20060728 Bible Study for the Day- Job 4-5

Job 4-5

     Such is human nature that we constantly assume that if bad things happen to us it must mean that God is punishing us for something we have done wrong. That was Job’s friend Eliphaz’s conclusion when he came to console Job for everything he had suffered. Surely Job was guilty of some offense against God, so Job could redeem himself by simply acknowledging his sin, confessing to God, and trying that much harder to lead a pious life.

     Of course, Eliphaz was wrong, not only about Job but about the nature of God. God does not punish His faithful for sin because works are not they way God wants us to achieve righteousness. There is no doubt that God has visited His wrath on the unfaithful- the Bible gives us many examples-, but on the righteous, those justified by faith, He threatens no such thing because we are saved by our faith in Him. Punishment serves no purpose to faith given to us as a free gift. Instead, calamity is the result of the devil, the world, and our own sinfulness, a consequence of rebellion against God, not God’s reaction to our rebellion.

     Sometimes that consequence visits even the most faithful, even when that consequence seems undeserved, but when it does we can be assured that such a thing is happening for our good and the good of God’s kingdom. Certainly, Job suffered tremendously, but that suffering resulted in his tale being related to us, giving us a glimpse into God’s will and our relationship with God and the world. Sometimes when we suffer, it is not only for our own good, but for the good of those around us, and it is not our actions that will relieve that suffering, but our faith in Jesus who saved us from all suffering through the promise of Heaven.

DLH