Job and the Practical Struggle

One of the saddest declining statistical numbers in Christianity is the percentage of believers who have read the entire Bible. We have allowed Satan to convince us that we do not have time to read God's Word or that it is too complicated to understand. If you have not read the book of Job before, I would like to recommend you set Reaching New Levels of Faith down for a time and first read this marvelous Old Testament book. I assure you, it is not too difficult to grasp and you will gain much more from this chapter if you have a general picture of the entire book of Job.

The Bible has more examples of Searching Faith than it does of the other four levels combined. You may have noticed in the glossary more chapters in this book are devoted to Searching Faith than to the others. Searching Faith is a pivotal point in our spiritual progress. It is the point that makes or breaks us on the journey to maturity. It is a period of critical transformation as we think and rethink our doctrinal positions and our understanding of who God is and what He wants from us.

Of the four struggles of Searching Faith, the Practical Struggle is the only one auspicious enough to have an entire book of the Bible devoted to it. The 42 chapters of the book of Job focus on the Practical Struggle of one man; the questions provoked through his struggle and the way he found his answers. Job is a diagram of the anatomy of the Practical Struggle. A clear path is laid out showing the way closer to that deep relationship with God which we all long for. In order to reach that deeper relationship with our Father, some of us need an answer to the question, "Is it practical to be a follower of God?"

Job loved God. Job was by no means perfect, but he went to great lengths to please God as the first five verses of the book verify. Job was described as "blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." Job 1:1. Anytime his children decided to hold a feast, Job would offer sacrifices to consecrate his family. He was not the kind of man to glibly do anything that might be offensive to God.

Job was wealthy and quite influential in his part of the world, Job 1:3. And he used his wealth and his wisdom for the betterment of mankind. In Job 4:3 Eliphaz brags on Job, "you have taught many, And you have strengthened weak hands." People turned to Job for advice and he was supportive of his fellow man. "Your words have helped the tottering to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees." Job 4:4.

His adversary, Satan, despised Job because of his loyalty to the Creator. But Satan believed that Job's faithfulness was the result of his sheltered lifestyle.

Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

- Job 1:10

Satan also believed if Job were to suffer loss and hardship his faith in God would crumble. "But reach out Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face," Job 1:11.

In Satan's mind this would prove that evil triumphs over good, but he was wrong, just as we are when we believe the same thing. The dissolving faith of God's children is certainly a victory for Satan, but it in no way proves that evil is greater than good. It only confirms the negative effects of sinful corruption.

If you believe an atheist becoming a Christian is proof of the existence of God, you are right only to a point. It certainly is a victory and there is cause for rejoicing, but when a Christian becomes an atheist does that mean God does not exist? No. God exists whether people put their faith in Him or not. The progression or digression of our spiritual condition does not increase or decrease the power of Satan. He does not gain strength by weakening our faith. Nobody benefits from weaker faith. The Devil will never be more powerful than God. The book of Job makes that clear. Who is asking whom for permission to pester mankind?

God grants Satan permission to take from Job his wealth, his family, his earthly security. If you just now read Job for the first time, as I requested at the beginning of this chapter, what was your first impression of this opening dialogue between God and Satan? Did your heart go out to poor Job? Were you a bit shocked that God would allow Satan to harm a believer in such a way?

Keep in mind that what you are reading is inspired by God's Holy Spirit. The book of Job intentionally starts off showing how we often don't understand why God does the things He does. Nowhere in these opening chapters does God defend His decisions to us. He doesn't have to. The Holy Spirit wants us to think about why things happen and what God's part is in the process. He wants you and I to engage and interact with the Practical Struggle. Then gradually our mind is turned to see the sovereignty of God. None of that journey happens by accident. This is the Divine Spirit of God guiding us through a common faith struggle.

Satan left heaven with permission to torment Job. Satan robbed him of his crops, herds, home and children, yet Job did not turn away from God. Would you have been as loyal? If you suffered losses to such a degree as this man, can you honestly say the first thing you would have done is "fell to the ground and worshipped" Job 1:20? When God told Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth," Job 1:8, you can see why God was so pleased with Job and his enduring faith.

Note that God was not angry at Job. He was proud of him. He was bragging on Job. This is not about punishment for wrongdoing. The book of Job is about human suffering and some possible answers as to why it happens. And you may not agree with all God's methods but move your focus further back. Go wide angle on this whole scene. Bring eternal life into the picture. See the grand scheme of things. Hopefully you will respect the fact that God knows how to bring about spiritual growth in the lives of His children.

In the second chapter of this book, Satan received permission to strike Job's physical health, which he did causing painful boils to break out all over Job's body. This is not some ancient condition. People today, still suffer from outbreaks of boils. The condition is called carbuncles. It is quite painful and debilitating. It is surprising that Job still did not betray God. Satan was wrong. Hardship alone did not dissuade Job from believing in His Creator. But the hardships did cause Job to struggle with the practicality of following the God he loved.

Although Satan was the inflictor of hardship and pain, God was involved and could have stopped this pointless suffering (at least, pointless in Job's mind). Job had obeyed God and yet he still suffered misfortune, which raised the question: what good did it do to follow God, if one still suffers in the process? Was it practical for all intent and purpose for Job to serve the Lord? Can you relate?

To understand the answer to this challenging question we first must be aware of how suffering impacts us spiritually. People react in different ways to misfortune, but there are some common thought processes we experience. If the suffering is taxing enough, we sometimes feel like God is pushing us beyond our ability to bear up. Job felt this way and expressed it in chapter six.

“What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should endure?

- Job 6:11

We by nature look for scapegoats to blame for our suffering, as Job did.

¹⁴“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵“My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi,
Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,

- Job 6:14-15

Job told his friends they were no better than intermittent streams, thirst-quenching one day and dry the next. It is somebody else's fault. Job took it out on his friends who came there to comfort him. Sometimes we use God as our scapegoat, blaming Him for things that cause us hurt and suffering. It is surprising that Job did not do that.

Job questioned God, but he never blamed Him for his losses. He wanted to know why God allowed injustice to persist in this world "I am a joke to my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke....The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power," Job 12:4, Job 12:6. Job questioned why righteous people suffer while the ungodly received no apparent punishment for their disobedience? This perception (or misperception) fueled the fire of Job's Practical Struggle, as did his faulty theology.

The way we perceive God, our theology, has a profound effect on how well we handle the questions surrounding the practicality of Christianity. As you observe the way Job speaks to God, you realize that he sees God as a mean and vindictive God, anxious to punish and slow to forgive. Job knew God loved and cared about him:

‘You have granted me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has preserved my spirit.

- Job 10:12

But during this period of suffering Job did not believe God was following through with genuine compassion:

¹³‘Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
¹⁴If I sin, then You would take note of me,
And would not acquit me of my guilt.

- Job 10:13-14

Job had faulty theology. He was wrong about who God is and how He thinks. God is eager to acquit anyone of their guilt if we are but willing to repent.

‘Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your power against me.

- Job 10:16

Wrong again, Job. Faulty theology. This was a faulty perception of God. God doesn't hunt us down like a lion. That's Satan that does that, I Peter 5:8.

Job's misconception, his faulty theology made dealing with his loss and pain a whole lot harder than it needed to be. During his time of grief if he had in his mind that God is "a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in mercy;" Nehemiah 9:17, this would have been a comfort to him.

These things did not happen to Job because God was mad at him. We know that because we have the advantage of listening in on God's conversation with Satan in the first two chapters. God was singing the praises of Job for his loyalty and righteousness. God loved Job and Job should have known that. Perhaps he simply forgot. As believers we sometimes do.

Job's friend Eliphaz also had a faulty theology which hindered him from being a comfort to Job. We get the impression from Job 22:4-10 that Eliphaz believed all suffering was the result of sin. "To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread." Job 22:7. Eliphaz had no evidence these things were true. He was fishing for some charge against Job. "That is why snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you," Job 22:10. "You've been sinning, haven't you, Job. That's why bad things are happening to you." Eliphaz was trying to get Job to 'fess up when in fact Job's suffering had nothing to do with sins he had committed.

This was a common Jewish misconception. When you read Luke 13:1-5 where Jesus had been informed about Pilate killing a bunch of Jews and mixing their own blood with the blood of their sacrifices, a demoralizing way to die, Jesus asked these informants, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate?" Luke 13:3. Those who suffer the worst must have sinned the worst is what seemed to be the prevailing attitude. But Jesus explained, "No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3. It is not earthly suffering that is avoided by repenting, turning away from sin. It's perishing eternally that is the consequence of unrepentant sin.

Then Jesus brought up another example of the Jews believing that since a tower fell on some people it must have been because they sinned greatly. Jesus repeated, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:5. Sometimes towers fall on people. It doesn't mean it was because they sinned.

Read John 9:2-3. Jesus' own disciples believed that because this man was born blind it had to have been because he sinned or his parents sinned. Jesus corrected their false theology.

"It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

This very misconception is one that unfortunately still exists today. Merely because one suffers does not mean his soul is being punished for sin. Sin can and does bring about suffering, and God uses suffering as a punishment for sin at times, but this cataclysmic world we live in brings about events that are not anyone's fault. God is not running around trying to punish people with hardship. There are natural catastrophes.

We all know God is fully capable of overcoming nature. That is true. But just because He chooses not to, does not mean He is deliberately trying to punish someone. Those who don't understand this basic biblical truth suffer needlessly during times of grief. Continuously trying to second guess God's message to us in every hurtful circumstance causes needless quilt and depression. If you suffer it does not mean God is out to get you.

You can drive yourself crazy trying to second guess God's intention behind every little thing that happens to you. Your efforts are far better spent on His more dependable way of communicating with you. He speaks to you through His written Word, the Bible in plain language. Stop reading gloom and God's disappointment into every trial you face. Read the Bible instead.

²“Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;
³When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;

- Job 29:2-3

What Job is doing in this chapter is reflecting on the good times. This can be very healing for anyone struggling through the practicality of faith in God. If you have tasted the goodness of knowing God use it to counteract the negative attitudes of the Practical Struggle. Dwell on the benefits of following God. Following God is not all rosy. There are hard times, but there are rewards as well. And by weighing the pros against the cons we can answer the question "Is it worth it to follow God?"

In the book of Job Elihu was a younger man who waited until the others had spoken before he had a comment about Job.

⁹“For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
When he is pleased with God.’

¹⁰“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.

- Job 34:9-10

Job had already verbalized his Practical Struggle. In his opinion, it profits a man little to seek the favor of God. Yet, Elihu points out, God is not in the business of doing harm or evil to anyone. "God is love," I John 4:16.

Everything that God does is based on love. So when we lose something that God gave us in the first place He is not being unfair. Job did not lose a single thing that was not given to him by God. All that we have truthfully belongs to the Master. We are merely stewards of it for a little while. So if God takes back the wealth, health, possessions or relationships He gave us, God is not being unjust. It was His in the first place.

It is our own stubborn pride that causes us to hold on to things that are not rightfully ours. Pride is what makes the Practical Struggle so difficult for us. Job received a healthy dose of humility by the end of his trial and it was the medicine he needed. By the end of Job, he understood the sovereignty of Jehovah. Then, and only then, did he find the solution to the Practical Struggle. Is it worth it to follow God? Most definitely! Although things don't always go our way and following God can be difficult at times, in the end it is by far the best lifestyle choice. It is worth the trials we may face in this world. But if you are going through the Practical Struggle you have to reach that conclusion on your own, just as Job did. Nobody can do it for you.