{"id":5265,"date":"2014-07-30T15:08:25","date_gmt":"2014-07-30T21:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/?p=5265"},"modified":"2014-08-04T23:02:06","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T05:02:06","slug":"ten-questions-to-wrap-up-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/ten-questions-to-wrap-up-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Questions to Wrap Up Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday we wrapped up our series through Job, Out of the Whirlwind<\/em><\/a>, with a final message, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Latter Days of Job<\/a>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d By the end of the book it became clear that God had not and was not going to explain to Job the answer to the question for why he was suffering. He never learned about the heavenly conversation between the Lord and Satan that kicked off the trouble in his life.<\/p>\n

God didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153why?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d question is not a question God is obligated to answer for us. But in the course of the book of Job, God did answer a number of other questions for us. Here are ten.<\/p>\n

1. Is God sovereign over suffering and evil?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely. In the first two chapters we see that Satan, though allowed to pursue many of his wicked purposes, is yet constrained by what God does or does not allow him to do. The book tells us that Job did not sin when he said things like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Job 1:21; 2:10).\u00c2\u00a0As Martin Luther famously said, Satan is the Lord\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Satan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Is God therefore evil?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely not. Remember, Satan had his sinister purpose to defame God and hurt Job, and while God allowed him to pursue Job he did so for a reason of his own. The Lord was vindicating his name and purifying Job\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s faith from residual pride. God is sovereign over cruelty, but God is not cruel. Many verses in Scripture speak to this explicitly (James 1:13; 1 John 1:5). The book of Job presents us with a view of God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sovereignty that is not flat, but complex. The unseen world involves many different players, and yet the Lord is the Lord of them all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Does everyone who claims to speak for God actually speak for God?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank God, no. Many people will claim to speak for God and speak falsely about him. This is what Job\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three friends were guilty of, and at the end of the book they are rebuked by the Lord. Sufferers should be patient with those who can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand their suffering and say things that are untrue even if from good intentions. And yet where God is spoken for falsely, this should be rejected and corrected.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. Is my suffering because of my sin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are several kinds of suffering presented to us in the Bible. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fallen world suffering. The creation is groaning and everywhere around us we see the effects of God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s curse on creation because of sin. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s foolishness and sin suffering illustrated time and again in the book of Proverbs. Sometimes God gives us over to our sinful desires, and our sins bring with them consequences that God has built into the order of the universe. Then, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s discipline suffering. This is where God graciously steers us toward repentance. If we have been indulging in sin and we think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been found out, perhaps this is it. But much of our suffering is just random and horrible. This the kind that Job is meant to address.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. Is God using my pain for some good purpose?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank God, Yes. He is always doing that for his children. Job was a better man at the end of the book than before. Job knew God better at the end of the book than before. God is doing a thousand things in our suffering, and one of them is bringing about humility and the purification of our faith, a precious gift indeed (Job 42:1-6; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; 1 Peter 1:6-7).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

6. Is it okay to grieve deeply for a loss or is that a sign that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not trusting in God?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It most certainly is ok to grieve. We should expect any good father to grieve at news of the death of his kids. Job grieved deeply and blessed the Lord through tears. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove his thorn. Deep grief is not incompatible with deep faith.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

7. Should I attempt to comfort someone who is suffering incredible loss?<\/strong><\/p>\n

By all means and with much wisdom, Yes: sometimes with silence, sometimes with a hug, and sometimes with space. Sometimes with a note and often with a meal. Always by being available, sometimes with correction if their heart is hardening toward God. But never with a cookie-cutter answer for suffering, or in\u00c2\u00a0an academic formulaic uncaring manner. Always with a listening ear, always with a heavy heart, and, always with much patience.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

8. Am I alone in my suffering?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. Job has been there. And many others have gone before you. In fact, suffering seems to be a pretty common theme in Scripture. More than a theme, it is an indispensable part of Scripture\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story of salvation. Ask Joseph, or Moses, or David, or the prophets about suffering. Ask Jesus about suffering. Ask the New Testament Apostles about suffering. You are not alone. You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, most of whom have suffered greatly (Hebrews 11:1-12:2)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

9. Is there hope for the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes there is. In the story of the Bible there is a pattern of suffering and a pattern of glory to follow. Suffering to glory is the pattern of God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s salvation story. Again, ask Joseph, or Moses, or David, or the prophets. And of course, ask Jesus, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Hebrews 12:2).<\/p>\n

On the topic of the future,\u00c2\u00a0when James turned to the book of Job for material he did so to make a point about suffering on the way to glory: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. . . . You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (James 5:7\u00e2\u20ac\u201c11). So, how should we apply the book of Job? Wait patiently for Jesus to return. How should we apply the book of Job? Say with Paul, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Romans 8:18).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

10. Who can separate us from the love of God in Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or danger, or sword, or the loss of our children, or the loss of our jobs, or Behemoth, or Leviathan, or anything else in all creation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly a question from Job, but Job\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suffering sure raises the question. The answer? No one can separate us from the love of God in Christ. If God is for us, who can be against us?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The book of Job is about the God who is sovereign and good. It is also about the\u00c2\u00a0God who is bursting with compassion and with mercy. This rang out with profound clarity on the final page of the book.<\/p>\n

Yes, because of Christ, God\u00c2\u00a0will graciously do for us in eternity what he did for Job on earth. The latter days of Job are a parable for the latter days of every Christian. Just read Revelation 21-22, a symbolic picture of the new creation. Job knew a restored relationship to God, and we will be God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s people and he will be with us as our God. He will dwell with us. Job had wealth in his latter days, and the new creation will be lined with streets made of gold. Job knew beauty in his latter days, and we will know beauty in our latter days. Job knew relationships in his latter days we will know the eternal depth of fellowship with one another in God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence free from sin. Job knew feasting in his latter days we will feast together at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Job knew comfort in his latter days, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Job knew old age in his latter days, and in the new creation there will be a tree of life. In God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence we will never die.<\/p>\n

In five weeks, we got through the book of Job, but there’s more treasure to find here. For a helpful sermon-like commentary on Job, get\u00c2\u00a0Job: The Wisdom of the Cross<\/a><\/em>, by Christopher Ash, and check out Matthew Claridge’s interview\u00c2\u00a0with Christipher Ash<\/a> over at Credo Magazine, published just this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Sunday we wrapped up our series through Job, Out of the Whirlwind, with a final message, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The… Continue Reading ›<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[41],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5265"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5265"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5271,"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5265\/revisions\/5271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}