If we are a Christian and do what God commands of us to do, then why do bad things keep happening to us Christians? As Christians we ponder on questions like this. We question why God allows us to suffer. Looking back on scripture is how we get the answer to these difficult questions. Through the book of Job, we can begin to form an answer to the question of why we suffer still. What is being discussed by recounting the story of Job? In other words, what is the point of the book of Job? The theological message behind the book of Job is to show us why we suffer. Job 1:1b says “He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.” Job is just like a lot of us Christians, seeking God and not evil. He was doing
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The things that were done to him were evil, and these things no one should have to go through. But, Job did and he kept the faith. During these assumed punishments it looked bad on Job’s part. All of his close friends thought that secretively deep down inside Job was hiding something. Job wasn’t hiding anything and was innocent. Job’s friends wanted something to be wrong with Job. “want reason, they want justice, they want someone to be responsible…The book of Job is a story of undeserved suffering and the unrequited search for answers.” Job himself, wanted answers “He will not admit guilt that does not belong to him, but rails against God, asking for answers, asking for reasons, insisting on a response.” Our human minds can’t comprehend the divine’s justice. This is why everybody concluded that Job had done something wrong, because no follower of God would have to go through this horrible suffering. This story is kind of like Mary’s, Jesus’ birth mom, story. Mary was innocent and lived a good life following God. God chose her to deliver his son through a virgin birth. This was impossible to human eyes, but through God, all things are possible. Mary was accused of cheating, because that was the only reason us humans could conclude to this situation. Just like in the story of Job. We can only conclude answers from our view of justice. So Job had to come to the conclusion that it wasn’t because he had messed up, but that God’s …show more content…
He gives two reasons on the purpose of the book of Job; divine justice and concept of suffering. There is a “mistaken assumption that personal sin is always the cause of suffering….every case of suffering presumes prior personal sin.” Now with divine justice he says that through God allowing Job to suffer shows that God doesn’t have to be held to human standards because he is God. God is the one who defines justice, so whatever he does is just, even if it doesn’t look that way to human eyes. Estes goes on to say “The sovereign God is not a captive to a rigid law of retribution, but rather is free to do what appears mysterious to humans.” We as humans need to know that sometimes God allows bad things to happen to us that we don’t know why he allows it, but God is the one who created us and rules over us. We need to know that whatever He does is just and for a purpose that we as humans won’t always understand. Job didn’t do anything wrong and suffered horribly, so that God could prove a point to Satan. Job didn’t have to suffer, but God allowed him to suffer and didn’t help him to show Satan that even through hard times Job would still turn back to God and not curse him. Job of course had no idea why God was doing this to him, but did that stop Job from following God? No. “Jobs acknowledgment of
The things that were done to him were evil, and these things no one should have to go through. But, Job did and he kept the faith. During these assumed punishments it looked bad on Job’s part. All of his close friends thought that secretively deep down inside Job was hiding something. Job wasn’t hiding anything and was innocent. Job’s friends wanted something to be wrong with Job. “want reason, they want justice, they want someone to be responsible…The book of Job is a story of undeserved suffering and the unrequited search for answers.” Job himself, wanted answers “He will not admit guilt that does not belong to him, but rails against God, asking for answers, asking for reasons, insisting on a response.” Our human minds can’t comprehend the divine’s justice. This is why everybody concluded that Job had done something wrong, because no follower of God would have to go through this horrible suffering. This story is kind of like Mary’s, Jesus’ birth mom, story. Mary was innocent and lived a good life following God. God chose her to deliver his son through a virgin birth. This was impossible to human eyes, but through God, all things are possible. Mary was accused of cheating, because that was the only reason us humans could conclude to this situation. Just like in the story of Job. We can only conclude answers from our view of justice. So Job had to come to the conclusion that it wasn’t because he had messed up, but that God’s …show more content…
He gives two reasons on the purpose of the book of Job; divine justice and concept of suffering. There is a “mistaken assumption that personal sin is always the cause of suffering….every case of suffering presumes prior personal sin.” Now with divine justice he says that through God allowing Job to suffer shows that God doesn’t have to be held to human standards because he is God. God is the one who defines justice, so whatever he does is just, even if it doesn’t look that way to human eyes. Estes goes on to say “The sovereign God is not a captive to a rigid law of retribution, but rather is free to do what appears mysterious to humans.” We as humans need to know that sometimes God allows bad things to happen to us that we don’t know why he allows it, but God is the one who created us and rules over us. We need to know that whatever He does is just and for a purpose that we as humans won’t always understand. Job didn’t do anything wrong and suffered horribly, so that God could prove a point to Satan. Job didn’t have to suffer, but God allowed him to suffer and didn’t help him to show Satan that even through hard times Job would still turn back to God and not curse him. Job of course had no idea why God was doing this to him, but did that stop Job from following God? No. “Jobs acknowledgment of