When we read the first two chapters of the book of Job, we can see why Job is often presented as a model for how a believer should face suffering. Job accepts his tragedy with a grace that is hard to imagine. After the loss of his wealth and children, he worships and blesses the Lord’s name (Job 1:20-21). Then after being afflicted with painful sores, he confronts his wife by asking her, “Shall we receive good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10).
However, beginning in chapter 3, and running through chapter 31, Job has a very different response. He accuses God of unfair treatment; he wishes he had never been born; and he pours out some of the bitterest laments in the Old Testament. Thus, it is fair to ask: is Job a model for us in how to face suffering in our own life? If so, how do we reconcile Job’s bitter laments in relation to his earlier response in chapters 1 and 2?
As one possible answer, perhaps readers shouldn’t juxtapose Job’s response in chapters 1 and 2 with his response in chapters 3 through 31. Rather, readers should view Job’s responses as a whole, since Job’s responses reflect the various stages of grief that he was going through. Moreover, Job’s grief was exacerbated by the unhelpful input he was receiving from his wife and friends. As such, I would contend that Job is indeed a model for us in how to face suffering, which is likely at least one reason why this divinely-inspired book was included in the Old Testament canon.
Below I will offer six points that will hopefully shed light on why I believe the book of Job is a model for how a believer should face suffering in his or her own life: 1) Job’s desire to understand will not be realized on this side of heaven; 2) the gap between our experience of suffering and God’s ability to redeem it in the end points to God’s wisdom; 3) God’s justice is not in contradiction to His decrees; 4) God gave Job a bigger view of Himself, not specific answers to his suffering; 5) suffering is not God’s retribution towards us; and 6) we should have a deeper gratitude to God for all of His good gifts.
First, we must recognize that Job’s desire to understand God was not going to be fully realized, and certainly not in this life. Even the point when Job says, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5), does not bring the knowledge he had hoped for. And this is from the final chapter of the book.
Second, we must recognize the gap between our experience of suffering and God’s ability to redeem it in the end. God is indeed good, and His purposes will certainly be accomplished in the end. In the moment, however, such an answer may not fully satisfy us on this side of heaven. Undoubtedly, the book of Job reminds us that suffering will remain. Yet, suffering as a vehicle used by God for our sanctification gives us a glimpse of what God is doing in the midst of our suffering (see James 5:11; James 1:3-4; Romans 5:3-4; Romans 8:28).
Old Testament scholar John Walton believes that the book of Job offers a biblical perspective on suffering and not merely an explanation of suffering. As Walton describes:
The book of Job leads us to consider one of the basic philosophical questions of human existence. It has been found to be a very practical book because the questions have not changed much over the last five thousand years of history. We still seek reasons for personal and corporate suffering and wonder what logic can be used to understand our life experiences.Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament [1] (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 403.
Third, the dilemma being presented in Job is the attribute of God’s justice as it relates to human suffering. How can God be just, yet allow His followers to suffer – especially as the wicked seem to prosper? (Job 10:3). In other words, it is God (and God’s character) that is being questioned here. The book of Job, therefore, raises questions about the nature of the world in which we live, as well as the nature and character of God.
As John Walton explains further, “The purpose of the book of Job is to explore God’s policies concerning justice, especially as it regards the suffering of the righteous. Job wonders how God can possibly allow the righteous person to suffer. Again, it is God’s policies that are being questioned .”Ibid., 408. Yet, the book of Job offers no easy or simplistic answers.
Our understanding of God is necessarily limited by our own finite and imperfect notions of fairness and justice. As such, our response should be that it is not our place to judge God with respect to our own sense of fairness and justice. Instead, our view of God’s justice must always align with Scripture, rather than our own estimation of how we perceive that God is (or is not) just. We must accept that God is just, even in areas we may find difficult to comprehend. The totality of Scripture, not our personal feelings, must be our guide and anchor that informs our understanding of God’s nature and His justice.
Fourth, instead of Job’s dilemma of his pain and suffering being resolved, he is challenged by God during his encounter with Him. God’s wisdom, Job was finally able to discern, enabled him to understand the limitations of his ability to know all the mysteries of human life, including God’s sovereign plans and purposes (Job 42:1-3).
As Walton describes, “The resolution offered by the speeches of God is that His justice must be deduced from His wisdom. Causes of suffering cannot be consistently or accurately deduced, and no one has sufficient wisdom to call God’s justice into question.”Ibid., 413. Nonetheless, “we do have enough information to be convinced of His benevolent wisdom. God’s self-defense, if it can be called that, is conducted by establishing that His wisdom exceeds all human wisdom.”Ibid., 409. Here, I am reminded of the Doxology in Romans 11:33-36. This passage no doubt reflects similar sentiments that Job expressed following his own encounter with God.
Fifth, we must recognize that suffering is not necessarily a sign of God’s anger toward us. Rather, suffering is a vehicle through which God reveals Himself to us more tangibly and profoundly than He does when we are experiencing safety and comfort. Job’s suffering shows us that we still need to love, honor, and trust God, irrespective of any blessings God might give us, since we are not guaranteed perfect health and safety in this life.
Sixth, and last, we should learn (as Job did) that we must dispel any notion that we somehow earned God’s good gifts to us or were awarded them based on our own good behavior. Moreover, we should learn to cultivate gratitude for the good gifts God has given us, otherwise we will be tempted to make idols of the gifts themselves and turn our focus away from God, who blessed us with those gifts (James 1:16-17).
To conclude, Job was a righteous man who was afflicted more than most of us will ever be. He suffered imperfectly (as we would), yet he still experienced God’s grace. This is because Job chose to trust in the sovereignty and goodness of God. Likewise, the more we put the focus of our loving and sovereign God into our heart, the more we can find hope that God is working for our good (Romans 8:28) and that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Ultimately the book of Job points us to Jesus, the perfect, innocent sufferer (1 Peter 1:19). Job’s experience of suffering and trusting God can instruct us in our own suffering as we look to Jesus.