Job 9:1-24 – Suffering is hard to explain

Job could concur with Bildad. In principles, he could accept that God would not cast away someone who was perfect, neither would He hold the hand of evildoers. His dilemma, however, was the struggle he felt within. He couldn’t conscionably acknowledge that he had done something wrong. Yet the calamities that had fallen on him undeniably pronounced him guilty of a wrong. Rightly or wrongly he felt he was compelled to accept the verdict. After all, God is sovereign. There is no way mortal man could argue with God’s judgement. And no one could find the right answer under God’s cross examination. For God is not only mighty in strength but He is also wise in heart. There could be no immunity for those who would come against God.

In summary, Job described the might of God as seen in creation. He alone shakes the formidable mountain with earthquakes. He alone blots out the sun by bringing about an eclipse. It is God who by His power created the stars and spreads them out in the vast expanse of the heavens. His ways are simply beyond man’s understanding. It is impossible to fully fathom the ways of the invincible and invisible God. How then could he a mortal man find the right word to plead his case with God?  The power of the Almighty could be felt but impossible to grasp. And what He sets out to do, he will accomplish it. Hence, it is impossible to argue with God. The only way is to plead for mercy.

Without a doubt, it is impossible to understand pain and suffering. How can a God who is loving, yet was so hard in His dealing with Job, a man who did no wrong? We have the complete book of Job and know the outcome. But for Job, he had to try and make sense of his suffering, yet be careful not to malign God. It’s hard to make sense of Job’s dilemma. All we can say is this: he was not suffering for sin that he had knowingly committed. But he had to bear with the consequence of the sin nature that he had inherited from Adam’s fall. We are all living under a curse because of the fall. But praise God, Christ had redeemed us from the curse. The ultimate payment of sin was carried by Him. Whatever suffering we bear in life, will certainly help us to appreciate what our Lord had bore for us.