Suffering and the Sovereignty of God: Part II

Job 2:1–5 “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And 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, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.””

Job 2:6–10 “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

Let’s pray: Father, we come with humble hearts. As we recognize and acknowledge how great you are and how powerful you are, we see our weakness and our sinfulness. We need thee Lord, oh we need thee. So help us in our lives and help us now. Teach us your word. Save the lost. In Jesus name, Amen.

Introduction: Oswald Chambers in his writings called Christian Discipline said, “Suffering is the heritage of the bad, of the penitent, and of the Son of God. Each one ends in the cross. The bad thief is crucified, the penitent thief is crucified, and the Son of God is crucified. By these signs we know the widespread heritage of suffering.”

Suffering. It is common to all men. The bad thief on the cross and the unbeliever, they suffer.

The penitent thief on the cross and the child of God suffer.

And the Son of God crucified, he suffered.

And for the Christian, as we discussed last Sunday. The righteous will suffer.

We saw that Job suffered financially, he lost all he had. He suffered with his family. His 10 children were killed. And lastly, he suffered in his flesh. And we looked deeper at his physical ailments.

So the righteous suffer in various ways.

So for Job.

in his suffering, God was sovereign.

in our suffering, God is sovereign.

He is in control, he’s not surprised, he’s still with us, he’s still has us in the palm of his hand, under the shadow of his wing.

And He will get us through whatever it is.

But we need to recognize our suffering is not in a vacuum.

We speak of faith and discipleship.

How to have faith in suffering?

We need remember, when we suffer, other people are effected.

We still interact with our families and friends, as job did.

and much of our response to suffering and conflict entails, just that, those interactions with others.

Now, when stuff happens in life. Depending on one’s perspective or point of view, we can see different reasons for suffering.

We may percieve it differently and so in the story of Job, let’s consider the different reasons for suffering.

The reasons given for suffering

1. Satan persecution

Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And 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, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.””

I want to remind you that Satan reports to God. He is under God and only does what is permitted.

And Satan is going to and from on the earth. Searching for those to devour.

The text says, Job 2:7 “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

So Satan had a hand in Job’s suffering. Here it says, he struck job with sores.

And when Satan attacks, when the child of God is attacked ofr our faith, and that’s why Job was attacked, because he is righteous,

when we are attacked for our faith, that is persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

John 15:18 ““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” 1 Peter 3:17 “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

Church, there is suffering that is persecution.

That is what Satan does and he is good at it.

Do you know, that people hate you just because you are a Christian.

There are places in this world, where you will be hurt or killed, just for being a Christian.

But Jesus says, blessed are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

A second reason.

Wife peril

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

I think we forget, Job’s wife suffered too.

We always think, oh Job went through so much, and he did.

But so did his wife. she lost every thing. she lost her children.

and Job’s response to suffer involves his wife.

And she in response to all this, to this peril, she challenges Job’s faith.

She questions his integrity. And tells him to Curse God and die.

i cannot think of anything much worse.

Job, things are so bad, God has failed you, curse him.

And just die. Job you have nothing to live for.

I pray you do not surround yourself with people like this.

Job response was perfect. He was the leader in the home. And he was was faithful to God, because it says. “IN ALL THIS JOB DID NOT SIN WITH HIS LIPS.”

But there’s more to the story.

Much of this book is about Job’s conversations with his friends.

And the reasons his friends said is PUNISHMENT.

Friends punishment

HIs first friend is ELIPHAZ. Eliphaz in Job 4 -tells Job the innocent do not suffer.

And so if the innocent do not suffer, then Job must be guilty of Sin.

And Elphaz says in Job 5:17–18““Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.”

The next friend is Bildad, Bildad says that God does not reject the blameless in Job 8.

But he takes it a step further.

Job 8:4 “If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.”

Bildad says his children died, because of their sin.

So he not only says Job has sinned, but also his children

The third friend is Zophar.

Zophar just tells Job he should have suffered worse.

He tells Job in Job 20

English Standard Version Chapter 20

4 Do you not know this from of old,

since man was placed on earth,

5 that the exulting of the wicked is short,

and the joy of the godless but for a moment?

6 Though his height mount up to the heavens,

and his head reach to the clouds,

7 he will perish forever like his own dung;

those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

So these three friends say Job is being punished.

Does God discipline us, yes.

Consider David and Bathsheba.

did God not exhibit judgement and suffering on David because of his sin, and his baby died.

But there is error in thinking that all suffering is punishment from God.

Yet, we’d be wise when suffering comes, to examine our lives to see if we are right with the Lord.

The next reason given is by Elihu, pride.

Elihu pride

Elihu was also one of Job’s friends, but not one of the one’s who came at first to comfort Job.

He shows up later and he has the last and longest single speech in Job 32-37.

Elihu condemns Job’s three other friends because they did not give a good reason.

He exalts the Lord’s justice and greatness.

He confronts Job and his attitude toward God.

Elihu was one of Job’s friends—not one of the three who had come to comfort Job at the beginning of the book, but one who arrives later and offers the last and longest single speech to Job. Elihu is identified only as the “son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram” (Job 32:2). In Job 32—37 Elihu offers a response to Job that lifts up the Lord, condemns Job’s three friends, and rightly confronts Job.

Elihu had a lot to say, but here’s a couple verses.

Job 33:12 ““Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.”

Job 34:12 “Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.”

And he gets angry at Job, because Job is prideful.

Job 32:2 “Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God.”

Intersting about Elihu, In Job 42:7, God condemns the three friends, But God does not condemn Elinu.

Elihu seems to be this positive influence to Job.

And rightly so, it is Elihu that is the bridge in this book to God appearing.

the next reason I see is Job’s initial reasoning.

Job pious pondering

I do have to say, I am always amazed at what Job 1 and 2 say about Job’s reponse and his faith.

But consider his piety in.

Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, I will hope in him.”

- That to me is one of the most profound verses in the book of JOb.

Though he slay me, I will hope in him.

But there are a few times later on when Job questioned God.

Job 3:12 “Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?”

Here Job questions the day he was born. He was cursed from birth.

He would later wishe he had never come into existence. in chapter 3.

Job wished he was never born.

Now, Job would later in chapter 31 defend himself. he states he’s been good and faithful. he’s helped the poor. He had a good marriage.

So he in Job 31:35–37 wants to confront God and Job wants and explanation from God. “Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary! Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me as a crown; I would give him an account of all my steps; like a prince I would approach him.”

Job has pleaded his case. He has defended his innocense, and he questiosn God for his suffering. Job wants an answer.

Reasons for suffering.

Persecution.

Peril.

Punishment.

Pride.

Pious Pondering. Righteous questioning of God.

Lastly, God’s reason, Premeinence.

God preeminence

This is God’s intiial reponse?

Job 38:4–7 ““Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

And God continues to question Job. About mornign and eveng, the depths of the ocean, thunder and rain and stars, about a huge creature called a behemoth with a tail like a cedar tree, and a see creature called the leviathon.

Job 42. Let’s look at God’s explanation. God’s response to Job.

But notice what God says about himself.

Job 42:2 ““I know that you can do all things,

God is omnipotent.

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

God is sovereign.

Job 42:3 “‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”

God is omniscient.

Job 42:4 “‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’”

God is preiminent.

Job 42:5 “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;”

God reveals himslf.

Job 42:6 “therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.””

God is holy.

And in all of God’s explaination. his questioning of Job. He doesn’t tell Job why he suffers.

He simply says, I am God and you are not.

I am the premimentn God.

And you are man.

Who are you Job to know these things?

I want to leave you with the right responses to suffering.

When suffering comes, prepare now, but be wise.

Know God is God and he is all powerful and holy. And know we are man.

So when suffering comes, and we know not why,

you must:

Her’s the responses.

Remain faithful

Recognize our weakness

Recognize the purposes of God

Repent of doubt

Remain faithful, Job may have questioned God, but he still believed in God. Job, said, though he slay me and cause this suffering, I will still gollow the Lord, I will hope in Him.

Recognize our weaknesses.

Job 42:1–6 “Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Recognize the purposes of God

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’

Repent of doubt

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.””

This story is amazing. It’s about a man who suffers but wrestles with God.

Job’s faith is a model for the humble.

Even though he was confused, he eventually acknowledged his inability to understand the preminent God.

Though we suffer, though we may complain, we must cling to faith in God with all our might.

When family and friends give us bad advise, to quit on God, remain faithful.

The answer to why we suffer?

God is God and we do understand his ways, but we trust him all our days.

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