Consider it a screenplay full of lessons about our suffering
By Dean Collins
It’s poetry and it has value, so don’t skip the Book of Job. I understand that some people don’t particularly like poetry, but that doesn’t diminish its value. Job is probably a hard introduction to poetry because it is long, the sixth-longest book of the Bible by chapters. If you want to memorize a poem, this is not the one to try first.
It might be easier to understand Job if you consider it more of a screenplay. It is a story of a man who appeared to have it all together in every area of life. Job had a good relationship with God, was a family man, and had achieved enough business success to accumulate wealth. Then suddenly, unexpected tragedy occurred. Actually, it was several back-to-back tragedies that brought the deaths of all Job’s children, his employees, his flocks, and his buildings. Job was left with his wife, a few friends, lots of questions, and much grief.
Bad things happen to good people
This drama won’t explain all the reasons bad things happen to good people, but it certainly reminds us that we are not alone in our unexplained difficulties and losses. There are basically seven main characters in this story: God, the adversary, Job, the friends of Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and later an angry young man named Elihu.
Elihu is sure the three older friends and Job are out of touch and someone needs to speak some truth to them maybe even hold them accountable somehow.
While few of us have the full range of Job’s tragic suffering, some do. Consider what many in Hawaii are experiencing today. Or maybe what might be experienced in the Ukraine, Russia, and among the countless refugees of various wars and terrorist attacks around the world. Throughout history, there have been some whose lives include extreme loss and suffering. Job’s experiences give us some helpful insight into how to cope, understand, and maybe even find hope.
Some advice is just not helpful
The Book of Job also offers caution to those who come alongside those who suffer. Our opinions, explanations, and judgments, though they certainly seem wise and even spiritual, may in fact not be helpful. Sometimes keeping our mouths shut (except in our prayers) may be more helpful to those who suffer.
After all of Job’s tragedies have occurred, including his physical suffering from an excruciating skin disease, Job sits in ashes grieving for seven days. His wife’s suggestion had been to curse God and die. His three peers begin on the right path simply sitting in silence with their friend for a week. Finally, Job openly expresses his agony through words and moaning. He curses the day he was born. Job understandably seems to be at his wit’s end, wishing that death would welcome him.
Job’s three friends offer their opinions and explanations of what happened to Job. A major theme is that Job must have sinned and brought this on himself. Sometimes our sins and mistakes do lead to our suffering. Our lack of exercise, bad diets, and risky behaviors may bring some suffering, but many times our health problems, our financial losses, our job situations, and our family dilemmas are not caused by our mistakes. Tragedy and suffering occur every day simply because we live in a fallen world.
‘Blessed is the one God reproves’
While much of what Job’s friends say to him was not helpful and not true, there were moments their words contained the truth. One of these truths came from Eliphaz. “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves,” he said. “Therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.”
Both the books of Hebrews and Proverbs make a point that it is God’s love that brings discipline and training. It is a blessing when God corrects our faulty thinking and redirects us by his love and his Holy Spirit. Eliphaz was correct that God does bind our shattered lives and sends healing from his very hands. Job didn’t do anything wrong that deserved his suffering, but God can and in this case did bring help, healing, and blessing even through Job’s horrible suffering.
One lesson we can learn from Job is that in our suffering we can and even must express our pain and agony to God. God is never offended or bothered by our questions or accusations. God is completely secure in his wisdom, and while his response to our pain may feel like it arrives too slowly, God never ignores us. He is a God of love and compassion, even when we struggle to understand his ways. We should not hold back from God but freely express our anguish to him.
God has provided a mediator
We can also find the gospel in Job. Consider Job’s insight in chapter 9:
“God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.”
Job understood that God isn’t mortal. Job earnestly longed for someone who would advocate on his behalf before the throne of God. Job wanted someone to come between himself and God to explain his thoughts and acknowledge his pain. If Job had a mediator, then the mediator might do for Job what Job could not do for himself.
Centuries later, at just the right time, God sent his Son, Jesus, who would bear our sins and all the sins of the world on the cross of Calvary. Jesus is our Savior and our mediator. He now advocates for us before the almighty. Consider Paul’s words to Timothy as he explained why we must pray for each other:
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.”
It appears that Job’s three friends would have done much better if they had simply listened to the suffering of their friend and then prayed urgently and regularly for him. At the end of Timothy’s challenge concerning the importance of praying for each other, he explained that Jesus is our mediator. We have what Job longed for, someone pleading for us. What Job did not understand and we often fail to see is that Jesus showed up at just the right time to save us. And he continues to do that every day.
Lord, like Job we do not understand our suffering. We confess our sins that have sometimes led to our difficulty, but we also know that many things happen to us and in this world for reasons we don’t understand and cannot explain. Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus as Savior and mediator. Thank you that we are forgiven and not abandoned. Correct us when we do wrong. Correct our thinking and understanding of you and of others when we assume we understand. Give us the courage to be honest before you. Give us the wisdom and compassion to listen and to love others during their suffering. Today we ask that you draw close to those who are experiencing great loss. Change our hearts to be loving and compassionate when we see suffering in others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Job 5:17-18; 6:8-30 ESV; Job 7:11; 9:32-35; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; Hebrews12:5-13 NLT
Photo by Karthikeyan Perumal on Unsplash
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