Job and the Why of it all

One of the biggest challenges children of God face is answering why does God allow bad things to happen. I just read the book of Job again. As readers, we are sitting alongside God, out of time and space, watching satan and God discuss what a righteous man Job is. Satan says to God, “he’s only following You because You bless him. Take away his blessings and he’ll curse You to Your face.” God has faith in Job and allows satan to wreak havoc in Job’s life. Job loses everything, all his children die in a tragic accident. His servants, his cattle and herds, all his wealth are gone in an instant. He develops painful sores over his whole body. His wife tells him he should just curse God and die.

Three friends show up to sit with him and comfort him. Unfortunately, like many well-meaning “friends,” their comfort is more in the form of “what did you do to deserve this?” They tell him, “Surely you must have some sin you’re not confessing to God, surely, you’ve mistreated the poor, have taken advantage of them. God only punishes the wicked so what did you do? You must confess to God.” Job insists he’s righteous, he’s done nothing wrong. He doesn’t know what is going on or why God is allowing this, but there was nothing he needed to repent of. The friends don’t believe him. This goes on for the whole book of Job, them insisting he’d done something to deserve all that had befallen him and Job trying to defend himself.

Then in the final chapters, God speaks up. He challenges Job to stand before Him. “Who are you to ask Me why I do things? Where were you when I hung the stars, when I told the ocean thus far and no more? Go wrestle with an elephant and defeat him, then come talk to Me.”

God never does give Job an answer as to why the bad things happened to him. And he doesn’t tell us either with all the bad things we see and experience. We’re not on equal standing with God that we have a right to demand an answer from Him for what He does or why. The closest I can think of to explain it is when a child challenges a parent, accusing the parent of being unfair, loving one child more than another. Truth is, you’re a kid. You don’t know anything about my relationship or interaction with your brothers or sisters. You don't know what else is going on. You don’t hear the times when your siblings come to me complaining that I treat them unfairly and love you more. A child has no right to challenge a parent’s parenting. Isaiah 29:16 – “Can the pot say to the potter ‘You know nothing’?”

Throughout Job's ordeal, even though he repeatedly said he didn't understand why the wicked flourish and the righteous are punished, and why this was happening to him, he repeatedly said that God would vindicate him, that "my redeemer lives," Job 19:25. In fact when he got all the bad news, the first thing Job did was he "fell to the ground, and worshipped. He said: 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb; naked I will return. The LORD has given; the LORD has taken; bless the LORD’s name.'” In all this, Job didn’t sin or blame God." Job 1:20-22.

No, we don’t know why bad things happen. Even really ugly, evil things. We especially don’t know why God allows it. But we are hardly in a position to challenge God about it. Please read the post "The Shit Story" for another perspective on bad things happening to people.