God's Purpose in Suffering

The one account in the Bible, which deals almost exclusively with suffering, is the Book of Job. The story itself, read from the Bible, is quite easy to understand and makes for a few hours of light, entertaining reading. For anyone unfamiliar with the account, I would suggest at least a cursory reading of the same. However, for those who are already familiar with it, either by reading it, hearing sermons about it, or having read books that dissect its every verse, I would invite you to read yet one more interpretation. It is the opinion of this author, that the message of that Book has been largely misunderstood; and the benefit that God intended for its readers has been frequently distorted.

In the Book of Job is found every kind of suffering that a human can go through, and it comes upon one man in a very short period of time. This man, in a few days, looses his entire wealth and is reduced to poverty; He looses his social standing and is abandoned by almost everyone that knew him; He suffers the loss of all his children in one tragic event; and finally, he himself is struck with a most hideous and painful disease. Now, if Job were to be accounted as an extremely evil man, we might say that he was only getting what he deserved. However, herein lays the dilemma, because Job, by any human standards, was accounted by all who knew him as a godly man. Here was a man who was a good father, a faithful husband, generous to those in need, and who worshipped and served God as best he knew how. If anyone ever deserved to question why such events happened to him, it was Job; and in studying the account we find that he most certainly did. Job, through interaction with his friends, raises every argument, question, or dilemma that a mortal man could imagine. The length and agony of his affliction causes him to look into the depth of his soul, and to question every perception he has about himself, about life, and about God; and as those readers who venture on will perceive, that is the very purpose of God in suffering.

The following book is based upon the one remark made by Job’s wife. To many, her words merely added further suffering to her already besieged husband. However, we would like to invite the reader to look at what she said in a different light, and in a way that, we believe, unlocks the real message in the Book of Job. We also believe, that by using the experience of Job as our springboard, many of the purposes of God can be discovered for our lives; and that we can be led to a real relationship with God, even as Job was.

Please click on the following link.

The Words of Job's Wife

The material of this website, except for that which is noted from other sources, is Copyright © 2005-2014 GodsPurposes.org. Those who wish to use any of the material contained herein for personal or non-commercial group study, may do so without permission. Those who wish to use any of this material for mass distribution are requested to contact the webmaster. Webmaster@GodsPurposes.net