Job 1:8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job was an upright man who feared God. Yet God allowed him to suffer, not because he was guilty of sin, but because Satan was trying to tempt him to commit sin. Job’s suffering included the loss of his children and all his wealth in a single day, then the loss of his health, and finally his wife and friends turned against him (1:13-19; 2:7-9). However, Job reacted to his suffering by maintaining his faith in God (1:20-22; 2:10).
Job 4:7 Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? Like many people today, Job’s friends believed that only the wicked should suffer. So when Job suffered so grievously, they mistakenly concluded that he was guilty of grievous sins. In Job’s responses throughout the book, he maintained that he did not know why he was suffering, but he knew he was not guilty as they were accusing him. Yet, as one commentator notes, Job’s view is mistaken in a way that is similar to that of his friends. He often expresses the view that suffering ought to be reserved to the wicked! He knew it apparently was not reserved for the wicked, since he was convinced he did nothing to deserve what he was suffering. But he thought God should not allow the righteous to suffer, so he complained against the justice of God in allowing such suffering for the righteous. (Job 9:22-24; 12).
Job 40:7 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. In the end, God never does explain to Job the reasons why he suffered; rather, God proves that He is wiser than men, so we often do not understand Him. Job then realized that he had no right to criticize God.
Job’s friends had to offer sacrifice for having said false things about God and about Job, but God rewarded Job by giving him even more blessings than he had at the beginning. Job 42:12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.
One thing we learn from Job is that suffering is not always a punishment for evil we have personally done. Suffering is sometimes a temptation to sin. Just as man cannot understand God’s power in creation, so we do not (and sometimes cannot) understand His affairs in the world. We simply do not know why certain people suffer. Nevertheless we should trust God to do right, instead of doubting Him. We can endure suffering faithfully, just as Job did, even when we do not understand all God’s affairs.
James 5:11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
The goal of worldliness is to avoid suffering. It’s the quest to get everything you want in life, no matter what it costs, no matter who it hurts. James makes it clear that the goal for Christians is different. We consider faithfulness to God despite suffering a mark of success. James inspired by God, counts as blessed those who have persevered through trials and tribulations and he points to Job as a great example, some would say Job is the ultimate example.
Job was a man who endured enormous suffering while refusing to renounce his faith in God. In the end, God rewarded him by restoring all he had lost and giving him much, much more. Suffering Christians in every era should follow Job’s example of faithfulness to God in their physical and emotional suffering, and every Christian should also expect, ultimately, to receive from God far more than we have ever lost.
Over the next few weeks we will learn of Job’s perseverance and what the Lord finally brought about and how above all else God is a God of compassion and mercy.