And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
The book of Job raises a challenging question. Is God just? Does he reward those who do good and punish those who do wrong? It is likely that we are at least somewhat in agreement with that. But if so, when we suffer, is it because we have done wrong? That is the question that the book of Job seeks to answer.
The first couple of chapters of the book sets the scene. Job is described as “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8). Yet great disaster fell on him. And Job had no idea why. We are told that God permitted Satan to afflict him. But even we don’t really know why.
The bulk of the story consists of a series of dialogues between Job and four friends. At the center of their conversation is the idea that God is just and rewards/punishes according to what we have done.
Throughout their interaction, Job maintained his innocence, claiming that God was punishing him without cause. Job was powerless before the all-mighty God, although he pleaded for the opportunity to defend himself before God.
His friends sought to defend God’s justice, claiming that Job was not as innocent as he maintained. He was obviously suffering greatly, so he must have done something wrong. And, if he confessed his sin and repented, God would relent, and all would be well.
We May Never Know
God eventually granted Job’s request for a hearing. But it did not go as Job had expected. Job had hoped to plead his case against God. But instead, God challenged his ability to understand and sit in judgment of God. Job repented, his wealth and family were restored, and they lived happily ever after.
However, the question of why the innocent suffer remains unanswered. Job never learned why he went through what he did. Nor do we, as the story’s readers, know why God allowed Job’s testing. The only answer we get is that God’s ways are beyond our understanding.
Our suffering may or may not be related to something we have done. We may never know, at least in this life, why we, or others we know, experience some of what we do. But we can trust that the sovereign God is in control.
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