Gospel Project Job
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Job and the Dilemma of Suffering
Scripture
Job 1:6-12,20-22; 16:1-5,18-22; 40:1-5; 42:7-9
Have you ever heard someone say well if there was a God then there would be no suffering.
Or If God was truly for me then I wouldn’t suffer.
Let’s think about that.
Because regardless of your belief in God.
Suffering occurs for everyone.
The reason why we hear people make these comments is because nobody wants to suffer.
Suffering is hard and it just plain sucks at times.
But I believe that it is easier to suffer with God then with no God.
God may not always explain the reason for our suffering, but He does always draw near to comfort us when we suffer.
To live is to suffer.
All of us, regardless of our economic status, our health, our diet, or our skills, suffer.
Whatever our worldview, our beliefs about God, or our stance on good and evil, we all will face some kind of trial and suffering in this life.
The question is not if we will suffer, but how we respond to suffering when it happens.
Will we suffer toward God as in allow our suffering to drive us to Him, or will we suffer away from God as in allow our suffering to hinder our relationship with Him?
In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, we find the story of Job—the classic story on pain and suffering.
Even many people unfamiliar with the Bible know the basics of Job’s story, how everything was taken from him and how he remained devoted to God.
The New Testament lifts up Job as one of our examples of patience and endurance.
As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Job suffered toward God and found that suffering gave him a greater understanding of God and His ways.
When our lives are comfortable and easy, we don’t tend to think deeply about God.
But when suffering comes, we tend “zoom in” on God.
It is then that we take notice if God is there or not.
What we discover is that God is working our suffering for good and bringing about beauty and glory from even our deepest pain (Rom. 8:18,28).
We discover, like Job, that God is even greater than we thought, and His goodness is even deeper than we ever dared to dream.
Our journey through the storyline of the Bible takes us to the familiar story of Job and his suffering.
Like the other books of wisdom literature, the book of Job takes us deep into the struggles of one man and his family, and how he responded to his suffering in light of his faith in God.
It is a sobering story, one that brings both compassion and conviction.
But overall, it is a true story that allows us to see what every person who suffers ultimately needs—God Himself.
The book of Job begins with a bizarre scene.
The Lord and Satan are having a conversation, and the Lord brings up Job as a model of uprightness and integrity.
Let’s read how the story begins.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 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?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
After this scene in the book of Job, we read that Job lost everything.
The Sabeans took his oxen and donkeys and struck down his servants (1:13-15),
a lightning storm burned up his sheep and more of his servants (1:16),
the Chaldeans raided his camels and the servants attending them (1:17),
and worst of all, a powerful wind caused the house to collapse on his sons and daughters (1:18-19).
If this happened to you what would you do?
When tragedy struck, what did Job do?
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job’s story does not answer the question of why good people suffer.
But it does offer us some direction.
First, Job did not suffer because God was angry with him.
One of the greatest temptations for Christians is to think that suffering is a sign of God's anger.
We think: “God is paying me back!”
But Job’s story reminds us that God’s anger is not why we suffer.
In fact, one of the most interesting things about the conversation between God and Satan is that God is the one who brings Job into the conversation (1:8).
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?”
The Lord suggested to Satan that he consider Job because of his faithfulness and integrity.
God did not suggest Job too Satan because he was angry with Job.
He suggested Job because He was pleased with him!
God knew that Job trusted Him for reasons far deeper than cattle and oxen.
God knew that Job wouldn’t turn from Him.
He trusted God because of who He is.
Second, Job did not suffer because he had sinned.
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
Then, after Job’s family and livestock were taken, we read: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (v. 22).
The author is clear on this issue: Job was not suffering because he sinned.
When we suffer, we often think of particular sins we’ve committed or ways we’ve failed in our obedience.
We believe that we are getting what we deserve.
Usually our minds go to that one sin that we cannot seem to overcome and we blame that sin for our suffering.
Our theology too often goes like this: Do good, be blessed.
Do wrong, be cursed.
But Job’s story shows us something different.
The righteous do suffer.
The Apostle Paul suffered deeply during his ministry but said it was a source of deep joy for him.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
One look at the life of Jesus should quickly remind us that suffering and sin aren’t always connected.
Even though He was completely sinless, Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, and rejected throughout His life.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
This is one of God’s great aims for us during suffering.
If God takes us through a season of suffering in order to help us love and trust Him more, it will always be worth the pain.
But here is the deal— A little side bar:
Many atheists have argued that if God is all-powerful, all loving, and knows everything, evil would not exist in the world as humans know it today.
But because evil exists in the world, God must not exist or if He does exist, then He is not good or all-powerful.
Despite its powerful rhetoric, appealing to evil as an argument against God fails:
first, because outrage over bad things in this world presupposes a “good” moral standard that does not exist apart from God,
and secondly, because God could have a good reason, although unknown to us, for allowing evil and suffering to continue for a season.
Given what we know about God’s character and purposes, Christians can rest assured that, even in the midst of evil, God is working all things for our good (Rom. 8:28).
After Job’s life came unraveled, his friends showed up on the scene to offer counsel and comfort.
I like have friends when my word gets rocked as well.
Unfortunately, his friends gave answers that angered God and proved unhelpful to Job.
Look at Job’s response to their wrong advice.
Then Job answered and said:
“I have heard many such things;
miserable comforters are you all.
Shall windy words have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
I also could speak as you do,
if you were in my place;
I could join words together against you
and shake my head at you.
I could strengthen you with my mouth,
and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
18-22
“O earth, cover not my blood,
and let my cry find no resting place.
Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
and he who testifies for me is on high.
My friends scorn me;
my eye pours out tears to God,
that he would argue the case of a man with God,
as a son of man does with his neighbor.
For when a few years have come
I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
When we suffer, we ask many questions.
We ask:
Why me?
What is God doing right now?
What did I do to cause this?
Why does suffering come to those who love God?
How could a loving God allow this to happen?
Those are legitimate questions and they need good, thoughtful answers.
But what we learn from Job—who asked lots of questions—is that what we need most in times of suffering is God.
We need His presence, His voice, and His nearness when we are suffering.
The greatest thing God can give us when we suffer is more of Himself.
Listen to what the Lord says to Job.
And the Lord said to Job: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Job 40:1-5
And the Lord said to Job:
“Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but I will proceed no further.”
After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
What a wonderful ending to Job’s story!
Job received an even grander vision of God’s power and goodness through his suffering.
He was reminded that no one can bring accusations against Him.
Job saw just how small he was in comparison to the vastness of God’s glory.
What’s more, Job saw an even deeper level of God’s goodness.
The Lord accepted his prayers on behalf of his friends and removed His anger from them.
If nothing else, Job learned that suffering reminds us that we are not God.
Suffering has a way of humbling us and reminding us that we don't have control over our lives.
We don’t have it all together and that is okay.
Job also learned that even though suffering is often beyond our control, God comes near to us during those times.
Job’s journey is both difficult and beautiful.
It is difficult because we see just how deeply he suffered and what he endured.
Although many of us will never experience what Job did, we shouldn’t minimize our own pain and trauma when trials come our way.
But Job’s story is also beautiful.
The way God came to Job's aid, revealed Himself, and eventually restored Job gives us hope and courage.
We are reminded that God will not leave us or forsake us.
No matter what.
If we are suffering God is with us, if everything is sunshine and rainbows God is with us.
And the promise that He will always be there was answered on the cross.
He even gave us His own Son to remind us He wants the best for His people.
In his time of suffering, Job yearned for a mediator—someone to stand between him and God.
If Job only knew then what we know now!
We know there is one who stands between God and man and pleads for us as a man pleads for his friends.
Jesus Christ is that man; He is that friend.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus is the one who stands between us and God and lays His life down for us.
We need Him.
We need His love, affection, and grace.
We need His friendship and Him standing up on our behalf, especially in our suffering.
And as we lean on Him, we realize our God comes close to us even in the midst of our suffering.
The greatest example of this is the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Through Jesus, God came close to us and entered into our suffering.
He suffered for us, in our place. His suffering reminds us that we never suffer alone, and that one day He will put an end to all suffering.
This is our great hope and great message to the world.
Pray
How are you living your life now?
Something that really stuck out to me this time teaching on Job was that God suggested Job.
It was not satan who wanted to go after Job— Just God said— have you tried my servant Job.
Are you following after God like this.
That if satan were to come to him and say give me someone who won’t forsake you.
Give me someone who is strong and I can break them.
Can God respond with your name?
Would he respond with your name— or have you already been cursing God for awhile now?
As in you have turned away and God is waiting for you to return but satan has his teeth in you pretty deep?
What about you tonight?
Have a good breakout and know that you are loved.