The chapter begins with Job lamenting. He cursed the day of his birth and felt that it would have been better if he were not born. He went on to wish that he perished at birth. Job was in a state of despair and depression. To him, death would end his sufferings and pain, for death will mean rest and escape from all his agony. Job seemed to think that this applied to all, including the wicked, and that death would lead to final rest. He felt that God had hedged him in, and there was no escape from all his sufferings. There seemed to be no way out.
From one angle, we can identify with Job and feel that it is understandable for him to despair; it just shows that Job was human. We would probably respond in the same manner and may fare even worse than him.
However, we need to pause and consider. What would be the result if Job were not born? Job was one highly regarded by God. God in fact had confidence in Job to a point that He pointed him out to the Accuser, describing Job as a rare individual who was blameless, godly and righteous. God allowed the Accuser to test Job, knowing that he would pass the test and prove that a man can love God for Himself and not for the benefits he can receive. Job also demonstrated that extreme suffering and ill health may not necessarily affect a man’s loyalty to God.
Imagine the glory and honour given to God in Job’s testimony and response to suffering. This was seen on earth and also in the heavenly realm as the other angels saw Satan proven wrong by this godly man. It shows how a godly response to suffering can be such a powerful testimony for God and His kingdom.
In Ezekiel 14:14, Job was highlighted as one of three godly men whose presence would not deter God from punishing His people for their sin. The other two were Noah and Daniel. If Job were to die at birth or if he were not born, then we would not have benefited from the example of his godliness, perseverance and patience (James 5:11). God chose Job to manifest His wisdom and glory. Thus, God disproved Satan’s accusation that people only serve God for the benefits they receive.
If only Job were aware that he was suffering because he was favoured by God and that he was demonstrating a powerful testimony for God’s sake. He would have rejoiced. He would not have despaired and wished that he were not born, or that he died at birth.
Job’s understanding of death was defective. He thought that death would bring rest for all. Going back to Genesis chapter three, we note that God intended human beings made in His image to experience a nobler end than the disintegration we call death. Satan denied the truthfulness of God when he told Eve that “when you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). For God had warned Eve and Adam, “when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Death came about as a penalty for disobedience to God. It is not God’s ultimate intention for human beings. In fact, death is the final enemy. God destroyed death and the power of sin through His Son who exhausted all the power of evil and sin at the cross. When Jesus met Martha and Mary at the passing of Lazarus, He wept because He was grieved on seeing the pain and suffering ensuing from death. The New Testament clearly shows that death is not rest for the wicked; an eternal fire and suffering await them. However, God’s children can anticipate rest, freedom from suffering, sickness and death.
Recalling the negative example of Esau who chose immediate pleasure at the expense of eternal reward, we can also make a similar mistake by choosing immediate release from pain and suffering at the expense of eternal well-being. Job was at the verge of making such a mistake in his lamentation.
A positive example in the response to suffering is seen in the life of Apostle Paul. We are familiar with the severe sufferings Paul went through which include thirty-nine lashes five times, beatings with rods three times, being pelted with stones,, ship-wrecked three times, encountering dangers from Jews and Gentiles, and enduring hunger, cold and sleeplessness (2 Corinthians 11).
Yet notice how Paul described his sufferings: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). In Romans 8:18, Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”.
The apostle Paul considered his sufferings as light and momentary troubles. Admittedly, we may not consider his list of sufferings as light and momentary if we were in his sandals. Nevertheless, he saw the eternal glory that will be achieved through sufferings in a godly manner and he even went as far as to state that his sufferings were not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in eternity. Not only is the comparison considered as temporary and light when compared to the coming eternal glory; he even felt that it was not worth comparing as the eternal glory far outweighs all these sufferings.
So Paul may be perplexed in his sufferings and trials but he “did not lose heart”; he did not sink into despair and discouragement. If only Job could see and understand what the apostle Paul saw and understood, he probably would not have sunk into despair and depression. He would not have felt that it was all darkness and gloom; he would have persevered and overcome the overwhelming trials and sufferings without wishing for death at birth.
The chapter ends with Job stating that all his fears and dread came to pass in his life.
Isaiah 26:3 states,,”You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you”. It reminds us that the more faith, the more inward peace and quietness; if little faith, then little peace and serenity through the storms that unbelieving fears will surely gather.
We need to remember that fears are not from God. They make us vulnerable to the Accuser. For the enemy knows our fears and these are areas he can target to cause us to lose our faith and peace in God. Do we live our lives with certain fears which have not been surrendered to God? Are we prepared to surrender all to God and know that He is always good and loving whatever He allows in our lives? Satan is always denying not only God’s truthfulness; he also always denies God’s goodness. He makes the permitted things seem unsatisfying and the forbidden things seem desirable. He continually claims that God is not truly good, and that He is not seeking our welfare but our impoverishment. He portrays God as one who is denying us what is good when, in effect, God seeks our welfare and eternal good.
Although we cannot give all the answers to why there is evil and sufferings and why the godly suffer, we know enough from the Scriptures that God can use sufferings and even evil to bring about good in our lives ultimately. He is the author of all things, and in that light everything has to be traced to Him as the cause; but He is not the causation of specific evil and sufferings. These may be from the evil one or they may be the result of the disorder from the fall in Genesis. They can also be present because God has not yet completed His plan and intention for creation and human beings.
God is not absent from our sufferings. He seeks to end all evil and sufferings with the coming of His Son. When Jesus wept at Lazarus’ death, we know that God not only can empathise with us in our sufferings, He also suffers with us in our sufferings. When Saul persecuted the Church, the Lord Jesus asked him why he was persecuting Him. When Saul persecuted the believers, he was in fact persecuting Jesus. Jesus suffers with His church in her sufferings. We need not despair and feel that God does not care. He is with us in our pain; He understands our grief and He continually intercedes for us and pours out His grace so that we may triumph in our sufferings and in the face of evil.