Essay On Suffering In The Old Testament

Throughout our lives, we all endure the trials and tribulations of suffering. One can define suffering as to be submitted to or to be forced to endure. We can also add to the definition by saying that suffering is inevitable or unavoidable. Those who read the Old Testament find that people are expected to endure the pains of suffering in their lives. Throughout the Bible, especially the old testament, God’s people endured suffering and the faith of God’s people was always being tested. On the other hand, Buddhist traditions view suffering a little differently. Buddhism’s suffering can be defined in its four noble truths. These four truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. The Old Testament and Buddhist scriptures are similar in the fact that suffering is a part of our everyday life, and it has to be …show more content…
In the Old Testament Scriptures, Psalm 118:5, it states, “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.” This is an important Psalm in which it explains the magnitude of relinquishing oneself from their desires. The verse starts out by mentioning that in times of distress and suffering, one should pray or call out to God in need of help. God answers prayers and shows us that He is on our side. By believing in God and having God above all other things, our individual suffering can be completely cured. By releasing ourselves from our earthly desires that cause us great suffering, we can find peace within ourselves through God’s merciful love. In 2 Samuel 22:20, “And he brought me forth into a large place, he delivered me, because I pleased him,” we can also see how God rescues us from our earthly desires. By placing faith and trust in God, one can be freed from