The Book of Job

[resurrection33]

It seems to me the unanswered question from the book of Job has always been: Why should such a righteous person suffer so much? Something occurred to me, though, this week. Maybe there is a lesson here. Did Job ever ask the Lord to heal him? Would the Lord have healed him had Job asked? Why or why not? The Lord did heal him at the end of the story, didn't he?

 

[MarcR]

It seems to me the unanswered question from the book of Job has always been: Why should such a righteous person suffer so much? Something occurred to me, though, this week. Maybe there is a lesson here. Did Job ever ask the Lord to heal him? Would the Lord have healed him had Job asked? Why or why not? The Lord did heal him at the end of the story, didn't he?

This is a very astute observation; and a very good question, IMO.

I believe that God will will sometimes allow a faithful believe to suffer in order to use the way he or she handles the suffering as a means to reach someone else who would not otherwise be open to the truth.


If or when God asks this of a faithful believer; He always gives special Grace to enable the believer to endure the test; and always gives great reward; but not necessarily in this life.

 

[dcontroversal]

I personally think there is a deeper theology behind the book of Job which deals primarily with the testing and trials placed upon Job by Satan and Job's choice to not sin with his lips through the whole ordeal....I think it plays into the whole grand scheme of things when it comes to all humans having to choose between God's Kingdom and the fallen Kingdom of the beast...Even Jesus had to choose and learned to be obedient dia the things which he suffered........

 

[ladylynn]

Unlike us, Job didn't have the ability to read the book of Job in the Bible. He didn't know that the devil is the one who caused him his problems. When Job said that familiar verse that so many sincere people use at funerals... The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.
Job didn't know that the devil was the one who did the taking and the killing. satan is the one who is the accuser of the brethren, who comes to kill steal and destroy., God is not the author of death and sickness and sin., God is the Author of life and He giveth and giveth and giveth again., blessed be the name of the Lord.

 

[flob]

I think Job gained the Lord through.............his experience. he came from knowledge to life,
32:3, 5-6

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Job 23:10
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

 

[ladylynn]

Job 23:10
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

There is such a resistance to believe that the trying of our faith is not God calling down fire from heaven upon us. The Good Shepherd leads the sheep, He doesn't drive them from behind.

Being tried with fire means in the end when our works are shown to be what they are if they were the kind of wood hay and stubble or like gold that stands the test. We are tested in life to have faith., it's the good fight of faith that calls us to work to "rest" We can only rest in Christ's finished work on our behalf.

 

[resurrection33]

When there is something wrong in my life, I ask the Lord to help me with it. He always does. That’s why I find the book of Job so hard to understand. Why didn’t the Lord help Job? Well, maybe because Job didn’t ask him to.

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Deuteronomy 8:5
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

Proverbs 3:12
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Hebrews 12:3-8
3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Revelation 3:19
19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

 

[Christine1974]

I think the answers are in chapter 38. Who are we to question God?He knows when to heal. God is always right on time. It's not up to us to decide when we've had enough. God's judgement is perfect. We have to trust ALL that He does.

 

[flob]

Job neither knew himself nor what he needed, nor God's purpose;
nor did he know God, experientially. The Lord had to ....... break him

 

[resurrection33]

I think the answers are in chapter 38. Who are we to question God?He knows when to heal. God is always right on time. It's not up to us to decide when we've had enough. God's judgement is perfect. We have to trust ALL that He does.

But Job never asked to be healed, did he? What if he would have? Would the Lord have healed him sooner?

 

[Angela53510]

Job has been my best friend through many painful trials. When I had my foot reconstructed, God told me to read Job. It helped me through the most painful experience of my life.

When my meds have failed, God has always brought me back to Job. The entire story is spell binding, and it shows that no matter what happens, God is in control.

I read it a few months ago, and the pages just spoke to me - even those friends who thought they had all the answers. Not unlike some people here, who think we need to demand or claim healing from God, when God has a totally different scenerio in mind.

I always think - If Job had not been afflicted and gone through so many trials, who would there be to comfort the hurting and the broken? Because we are all hurting and broken, and if we let go of our pride and our false theology, we would see contextually a Bible which was written to people without a medical system, a world full of problems, where death lurked around every corner.

The fact that Job was written shows the fact that God is sovereign, and he knew this book would be a great example to encourage us, and that we are not alone in our suffering. The following verse is an amazing testimony to the living God for those who love him.


"25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth." Job 19:25

PS. I have asked to be healed many times. Lately on a daily basis. I have had many people praying for me. But I trust God enough to know that my prayer will be answered someday, even if that is when Christ returns.

 

[flob]

Similar to Paul asking to be healed, the Lord wouldn't have

 

[atwhatcost]

When there is something wrong in my life, I ask the Lord to help me with it. He always does. That’s why I find the book of Job so hard to understand. Why didn’t the Lord help Job? Well, maybe because Job didn’t ask him to.

That puts the control of the universe on Man, not God.

God said Job was a man after his own hear. God is triune and we know the three in one glories and agrees with each other. Hard not to believe Job was the same way. And, obviously God was helping him with it. He kept telling Satan what the boundaries were.

 

[atwhatcost]

But Job never asked to be healed, did he? What if he would have? Would the Lord have healed him sooner?

He lost his home, his business, and ten kids. Do you really think he was only interested in being healed?

 

[ladylynn]

Similar to Paul asking to be healed, the Lord wouldn't have

Again, based on a 'teaching and interpretation' of what people thought was Paul's thorn in the flesh, people have said that God gave Paul some illness. When in fact, the problem Paul had was people who were sent to him by satan to be a pain in his butt (thorn in the flesh) when he was ministering to the churches. He was traveling and found much opposition to the Gospel.

The Bible makes many references to "thorn in the flesh" and it doesn't refer to illness.
Read the Bible and check it out. You will see where the references are and allow the Bible to interpret the Bible as we are told to do. Long standing interpretations do not stand if we study them out ourselves for ourselves in light of other Bible verses.

In the world we have problems and tribulations but they do not come from God. They come from people in the world, sin in the world, and our arch enemy satan. God doesn't send us the very thing He sent Jesus to save us from. But God does use those things in this world to teach us about faith in Him. I won't say God sends evil because God is not the author of evil and sin. But He will use what is here already and as we have faith in Jesus finished work, those things will be demolished. Jesus has already won.

Don't allow the enemy to take your victory using a lie. he did the same thing to Adam and Eve when he got them to question God's goodness and generosity to them. They wrongfully attributed what the enemy said was something they lacked from God. They believed the enemy's lie about God,
He said God was with holding from them something that was good. They questioned God's goodness and provision. As was said before, if the enemy can get us to believe God is giving us this bad stuff, we will not fight it we will gladly take it thinking it is God's will for us. When Gods goodness and satan's evil are totally apposed to one another.

 

[crossnote]

I think Job gained the Lord through.............his experience. he came from knowledge to life,
32:3, 5-6

I definitely concur...

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
(Job 42:5)

'seen' -septuagint: ὁράω
horaō
Thayer Definition:
1) to see with the eyes
2) to see with the mind, to perceive, know
3) to see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to experience
4) to see, to look to
4a) to take heed, beware
4b) to care for, pay heed to
5) I was seen, showed myself, appeared

 

[Christine1974]

But Job never asked to be healed, did he? What if he would have? Would the Lord have healed him sooner?

God did heal Job. If you're asking if He could've done it sooner, then yes God can do all things. As far as would've,idk. Who am I to question God's timing.

 

[ladylynn]

Not only did God heal Job but God blessed Job more than when Job first started. Unlike Job., we have the Holy Spirit and the Bible and we are under a new covenant of grace. Job didn't have Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father on his behalf interceding for him like we do. We have it tons better than Job did or any of the OT saints. They longed for what we have today under this new covenant of Grace where our sins are no longer counted against us and are as far as the east is from the west.

Where we are called sons and daughters and joint heirs with Christ. Kings and priests who will rule and reign with Him. The Church is His bride. There is no other covenant like this one. loved unconditionally having the Holy Spirit of Promise and sealed. Jesus is making intercession for us every moment of our lives as our Great High Priest. The enemy can no longer condemn us (unless we receive his condemnation)