Year of the Bible : Week 2
The book of Job is one of the most unique stories we have in the Bible. Starting with a conversation between God and Satan about a man named Job. Satan’s accusation is that Job is righteous because He is blessed and if he loses everything, Job will turn on God. So God allows Satan to take everything but Job’s life to prove his servant faithful. The next 40 chapters are the conversations that take place between Job and his friends and Job and God.
Here’s a summary of what Job loses: his kids, his homes, his land, his livestock, his business, and his health (covered in miserable boils and sores). It’s fair to say, everything had gone wrong that could. Job’s whole life was ripped from him. He is mourning the loss of everything while simultaneously being in the excruciating pain. To make matters worst, his wife and friends are what he called “miserable comforters”. These conversations with Job and his friends happen in three waves; Job 13-14, 15-21 and 22-28.
“I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all.” Job 16:2 ESV
This book can be hard to read but there are some huge insights we gain for understanding the sovereignty of God and why bad things happen to good people. Job was righteous before God, yet he went through immense suffering. Our calamity is not always a factor of our character. And when we start to understand this, we start to grow in the heavenly wisdom that only comes with knowing God through suffering.
Our calamity is not always a factor of our character.
“In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” Job 1:22 ESV
Here’s a few observations on how Job handled his suffering well…
- Job refused to blame or curse God (even when others encouraged him to)
- Job had friends who showed up to support him (they sat in silence for 7 days, wow!)
- Job lamented, grieved, mourned (he did not just “get over it”)
- Job held on to the truth he knew about God (even when his friends became “miserable comforters” and kept speaking falsehoods and accusations)
- Job took his questions to God when he ran out of answers and strength (it’s ok to have doubt, ask questions, be frustrated – but take that to the Lord)