| WHAT JOB TEACHES ABOUT SUFFERING |
| The problem of pain and the book of Job. |
| "But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction." 36:15 |
| "Why me?" Almost everyone asks this question when terrible suffering strikes. An automobile accident, a diagnosis of cancer, a long-term disease like arthritis - each of these raises intense questions about why God allows pain. Over the centuries, suffering Christians have gained help and comfort from studying the book of Job. The book gives no compact theory of why good people suffer. Nevertheless, the following insights into the problem of suffering do come out of the book of Job. Principles from Job 1. Some suffering is caused by Satan. Chapters 1 and 2 make the important distinction that God did not cause Job's problems. He allowed them, but Satan actually caused the pain. 2. God is all-powerful and good. Nowhere does the book of Job suggest that God lacks power or goodness. Some people say that God is weak and powerless to prevent human suffering. Others, called diests, assume he runs the world at a distance, without personal involvement. But in Job, God's power is never questioned; only his fairness. And in his final summation speech, God used splendid illustrations from nature to prove his power. 3. Suffering doesn't always come as a result of sin. The Bible supports the general principle that "a man reaps what he sows," even in this life (see Psalms 1:3; 37:25). But other people have no right to apply that general principle to a particular person. Job's friends tried with all their persuasive power. However, when God rendered the final verdict, he said simply, "You have not spoken of me what |
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