The book of Job

A student entitled a paper on the book of Job "Good Grief."

That certainly captures the essence of the book!

God Himself is the answer to innocent suffering (Job). God accepts responsibility for Job's suffering. Seeing God face-to-face is what satisfies Job. There is no propositional answer to his question. The answer is given in Person by the Creator.

Job's claim that it is all God's fault is not contradicted by saying, "God has a reason for everything He does." That concedes the point--but without addressing the scandal that a perfectly good God allows perfectly good people to suffer grievous evil. Yes, God always has good reasons for allowing innocent people to suffer--but He allows innocent people to suffer!

Saying carelessly, "Oh, I'm sure God has His reasons" indicates that the person has stopped seeking the face of God, has stopped believing that God can make His reasons know, or does not want to know what God is doing in and through innocent suffering. People who take this view are turning away from any further thinking on the subject. They are closing the blinds and draping the windows to keep the light out. They are done pondering. They have their answer--but they do not have Job's enlightenment. They want the problem to go away.

Misreadings of Job

• "God won't let bad things happen to good people."
• "We're supposed to have 'the patience of Job.'"
• "Don't question God. Just shut up and suffer. If you ask God questions, He will get angry."