Early Lessons from the Book of Job
By Stan Hammonds and Dave Brown
edited by Bryan Gibson
May 1, 2009
The book of Job is one of the more complex books in the Bible. There are, however, some fairly easy to understand lessons that can be gleaned from the early chapters without delving into all of its complexities. It is important that we understand these concepts on our first pass of the book, realizing that the more advanced lessons will always be there when we return to it later.
We’ll try to summarize them as follows:
1. Suffering is sometimes necessary. Job’s suffering was not just an experiment of God; it served several vital purposes. It was necessary to prove that Job was not just God’s trained puppy; it was necessary for Job to prove his faith in God and thus defy Satan; it was necessary for us to better understand that blessings can come from suffering if we maintain the right attitude toward it (2 Cor. 12:7-10). And, if it was necessary for Job it may well be necessary for us!
2. Satan does not stop after one failed attempt to weaken our faith. When Job successfully withstood the initial onslaught (the loss of his children and his wealth), Satan looked for another way to go after him. It is no different for us today; we have a persistent adversary.
3..Friends can sometimes be more helpful just by “being there” than by trying to help with words. Job’s friends meant well, but they began to cause problems when they spoke. Job told his friends that what he really needed in his time of suffering was their kindness. We would do well to remember this point whenever we interact with one another, but especially when suffering is involved.
4. We need to go to great pains to make sure we’re expressing God’s view, and not our own. It seems that Job’s friends were honest, they felt like they had the truth, and they felt that they could really help Job if he would only listen to them. But as well meaning as they were, they were wrong (at least on some points), and we can be wrong too! If we’re not sure we’re right, it’s better to remain quiet until we are sure.
5. There is a time and place for everything. Even a true statement wrongfully placed can cause harm. A great deal of what Job’s friends said was true, but if it’s said in the wrong way or at the wrong time, even the truth can be harmful to those we’re trying to help.
6. The troubles of this world—from minor everyday struggles to major life-changing events—can cause us to “get down.” How we deal with these struggles will reveal a lot about our attitude toward God and our relationship with Him.
7. Humans tend to rationalize away suffering. When something bad happens to someone else, we often attempt to provide a reason, and that reason will sometimes reflect negatively upon the person who is suffering. Let’s not fall into that trap. It is a logical fallacy (hasty generalization) to think that all suffering is caused by the one who is suffering. Obviously it is at times, but not always. This rationalization is motivated by an attempt to think that we can avoid suffering ourselves; however, we might as well put that thought out of our minds—everyone suffers...
8. No one gets out of this life without suffering of some sort. It will seem to be as bad as we can imagine, and we may sometimes feel burdened with what feels like the weight of the world. But, we should take heart in knowing God will not allow us to suffer beyond what we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). Therefore, the only question for each of us to ponder is this: Will I be prepared for the suffering when it comes? God has provided His wisdom in the Bible, and especially in the book of Job, to help us answer this question with a resounding “Yes I will!”