The Reason Why Job Suffered?

Achilles6129 said:

So, how did God answer Job's questions in the "whirlwind speech" at the end of the book?

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Achilles6129 said:

The interesting thing is that Job seems to accept God's whirlwind speech at the end of the book as being a sufficient answer. It's possible that God revealed some sort of information to Job that we're not privy to, possibly information that cannot be expressed in words.

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mark kennedy said:

Thanks, Job was the first Old Testament book I studied. My favorite line was when Job tells his friends, oh that you were altogether silent, that for you would be wisdom.

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What Did Job’s Friends Do Wrong?



Q. My question is, why was God so angry at Job’s friends?I find helpful and good what they said about God. What wasn’t correct in their speeches about Him that angered the Lord? And why He complimented Job in the end contrary to His friends?

A. What upset God about Job’s two friends is that they misrepresented Him completely. They argued with Job from the humanist position based on human experience, human tradition and human merit. They were false in their logic and wrong in their conclusions. They believed that man must do things to earn God’s favor and therefore suffering is a sign of God’s displeasure.

While they both correctly asserted that sin had to be at the root of Job’s problem, Eliphaz believed that God was punishing Job for not doing enough good, and Bildad thought Job was just whining because he wanted His wealth back. On the other hand, by justifying himself, Job was condemning God as being unjust.

It’s important to remember that all three men were wrong in their arguments. It wasn’t until Elihu came along that we begin to learn of God’s true nature. In chapter 34 he confirmed the Lord’s inability to do wrong or pervert justice, and in 35 Elihu said that our good works don’t help God at all and our sins don’t cause Him loss. They only affect us and those around us.

Then in chapter 38 when God Himself joined the conversation, we see that Job is neither given a bill of indictment nor a verdict of innocence, but his understanding of God was certainly brought into question.

Finally in chapter 42 Job repented, confessed, and was restored. His knowledge of God had gone from his head to his heart and he understood, and he was now in a position to intercede for his friends



https://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/what-did-jobs-friends-do-wrong/

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Achilles6129 said:

The interesting thing is that Job seems to accept God's whirlwind speech at the end of the book as being a sufficient answer. It's possible that God revealed some sort of information to Job that we're not privy to, possibly information that cannot be expressed in words.

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Radrook said:

Elihu had reprimanded Job prior to that whirlwind.

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~Cassia~ said:

What was his friendly advise?

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~Cassia~ said:

What was his friendly advise?

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miknik5 said:

That if GOD took away HIS breath and SPIRIT all flesh would perish

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miknik5 said:

That if GOD took away HIS breath and SPIRIT all flesh would perish

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~Cassia~ said:

That's what Elihu said?

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miknik5 said:

Yep!

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Radrook said:

Elihu defended Job from false accusations of iniquity and of deserving to suffer because he had in some way offended God. The others called Job a liar who was hiding something that he had done. In response Job had spoken as if God indeed had found fault with him and argued that if such was the case it was an injustice because he was innocent of wrongdoing. The friendly advice was that he change that viewpoint.

BTW
Those others were NOT really his friends. At least they did not behave as friends during his ordeal. Actually, there are many things which those three say that indicate that they were under demonic influence, (such as that God has no trust in those who serve him and considers them of little worth), and were being used to force Job to curse God. So they definitely were NOT his friends. In fact, they remained silent until one of them had a dream where an evil spirit appeared and told him what to say to Job. The things I just mentioned were among those which the spirit told him to tell Job. So the attitude was antagonistic and maliciously probing for a weakness from the outset.

Elihu, reprimanded them for behaving that cruel way.
He advised Job to repent for having believed that he might have been targeted by God himself though he was righteous.
Then came the storm.

I will be back with supporting scriptures in a few moments.

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~Cassia~ said:

scripture please... not that I have any idea what that proves...

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Radrook said:

Job didn't know that?

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FireDragon76 said:

there are no morals to the story of Job. That's the whole point of the book. As Alan Watts said of the book, referencing Chesterton, it reveals life as nonsensical and incomprehensible. But the nonsense, for its Jewish readers, would have been liberating, since it frees individuals from the moralism implied in earlier Jewish law, that the righteous must be rewarded and the sinner punished. Life has no more point for this Jewish audience that a musical score: too many people forget they are supposed to dance along with the tune, as Watts often said. And in the end of the story, the majesty of God is revealed, perhaps the only possible answer to Job's problem, because he falls speechless. He is decentered and taken out of himself in the face of the wonder of this incomprehensibility.

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~Cassia~ said:

scripture please... not that I have any idea what that proves...

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miknik5 said:

I'm not sure he did. Job instead kept saying GOD'S hand was heavy upon him

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