The Problem of Suffering in the Book of Job
During daily Mass this week, we read a few times from the Book of Job. This book contains answers to the difficult problem of suffering. Why do we have to suffer? I think this problem is a common roadblock for people who are questioning if God exists and if he is good.
The Book of Job can help us start to understand why suffering is present in the world. Thus, the book is considered wisdom literature in the Old Testament.
Job, a righteous man, was blessed with wealth and many children. In chapter 1, Satan converses with God about Job, saying that he is upright only because of his blessings. Satan argues that if Job’s possessions and family were taken away, Job would lose faith. So, God invites Satan to take away Job’s assets, children, and health, thus putting Job to the test.
Yet Job continues to be faithful to God: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,” (Job 1: 21).
Job’s friends share their belief that suffering is punishment for sin. They try to persuade Job that his tragedies result from his sinfulness. Job objects but cannot grasp why God has permitted anguish upon him.
A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre provides 4 explanations.
1. “Not all suffering is the direct punishment of personal sin,” (Bergsma & Pitre, 550).
“Retribution theology,” which means bad things happen to bad people and not to good people, is erroneous. This does not answer the question of suffering because we know that difficult things happen to innocent people, such as cancer or death of a loved one.
2. “In some cases, suffering and death are caused by the malevolent actions of evil spirits like Satan,” (Bergsma & Pitre, 550).
The point here is that Satan and demons do exist, and they have power in the world. For reasons unknown to us, God, in his permissive will, allows evil spirits to act in the world.
3. “God uses suffering to test the faith of human beings, strengthen their holiness, and lead them to a love that is selfless,” (Bergsma & Pitre, 550).
In chapter 32, Elihu enters the scene and suggests that God may permit sufferings upon Job to strengthen his faith, grow in virtue, and to give an opportunity to prove his love. It is a way of testing us in times of trial. It’s easy to bless the Lord in times of consolation, but harder in desolation. Furthermore, God uses difficult situations to put desire for him in our hearts so that we seek him on a deeper level.
4. “Mere human beings lack the capacity to evaluate divine justice,” (Bergsma & Pitre, 551).
We need to trust that God, in his providence, will bring about a greater good by permitting suffering. His works are mysterious, and we can’t make conclusions about them. Job realizes this later in the book: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered,” (Job 42: 2).
Through faith we can believe that God will reward the suffering with eternal joy. In the Old Testament, this manifests as a multiplication of children and possessions. This is the case for Job:
"And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold," (Job 42: 10-11).
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19: 25)