Job 01: A Proper View of Suffering

What if the true meaning of suffering could change your perspective on faith forever? Join us on a profound journey through the Book of Job as we uncover the complex themes of suffering and trust in God's wisdom. We'll explore why many often shy away from reading Job and the invaluable lessons it holds for understanding hardship from a biblical viewpoint. From Job's poetic structure reminiscent of ancient epics like the Iliad to the critical role of being a supportive friend in times of trouble, this episode offers a rich tapestry of insights. We also delve into the spiritual warfare at play, emphasizing that the devil operates only within the bounds permitted by God and highlighting the infinite power differential between God and the devil.

In this episode, we reflect on the steadfast faith of Job, a man who faced unimaginable tragedy yet remained unwavering in his devotion to God. Picture Job as a figure of immense wealth and integrity, akin to a modern-day Elon Musk, whose life is upended by Satan's challenge. Amidst the catastrophic loss of his wealth, servants, and children, Job's response is a testament to his profound faith, as encapsulated in Job 1:21. Together, we'll grapple with the tough question of why God allows suffering and the importance of maintaining faith even in our darkest moments. Through Job's story, we aim to inspire a deeper understanding of faith, suffering, and the divine wisdom that guides us through life’s most challenging trials.

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Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Proper View of Suffering in Job

Speaker 1 0:00

Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today Job, chapter 1. I've been looking forward to this particular book of the Bible and I'm going to tell you exactly why in just a moment. But if I were to give a title to chapter 1, it would be the idea of a proper view of suffering, a proper view of suffering. We're going to get into all that in just a moment. It's going to be all the things in the book of Job, but before we do that, as always, make sure you like, share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you are leaving us comments, you are engaging with us, and make sure you're going to the Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook. Man, the more we dig, the more we find, and I'm excited for us to get into this together. Okay, all right. Well, if you get your Bibles and you want to open up with me to Job, chapter 1, as always, we're going to kind of get into some of the different things and the backgrounds before we jump into the book of Job. And the reason why I'm excited for us to get into this is because one of the things I heard so much before we started this podcast was people who just simply didn't read certain books. Of the things I heard so much before we started this podcast was people who just simply didn't read certain books of the Bible. If you remember, part of the story of our podcast is we started this because there were people in our church we were reading through the Bible together that was not going to read the book of Leviticus. They're like no miss me with that, I'll see on the other side. And you know, there's just a whole story attached to that. We eventually started it because there was more there than we realized.

Speaker 1 1:25

In my opinion, the book of Job is another one of those books. Because of the way it's written, what it's written about, a lot of people just simply skip right over it and just say I don't understand it. And I get that completely. My hope is is that as we walk through this together yes, it's going to be very hard in some places, but my hope is, as we journey together, there's so many great lessons that we can learn along the way. So I want to give you some background, to help give some context, and we're going to jump into the first chapter.

Speaker 1 1:53

So first thing is the overall theme of the book of Job is trusting God's wisdom in suffering. Trusting God's wisdom in suffering, we're going to get to see somebody who truly suffers, and he's going to help us grapple with the question of why does bad things happen to good people? It's a question that's going to come up over and over again, and so, therefore, I actually think the book of Job is very, very important, because I don't know anybody who's not asked that question at least once. At least once in everybody's life. They have said God in some form or fashion. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is that? Well, job is going to help us grapple with that very, very difficult question, and so that's the theme trusting God's wisdom in suffering. Okay, how about this one? Who wrote the book of Job? Honestly, we don't know.

Speaker 1 2:43

There are some different ideas that the two prevailing themes or ideas is either Moses or Solomon, but we're not exactly sure who wrote the book of Job, but possibly Moses or possibly Solomon. The big idea of Job is it helps us understand number one that the devil cannot do anything to God's people without God allowing it, that the devil cannot do anything to God's people without God allowing it. The second thing is to realize that God and the devil are not on equal footing. There is no epic battle between God and the devil and we're not so sure who's going to win. And at the very end God pulls it out. No, not at all. You've got God, and not even on the map is the devil. We're going to see that already in the first couple of chapters. Another one is how to not be a bad friend, how to be a better friend, because a lot of this is a really long conversation between Job and a group of friends and they're trying to be good but they turn out to be very bad friends. So kind of another way of looking at this is how to support somebody when they're going through a hard time and what not to do. And then another one is spiritual warfare is real. So much of what is going on in the book of Job has to do with something going on in the spirit world that then we see the effects of in the real world, or should I say the world that we can see.

Speaker 1 4:03

The next thing is where? Where does this happen? The Bible says that Job lived in a place called Uz. That's U-Z, a place called Uz, and it's just outside of Canaan and the time frame is during the time of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. So if you go all the way back to the book of Genesis, job lived about that time. Now it was written during the lifetime of Moses or the lifetime of Solomon, which would have either been about 1400 BC or about 950 BC, but the time frame, the setting of it, is during the time of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, so, time frame wise, it is one of the oldest books in the Old Testament and so we're going to get that thought process that where Abraham Isaac and Jacob are living in Canaan, just on the outside of that area, is where Job would have lived. Here's a couple more things to know. We're going to jump into that. Hopefully we'll help you just kind of get it a little bit more. And that is this.

Speaker 1 4:58

The way Job is written is. It is written as a really long poem. Right Now, if you've ever read any of the ancient classics, like Homer's Iliad or the different things like that and I'm drawing a blank right now on the rest of them, but those old, old, like poetry, like epics, you know we think of a poem now. As you know, roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet. I love you done right Back in the day, these long poems, poetry in this style.

Speaker 1 5:29

Now, also, because it's originally written in Hebrew and then translated into English, you also got to forget about the idea of it rhyming. You know a lot of poetry nowadays. You know there's a rhyme and a meter to it. It makes a lot more sense when you read it in Hebrew. You can hear some of the different rhymes, some of the different meter. You know all that stuff is happening. As it's translated into English, you lose a lot of that, and so it makes a lot more sense in the flow of it when it's written in Hebrew, right, and so that's why, when we read through this, you're going to hear this different prose and this different style, and you got to get your mind into that place. So it makes a lot of sense.

Faith Through Tragedy

Speaker 1 6:04

All right, here's the last thing we're going to jump in. It answers the question why do bad things happen to good people? But I want to go ahead and warn you it's an unsatisfactory answer for some of us. I know you probably weren't expecting me to say that, but it's unsatisfactory because it's an interesting thought. What happens? Why do bad things happen to good people. When it's a thought experiment you know if we're not talking about anything specific, we're just as an idea well, we can say well, bad things happen because God's got a plan that's bigger than ours, that he is doing things in us that only suffering can bring out, that in the light of eternity, he always brings justice to all things. I mean there's all kinds of things. But when you're the one going through a hard time, when you're the one diagnosed with the illness, when your child is suffering, when you see these things, can I be honest with you? No answer is going to do. And the honest thing about Job is he's grappling with. I have no idea why this is happening to me, and you know what Job does. He gives us permission to not understand. He gives us permission to understand that God is good, but I still don't understand why I'm going through this. So the answer to why do bad things happen to good people is God's got a plan that we're not always going to understand, but he's okay with us bringing that to him. And so let's jump into Job, chapter one, and start the process of grappling with someone that I believe, by the time we're done, we're going going to really identify with, and he's going to be our new friend, mr Job. Okay, here we go.

Speaker 1 7:36

Job, chapter 1, verse 1, says this there was once a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. What a wonderful opening legacy, right? He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants and was, in fact, the richest person in the entire area. So, job, he's wealthy, right? He's the Elon Musk of this time frame. He's got it all.

Speaker 1 8:19

Here we go, verse four Job's sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended, sometimes after several days, job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts. This was Job's regular practice, and so what the Bible is doing is making sure we're aware that Job is this amazing man of honor and integrity, and he also thinks about the spiritual well-being of his children as well. So he's very intentional about his life and about his life as it relates to God. Okay, now here we go, verse 6.

Speaker 1 8:56

One day, the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord and the accuser, satan, came to them. Where have you come from, the Lord, said the Lord, asked Satan. Satan answered to the Lord I have been patrolling the earth watching everything that's going on. To the Lord. I have been patrolling the earth watching everything that's going on. Then the Lord asked Satan have you noticed my servant, job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless, a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. Satan replied to the Lord well, yeah, but Job has a good reason to fear the Lord. You have put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look at how rich he is. But reach out and take away everything he has and he will surely curse you to your face. All right, you may test him. The Lord said to Satan Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically. So Satan left the Lord's presence. Now pause.

Speaker 1 10:02

Now this has been a passage of great controversy over time, where people have been picking this apart to try to understand the interworkings of the spirit world. It would appear as though that while God is species unique like, there's no God like God, he is God above all. There is also within the spirit world different ministers, messengers, angels, who do the work of God. And as they do the work of God and they're doing the different things, it appears as though that God will have them come before him from time to time to then report on the things they're doing. Now, god knows all things. So the reason why he does this, to be honest with you, I don't know, but he has them come before him. Well, because Satan, lucifer, was originally created as a spirit being. As one of these people, or not people, creations, creatures, he has the ability still to come before the Lord.

Speaker 1 10:54

So it appears as though at some point God called the accuser, satan, to come before him, and when he did, he brags about Job, say, have you noticed my man Job? My man Job is awesome. And the devil just says well, I mean, of course he's awesome, you're being awesome to him. Stop giving him a reason to love you and he'll stop loving you. And so they say. He says okay, I'm telling you Job is good. So how about this? You go see how awesome he is. There's not a wager here. It's not like a bet. God is telling the devil that Job is faithful and now he's going to find out that he is. But watch what happens. And this is a real bad day for Job. Verse 13 says this One day, when Job's sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother's house, a messenger arrived at Job's home with this news your oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them when the Sabaeans raided us.

Speaker 1 11:47

They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you. While he was speaking. Another messenger arrived with this news the fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you While he was still speaking. A third messenger arrived with this news Three bands of the Chaldeans, of the raiders, have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you. And then here's the biggest one While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home, suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed and all your children are dead. I am the only one who has escaped to tell you.

Speaker 1 12:56

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief and this is what he said, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord and all of this. Job did not sin by blaming God. Wow, oh, my goodness. I mean just to stop and pause and to think about, on one end, the enormous tragedy. You can't get around this. That tragedy has happened in Job's life. He's literally lost everything. And then, in grief, he says God, all of that was yours, you gave all that to me. You have taken that from me, but you're still my God, wow.

Trusting God Through Suffering

Speaker 1 13:42

So the title of today's passage is A Proper View of Suffering, and I think a proper view of suffering is so complicated and difficult, but a way into that conversation is to remember all of the things that we have belong to God. Therefore, if he decides to shift or move it or do whatever that's his prerogative, he can do that. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because God has a plan that we're not always aware of. You know, sometimes bad things happen. Our job is not to ask God why? But to rather say God, I don't understand. But I choose to trust you. I hope you can already see from the very first chapter. But I choose to trust you. I hope you can already see from the very first chapter.

Speaker 1 14:28

This is going to be a deep conversation that we're going to have over the course of several, several days, but it's an important conversation Because at some point in our lives can I be really honest with you? We're going to ask this question God, I really thought you could, I really thought you should, but you did something else. Why? That's an honest question. Do you know what God doesn't do? He doesn't tell us we can't ask. He doesn't get mad at us for asking. As a matter of fact, he says come and let us reason together. What he doesn't want us to do is to assume we know better, but rather say God, I don't know better. So I'm just bringing it to you.

Speaker 1 15:07

One of the greatest things you can do when encountering suffering is to worship, to remember that God is bigger than all this pain I'm going through and you might be surprised what it does so for some of us today. If you're going through pain, going through suffering and don't understand, give it to God and watch what he does with it. Let's pray, god. Thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, for the opportunity to begin this journey and this hard, hard question. Lord, it's one of the hardest. But, lord, I'm so thankful that you are a God who sees us and understands and you give us the opportunity to ask hard questions. Thank you, god, for loving us, and I dedicate our time, through the book of Job, to you In Jesus' name. We pray amen, amen.

Speaker 1 15:49

Well, the theme verse for Job is going to be what we just got through reading Job 121, when Job, after having lost everything, says I came naked from my mother's womb and I'll be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord when bad things happen. Don't forget God is still good in our lives. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Job, chapter 2.