Job: Does God give and take away?
- Vina M.
- Nov 3, 2019
- 4 min read
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“Job is the oldest book of the Bible.”
My Bible study Pastor told us last week. It came to me like a trivia. I’ve never known about it before but it seems rather interesting that a book sandwiched in the Old Testament would be given that distinction.
Thank God for the book of Job! It actually moves us to reflect about how we think about pain and suffering and our response to it.
As the story goes, Job, a faithful, godly man, lost everything. Three of his friends (Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite) visited him. They assumed he sinned and thus, was punished.
However, Job defended himself. He knew of no sin he committed. Thus, he wanted God to explain to him the reason behind his suffering.
But they all didn’t know it was the devil’s work. God and Satan were in a sort of contest. The latter said that Job was just faithful because he had a hedge of protection and blessing around him.
Confident of His servant, God allowed Satan to test Job. God did not take away anything from him. The devil did.
Truly, Job did not really sin prior to his suffering and his three friends can’t prove nor make him confess. And so, Elihu, the youngest among them and probably just a passerby or an onlooker as he was not mentioned earlier, was angered that they can’t argue successfully with him.
Therefore, he spoke up. Surprisingly, Job did not interrupt to refute him all along. He raised 5 main points:
Many suffering people said that they didn’t sin. When they were healed through intercession and through God’s mercy, they realized they sinned.
God is a God of Justice. Like any great ruler, He governs with justice.
Job’s arrogance by contending with God will make the latter angrier at him.
God loves us, humans. He doesn’t want to punish us so He teaches us to repent. He gives us a chance to turn back and change our ways.
We can’t demand God or dispute with Him because we are not God. We are his mere creatures.
After Elihu’s monologue, the Lord answered Job. It was written in a very poetic, senseful fashion. He told him that no one is His equal. No one is as powerful as He is.
He also asked (Job 40:8):
“Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?”
And this leads us to discern: Why do we get disappointed, discouraged and distrustful of God when we suffer?
Jesus said that we are going to suffer here on earth as the evil one aka the thief comes to steal and kill and destroy us (John 10:10). Satan deceives and fools us to believe that we will attain pleasure and power when we do things that will ultimately destroy ourselves and others.
But you may ask and I hear this all the time: why does God allow evil?
Let us remember He created us in His image and likeness. He made us stewards of the earth. He gave us free will.
And as we grow and mature, we learn that our choices are powerful. They have consequences on ourselves and others.
Thus, it is not God who permits evil. Humans do! We do! We allow evil to perpetuate through our free will.
Why can't we take ownership of our decisions? Why do we blame God for them?
Yet, our perfectly good God is certainly angered and enraged by it. He is not a silent observer. There will come a time when He will judge each and everyone of us.
Moreover, why do we get so discontent and distraught after God did not give us our wishes? Have we forgotten all the other blessings we received?
We are quick to forget His goodness. How quick are we to lash out and rebel when one thing does not go well.
Before the contest between God and Satan, He blessed Job immensely. And even after God confronted Job, He blessed him more than he previously received.
As my pastor said, “God gives, gives, gives”. If He withholds or takes away, He is going to give something better. As a matter of fact, He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us and give us eternal life.
Overwhelmed with this, Apostle Paul asked, “He who did not spare us His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously gives us all things?” (Romans 8: 32)
God has given us unmerited, unearned and undeserved favor and love. Nothing indeed can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Lord has adopted us. We are no longer slaves but children of God. He has created in us pure hearts.
Our faith then should not be conditional or dependent on our situation. As seen in the many lives of Christians, misery and hardship is not always a sign of sin. Some people who rejected Jesus live happily and comfortably.
Yet despite the suffering, we have peace and security in Christ. Through Him, we will have eternal life; that is life to the fullest, and reconciliation to the Father. Our reward is beyond the earthly realm.
I sincerely thank God He made me read this book. It is not just coincidence that it is on my to-read list as it follows Esther and I’m reading the Bible chronologically. He used it to comfort and enlighten me. In times of suffering, I can go back to this lesson and will find peace and hope.