"For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." ( 2 Corinthians 4:6 )
The problem of evil is the number one reason people give when asked why they do not believe in God. There's this world of suffering all around us and if an all-powerful, all-loving God really did exist, they assume he would end all suffering immediately because there can't possibly be any good reason for suffering to exist.
What I've found to be more perplexing is how some movements within the visible church can deny the existence of suffering in a true believer's life, saying that God doesn't allow his children to suffer. If they are in fact suffering, they should be able to banish it immediately if they have enough faith and of course no egregious sin hiding in their lives. To me this is more disturbing than the first group.
Sometimes we absolutely do cause our own suffering, but not always. More understandable are those Christians who admit God does allow suffering in his world and in the believer's life, but assume God has left us without insight into the mystery and pain.
For those, I would like to offer comfort and submit into evidence exhibit A: The Book of Job.
In the opening scene, the idea that God does not allow suffering in the lives of his "righteous"children is sharply refuted when God gives Satan permission to wipe away Job's own children, servants, and livestock. This suffering is granted to Satan after he insists Job only serves God because of his many blessings and the hedge placed around his life. Take it all away, and he will "curse you to your face." ( 1:11 )
But notice, God was the one who started the conversation with Satan in the first place, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" ( 1:8 )
Job remains steadfast through the suffering, and God asks the question again to Satan: ""Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" ( 1:8 )
"He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." ( 2:3 )
Notice the words God uses: "without reason"
Oh, Satan answers: "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." ( 2:5 )
"And the LORD said to Satan, 'Behold he is in your hand; only spare his life.'"
God in his divine sovereignty grants even more permission when Satan insists Job will certainly curse God once his body is inflicted as well. "
Except Job never curses God.
Job is not Jesus; however, he is a type and shadow of God's suffering Servant prophesied of in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 53, by God's chosen prophet Isaiah. The Bible is not a book about us, we are not David, Daniel, or Esther; all of these biblical saints are pointing us to the Redeemer God has promised in his covenant of grace to rescue his people. Mere shadows, "but the substance belongs to Christ." ( Colossians 2:17 )
"Every verse whispers HIS name."
Job was "blameless and upright." He was innocent. So was Jesus.
There was none like Job on earth. Absolutely a picture of Jesus.
It's interesting Satan says, "skin for skin" before he plagued Job's skin since we know that Jesus took on human flesh.
Job's friends saw that "his suffering was very great." Jesus suffered the worst suffering in the history of the world. ( 2:13 )
Job said "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return." ( 1:21 ) Jesus was stripped naked, nailed to a Roman cross, and bore our shame. ( Matthew 27:27-31 )
"In all of this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." ( 1:22 ) Jesus was without sin. ( 2 Corinthians 5:21 )
Job did not curse God; however, he did cry out to him. Jesus cried out too, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ( Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34 )
God forsook his only Son on the cross, so he would not have to forsake us.
God is angry with Job's friends for speaking of Him what is not right. He tells the friends to offer up a sacrifice for themselves and have his servant Job pray for them, "for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly." ( Job 42:8 )
This a beautiful picture of Christ, our great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us. ( Hebrews 4:14, 7:25 )
God was sovereign over Job's suffering. God was sovereign over Christ's suffering. "the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world." ( Revelation 13:8 )
The critical difference is that Satan was not given permission to take Job's life, on the other hand, Jesus's life was not spared.
"yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief." Jesus suffered the greatest suffering the world has ever known when he willingly drank the cup of God's wrath for the sins of the whole world. ( Isaiah 53:10, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 1 John 2:2 )
When we read the full counsel of Scripture, the pieces begin to come together for us through the power of the Holy Spirit as He reveals one cohesive, powerful narrative held firmly together by Christ. ( Colossians 1:17 ) The parts we formerly saw as disjointed, offensive, and contradictory are illuminated to us as the perfectly-fitting, brilliant Truth.
And that Truth sets us free.
Our suffering is wrapped up in the life of our Savior. It is no little thing.
One last, beautiful shadow to behold in the life of Job and his suffering:
"And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all of his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold." ( 42:10-11 )
"And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning." ( verse 12 )
This portrayal of Job's latter end is pointing forward to our "latter end" - our eternity with Christ. There's so much richness to this passage, and really all of Job, that this flimsy blog post doesn't even begin to do it justice.
Job eating bread with his brothers and sisters reflects Christ's church feasting on the bread of life together in a common faith and never being unsatisfied again. The comfort and plenty and gold are indicative of Heaven. And in the last paragraph of Job it tells us that Job gave his daughters as well as his sons an inheritance. This practice was not normative by any stretch in ancient, patriarchal cultures. But it is in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus.
On that glorious day God will deal a final, fatal blow to the suffering in the lives of his children.
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth." ( Job 19:25 )