Study Notes Ed Underwood

Job: Worship in the Face of Suffering

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

(Job to God, Job 42:2)

The five Books of Poetry bridge the past of the seventeen Books of History with the future of the seventeen Books of Prophecy. One-third of the Hebrew Bible was written in poetry. The five Poetical Books deal with the present experience of the authors in ways that speak to the experiential present of believers of all time. Though they come from an ancient culture they are timeless in their application. They do not advance the timeline of the nation Israel. The poetry erupts from the hearts of God’s people going through some of the eras and experiences documented in the Books of History.

Job lived during the patriarchal era of Abraham (Ezekiel 14:14; James 5:11). I believe Moses wrote the book based upon the oral tradition of the story he learned while living in Midian, adjacent to Uz (1:1). Adept at writing poetry (Psalm 90), Moses recast the story in Hebrew poetry under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It’s a beautiful piece dealing with the deepest crisis of faith for those who trust in the God of the Bible: Why do the righteous suffer if God is loving and all-powerful? The central issue for the sufferer is, “How can I go on believing in God when life is so hard?” “To sufferers in all ages the book of Job declares that less important than fathoming the intellectual problem of the mystery of suffering is the appropriation of its spiritual enrichment through the fellowship of God.” (Henry McKeating, The Central Issue of the Book of Job,” Expository Times 82:8 (May 1971):246)

The Book of Job moves the reader from the problem of suffering to the relationship of the sufferer with their God. Job learns to trust in the goodness and power of his God when life isn’t good. Keep in mind that Job’s experience is limited to chapters 3-37. Only the reader has the divine perspective of chapters 1-2 and is able to “read ahead” to chapters 38-42. This is the way it is for sufferers. Suffering is real time with no tangible evidence that God is good and cares. Those sufferers who trust in the goodness of their God and worship Him as their caring Redeemer will know the real-time of intimacy with Him during the long days of suffering:

The story of Job reports the transforming crisis in the life of a follower of God who lived four thousand years ago. Job’s trust in God (chapters 1-2) changes to complaining and growing self-defense on the basis of his performance (3-31). Finally, God speaks and Job learns his place in the relationship. God is the Sovereign; Job is the worshiper (38-42).

I. JOB’S UNDESERVED SUFFERING: Satan challenges God’s rule with the charge that no one loves God from pure motives, but only for material blessings. God refutes Satan’s lie by allowing him to strike Job with two series of tragedies. In his sorrow Job laments the day he was born but does not deny God (1-2).

II. JOB’S “COMFORTERS”: Job’s friends come to “comfort” him. After a week of silence, a three round debate follows. His friends say Job must be suffering because of his sin. But Job insists that they are wrong and finally cries out to the Lord as his only judge and refuge (3-37).

A. JOB’S FRIENDS: Simplistic assumptions hurt Job deeply as he shifts his confidence from human resources to his Redeemer (3-32).

Messiah: Job acknowledges a Redeemer (19:25-27) and longs for a Mediator (9:33; 25:4; 33:23). Ultimately Christ is the answer to Job’s question. He identifies with our sufferings (Hebrews 4:15) and is our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).

Job: Trust God enough to worship Him during times of suffering!

B. JOB’S COMPLAINT CHALLENGED: Elihu rightly exposes Job’s real problem: His preoccupation with self-justification instead of glorifying God. (32-37).

III. GOD’S ANSWER: The LORD forces Job to look to the faithfulness of God, His Redeemer, who brings good for his own even out of evil and according to His purposes. This time Job acknowledges his error with a worshiping heart (38-42).

The following charts from Dr. Tom Constable help us sort through the answers to the question, “Why do the godly suffer?”

PERSON(S)

Job’s Wife Job’s Three Friends

Job Elihu God

PERSON(S)

Job’s Wife Job’s Three Friends Job Elihu God

ANSWER

God is unfair God is disciplining (punishing) them because of their sin God wants to destroy them because of sin God wants to direct (educate) them because of ignorance God wants to develop them to demonstrate His glory

EPISTEMOLOGICAL BASE

Empiricism Rationalism Rationalism Human inspiration Revelation

EV ALUA TION

Never Sometimes

Sometimes Sometimes Always

IV. JOB AND YOU: “The book of Job makes an outstanding contribution to the theology of God and man. God is seen as sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent, and caring. By contrast, man is seen as finite, ignorant, and sinful. And yet, even in the face of suffering, man can worship God, confident that His ways are perfect and that pride has no place before Him.” (Roy Zuck, A Theology of the Old Testament, p. 232)

A. Trying to comfort the suffering? Job’s three friends started well by simply showing up and being with him for a week. Then they started trying to explain the why’s of suffering. This almost never helps. The sufferer needs your presence and love more than your words and your theology.

1. Suffering? Don’t waste it by trying to figure out your God. Let Him redeem it by growing deeper in your relationship with Him as you trust Him and worship Him in spite of the pain.

2. Perspective! Don’t ever think that what you see on earth is all that’s going on in the universe. There is personal evil and wickedness in this world that is always challenging the goodness of our God. When we worship Him in spite of the pain we prove them wrong.