"Hast thou considered
my servant Job?"
Despite great loss, Job did not sin, continuing to praise God. He accepted all things as from the Hand of God, though it was clearly shown that God did not send the evil. It came from Satan, who had no reason to desire to attack a self-righteous man. Instead his wrath is poured out on holy men and women.
Job had learned the secret of overcoming all of our bad circumstances, and was therefore an enemy of Satan. Satan leaves those alone who do his work for him themselves. Job thanked God for his trial even though he knew that God could have stepped in and prevented it, but he did not. Job had learned that the most important thing in life is the state of our spirit man, not material ease, or the love and support of family and friends and that it is through suffering that we grow into spiritual maturity, into the full stature of a man of Christ, who Himself also learned and grew through suffering, proving God's word that all things work tot he good of those who are in Christ.
On reading through the whole of the book of Job, certain verses stand out like beacons, acting as interpretive keys. The first is in the description of Job as a holy man. The book is not about suffering as such, because it does not answer the question "why do the innocent suffer". Rather it is about holiness or sanctification.
Chapter three opens up to show us the reason why we suddenly find Job in total misery and despair, whereas previously he had kept his peace and joy. He speaks of darkness and the shadow of death, the blackness of the day and the solitary night (3.6) wherein "no joyful voice cometh therein" (3.7).
Job is describing the experience of being 'deserted' by God, where the light one has had previously, is taken away and now one finds oneself in darkness with no hearing of God speaking personally to one, leaving the person in utter confusion (10.15).
The thing that Job had dreaded had come upon him, that he no longer dwelt in the Rest that remains for the people of God (Hebrews), nor in the safety of being sheltered under the wing of the Saviour. Job could cope with everything that life could throw at him, so long as he was dwelling close to his Saviour, and resting safely the His arms which would uphold him, but God had consented to Job being placed into the hands of Satan and there he entered into the wilderness experience that His Master would be also required to enter, and also those saints who have consented to follow this pathway to the top of the mountain of dwelling.
Job is now tempted by the voices of 'three friends'. It may be that the three voices are going on inside of Job's head, his human reasoning added to the accusations of Satan, and reasoning against Job's former understanding when he was walking in the light and living a holy life, and thereby having the discernment to see things from God's point of view or having the mind of Christ.
He retains the knowledge throughout and argues back from it, reasoning against the accusations that:
a) even though he admits that he has lost his assurance that he is a holy man in the present time, which confirms that man can walk without sin
b) it was not sin that brought his present circumstances upon him and therefore he was not being punished by God.
God confirms later in the book, when Job is once more able to hear God speak, when God has returned to him, that the voices were wrong. Job had not sinned at the point of the downfall. He did not deserve the departure of God. Accusers of Job are in league with the enemy.
Job reproves the voices and shows they were not of Divine wisdom. He shows that the attitude of Eliphaz is wrong and not coming from the Holy Spirit and love when he says (6.14) that "to him that is afflicted, pity should be shown from his friend. but he forsaketh the fear of the Lord". Eliphaz is not walking in the Spirit.
"Do you imagine to reprove words and the speeches of one who is desperate, which are as wind" (6.26). How true it is that those who are in trauma and despair, find little help and comfort, even in the place where help should be found, in the church, especially for those who are passing through the dark night of the soul, in undeserved sufferings, and find like Jesus "I looked for comforters but there were none". May we be mindful not to worsen those sufferings of such as these by correcting their confused thoughts with 'sound' doctrine without pity or love. Or even worse, accuse Job of self righteousness or some other sin, showing the accusers own self righteousness which will not be overlooked by God.
How often do we "overwhelm the fatherless", digging them into a pit (6.27) instead of encouraging them that the Lord will eventually return to those whom He has seemingly deserted. Job asks, "How long wilt thou not depart from me nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?" (7.19). He does not understand that, if he is an unrepentant sinner, as the voices of his accusers claim, why then, when he desires to be restored, and repents there is no no result. "And why dost though not pardon my transgressions and take away mine iniquity?" If his accusers were correct, then repentance would restore him. This is what they do not understand, being without the spiritual wisdom that Job had held and so they put the blame on him.
Bildad in his ignorance posits "If though wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty, if thou wert pure and upright, surely now He would awake for thee" (8.5). Here is the voice of temptation seeking to destroy Job's faith. Job asks God "Do not condemn me, show me therefore thou contendest with me" (10.2). Job pleads with God to speak to him and show him where he has fallen and thereby lost the divine presence. He shows his heart is still for God and only longs to be shown his sin if there was one which led to this sorry state of affairs.
The way to the holy of holies, is a strange and narrow path and none but the ones who walk in it can gain any understanding of it. Even when one is walking in absolute obedience to God, there remains a deeper work requiring great suffering which is undeserved whereby making it all the harder to bear or understand and in fact, can very nearly cause one to lose their mind.
Job shows his superior spiritual understanding and heart status by longing to be restored to God and know His presence once more but this deeper work means that he must learn to walk in bare faith alone and his longing for God's presence must be seen as something to let go of. "Oh that I knew where I might find Him that I might come even to His seat" (23.3) is Job's cry which echoes the plea of the Shulamite in Song of Solomon (SoS 3.1). "By night on my bed, I sought Him whom my soul loveth, I sought Him but I found Him not, the seeking bride cried out. I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn Himself and was gone, my soul faileth when He spake; I sought Him but I could not find Him, I called Him but He gave no answer" (SoS 5.6) and like Job and his 'comforters', "The watchmen that went about the city found me; they smote me; they wounded me; the keepers of the wall took away my veil from me" (SoS 5.7).
Job prophesised his own restoration (23.10) "But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold" and likewise the Shulamite emerges (SoS 7.55) "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved. Jealousy is cruel as the grave, the coals therein are coals of fire which hath the most vehement flame". There is no need to fear the purification and cleansing of the Lord however, as the famous hymn neatly puts it:
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
His grace all sufficient shall be thy supply
The flame shall not hurt thee, His only design
Thy dross to consume and they gold to refine.
(How firm a Foundation.
Author (attributed to K): George Keith;
Author: R. Keen (c. 1787)).
Job had questioned God and had not waited patiently for Him to return. His desire was pure but he had to learn to submit everything, even the good. He was not self-righteous, and in his dispute with the voices that sin had not brought about the calamity, he was correct as God confirmed. But Job now reached the point when he he despaired even of life "For now shall I sleep in the dust and though shall seek me in the morning but I shall not be" (7.20-21). He had reached the crisis point.
Job has much to learn about being a slave to His master, allowing Him to grace with His presence or depart at will. Job questioned God and God returned with question after question which Job could not answer and Job was reduced to a tiny speck in relation to creation. Job abhored himself and was then ready to be restored. He had finally learned that God's ways are above ours and our thoughts are not His thoughts. The thing that Job valued the most, that is the presence of God, must not be held onto any more than the material things in life which Job had already given to God. I will finish with another verse from the hymn quoted earlier:
When through the deep waters He calls thee to go
The rivers of grief shall not thee overflow
For He will be with thee in trouble to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
Brenda Jackson (2014)
God is there in the unseen, the eternal. Job experiences the sane thing. 
I will question you, and you shall answer Me
