evil but God meant it for good, so while we know God is at work, we know He has a plan, in the moment we simply are unable to know what that plan is.
This is why the Christian walks by faith and not by sight.
Job didn’t know the plan, Job didn’t understand why any of these things were happening. Look at chapter 1 verse 13
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the [l]Sabeans [m]raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and [n]consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from [o]across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
If you think back to the worst day you ever had, the odds are it didn’t even compare with what Job experienced and it happened all at once, and it was only going to get worse.
Question: How should a believer in the Lord react when faced with immense suffering? What we don’t do, is we don’t curse God. We don’t charge God with wrongdoing.
Now look at chapter 2
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to [a]destroy him without cause.”
4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely [b]curse You to Your face!”
6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? [c]Curse God and die!”
10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
So at this point Job has seemingly lost everything! His health, his material possessions, his family and now to add insult to injury his own wife says curse God and die! Like Eve did to Adam, Job’s wife is tempting him to sin, a sin that would lead to his death.
Now I don’t know if this makes some Christians feel better, at least it helps people to realize their not alone. Sometimes people get the idea that if you are a Christian, God will bless you with good health, not necessarily or that God will bless you financially,
not necessarily, or that at least you’ll have a good marriage….. Not necessarily. The Bible literally says Job was the godliest man on earth and yet his wife was unsupportive to say the least.
Then if you keep reading Job is visited by his friends. Instead of supporting Job what do they do? “Job, this must be your fault!”
With friends like that who needs enemies? You know what people need when they’re down? They need to be encouraged, people need to be lifted up not to have someone kick them when they’re down. If someone is suffering maybe you don’t go to them and say – “you know, this is all your fault! You deserved it!”
That’s not helpful! And in this case it certainly wasn’t true!
So Job’s friend Eliphaz decided Job must be guilty of sin, God must be punishing Job for these secret sins that he was hiding in his life.
Job’s other friends Bildad and Zophar thought Job should repent. Job, maybe you should examine yourself…..this must be your fault somehow….
Now you might say, but since Job is a man, and all men sin, maybe it wasn’t unreasonable for his friends to think that…. Well, whatever sin Job may have been guilty of it wasn’t proportional to the level of suffering he was experiencing and he knew it. Now flip over to chapter 14. Much of the early chapters of Job record his dialogue with his friends. Job’s suffering causes him to think deeply about the Lord and his life. Job makes some profound statements and asks some vital questions. This is what pain and suffering will do to a person, it get their attention to get them thinking about things they might not have been thinking about otherwise. Also suffering will either make you bitter or it will make you better.
When things seem to be spiraling out of control, remember God is still on the throne.
Job acknowledges this in chapter 14:5 “Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.” The Lord has marked out the boundaries, He has determined our days on the earth.
Then in verse 14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. Job here makes a veiled reference to the resurrection of the dead. Turn to chapter 19
In chapter 19 his statement of hoped is not subtle, it is not veiled at all, Job proclaims a message of hope in the midst of his suffering, look at Job 19:25, 26
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Now skip ahead to Job chapter 38. What is the question we are exploring? Why does God allow suffering? Also the question as to why does it seem that bad things happen to good people? Can have hope in the midst of suffering?
Job is the go to book on the subject as well as the Psalms. David wrote in Psalm 37 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
9 For evildoers shall be [b]cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.
The Book of Job is considered wisdom litterateur. Hopefully we do learn from times of trial and testing // And, hopefully we do also learn from our mistakes.
In chapters 29-31 Job, trying to make sense out of it all while he never curses God he does begin to question what God is doing and why, and we can sympathize with him because he doesn’t know.
When God answers him, this is what the Lord says in chapter 38
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? This may appear harsh but remember, while the Lord eventually vindicates and restores Job, first the Lord makes sure Job knows exactly who he is talking to. You see, the more you know God, the more you will know about what He is doing and why.
Why do bad things happen? Why does God allow us to suffer? Some closing thoughts.
# 1 There are things going on in the spiritual realm that we have no knowledge of.
# 2 We can’t assume that because someone is suffering, they are being judged by God.
# 3 God has a purpose for all things, even if we don’t know what that purpose is. This is why its called faith.
# 4 The times God feels a million miles away may be the times that He is closest to us.
And # 5 For the unbeliever there is no end to suffering, but for the believer according to Psalm 30:5
Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning
