Big Idea - When we suffer, struggle, and meet with trials and difficulties, when bad things happen, it is very natural to ask why? What is the reason for our suffering? We have this sense that there must be some cause for our suffering, and we want an explanation. Like Job's friends, the first reason that comes to mind is that we must have done something wrong and are being punished. We want to know why because we believe that if we know the cause, then we can know how to fix it, how to make the suffering stop, and how to avoid suffering in the future. The Book of Job is dealing with this very question. How are we to make sense of the suffering and hardships we encounter in life? How are we to think about all the suffering we see around us in the world? We need is wisdom and understanding, but where can wisdom be found?

Chapter 28 is a break in the action that divides the book into two may sections or acts. Job and his friends exit the stage, and the narrator comes on stage to give us some things to ponder as we reflect on act one. Act one brings us to see that both Job and his friends cannot explain the events of Job's life. The retribution principle does not adequately explain why people suffer - it is overly simplistic. It does not reflect the reality that the wicked often prosper, and in the case of Job, a truly good man is suffering. What Job and his friends need is wisdom, which an ancient reader would expect to be introduced at some point, as this is in a category known as wisdom literature. First, the narrator paints a vivid picture of man's ingenuity and determination to explore the depths, literally, and bring to light that which is hidden. Unlike the birds and beasts, we have a real talent for exploration and discovery. But, our ingenuity and technology fail us in the search for wisdom. The problem is that we don't even know where to look for it. It cannot be found by exploring the depths of the earth or the sea or searching the expanse of the universe. In short, wisdom is beyond the reach of human intellect, technology, and ingenuity. The question is not where can wisdom be found, but where does it come from? The source of wisdom is God himself. We cannot discover it on our own because it is beyond both space and time. The wisdom we are searching for to explain suffering came from God and was woven into the very fabric of the universe at creation. This is a major point in the book. The world does not operate by the merit system or by the retribution principle. And if we think about it, we can see that the laws of the universe would turn into chaos if the world ran like a vending machine. Instead, the world operates on the basis of God's wisdom. We can define what wisdom is - it is the ability to know what course of action to take in order to achieve the best and highest good. But we cannot understand how that wisdom works in the way God created the universe. God created the wind and the rain, as well as all the other forces of nature. They operate according to the wisdom of God, that is, for the ultimate good. God made the world good, and wisdom is what keeps it pointed in that direction. But, the forces of nature have the potential for both benefit and great harm. Gravity keeps us from drifting off into space, which is a good thing, but it is a destructive force if you fall off a cliff. The wisdom that makes sense of all this is beyond us. Like the infant that is outraged when her mom takes away the razor they discovered and feels they have been dealt a great injustice, cannot understand that there is higher wisdom at work they do not know. This is frustrating news for us. We want answers and explanations, not because we are curious, but because we want control. Job's friends hold on fiercely to their worldview because they are certain it gives them control over the world and God. We want the same thing, a measure of control, even over God. We want the world to operate on the basis of justice, even if a flawed justice so that we can make demands on God.

If we cannot understand why we suffer, and the wisdom to make sense of it all is beyond us, this seems quite unfair and hopeless! But God does not leave us in the dark. We cannot find wisdom on our own, but God can and will give us wisdom. He promises to grant wisdom to those who fear Him and who turn away from evil. Fear in the Bible can mean many things, but when it is used to describe the fear of the Lord, it means to take God very seriously, to be in awe of God's might, power, and awesome character in all its fullness. Ultimately, it means to worship God and consider Him worthy of our trust and devotion. We turn away from evil because we turn to God and His goodness. Will this answer our question about why we suffer? No, certainly not. But, it is the path to growing in wisdom, the understanding that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We may have doubts about the goodness and wisdom of God. How do we overcome these doubts, especially if the problem of pain and suffering makes it hard for us to believe that God is good? First, we can look at creation itself and see that it is extraordinary, complex, mysterious, beautiful, and good. Second, we must look at God's revelation about Himself and the world in the Bible. God created the universe good, but sin came into the world and has brought evil and destruction to all God made. This was not God's doing but ours, and it is the cause of much of our suffering. Thirdly, we should never lose sight of what God has done to redeem and restore the broken world. He entered fully and completely into the brokenness and suffering of the world. He took on human flesh to experience fully all the pain and suffering we experience, and He endured that suffering to an extreme farther than any of us. He is a good and loving God, and we find His glorious wisdom supremely in the cross, which is foolishness to the world but salvation to those who believe and take God seriously!