Why Did God Allow Job’s Troubles?
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was perfect and upright, and one who feared God and turned aside from evil.
Job 1:5 And when they had gone around the day of feasting, Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. So Job did always.
Truly, God was proud of Job for Job was good and honored God in all his outward ways. But, when Satan came to God, he asks an important question. See below.
Job 1:6 And a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah. And Satan also came among them.
Job 1:7 And Jehovah said to Satan, From where do you come? Then Satan answered Jehovah and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Job 1:8 And Jehovah said to Satan, Have you set your heart against My servant Job, because there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil?
Job 1:9 And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?
Job 1:10 Have You not made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock have increased in the land.
God was protecting Job, but God now allowed Job to be tested to show Job that he could truly trust God completely. Satan had raised a question in an area that God, who knows the heart, knew Job was lacking in. Did Job completely trust God in all things? Job even admitted his lack of faith, resulting in fear, in Job 3:25 below. God knew that Job could benefit from a test that would show Job that He could restore anything, and all things, that could be taken from him. God also wanted Job to learn complete trust in Him as a sign of perfect love.
Job 1:11 But put forth Your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.
Job 1:12 And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay your hand upon him. And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. And Job was greatly tested in many ways.
Even his friends falsely accused him of evil instead of giving him comfort and encouragement. Yet, Job endured and did not blame God, but instead worshiped Him.
Job 1:22 In all this Job did not sin, nor charge God foolishly. A similar account is given in chapter 2.
Job 2:1 And it happened that a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah. And Satan also came among them to present himself before Jehovah.
Job 2:2 And Jehovah said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Job 2:3 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Have you set your heart on My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil? And still he is keeping hold of his integrity, although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.
Job 2:4 And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man has he will give for his life.
Job 2:5 But indeed put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse You to Your face.
Job 2:6 And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand, but save his life.
Job 2:7 And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah and struck Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.
Job 2:8 And he took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself with. And he sat down among the ashes.
Job 2:9 And his wife said to him, Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!
Job 2:10 But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish ones speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job passed the test that Satan had proposed. But, now we are shown what caused God to allow the test in the first place.
Job 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of has come to me.
Job 3:26 I was not in safety, nor did I have rest, nor was I quiet; yet trouble comes.
Job confirmed his lack of faith in God’s love for him and did not believe that God would completely protect him. Perhaps, he realized that sin and trouble had entered the world through Adam and Eve and that he was not exempt? He was correct that testing does come to all people. Testing is also done to make us realize that we can totally trust God and need God. Lack of faith in God reveals an imperfect love relationship. God desires more! God desires that we completely trust Him in all things, even as a child trusts (described in Matthew 18:3).
Mat 18:3 and said, Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears has not been perfected in love.
Now, let us turn to some of the reasons for testing?
Mar 4:17 But they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, they are immediately offended.
Testing is done to see if we truly believe in our heart what we say.
1Th 2:4 but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who tries our hearts.
The gospel is spoken as a means of testing the heart. In this, it becomes public what we believe or do not believe. We are set on a course by what we say and become committed to it. The question is, do we really believe what we say? If we do believe in the heart, then we are not fearful when testing comes.
Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hidden which shall not be revealed; nor became covered, but that it might come to the light.
Mar 4:24 And He said to them, Take heed what you hear. With that measure which you measure, it shall be measured to you. And to you who hear, more shall be given.
Mar 4:25 For he who has, more shall be given to him; and he who has not, from him shall be taken even that which he has.
Testing is done to prove lessons learned, that we may be able to receive more from God. If the test is failed, something can be taken away as a means of demoting to re-learn the lesson.
1Jn 3:18 My children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
1Jn 3:19 And in this we shall know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him,
1Jn 3:20 that if our heart accuses us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not accuse us, we have confidence toward God.
When our heart agrees with what we say in faith during and prior to testing, we can know that we are in God’s will and have believed Him.
Php 1:27 Only let your conduct be as becomes the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you, or else am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, striving together with one mind for the faith of the gospel,
Php 1:28 and terrified in nothing by your adversaries. For this is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Php 1:29 For to you it is given on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Just as Christ suffered, we suffer to strengthen our faith (holiness) and to feel and know empathy for His gift. Also, when Christians stand together and encourage each other in faith (not fear) they are proof to the world of perdition for the unsaved and proof of salvation for the saved. Faith tests passed honor God and open the doors for greater blessing to the one being tested. In the end, God blessed Job because Job had proved faithful to God and did not sin when he was being tested. Consequently, he was blessed even more than before the test.
Job 42:10 And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also Jehovah added to Job all that had been his, to double.
Job 42:11 And came to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had known him before. And they ate bread with him in his house and consoled him and comforted him over all the evil that Jehovah had brought on him. Each one also gave him a piece of money, and each one a ring of gold.
Job 42:12 And Jehovah blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning. For he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.