Few situations evoke the questions that suffering produces. The furnace of suffering within the book of Job appears intended to offer us much more than the shallow solace that our suffering could have been worse.
This book raises the stakes. We are invited to explore whether human piety can rise to altruism and whether Godâs workings are merely simplistic computations. The conclusions impact how we understand life and live it.
The prologue of Job introduces a pinnacle representative of pious humanity. Job was âa man blameless and upright, who feared God and turned away from evilâ (Job 1:1).  The question is, why does such a person serve God?
God affirmed a high view of Job, âthere is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and shuns evilâ (Job 1:8). On the other hand, Satan sneered Jobâs piety was shallow and self-serving. âExtend your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!â (Job 2:5).
As the story unfolds, because Job experienced suffering he suggested that God does not always bless the faithful. Eliphaz responded by accusing Job of hindering meditation and breaking piety (Job 15:4). By so doing, Eliphaz seems to infer Satan’s derision was correct; some serve God because they believe this shields them against pain.
What about us? Why do we worship? Is our devotion to God rooted in the belief that God must pour out earthly blessings on faithfulness?
Jobâs actions justified Godâs faith in him. He refused to curse God. âIn all this Job did not sin by what he saidâ (Job 2:10).
While the spirit world peering through the furnace of suffering viewed the assaying of Jobâs piety, this same crucible caused those on earth to debate Godâs nature. Who is God?
Jobâs friends essentially claimed Godâs justice means the wicked always suffer, while the righteous are blessed. Job denied this was necessarily so. Based upon his own experience, Job did not view God so mathematically neat and predictable. The blameless, he asserted, might suffer fiercely.
Why do people suffer? What do our experiences of human misery suggest about God? What answers would we offer to the problem of suffering?
As this book closes, God confronted a prideful self-righteous Job (Job 38:2; 40:2). Following God’s speech, Job confessed he did not understand and he repented of his self-righteousness at Godâs expense (Job 40:8; 42:2-6).
Then God said to Eliphaz, âMy anger is stirred up against you and your two friends, because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job hasâ (Job 42:7). Are we to conclude from this that God is unjust? Not at all!
Our messy world is governed by a righteous God, yet not a God controlled by simplistic principles. While God never desired Job to suffer, he did allow Satan to inflict it (Job 1:12; 2:6). Although the Adversary was certain this would crush Jobâs piety, in the end Jobâs attitude improved.
If we discover ourselves drawn into the furnace, several conclusions might emerge. Among these are while God is sovereign, the pious can still suffer. We cannot fathom God, nor all of his ways. While we may never understand why we suffer, we do know how we should live.
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