The Problem of Pain and Suffering

As a pastor it was often my duty to stand at the bed of a man, a woman and sometimes a child suffering great pain and loss. Some were feeling this pain because of an illness or the death of a loved one, others because of an accident and some because of a foolish mistake or judgment. I remember attending to a physician in the ER. He had been attempting to diagnose his illness and treat himself only to be forced to deal with the fact that a man who tries to be his own physician is an idiot. As a result he was seriously ill and even close to death.

There are many reasons for suffering and pain, but beneath them all are the dark questions: Why? And, Why me? And further, Is God punishing me?

I invite you to join me in these next weeks as we seek answers to these questions by searching God's Word about suffering as it is preserved in the Book of Job. There is an adequate introduction to Job in the Wikipedia article on Job. You may wish to peruse it. We will, however, go beyond what that article says as we walk chapter by chapter through this ancient book.

Leon Bonnat's Job

Who was Job? Some say he was an historical figure. Others say he is a literary fiction created by one of the prophets.  I view Job as an historical figure. This is based upon the fact that the prophet Ezekiel speaks about him.

"Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD. - Eze 14:13-14 ESV

"Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness. - Eze 14:19-20 ESV

Again James writes about him in the New Testament.

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. - Jas 5:10-11 ESV

Ezekiel saw Job as a faithful man of God, equal to Noah who with his family survived the flood and Daniel who survived being thrown into a den of lions. James in turn views the man called Job as an example of patience amidst suffering. He calls him steadfast, a man of perseverance, enduring all his suffering, but never questioning God's purpose for his life. This is the man who has much to teach us all. We will walk with him in the next weeks and invite the Spirit to open our hearts to the lessons of faith that Job has to teach us.