Redeemed Woman

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.

James 5:11 (ESV)

Suffering is a universal theme. Suffering knows no boundaries of peoples, times, or cultures. The sufferings in this world has always been and will always be the same from the beginning of time under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). But for the Christian, there is hope against all hope in the midst of suffering (Romans 4:18). James referenced the early Christians specifically to Job for encouragement to remain steadfast in their faith during immense persecution and suffering (James 5:11). To understand the significance of this reference, we need to review Job’s story. Here’s a quick recap:

Job was an extremely wealthy family-man (Job 1:3, 5), blameless and upright (Job 1:1). Job was specifically pointed out by God to Satan as being a righteous man and a man of integrity (Job 1:8; Job 2:3). According to Satan, Job was a religious fake who only worshipped God for the blessings (Job 1:9-11; Job 2:4-5). Upon the request of the devil to test Job’s faith, Job lost all his wealth, including his children and servants, in one day (Job 1:13-19). In addition, he suffered a terrible agonizing skin disease (Job 2:7-8).

Like many of us, Job asked why God allowed him to live in the first place just to suffer (Job 3:11-12, 16). Like many of us, Job wanted to know why God allowed him to suffer when He had the power to stop the suffering (Job 10:2, 8-12). For this post, I want to share with you two big observations about the steadfast faith of Job in the midst of his grievous sufferings.

steadfast Faith is more than wishful, positive thinking.

One thing that was very clear to me as I pondered on Job’s lamentations is his honesty about his sufferings. Job poured out his heart to his visiting friends about his bone-crushing agony and deep depression (Job 3; Job 6-7). His friends saw the severity of his sufferings before their eyes (Job 2:12-13). There was no sugar-coating, no manufactured positive thinking, no “declaring and decreeing”, and no denial. If James commended Job for his steadfast faith during suffering as found in James 5:11 then faith has to be more than positivity and wishful thinking as evidenced below:

To his friends he says,

“For my sighing comes instead of my bread,
    and my groanings are poured out like water.
For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
    and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
    I have no rest, but trouble comes.” (Job 3:24-26, ESV)

To his God he says,

“When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
    my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.” (Job 7:4-6, ESV)

His faith in God did not take him to some altered reality of wishful fantasies as some today would teach faith to be. We see elsewhere in the Bible that God’s people exercised their faith through their sincere cries to God about their sufferings (Psalm 69:2-4; Psalm 102:1-3; Psalm 142:5-7). Job perceived that what was happening to him was evil and understood that God was in control (Job 2:10; Job 12:9-10). No amount of positivity and wishful thinking can contend with God (Job 40:2). At this, Job said the famous line, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15).

steadfast faith is trusting in God’s wisdom; not in man’s wisdom about God.

I found the dialogue between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) extremely interesting. Each man offered answers to Job’s “why” questions according to their theological understandings. Here is a quick summary of the wisdom Job received from his three “comforters”:

1. Eliphaz, claiming to have his answer validated by a heavenly spirit, gave his wisdom that Job’s troubles were brought about by God because Job was not righteous enough (Job 4:13-19). His suffering was God’s way of disciplining Job (Job 5:17). Job’s only solution was to repent before God (Job 5:8), and God Almighty will be more than able to bless Job with prosperity, wealth, and health again (Job 5:18-27).
2. Bildad, trusting in the wisdom past down from past generations, also echoed Eliphaz’s plea for Job’s repentance (Job 8:5-10). He warned Job that God will surely punish the wicked (Job 18) and reminded him that no man can be right before God (Job 25).
3. Zophar, being the last of the triad to speak, echoed Bildad’s warning that God will make the wicked suffer (Job 20). In response to Job’s denial of sin, Zophar stated that God was being merciful to Job as Job deserved much worse consequences for his sins (Job 11:4-6).

Considering the circumstances, Job was actually managing quite well before these three friends opened their mouths in attempts to comfort him (Job 1:22; Job 2:10). Sadly, in response to his friends’ accusations of him, Job sinned against God (Job 40:8). However, God, in His mercy, pointed Job to His wisdom (Job 38-39). The lesson here is that though we may not fully know or understand God’s infinite wisdom, we must trust it (Deuteronomy 29:29; Job 42:3; Romans 11:33-34).

We are abundantly blessed on this side of the Cross. Though God may not speak to us from a whirlwind as He did with Job, God did better by giving us the sufficient knowledge of His wisdom in the Person of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:22-24,30; Colossians 2:2-3). Of all people in the history of mankind, we have the advantage of receiving the revealed wisdom of steadfast faith.

Conclusion

God never did reveal to Job the backstory between God and Satan (Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6). Job never received an answer to explain his suffering from God Yahweh. But, I believe that what Job received surpassed the satisfaction of any answers to the “why” questions. You see, up to this point in his life, Job has only heard of God’s glory. But now, his spiritual eyes have seen and he understood the reality of God’s glory and that was enough to satisfy all of Job’s questions and complaints.

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

    but now my eye sees you…

Job 42:5 (ESV)

My dear sister in Christ, I do not know the sufferings you are going through. And, you may never get answers for your sufferings. Man’s wisdom, no matter how truthful, may at best provide little comfort but will not sustain you in long-sufferings. But like Job, I pray that your spiritual eye will see and understand God’s glory in what He has already revealed about Himself through the Living Word, Jesus Christ. This is the sustenance of steadfast faith (Hebrews 12:-2). So go ahead and cry out continually before His throne for relief from your sufferings and give thanks that He hears your prayers. Then wait in complete trust in His wisdom and purposes remembering that the LORD is compassionate and merciful (James 5:11).

LORD God, have mercy on us in our sufferings by giving us steadfast faith! Open our eyes to Your ways and lift our burdens!