Many Bible Readers view the book of Job as an anomaly, a misfit in the canon of scripture; some even consider it to be mere myth. But to those of us who believe that “all scipture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Tim. 3:16), the book is a fascinating treasure of wonderful poetic language, yielding thrilling information about God’s creative acts and graphically portraying the conflicting struggles of a man searching for spiritual insight. Here was a man, who in the parlance of today, “had everything” and then lost it all. He was afflicted by tremendous physical ailments, and to add insult to injury, his friends berated him.
James shows that Job is an example of patience and endurance throughout his suffering as he waited for the Lord to reveal His purpose. It is important that we not miss the information that it was the compassion of God to bring Job to salvation. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (Jas. 5: 1 1).
The adversary
Satan was present with the “sons of God.” Of course, we recognize that this personage was an adversary of Job, not an archfiend who orchestrated the disasters of Job as portrayed by some. Maybe he was a member of the small group of believers to which both belonged. Whoever he was it is clear that Satan possessed no power to afflict others because he suggested that God test Job: “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath…” (Job 1:11). Another factor is that Job himself attributed his affliction to the Lord: “Have pity upon me…0 ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me” (Job 19:21). The “sons of God” with whom Satan communed were also members of the human race such as those mentioned by the apostle Paul: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14).
In common with so many who share our human nature, the adversary judged others by his own standards. He believed that if the blessings of family and possessions were to be removed from Job, then his faith in God would be weakened to the point of extinction. Certainly the man had a superabundance of material wealth as well as the status of being a patriarchal figure to his large family and contemporaries: “And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:2-3).
Beware of riches
The Scriptures give many warnings about the pitfalls of wealth and ease, and how the comfort of plenty can obscure the view of God. When the children of Israel were about to enter the promised land, Moses issued a dire warning to be vigilant in this respect: “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in keeping his commandments…when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied” (Deut. 8:11,13). Whereas Job was an example for all ages in that he avoided focusing on material things and built up a reserve of faith in the Lord that preserved his integrity throughout the most dire trials and circumstances. Suddenly, with the exception of his wife, he became bereft of everything: family, possessions, and friends.
A comparison of modern-day equivalents of Job’s losses impacts more graphically on our senses. The oxen and donkeys were stolen; today it would be our car. The servants were slain; for us it would mean the removal of our labor-saving devices such as washing machine and dishwasher. The sheep and those who tended them were consumed by fire equates with arson in the work place and murder of all of the employees. A great wind blew down the house where the sons and daughters of Job were feasting. Today the newspaper headlines would read: “Ten siblings killed as tornado demolishes house.”
The mind boggles at the mere suggestion this could happen to us. What would be our reaction to so great a tragedy? How would we cope? Put in this light the full force of these incredible words hit home: “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, naked came I out of my mother’s womb and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:20-22). Truly Job was an exceptional man.
The problem of suffering
In addition to the horrendous problems Job was experiencing, he was struck down physically and still maintained his trust in God, but his wife could contain her bitterness no longer: “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Sadly, when Job desperately needed the comfort of spiritual support, his partner failed him. In spite of his dwindling resource of inner strength, compounded by his illness, Job patiently tried to help his wife understand that her comments did not belong to a woman exposed to the ways of God through a faithful husband: “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What, shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). She just could not grasp the difficult fact that, in His dealings with humans, God allows both good and bad things to affect them.
The faulty concept of exact retribution – blessings for exemplary behavior, suffering for misdeeds – led to the rationale of Job’s three friends: “You must be guilty of wrongdoings Job, why else would you be suffering?”
Similar reasoning exists today. When misfortune strikes, how often do we hear (or even think to ourselves) “what have I done to deserve this?” But one has only to consider the long list of the faithful in Hebrews to realize that adherence to God’s principles does not bring immunity to problems. “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented…” (Heb. 11:36-37). These were men and women of great faith and yet they experienced severe suffering.
Believers throughout the ages have struggled with the problem of suffering; and this side of the kingdom there is perhaps no definitive answer. The Bible does however show that God uses chastening, better understood as discipline, to direct those He loves: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:6,7,11).
Directed through affliction
No doubt the greatest example of learning through suffering is our Savior Jesus Christ: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:8-9). Moreover, he underwent the process for sinners like you and me: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God…” (I Pet. 3:18).
We do not know what the Lord in His wisdom has in store for us personally in the way of chastening, but we are encouraged by the words of Solomon. “Trust in the Lord and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5-6). Let us take exhortation from the patience of Job who, although he was at a loss to understand his predicament, he steadfastly clung to his belief in God. Ian Macfarlane, Hamilton (Ewen Rd.), Ontario
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