Job’s counselors seem to have a good grasp on the divine attributes of God, His righteousness, omniscience, omnipotence and so forth. What they do not have a grasp on is the way in which the free sovereign God makes use of these attributes. There theology has no place for the suffering of the righteous, no place for the forgiveness of the sinner. All they can comprehend is righteousness and justice. “To the scales” they cry. However, this single-minded focus on justice and righteousness shows that they do not, indeed cannot, comprehend true righteousness; divine righteousness. The inadequacies of man in reference and regard to the Almighty’s righteousness are deep and wide, no amount of good can make up for the rebellion and injustice done on man’s part toward the Almighty. If justice were the only measure of God then all mankind would be doomed. If we hold to the theology of Job’s counselor’s then mankind is without hope.
However, if we can allow for the suffering of the righteous in our theology (specifically the suffering of the righteous to accomplish the purposes of God) then we can allow for the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ to mean something to us. Job’s plight is surely not retribution for his sin seeing that he was “blameless, upright, fearing God and running away from evil.” (Job 1:1) Job’s plight is a beautiful picture of God allowing one righteous to suffer in order to accomplish His all good, merciful and wise purposes. It is no wonder that God rails on Job for 71 verses in chapters 38 & 39. Job in his despairing and questioning of God is leveling a charge of injustice against the divine principal which allows the righteous to suffer and which ultimately leads to divine mercy. Job is fighting against the very divine principal that makes possible Job’s own statement, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will take His stand on the earth.” (Job 19:25) If God does not allow the righteous to suffer then Christ cannot suffer, if Christ cannot suffer then man cannot know forgiveness. If man cannot know forgiveness then man cannot truly know God. And if man cannot truly know God then God has created in vain.
What God is doing in and through Job is pointing ahead to what He will do in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Job does not understand his role as a divine shadow of the true substance; Christ. Those of us who stand on this side of the cross and have been blessed with the full and final revelation of God in Christ must be cautious about how we view/embrace our suffering. We are to be “always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10) Let us embrace our plight in this life for the sake of Christ and His gospel. Let us hold fast the “the hope laid up for [us] in heaven” (Colossians 1:5) and let us look to Christ for our strength.
Sierraville Community Church 