An Exploration of Why Job Suffered

An Exploration of Why Job Suffered

Jeannette Villatoro

GSP0819A

Dr. Johnny Vanneste

May 25, 2008


An Exploration of Why Job Suffered

Perhaps one of the most fascination books in the Bible is the Book of Job. This poetic and fluid dictation has been deemed as "the most profound and literary work of the entire Old Testament" (McKenzie, 1995, pg. 207). Job explores the presence of evil, how it relates to the existence of man, and how God plays a part in the battle. Quite possibly the most perplexing question regarding this writing is why Job suffered? I will begin a journey into discovery that will touch on what forms of suffering became of Job, what interpretations exist regarding this affliction, and how it brings light to the belief of Christianity today.

The Book of Job presents a relatable experience for the average believer. Many people have been through turmoil and strife; ups and downs in life that seem to make living unbearable. Having everything that is ever wanted is a rare accomplishment for most Americans today, but perhaps the more common experience is losing everything once it is obtained. Is this a direct punishment upon the nature of man? What about those who are righteous and follow the Lord with the entirety of their will and still find anguish? These questions have been delved into by scholars who study the Book of Job, as it clearly displays similar life trials.

Starting in the Book of Job reveals many revelations of Job and how to live righteously. However, according to some studies, "Since the Law of Moses is not mentioned, this indicates Job lived before the Law was given at ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Mt. Sinai. The book of Job shows the way of life which was common during the Patriarchal Age" (McDaniel, 2001, pg. 1). This particular discovery proposes that Job had an innate desire to serve the Lord despite the direct command to do so. Job was wealthy with an abundance of blessings. He had many livestock and prosperity and had a large estate. But the amazing fact about Job was that with all of this opulence that he had, he was a man of unmatched veracity among others in the land. "He was a man of perfect integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil" (Barker, 2002, pg. 303). He also kept his family humble and cleansed his children each day in hopes to abolish any sins that they may have committed towards God, both in action and thought. But soon his comfortable existence would be defeated in horrendous ways.

Satan approached God on one particular occasion, in which the Lord boasted of his servant Job whom he was very pleased. He presented the faith and character of Job to Satan as an apparent hope for the possibilities of man. Satan took this opportunity to challenge God and present controversy in the pride that God expressed over Job. Satan brought to light that God has blessed Job with everything that a man could ever want; therefore Job was only loyal by default. God then allowed Satan to confront Job's integrity as long as he did not harm him. Satan immediately sought to prove that Job would falter in his love for the Lord.

As soon as this pursuit took place, Satan was successful in taking away all of the worldly possessions in which Job held so dear. His livestock was diminished and his children were destroyed. But Satan did not prove successful in his intentions to break Job's faith, as Job ripped his clothing from his body, shaved his head, and declared, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

God brought this reaction of Job's to the attention of Satan but Satan was not satisfied. He told God that "any man would give up his possessions if he feared for his life" (Job 2:4). God then allowed Satan to test Job once again, as long as he was not killed. Satan infected Job with incurable boils from head to foot (Job 2: 7). And yet again, Job responded with faith for the Lord's will for him, despite his confusion with the wrecking of his life.

The suffering of Job has brought many interpretations and concerns to light among the Christian faith. Why exactly did God let Job suffer? Although it seems clear, there may be more ramifications to this reasoning than most would expect. Initially, God allowed Satan to try and destroy the devotion of possibly the best man of his time; Job. Once the first test was given, it was shown that Job had humility when the things he loved were violently swept away. When the second test occurred, Job still remained strong when he became ill and his very existence was threatened. But why would God allow this test to occur in the first place?

One particular explanation lies in the possibility that God was unsure of Job. Perhaps he was interested to see what faults Job had and if he would turn his back away from God once his blessed life became less than bearable. But the argument against this prediction is that God is all knowing and already knows the heart of his people. So then maybe he wanted to prove to Satan that there was a good, loyal servant that existed in the eyes of God. One who would serve him until his dying day regardless of pleasantries or turmoil? Even so, God has no need to prove his knowledge or manner to anyone, especially Satan (Linthicum, 1991, pg. 178). This perpetual feud between Satan and God seems almost as if God was merely humoring Satan with the enhancement of teaching lessons to his people in the process.

Another analogy of why Job suffered would be to show the wisdom of God and let people endure the compassion of human suffering. "After Elihu had finished, God spoke. God did not tell Job that He had allowed Satan to afflict him. He simply challenged Job with His great wisdom. God's wisdom was much greater than that of Job and his friends. If they could not answer questions about how God does things in His creation, how could they understand human suffering?" (McDaniel, 2001, pg. 1).

One last theodicy on this particular subject would be that of a direct collaboration between human suffering and God's suffering and the cataclysmic opposition that the two present. According to Sheldon, Job believed "a transcendent God could never understand our very human suffering, arising as it does from our powerlessness and finitude" (Sheldon, 2000, pg. 1). This could mean that the entire reason behind the allowance of the suffering of Job was for the benefit of both Job and God to understand a bit of each other's position.

One thing remains clear: Job's suffering was a direct result from Satan himself. The true question lies within why God would allow such a violation upon one of his most prized servants. Job's own wife suggested he should denounce God and prepare to die. The three friends that visited Job during the worst phases of his despair maintained that Job must have committed a terrible and vile sin in order to be the recipient of such havoc. But Job did not agree with this proposition, as he believed God to be compassionate and caring toward all human suffering that would take place in his eyes (Sheldon, 2000, pg. 1). After all the debates that flourished between Job in his desolate state and his three friends, the last statement that Job concludes is that, "his humanity entitles him to innate moral rights, which God has violated; and if he is innocent and God is truly all-powerful, then the Deity must be responsible for the evil that he and all other people endure' (Harris, 2007, pg. 252).

God's response to the feelings and presentations of Job and his friends reflected that of authority. If these men could not understand God and why He does things, which clearly they could not, as God had more wisdom than these and all men, then how could they possibly understand human suffering (McDaniel, 2001, pg. 1). These deliberations resulted in the repentance of Job and his promise to trust God and his love for all mankind.

So why does suffering truly exist, and most seemingly for those who least deserve it? Although the Book of Job intends to put such inquires to rest, it is still an ironic ending that comes of it all. Answers are not imminent and the understanding of why God would allow such trials and tribulations into the lives of those who served him well remain a floating inquisition in even today's world.

Job took the opportunity of his demise to truly explore why God would do this and what would come of it. It was truly a time of reflection. When God appeared as Job was discussing these matters with his friends, Job took upon the notion to challenge God and His ways. He still remained loyal and trusting in God, but with some new questions that needed to be answered. He was battling for humanity in that he confronted the Lord with his own mortal views that he believed God could not understand. "Reversing the traditional wisdom of that asks us to look at things from the Deity's viewpoint, Job asks that God develop greater empathy for the human condition, experiencing his imperfect world as mortals must, without the divine prerogatives of omniscience, immortality, and immunity to pain" (Harris, 2007, pg. 254). This would be probably the only mark in biblical history in which one of God's people gives a hypothesis of discovery to God himself. It was a very interesting viewpoint that Job asked God to uphold, as we as people can experience love for others with an innate understanding of their circumstances if we open our hearts. Even our children have the benefit of our love with the unique position of understanding what it is like to be a child because we have been a child ourselves. However, God has not experienced being a human being. Although he created us, he has not had the opportunity to understand what it is like to be mortal and struggle with such concepts as good and evil. Perhaps this marked God's decision for Jesus to come to the earth, so that a bridge of understanding could be created between us and God Himself.

God appears to make no distinction between the good and bad; innocent or guilty (Harris, 2007, pg. 253). This may be the most troubling conquest that a Christian or interested party can exam. But God assures us in a simple way that His Creation of all people is that of one. We may separate ourselves by such denominations of good and evil, but God wants us to see things His way. Perhaps our duty here on earth is to concentrate on the unity of each other rather than our own lives. In other words, in God's eyes, we are as good as the most evil person on earth.

With the many perplexities surrounding the Book of Job, there are just as many theories that attempt to encapsulate the true meaning of Job and the nature of the God we call our own. Job was an incredible influence that impacted the way we see God and Satan; good and evil. Job had everything that anyone could possibly desire as a man of his time and with that came the assumption that such blessings were allowed solely on the basis of his integrity and loyalty to God. But when it came time to prove otherwise, Job did everything but weaken his position as a God-fearing man. With this strength came a philosophy of who God really is and what he expects from his people. As with the Bible as an entity in itself, many of these writings can be open to whatever interpretations allow. And as difficult as it is to discover the unorthodox truths behind the teachings of the Bible, it is clear that the purpose of such desire for learning is possibly the most significant ingredient in Christianity to date.



References



Lithicum, R. C. (1991). City of God, City of Satan. Michigan: Zondervan.

McDaniel, A. (2001) Truth for the World. Job: Why Do The Righteous Suffer? Retrieved

May 21, 2008, from http://www.tftw.org/courses/bcc_ots_l9.html

The Holy Bible, Red-Letter Text Edition. Nashville: Tennessee, 2003.

Sheldon, R. (2000). The Book of Job: A multiperspectival approach to the problem of

evil, The suffering of the righteous, and the justice of God. A theodicy. Job as Sacrifice of Suffering. Retrieved May 23, 2008, from http://www.rbsp.info/rbs/RbS/JOB/j25.html

Harris, S. L. (2007). Understanding the bible (7th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.

Barker, K. L. (2002). Zondervan New International Version Study Bible. Michigan:

Zondervan.

McKenzie, J. L. (1995). Dictionary of The Bible. New York: Touchstone Books.