When God Seems Out to Get You

“For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.”

-Job 6:4

Job is a fascinating story, albeit, it can be a bit depressing in many parts.  Job’s story gives us insight into many facets of life, the most prominent regarding suffering.  We have the benefit of seeing the whole story played out, while Job, his wife, and his friends could only experience things as they happened.

As things unfold, in Job’s estimation, God is out to get him.  Do you ever feel like that?  Job’s story is one for the record books -  he went from being the extremely blessed, wealthy man of God with a big family to a man with absolutely nothing left.  In the span of one day, from what we see in the narrative, Job loses all of his property to theft, terrorism, and homicide, he loses all of his kids in a natural disaster, and when its only he and his wife left, he loses his health (Job 1:14-2:7).  We have a saying: “When it rains, it pours.”  In Job’s case, when it rained, it flooded, and then it monsooned, and then it hurricaned.

  In the aftermath, we see Job and his wife in very vulnerable, broken, upset, and angry states of mind.  Job’s wife, in pity for her husband and likely bitterness toward God, tells her sick and suffering husband to simply “curse God and die.”  When seeing someone you love suffer beyond measure, have you ever thought like this?  Maybe not necessarily “curse God,” but perhaps you’ve thought like the wife, “Lord, please take them.  I pray that they die so that this suffering will end.”  I can imagine that was her heart here.

Something else takes place in this story which many of us are likely familiar with – Job’s friends show up to find a man they can’t recognize anymore (Job 2).  Job is so beaten and broken down from his suffering, physically, mentally and emotionally, that he doesn’t even look like the same man anymore.  They sit with him for a week and then they do what we all are tempted to do, they attempt to give answers as to why God is doing this to Job.  All in all, they basically conclude that God is doing this to Job because he has sinned.  As a matter of fact, from Job 2:9 to 42:6, Job and his friends engage in a debate as to why all this has happened and why it isn’t fair versus why it is; on and on it goes.  Job’s friends claim he’s a sinner who deserved it; Job claims he’s a righteous man and that it isn’t fair.  Job says God is out to get him.  Job feels God is shooting poison arrows of suffering at him from the heavens (Job 6:4).  However, in all this misery and debate and questioning God, we’re told Job doesn’t lose faith (Job 13:15).

Remarkable!

In the end, God shows up and sets the record straight.  He makes clear that Job’s friends are all wrong, as well as Job, and we also find out from the very beginning that Satan was involved the entire time.  God simply allowed it, in His sovereignty, as a test of faith for Job.

What’s the moral of the story for us today?  God allows Satan’s attacks, with limits, but nonetheless He allows Satan’s attacks, for a few reasons:

1)      To reward faithfulness; not necessarily with health and wealth but certainly with heavenly rewards (Job 42:10)

2)      To strengthen our faith and grow our character (Rom. 5:3-4; Psalm 119:71)

3)      To get us refocused on Him (Psalm 119:67)

4)      To experience His faithfulness to us (Psalm 199:75; James 5:10-11)

So, what do we do while in the fires of suffering?  Stay faithful and in God’s Word (Job 23:8-12) and repent from any accusing we may do toward God (Job 42:5-6).  In the end of it all, God is faithful and He will see His children through.