And the LORD said unto Satan, Have you considered
my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth,
a blameless and an upright man, one that fears God,
and turns away from evil? (Job 1:8)
There is so much to be learned from the trials and sufferings of Job. Scripture tells us that he was a very devout, Godly man. Yet he went through the worst trials and sufferings any
human being could go through. Why did God allow such things to happen to such a good and faithful man? In fact, God not only allowed Job's suffering, He actually instigated it!
Talk about mind-blowing! Wow! God held Job up to Satan as a faithful servant, and gave Satan permission to do anything he wanted to Job, except kill him. God never tempts anyone
to sin, but He allows our temptations sometimes. Such a distinction is important, because if we start believing God causes us to sin by tempting us to sin, how
can we ever fully trust in Him? Such thinking directly contradicts
what Scripture tells us. God does NOT tempt us to sin! (James 1:5)
The Jews believed that all suffering was a result of sin in one's life, whether open or hidden. They also believed all righteousness woud be rewarded by God, here and now. Instead of bringing comfort
to their friend in all his trials, they argued with him that even though his life was devout and pious publicly, he must have some hidden sin for God to punish him in such horrible ways.
After much debate, with Job defending himself to his friends,
God finally spoke to Job directly. He emphasized to Job - and his friends - that His power, majesty, and purposes are far beyond mere human understanding:
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is
this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now
your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, and you answer me.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you
have understanding. Who has determined the measures thereof, if you
know? or who has stretched the line upon it? On what are its foundations
fastened? or who laid its cornerstone; When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors,
when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the
clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, And prescribed
bounds for it, and set bars and doors, And said, Thus far shall you come,
but no farther: and here shall your proud waves be stopped? (Job 38:1-11)
Note that God never did explain His reasoning to Job. God was going to proceed to vindicate Job in the eyes of his friends, but first God made Job understand that incredible greatness
and awesomeness of Himself. Job finally learned that mere man can never fully understand God's purposes or His reasoning. The scope of God's plans and purposes are far beyond
human reasoning and understanding. In fact, Isaiah clearly tells us:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)
We ourselves also make the same assumptions about God and His purposes. When troubles hit us, we always somehow assume that if just answer our questions, it would be
so much easier to trust Him. However, trusting God when we have all the answers is not trust, it is knowledge. Trust means having faith even without having answers. And our faith
has to be in our Almighty God, in His lovingkindness and providence, not in our limited understanding. Even when we have spent a lifetime studying the Bible and doing our best to live
a God-honoring life, as Job had done, our knowledge and understanding is still so very lacking.
The bottom line is this: When we're faced with difficulties, trials, and tragedies, like Job, we may never know why God has allowed them. We are not forbidden to question God, but whether or not He chooses to give us any answers
is His perogative: He is NOT obligated to explain Himself to us!
|
