The book of Job tells the story of a man named Job as he wrestles with God and his friends regarding God’s justice and human suffering. We are told that Job is from an unknown land far from Israel called Uz and is a man of great wealth and prosperity. The reader is not given a time period when this book took place or even the author’s name. Many scholars believe this omission of historical detail is intentional, which forces the reader to focus solely on the story of Job and the difficult questions that Job is dealing with. At the beginning of this book, God declares Job the most righteous man on Earth with flawless character and perfect integrity. Satan argues that Job will curse God and turn away from Him if Satan is allowed to take away all that Job has been given. Satan takes away Job’s children and all of his wealth in chapter 1 and then afflicts Job with terrible boils in chapter 2. Chapter 2 ends with Job and his three friends sitting in the dust, mourning his suffering together with torn robes.
Chapters 3-31 in the book of Job consist entirely of conversations between Job and three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. The format of these chapters is this: Job speaks, his friends respond, Job responds, his friends respond, etc. This cycle occurs three times with each friend except Zophar speaking three times - it goes on for a while.
Job’s Friends’ Explanation for Job’s Suffering: Job’s friends believe that God is just and orchestrates the world according to the strict principle of justice. Job’s friends believe that if Job were truly righteous, he would not have gone through this immense suffering. They believe that he should admit to sin, repent, and be blessed by God. This line of thinking is very common, even today. For example, the United States Department of Justice (in principle) is designed to ensure everyone operates according to the nation’s laws and is punished when laws are broken. Humans understand this concept easily: If you break the law, you will be punished, or in other words: Bad things should happen to bad people. Job’s friends, as well as many people today, believe that God operates the world in this manner. Friends’ Conclusion: God is just and runs the world according to justice; therefore Job is being punished for his sin.
Job’s Struggle: Job knows that he is a righteous man (1:8, 2:3), and Job also knows that his suffering is not a punishment for sin (1:9-11, 2:4-5). Job is human and is limited to a human's understanding of justice that was mentioned above. Therefore, Job believes that there are only two options that can explain his suffering. Either God is not just, which Job himself states is not possible, or God does not rule the world in a just manner. Job challenges how God shows justice in the world multiple times, asking God why wicked people prosper during their life while the righteous are humiliated and defeated by evil. Job struggles and refuses to give in to his friends and ultimately decides that he needs to take his grievance to God directly. Job’s Conclusion: I don’t understand how a just God allows the righteous to suffer. I want an answer from God.
God explains later in the book that His purposes are never for evil, but they are often beyond a human’s ability to understand, which can lead to doubts. Many Christians believe that doubt and questions are a sign of weak faith. Job clearly shows that wrestling over these questions happens to even the most mature believers (God literally called Job the most righteous man in the world). I believe that this book invites the believer to take every question, doubt, and fear to God personally. God is not intimidated or scared by any question that humans can pose. Often, we will not understand the big picture because we inherently lack the wisdom and understanding of the God of Creation; however, He is willing to give answers to those who seek Him. Let’s not avoid or internalize doubts that will inevitably arise during our time in this sinful world, but rather let us take our righteous questions to the only One who truly knows the answers.
