Pain And Suffering In The Book Of Job
Feature 3 – October 2024 – Grace & Truth Magazine
Pain And Suffering In The Book Of Job
One question raised by atheists is: “Why do we see pain and suffering if there is a mighty and loving God?” We need not wonder, for God has dedicated a whole book – the book of Job – to discuss this matter.
The Story
The details of Job’s story are interesting. This book is part of the Old Testament, which addresses the children of Israel, but the story is set in the land of Uz, different from Israel, and all the characters are non-Israelites. There are no clear details about the timeframe of what is recorded in the book, but many commentators assume Job lived at the same time as Abraham. It is not clear who the human author was, but we know that God would have us focus on the questions raised by Job’s suffering, rather than the story itself.
The first character we meet in this true story is Job. He was a rich and upright man (Job 1:1-3), then he lost all of his belongings and children. The Bible acknowledges that he trusted in God even in the worst conditions (v.21, 2:10), yet he had one clear problem: he had an incorrect idea of his righteousness. Interestingly, Job was careful to regularly offer sacrifices to atone for the sins of his sons and daughters (1:5).
The antagonist, or adversary, of the story is Satan. The name “Satan” means “the accuser,” and this is exactly the role he had in this record. Satan, appearing in the presence of God, accused Job of being righteous to gain blessings from God. Satan claimed that Job would reject God if he lost his blessings. Therefore God, for His own purposes, allowed Satan to harm Job but without taking his life. This illustrates two important spiritual facts:
- Satan has limited power and he must have permission from God before attacking anyone, including God’s children. This gives us comfort, knowing God is always in control even during times of suffering.
- God may use Satan to fulfill His purposes in the lives of His children, and this may be done through pain and suffering.
The story then introduces four friends of Job. The first three – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar – are almost united in their views, which are dogmatic, religious and sometimes based on experience (4:8, 5:27). Each of them presented three discourses, and Job answered them all. These friends viewed God as being far from mankind, and they perceived God through His works and actions in the lives of individuals. Their position was that God punishes man’s sins with suffering (5:17-18, 8:3-4), concluding Job must be a sinner under God’s punishment. Elihu, the fourth friend, was younger, but he had a higher understanding of God.
Central Theme
The main discussion between Job and his friends centers on pain and suffering. They were trying to answer the question, “Why do the godly suffer?”
Harold Kushner, a Jewish rabbi and author, tried to address this question in his book, When Bad Things Happen To Good People. He argued that the discussions in the book of Job introduce the following challenging propositions:
- God is all-powerful and causes everything that happens in the world. Nothing happens without His willing it.
- God is just and fair. He ensures people get what they deserve, that the good prosper and the wicked are punished.
- Job was a good person.
As long as Job was healthy and wealthy, there was no problem with these propositions. Once calamity appeared, only two of the three could be accepted; one must be denied. The first two, A and B, could then be accepted, but not C. Or, A and C may be accepted, but not B. The last option would be to accept statements B and C, but not A. The arguments in the book of Job are mainly focused on which of the three propositions are true and which are false.
Job’s friends had the view of supporting propositions A and B, but not C. They believed God is all-powerful (A) and fair (B), but since Job was suffering he must be a bad person (not C). They directly accused him of doing evil: “Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips testify against you” (15:6 esv). They claimed his sin was great: “Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities” (22:5). To help him get out of his suffering, they advised him to repent: “If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents” (11:14).
Job’s position had the view of supporting the propositions A and C, but not B. He agreed that God is all-powerful and mighty, and that He is in control of everything (A). Job defended himself as being good and righteous (C). That led him to the conclusion that God must not be fair in the way He treated him (not B). He cried out, “When He has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (23:10). Job said, “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go” (27:6). He even challenged God’s fairness by saying, “Though I am blameless, He would prove me perverse” (9:20).
Elihu’s discourse introduced a new perspective. His position was that all propositions (A, B and C) could be correct. Elihu agreed that God is all-powerful (A) and fair (B), but instead of claiming that Job is suffering because of his sins, he introduced another option: God may allow suffering to cause a person to avoid future sin and to build his or her character (37:13). This option can accept the fact that Job was a righteous person, even when he went through suffering.
God’s Position
Throughout this book, Job challenged God to answer him and reveal the reasons for his suffering. God accepted the challenge in Job 38–40. God asked Job 77 questions about creation and the running of the universe. The goal of these questions was to highlight the majesty of God. Job failed in answering all the questions. The conclusion of this test was that Job was not qualified to accuse God because God is higher than human understanding.
God followed these questions with the introduction of two creatures that were out of Job’s control (Job 40–41). The behemoth (most probably the rhino) and the leviathan (crocodile or a sea creature) are amazing and powerful creatures created by God. They are symbols of disorder and danger, yet God can still control them. Both animals can cause lots of damage, but they cannot go beyond what God allows and they are never outside of God’s control. The message that God wanted to clarify to Job was that we live in a world that is not designed to prevent suffering. He corrected the misunderstanding among Job and his friends regarding the statement “nothing happens without His willing it.” God does allow room for evil to happen outside of His will or desire.
We need to distinguish between God’s sovereignty, God’s will and God’s purposes. God’s purposes will always happen. His purposes include when we are born and when we die. Our salvation is also part of God’s purposes. God’s will includes His desires for our lives. He wants us to be holy and faithful, and to live according to the Bible. Our human will and actions may fulfill God’s plan for our lives, but in many cases we fail. We often go outside God’s will. Even when we are outside of what God’s desires in our lives, God will not allow us to go beyond His sovereignty. Our human will and actions overlap with God’s purposes, which must be done, and God’s will, which may or may not be done, but God will never allow us to go outside of His sovereignty.
The True Theme Of The Book
Reaching the end of the book, we realize its true theme. The correct theme is not “Why do the godly suffer?” Instead, it is: “Trust God during times of suffering.”
We do not read about Job getting an answer to his questions about the reasons for his suffering. Job did not know about the discussion between God and Satan, and he still didn’t understand why he suffered. However, Job realized that God is great and how much He cared for and loved him.
We get a great summary of the book of Job in the New Testament: “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (Jas. 5:11, italics added).
My dear brothers and sisters, we live in a world that is full of evil, which causes pain and suffering. Be reminded that God is not the cause of this suffering, and it cannot go outside or beyond His sovereignty. God can use the pain for our spiritual growth, and He is always with us during times of pain and suffering!
By Shereen Ghobrial