The Lessons Of Job

It is almost impossible for us truly to understand the severity, the intensity, and the extent of the sufferings of Job. He lost all of his children, his property, and his health as God allowed Satan to test Job's faith. Even Job's wife told him to curse God and die.

In the MacArthur Study Bible (NKJV), Pastor John MacArthur lists 6 truths in Job's suffering:

1. There are matters going on in heaven with God that believers know nothing about; yet, they affect their lives;

2. Even the best effort at explaining the issues of life can be useless;

3. God's people do suffer. Bad things happen all the time to good people, so one cannot judge a person's spirituality by his painful circumstances or successes;

4. Even though God seems far away, perseverance in faith is a most noble virtue since God is good and one can safely leave his life in His hands;

5. The believer in the midst of suffering should not abandon God, but draw near to Him, so out of the fellowship can come the comfort - without the explanation; and

6. Suffering may be intense, but it will ultimately end for the righteous and God will bless abundantly.

Pastor MacArthur concludes his introduction to the Book of Job by observing, "We may not know what is going on in heaven or what God's purposes are, but we must trust Him. Because of this, the matter of believers suffering takes a back seat to the matter of divine wisdom."