How does the book of Job explain the problem of evil?
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The author of the book of Job presents important themes such as the problem of suffering and the question: if God is really in control of everything, then is He responsible for evil in this world? These are subjects that have been explored and thought of since ancient times. The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary highlights the fact with examples of texts that “come from Sumer, Egypt, Ugarit, and Babylonia, but the two that are most similar to Job come from Babylonia” (Longman 948). However, although these have always been difficult questions to answer, hopefully, the reader may grasp the book's more profound wisdom, its lessons of faithfulness, and its warning that spiritual warfare is genuinely active in people's lives. The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary encourages the reader by saying, “We may not know why we suffer, but we do know that God is in charge and knows what he is doing” (Longman 949). Throughout the book of Job, it is evident that not all human suffering is a direct result of sin, and not all suffering is just, yet God has a purpose in it and is ready to restore His people when they are faithful. However, this idea challenges retribution theology by implying that God deals with His people based on a moral principle rather than a constant formula. In Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey, the author further says, “Stated simply, you reap what you sow. This is how God governs the world. The very rightness of right leads to blessings, and the wrongness of wrong leads naturally to disaster. But this doctrine of retribution is a general moral principle of God’s administration of justice, not a hard-and-fast rule to be applied to every individual case” (Arnold and Beyer 275). It is vital to keep that thought in mind when asking why there is evil in the world and why bad things happen to good people, especially when analyzing the life and book of Job.
How can humanity reconcile that if God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why would He allow evil to have a presence in our world?
The book of Job falls into the category of wisdom literature that searches and discovers the answer to this question. The problem is defined more accurately in Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey when it states, “On the one hand, if God were perfectly good, he would not allow evil to exist in any of its various forms (wars, famine, crime). Therefore, there must be some limit to his ability to control the circumstances of the world, and he is not all-powerful. On the other hand, if God were all-powerful, the fact that evil events and circumstances occur must mean that he sees nothing wrong with them. Therefore, he is not all-loving” (Arnold and Beyer 270). However, this idea does not consider the Fall of Man, which results in humanity's sinful nature and its collective push away from the holy presence of God and into an imperfect world. Furthermore, it does not consider the consequences of that exact sinful nature combined with the free will that God grants humanity. God is all-loving, but He is also just and cannot do what goes against His nature. Therefore, because God is righteous, He cannot be unrighteous. Instead, because of humanity’s free will, it’s more likely that He uses the consequences of human sin as instruments to carry out His will, justice, and purpose for His glory. In Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, he writes, "None of us deserves God's favor or his mercy, but only eternal condemnation. Therefore, when God brings evil on human beings, whether to discipline his children, or to lead unbelievers to repentance, or to bring a judgment of condemnation and destruction upon hardened sinners, none of us can charge God with doing wrong" (326). God does not carry out evil, but He may allow it by the hand of others as punishment to those who deserve it and as justice that demonstrates His holiness. When God’s people sin or disobey Him, He is there to correct them because He loves His people and does not want them to stray any further.
However, how does this explain evil and suffering when it’s not a consequence of human sin?
Job’s suffering is brought upon him after Satan challenges God, claiming that Job is only faithful to the Lord because of his prosperity and the “hedge around him and his household” (Job 1:8-12). Satan's accusations immediately imply that God isn't worthy to be worshiped without having given something in exchange for worship. In Discovering the Mission of God: Best Missional Practices for the 21st Century, contributor, Alex Luc describes this best when he writes, "Satan's goal is to prove that human faith in God is ultimately utilitarian, including the faith of a best saint of God. The implication is that every faith is bribed and God’s plan is a failure” (91). If this is the case, would God not want to prove Satan wrong for His glory? And would God not want to show Satan and the other angels that humans’ worship is caused by faith in who He is rather than faith in what He provides? In Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms & Wisdom Literature, the author goes further and says, “The reader might assume that there is a direct connection between his [Job’s] great piety and his great wealth and social standing. However, the assumption that there must be such a link is shattered once God accepts the Satan’s challenge to test Job” (Lucas 136). In one day, Job suffers the loss of his livestock, servants, and children, yet he still does not curse the Lord (Job 1:13-22). Though this suffering may be considered unjust since Job was “a blameless and upright” man (Job 1:1), the reader can find an explanation for Job’s suffering, understanding it was the result of factors and situations occurring outside of humanity’s control, all for God’s purpose. Because the suffering was ultimately to glorify God in heaven, the reader could say that God's purpose justified Job's suffering.
Even though Job had no awareness of Satan’s challenge to God, Job remained faithful, understanding to some degree that there was a purpose for his suffering and showing it when he says, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). As Job leaned on this type of faith, he likely understood that sometimes humans are placed through suffering not just for themselves but so that those around them may also be blessed or so that God may be glorified. Job may have also understood that there was some type of spiritual warfare going on, though he was not completely aware of what was causing it. Scripture shows other examples of this in Genesis when Joseph is sold as a slave by his brothers yet is then exalted by God and placed to forgive and bless his family later on in Egypt. It is likely that in his heart, Job carried the exact words toward his suffering as Joseph had and that he shared with his brothers: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20). The apostle Paul later writes this same sentiment in his letter to the Romans (8:28). Through this, the reader can see how not all suffering is punishment, but how God can still use the cruelest of intentions and circumstances and make them work for the ultimate good of His faithful followers and His glory. In Discovering the Mission of God: Best Missional Practices for the 21st Century, contributor Alex Luc further says, “Job’s story shows that the victory of spiritual warfare does not depend on exemption from sufferings or protection from satanic attacks, but on the gaining of the human heart” (91).
Trusting the Lord during a storm—that is trust.
It would be easy to have faith without the presence of trials. However, is it true faith if it has never been tested? How would someone know how deeply they love and trust in the Lord if they are kept in a bubble of comfort? Job's faith was tested when he faced adversity, and it made an impression on those around him, whether for good or bad. His friends criticized him, who thought that Job secretly sinned and was suffering from retribution, yet despite all the adversity Job faced, he never abandoned God. If anything, Job’s suffering deepened his knowledge of God. In Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms & Wisdom Literature, Ernest Lucas writes, “In the divine speeches, Yahweh reminds Job of the mysteries of nature that go beyond the comprehension, and suffering is one of these. The supremely important thing for Job is that God came to him in his suffering, showing him that he was not isolated from God” (139). Though humanity may suffer, God does not abandon His people. The book of Job helps the reader understand why there is suffering and evil in the world, and it also gives that same suffering purpose. In Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, he writes, "Not all discipline is in order to correct us from sins that we have committed; it can also be allowed by God to strengthen us in order that we may gain greater ability to trust God and resist sin in the challenging path of obedience" (812). Humanity can endure suffering for God's glory and, if we gain a wise perspective, it can also be for our benefit. In the face of adversity, it's wise to reflect and understand that trials are often God's way of building resistance in our lives so that we may be capable of handling a greater responsibility later on. Or resistance is what sharpens our faith and increases our ability to glorify the Lord's name. Suffering helps us to better know God. In these cases, God desires to bless us, but sometimes, if not prepared correctly, a blessing too soon could transform into a curse that either destroys a follower with its weight or builds pride within their hearts. A blessing granted too soon or with little resistance involved is likely to lead to the belief that success is a result of personal merit rather than because of the help of God. That is dangerous because then people may begin believing that He is not necessary for their lives.
In the end, because of Job’s faithfulness, God restored him.
Finally, In Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms & Wisdom Literature, the author explains that “the message of the book is that though humans must suffer in the dark, their very suffering may be an enrichment of their experience if in it they know the presence of God” (Lucas 139). God wants to be glorified and He wants to have a relationship with His people. However, it is understandable that the Creator does not want a superficial relationship with those He loves. The book of Job shows us the necessity for suffering, for it draws us closer to God in our weakness, and it makes us analyze the true depth of our faith.
Resources Used
New International Version Bible. Zondervan, 2011. (Original work published 1978)
Arnold, Bill T., and Bryan Beyer. Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey. Baker Academic, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018.
Barnett, Mike, and Robin Martin. Discovering the Mission of God: Best Missional Practices for the 21st Century. IVP Academic, 2012.
Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Zondervan Pub. House, 2000.
Longman, Tremper. The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Baker Books, 2013.
Lucas, Ernest C. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms & Wisdom Literature. Vol. 3, InterVarsity Press, 2003.
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