Job's Great Mistake

Suffering 9

 

          To study the subject of suffering in the Word of God and in human history both is to encounter Job. In fact, this blog series on suffering was indirectly birthed out of a desire I had to finally come to a good understanding of the book of Job. Last week we traced the progression of Job’s faith in God becoming Job’s frustration with God, and the isolation that comes to each of us when God is silent. In today’s post, I want to put my finger on Job’s single greatest mistake.

Galileo by Felix Parra
c 1873

          In the 1600s, Galileo, one of the great scientists of the Renaissance, asserted that Ptolemy had been wrong 15 centuries prior in positing the Earth as the center of the known universe. For his pain, Galileo was roundly condemned by all and sundry, and spent much of the latter part of his life defending himself against attacks and suffering negative consequences as a result of his position.

          Galileo’s world was no more guilty than our own of thinking everything revolves around us. We are all of us prone to be egocentric. Indeed, I would argue that even good Christians do that. We want relief from our suffering. We want vindication in the eyes of our detractors. We want deliverance from our pain. We want restoration of that which was taken away. We view the Word of God primarily as given to help us rather than primarily being the revelation of God. When things do not make sense in our lives, we demand an explanation from God.

…but the universe does not revolves around me; it revolves around God

Colossians 3:3–5

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

          Job’s indescribable pain, Job’s devastating loss, Job’s deep suffering is met with the silence of God. And when God finally speaks, He does so sternly to all involved, including Job. It is as if He says to Job, “Here I am; who are you?”

 

Job 38:1–4 

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.

Job 40:1–4

Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

          The simple yet vital truth is the universe does not revolve around us; it revolves around God. God desired to use Job for His own glory in a contest with Satan. Job did not like it much, and understood it even less. But God is God and Job was not, and in the final analysis, that is all Job needed to know.

          When you and I suffer we almost always make the same great mistake Job did. We focus on ourselves, on our circumstances, on our pain. In so doing, we are as wrong as Job was. To me, the great lesson of Job is that we ought instead to focus on God, on Who God is, and what God is choosing to do with and in my life for His own purposes. My suffering is not about me. My response to my suffering is not about me. Every bit of that ought to be about God.

Job 42:1–6

Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, And that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel Without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: But now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent In dust and ashes.

          In essence, Job says, “You know me, everything about me. I, quite obviously, know entirely too little about You and Your ways. In my smallness, I demanded answers of you, but now that I see You I realize I was wrong to demand answers. I see You – and that is enough of answer all by itself. I repent of my selfishness.”

          Beloved, the great need in our suffering is not for it to end. It is not for us to obtain comfort. It is not for us to grasp the why. No, the great need in our suffering is for us to see God. To place Him front and center, to give Him the preeminence, to realize we orbit His Sun and not the other way around. And in seeing Him we will find all we really need.

          He – all by Himself – is enough. Just Him.