Does God Cause Suffering?预览

Day Two: What About Job?

The question arises to many people, if God is for righteousness, and for mercy, why did he allow Satan to cause Job terrible suffering? In other words, since Job was a righteous man, why do the righteous sometimes suffer inexplicably?

One important lesson to be learned from a study of Job is this: Sometimes inexplicable events may transpire which totally contradict everything you have been taught to expect. Hang in there, for your expected end will come, either in this world or the world to come (Proverbs 23:18; Psalms 37:37). If you have received the exact opposite of that for which you exercised faith, don’t give up. The Lord will yet come through.

Job’s friends couldn’t understand this; it contradicted their theology. But let’s face it. Job’s sufferings contradict a lot of some of our theology too. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be inventing causes for his afflictions. You see, in and of themselves, separated from the context of Job’s sufferings, the speeches of his friends were, for the most part, biblically correct (read, for example, Job 5:11-27 and compare it with Psalms 91; it sounds good, doesn’t it?). Yet we have no business throwing our orthodox judgments on an afflicted saint. “If this had been so-and-so, he wouldn’t have let the devil do that to his family,” or, “See, I told you, you weren’t living right.” But that is what Job’s comforters did and God rebuked Job’s friends for not speaking rightly of Him, as Job had done (Job 42:7-9). God would rather have us be honest with Him than spout out empty theological maxims learned from man.

Job chapters 1-2 teach us that there are sometimes unseen factors (as in Daniel 10:12-14) which can temporarily cause unexpected results. At such times, we had better use our high-powered faith confessions against the enemy’s attacks and not against our suffering brother. But let me also mention that, from our vantage point, Job 1 and 2 make it clear that the Lord did not stretch out His hand to destroy; every time Satan said, “Stretch out your hand” to God, the Lord replied, “You go and do it” (Job 1:11-12, 2:5-6). Thus, God was clearly not the direct author of Job’s sufferings. But here is something important: when the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind in chapters 38-41, He did not say a word about Job’s sufferings, nor did He mention anything about the devil. He only revealed Himself. And that was sufficient. When Job saw the eternal God in His wisdom, power, and beauty, he repented of his defiance (Job 9:22-24, 10:13-17, 16:7-14), humbling himself before the Lord of the universe. The basic answer of the Book of Job is simply this: God is.

Is there a moment where you need to be honest with God about an inexplicable situation or event that does not line up with the loving God you thought He was? Instead of trying to figure out why, go to the One who created you. He wants you to be honest with Him because there is a future hope for you; seek peace with God.