Why? Job 1:6-12; 2:1-8

[Jules]

Why, why, why?

Why did God allow haSatan to incite Him to harm an innocent man who honored God? What kind of Father does such a thing, giving his son to the adversary? Today, we would inprison any father who gave his innocent son to a predator!

Later in scripture do we not read, "a GOOD father would not gift his child a scorpion when he asked for an egg?".

Is anyone reading this book not TERRIFIED of God? Surely the Calvinists love this book! I DO NOT love this book. I fear God already, do not need to be reminded!

In the end, God say's Job spoke the truth about God. So, what lesson am I to learn here besides the confirmation that God can allow trauma? I already know that He does from my own life's experiences.

Who is not pierced by the book of Job in their heart? Whose conscience is not jolted? My heart is in my throat and my neck is tense; My eyes welling up.

Perhaps it was written for those too comfortable and pampered in their lives since those of us who know suffering already know what God allows.

I read ahead b/c I just did not want to endure the horrible feelings this book brings for days and days.

Maybe God is teaching us not to assume it is always one's sin/guilt that causes their suffering.

Thank God Jesus prayed for Peter when haSatan asked to sift him and at least Jesus actually warned WARNED him. Job had no such warning and how he didn't have C-PTSD is only by the grace of God. Most of us aren't so blessed maybe b/c we didn't have it just as bad or something.

Glad this book is done as it is certainly triggering and disturbing!

[PaulK]

I was going to write a long response to this, but frankly this audio discussion explains the situation better than I ever could. In short:

• God uses suffering for His good purposes that we may not see or understand.
• At the same time, Satan tries to use suffering for evil, but Christians have no fear even in the midst of suffering, for God redeems.
• When we attempt to justify ourselves by our own works, we commit error. The antidote is the Law.
• When we turn from God in our misery and despair, we also commit error. The antidote is the Gospel.

Notice a few things in the passages you mentioned. First, Job 1:8 "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?'" The Lord says these things to test Satan, not to test Job. For God knows that Job is blameless and upright not because of his works, but because of his faith. Job is righteous in the same way as Abraham: God counts faith in Him to Job as righteousness. So righteousness itself is a gift from God, not dependent on man's actions at all (as Job's so-called "friends" later posit). God says "Job is blameless and upright" and it simply is so. Why does God say this of Job? On account of his faith in the sacrifice of the Lamb, who is Christ. "[Job] would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said 'it may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.' Thus Job did continually" (Job 1:5). Here and in several other places, Job admits he is a sinner. Yet, he has Faith in God who declares him righteous.

Then what of suffering? "Does God hand Job over to Satan in His own Pride? No! The Lord puts Satan to the test in order to prove something marvelous for you: Satan cannot snatch you out of the Lord's hand." (TLSB 784). In other words, we must read all of Job in light of chapter 42: Job repents, and God delivers Job from his suffering. Even despite all that he has gone through, and his sin and self-justification in his final speeches, God's almighty power delivers Job from his suffering. Job does speak the truth about God in the end: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours is unthwarted". The lesson here is NOT that God can allow trauma, but that God is Great and that He redeems! God alone can justify! And, while we may not exactly know God's hidden purpose for Job's suffering, we see a glimpse of it in 42:7-9. Job's 3 friends, who have spent the entire book saying false doctrine; who actually have been doing the work of Satan in trying to bind Job's conscience to the iniquity of his works, are nevertheless redeemed by God through Job's trials. So it is with the Christian: We are redeemed through the suffering and death of another, Jesus Christ.

This is why Luther said of Job:

It is written for our comfort, in order that we may know that God
allows even His great saints to stumble, especially in adversity. Before Job
comes into fear of death, he praises God at the theft of his goods and the
death of his children; but when death is in prospect and God withdraws
Himself, his words show what kind of ideas a man, however holy he may
be, has against God, when he gets the notion that God is not God, but only
a judge and wrathful tyrant, who applies force and cares nothing about a
good life."

So you ask why, why, why? Well, in truth, the exact why is not for us to know and is beyond our very comprehension. But our hope is in this: though we may suffer in this life, we know with absolute certainty that we are nonetheless declared innocent and righteous in God's eyes, and though Satan may try us in this life, all of adversary's power is nothing in comparison to the eternal love of God, who is all-knowing and all-powerful. God is not a wrathful tyrant, God is good. These words are comfort for the burdened conscience and hope for the pained soul.

Ok I wrote way more than I wanted to. Please listen to the podcast I linked. One final thought: It is ok to be unsure and wrestle with this. God wants us to interact with Him through prayer and meditation. I hope you may be able to find peace in these difficult words.

I'm always happy to chat more about this too, as I'm sure are Pastor and many others in the church. Lutherans love talking about justification!