Lessons from the Book of Job

The Suffering of Job

2. How does the book of Job explain human suffering and the human beings capacity to understand their own suffering? What coping strategies does the book offer if any? Do you think that there is any relevance to the story and can it be applicable to your own life? If so, how? And if not, why?

The book of Job explains human suffering as something that God allows or permits to happen—the purpose being that through their suffering they might demonstrate the continuation of their trust in and love for Him. The reasoning is that it is easy to love when everything is going one’s way, which is what the devil says to God. The devil believes Job is only good because God has favored him with so much; he wants to test Job—and God allows the devil to plague Job to prove that Job is just because he has put his faith and trust in God. The devil as much as asks, “Who will be true to God if asked to suffer agonizing torments?” The answer, of course, is Job: thus, Job is a prefiguring of Christ.

Job’s friends, however, do not see Job’s afflictions as anything but signs of the fact that God has cursed him. They accuse him in their own ways of being unfaithful to God, of having incurred his wrath, of his afflictions being a punishment. Job is insistent that he has done nothing to offend God, and neither does he curse God even though he loses everything—his home, his family, and even his good health.

However, Job is still human and he wants to understand why God has allowed him to suffer so much. He does not want to demand anything from God, but he does want to know—it is completely human of him to ask. God in response asks a question: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?”—in other words, I am God; you are my creation; who are you to question me? This statement puts everyone in his place. But God is also loving; he does not permit the suffering to go on eternally: for Job’s faithfulness, he rewards him with even more than he had before—a new home, a new family, more wealth, and good health again. The Book tells us that suffering is something that we must accept from God—just as we accept the good things. God has a plan for everyone and everything, and it is not always our place to know what He intends but rather to endure and to show our love for God by suffering patiently.

Some coping strategies recommended by the Book include prayer and commitment to God. Job states that he will never turn against God, even if God should slay him (Job 13:15). This is a demonstration of trust; the kind of conviction that is needed in times of great suffering. However, prayer is also a great coping strategy, and one can find in Scripture, particularly in the Psalms, many prayers of lamentation that can help one to understand more deeply how one must rely upon God in times of torment and agony.

I think there is a great deal of relevance to the story of Job because no one gets through this life without suffering, and it is comforting in a way to know that a better man than I also suffered much more than I ever have. It is comforting because, like Job’s friends, we can begin to accuse ourselves and others who suffer of having sinned against God; yet this Book shows us that we should not do that—for we are not to judge anyone, and God can allow afflictions to come even to His most faithful servants. After all, he allowed His only Son to suffer the crucifixion. But He allows it for a reason—He allowed His Son to be crucified so that His love might be shown to all, and so that our redemption could be achieved. He allowed Job to suffer to show that he was just; and his story is recorded for all posterity to see in the Bible. Thus, we can apply the lesson of Job to our own lives: never to grumble when faced with suffering; never to curse God; never to be harsh with ourselves or with others—for God knows the reasons and it is not our place to know all that God knows. But in humility if we accept what He sends us, we can be assured that He will reward us—if not in this life then surely in the next. That is a positive lesson for all—but of course it does require some faith.