January 23, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
How many of you have faced suffering, frustration, or hardship in your lives? If you have, you’re not alone, because in this sin-filled world we are constantly facing hardships, frustrations, and even suffering. We are constantly struggling against some form of temptation, some hardship that has come into our life, even some form of suffering that is causing us pain or anguish in some way or another. There are times that we wonder why we have to deal with these things. There are times when we’ve raised our heads to heaven and asked, “What have I done to deserve this?” There are even times, when we see all the pain and sorrow, disasters and destruction around us that we begin to ask the question, “Why does the Lord allow such suffering to come into the lives of his faithful people?”
To answer a question like that we need to take a look at the life of a man named Job. So, I invite you to open your Bibles to the book of Job and we’ll begin our look at his life in chapter 1. Now, if you’ve been following the chronological schedule for our Bible reading challenge, then you have not only already read from Job 1, but you have spent the last couple of weeks reading through the entire book. Now, if you’ve spent the last two weeks reading through the book of Job, you may have been amazed to find that the majority of the book is a conversation between Job, his friends, and finally God. You may have been amazed to see just how greatly the Lord allowed Job to suffer. You may even have been amazed to hear Job cry out, as he did, in his anguish and suffering, essentially asking the question, “Why does the Lord allow suffering to enter the lives of his faithful people?”
Take a look at Job 1:1, “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. 4 His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. 6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” 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.” 9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:1–12, NIV84)
Why satan was there, presenting himself before the Lord along with the Lord’s angels, we don’t know. We don’t know because this is one of the things the Lord simply doesn’t tell us. However, as we read, it was the Lord who brought Job up as the subject of conversation. Take a look again at verse 8: “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.” When the Lord held up Job as an example of faithfulness and righteousness, satan immediately sought an opportunity to get back at God and he essentially bet God that Job would reject the Lord if the Lord took everything away from Job, which is exactly what the Lord allowed satan to do. Verse 15: the Sabeans attacked carrying off all of Job’s oxen and donkeys and killing his servants. Verse 16: The Fire of God fell and burned up the sheep and the servants. Verse 17: the Chaldeans stole all his camels and killed his servants. Verse 18: Job’s sons and daughters were killed with the house collapsed after being struck by a mighty wind. But what did Job do? Verse 20: “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:20–22, NIV84)
Again satan appeared before the Lord. (Job 2:1-2) Again the Lord held Job up as a great example of faithfulness and righteousness. (Job 2:3) Again satan bet the Lord that he could make Job lose his faith by striking his health, so the Lord allowed it. (Job 2:4-7) He gave Job over to satan to do to him whatever satan pleased. However, satan was not allowed to take his life. Satan afflicted Job with such painful sores that even his wife urged him to curse God and die. Yet Job remained faithful as he accepted even this suffering that the Lord had bestowed upon him. (Job 2:8-10) Though the Lord had allowed satan to inflict great suffering upon Job, he did not sin in the things that he said or the things that he did.
Yet, out of all the suffering that Job endured, what took place in the next 34 chapters was undoubtedly the most frustrating! Though his friends had come to comfort him, all they had done was sit with Job on the ground for 7 days and 7 nights. They hadn’t spoken a word to Job because they could see that Job was in such agony. Then, when Job finally spoke, he spoke with such anguish and pain in his voice that he cursed the day of his birth and wished he had never been born. In that moment his friends seized upon that anguish and began accusing him of hidden sins. They told Job that he was not nearly as righteous as he thought he was, that he was harboring some hidden sin in his heart, and it was because of that sin that the Lord was punishing him. Job responded that he was not harboring any secret sins, that his life was an open book, and that his righteousness was clear by his faith expressing itself in action in all he did. This was how the conversation went for 34 chapters; Job’s friends accusing him of secret sins while Job maintained his righteousness. They accused him of secret sins so vehemently that Job passionately defended his righteousness. In fact he so passionately defended his righteousness that he essentially began trusting in his own righteousness and began accusing God for acting unjustly in causing Job’s anguish and suffering. Though he may not have uttered the words of our theme today, if you read through what Job says, there are times that you can honestly hear him lifting his voice toward heaven and crying out, “Why, O God, am I being made to suffer?” “Why, O Lord, have you forsaken your servant?” “Why, O Lord, are you allowing such suffering to come into the life of your faithful servant?”
Yet, before we join the ranks of Job’s friends and condemn him in the midst of his anguished suffering, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves, how often haven’t those very words escaped our mouths? How often haven’t we raised our voices to heaven and cried out, “Why, O God, am I being made to suffer?” “What have I done to deserve this?” “Why, O Lord, are you allowing such suffering to come into the life of your faithful servant?” How often haven’t these very thoughts and words escaped our lips as we felt pain coursing through our bodies because of illness, disease, or even because of age? How often haven’t we grown angry with the Lord, because the Lord in his mercy and wisdom took our husband, our wife, even one or more of our children from this life to his heavenly kingdom. How often haven’t we cried out, “What have I done to deserve this?” when we were faced with insurmountable odds, when we or a loved one was diagnosed with a terminal illness, when we were facing financial troubles? How often haven’t we said, with tears flowing freely, “Why, O Lord, are you allowing such suffering to come into the life of your faithful people?”—Especially when we’ve seen the destruction caused by storms and earthquakes. How often haven’t we wondered why the Lord has allowed suffering to come into our lives when we face persecution or mockery for what we believe; when we face rising food prices, rising gas prices, and bills that just don’t stop coming?
For the truth is, we have all been filled with anguish and faced suffering in one way or another in our lives. We have all grown just as angry and impatient with our situation as Job has. And we have all cried out to the Lord in one way or another demanding an answer as to why the Lord has allowed suffering to enter into our lives. Yet, like Job, the answer to our question never comes. In fact, turn with me to Chapter 38 and we’ll take a look at the answer that Job got. Though the Lord answered Job, it was not the answer he expected or hoped for. Take a look at Job 38:1 and following. “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? (Job 38:1–7, NIV84) And again in 39: “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? 2 Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth? 3 They crouch down and bring forth their young; their labor pains are ended. 4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds; they leave and do not return. 5 “Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied his ropes? 6 I gave him the wasteland as his home, the salt flats as his habitat. 7 He laughs at the commotion in the town; he does not hear a driver’s shout. 8 He ranges the hills for his pasture and searches for any green thing. (Job 39:1–8, NIV84) and Again in chapter 40: “The LORD said to Job: 2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” 3 Then Job answered the LORD: 4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5 I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.” (Job 40:1–5, NIV84)
When Job received his answer form the Lord, it was not the answer he expected. Rather, Job saw the Lord’s righteousness and recognized his own sins of blaming God and accusing God and demanding answers from God. He recognized his sins, he repented of them, and the Lord forgave him. Though Job was never given an answer as to why the Lord allowed suffering to come into his life, Job saw how the Lord worked even that out for good, because today we have the example of Job and we are strengthened in our faith and better prepared to face suffering in our life because of what Job endured.
The same thing is true today. Though there are times when the Lord may allow or even send hardship and suffering into our lives, we may never receive the answer as to why he does it, because the truth is our God does not need to give us an answer for why he does the things he does. As his children, we do not know or fully understand the plans that he has for us, and just like parents do not always need to explain things to their children so also the Lord does not need to give us a reason for why we face certain situations in our lives. Yet, having said that, we are reminded of what the Lord says in Romans 8: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, NIV84) We are reminded of what Jesus tells us in John 15, how his father is the one who prunes us to make us more fruitful for him, and we know how the Lord used this suffering brought upon Job to give Job the opportunity to see his faithfulness to the Lord. Though Job did sin against the Lord with some of his words and complaints, he never lost his faith. He never rejected the Lord, and the Lord used this suffering as an opportunity to show Job just how faithful the Lord is, and how faithful Job was to the Lord. For it has been said, we never really know just how faithful we are until we have the opportunity to be unfaithful. Though we many never know why the Lord allows a particular form of suffering to enter our lives, we can take comfort in the fact that he will use it for our good, so that we might grow in our faith in him, that we might remain faithful to our Savior, that we might even be given the honor to lose our lives in this world so that we might gain them forever in heaven.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
