The Book of Job Can Help You When You Suffer

1-2. What are some reasons why the book of Job is worth reading?

HAVE you recently had the pleasure of reading the book of Job? Though written some 3,500 years ago, this ancient book is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. Commenting on its simple structure, beautiful style, and expressive language, one reference work calls its writer “a literary genius.” Moses was the man who penned this remarkable book, but the real Author is Jehovah God.​—2 Tim. 3:16.

² The book of Job is a key part of the Bible. Why? For one thing, it clearly reveals the great issue facing all intelligent creation​—the sanctification of Jehovah’s name. It also teaches us about Jehovah’s marvelous qualities, such as his love, wisdom, justice, and power. For example, the book of Job refers to Jehovah as “the Almighty” 31 times, more than the rest of the Scriptures combined. The book of Job also answers many of life’s questions, including one that still troubles many: Why does God allow suffering?

3. What are some benefits we can gain from studying the book of Job?

³ Just as a mountain gives us a vantage point from which we can see our surroundings clearly, the book of Job helps us to view life’s trials from an elevated perspective​—Jehovah’s perspective. Let us see how the book of Job can help us when we suffer. We will learn how the Israelites could have benefited from the story of Job and how we can benefit from it today. We will also learn how we can use this Bible account to help others.

GOD ALLOWS JOB TO SUFFER

4. What stark contrast existed between Job and the Israelites in Egypt?

⁴ During the time that the Israelites were suffering as slaves in Egypt, a man named Job was living in the land of Uz, possibly located east of the Promised Land and somewhere in the north of Arabia. In stark contrast to the Israelites who had begun worshipping idols in Egypt, Job served Jehovah faithfully. (Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:8) Jehovah said of Job: “There is no one like him on the earth.”a (Job 1:8) Job was extremely wealthy and enjoyed great prestige​—greater than that of any other person of the East. (Job 1:3) How infuriated Satan must have been to see this prominent and influential man serving God with integrity!

5. Why did Jehovah allow Job to suffer? (Job 1:20-22; 2:9, 10)

⁵ Satan claimed that Job would abandon true worship if he suffered. (Job 1:7-11; 2:2-5) Though Jehovah loved Job dearly, Satan’s brazen claim raised many important issues, so Jehovah allowed Satan to try to prove his case. (Job 1:12-19; 2:6-8) Satan took away Job’s flocks and herds, caused the death of Job’s ten children, and struck Job with painful boils from head to toe. But these sadistic attempts to break Job’s integrity failed. (Read Job 1:20-22; 2:9, 10.) In time, Jehovah restored Job’s health, wealth, and reputation, and He gave Job ten more children. He also miraculously extended Job’s life for 140 years, long enough for him to see four generations of his descendants thriving. (Job 42:10-13, 16) How could this account have benefited those in the past, and how can it benefit us today?

6. How could the Israelites have benefited from knowing why God permits suffering? (See also picture.)

⁶ How the Israelites could have benefited. The Israelites had not lived easy lives in Egypt. For example, Joshua and Caleb had spent their youth as slaves. Then through no fault of their own, they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. If the Israelites knew about the story of Job’s trials and the outcome of his life, no doubt it helped them, as well as the Israelites of future generations, to understand who is ultimately responsible for suffering. They could also better understand why God permits suffering and how much he values human integrity and faithfulness.

7-8. How can the book of Job help those of us who suffer? Relate an experience.

⁷ How we can benefit. Sadly, many people today have lost faith in God because they cannot understand why bad things happen to good people. Consider the example of Hazelb from Rwanda. When she was young, she believed in God. But then things changed. Her parents got divorced, and as a result, she was raised by her stepfather, who treated her badly. As a teenager, she was raped. When Hazel went to her place of worship for comfort, she did not receive it. Later, Hazel wrote a letter to God. In it she stated: “God, I prayed to you, I tried to do good, but you repaid good with evil. I am now leaving you, and I plan to do whatever makes me happy.” How our hearts break for people who, like Hazel, have been led to believe that God is responsible for their suffering!

⁸ We, however, have learned from the account in the book of Job that God is not responsible for suffering​—Satan is! We have also learned not to assume that those who suffer are reaping what they have sown. The Scriptures tell us that “time and unexpected events” can affect anyone at any time. (Eccl. 9:11; Job 4:1, 8) And we have learned that by our enduring trials faithfully, we give Jehovah a reply to Satan’s taunts. That helps to defend His reputation. (Job 2:3; Prov. 27:11) We do not take what we have learned for granted​—these insights enable us to know the truth about why we and our loved ones suffer. Later, Hazel studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses and came to understand that God did not cause her suffering. She said: “I prayed to God again from the bottom of my heart. I told Jehovah that when I had said I was leaving him, I was not really leaving him. After all, I didn’t really know him. Now I understand that Jehovah loves me. I am finally happy and content.” How grateful we are to know why God allows suffering! Let us now consider how the account of Job can help us personally during trials.

HOW THE ACCOUNT OF JOB HELPS US TO ENDURE

9. How would you describe Job as he sat in ashes? (James 5:11)

⁹ Picture Job as he sat alone in ashes, covered in boils and bent double in pain. His skin, blackened from the disease, peeled away from his emaciated frame. Physically exhausted, Job may have appeared to be doing little but scraping himself with pieces of broken pottery and giving vent to his despair. But Job was not merely surviving, he was enduring. (Read James 5:11.) What helped Job to endure?

10. What kind of relationship did Job have with Jehovah? Explain.

¹⁰ Job expressed his emotions to Jehovah. (Job 10:1, 2; 16:20) For example, chapter 3 tells us that Job complained bitterly about the tragedies that had befallen him, which he mistakenly assumed Jehovah had caused. Then in a series of debates with his three companions, Job strongly defended his integrity, often directing his responses to Jehovah. Job’s words suggest that for a time he considered himself to be more righteous than God. (Job 10:1-3; 32:1, 2; 35:1, 2) In reality, though, he admitted that his efforts to defend his integrity sometimes amounted to “wild talk.” (Job 6:3, 26) In chapter 31, we read that Job spoke of wanting to be exonerated by God. (Job 31:35) Of course, Job was wrong to demand a direct answer from God as to what was behind his suffering.

11. How did Jehovah react to Job’s response regarding his integrity?

¹¹ In retrospect, we can see that Job’s desperate plea reflected his unswerving devotion to Jehovah and unshakable hope that somehow God would recognize his integrity. When Jehovah did finally answer Job from a windstorm, He did not go into detail about the reasons for Job’s suffering. Neither did He condemn Job for his complaints or mention his protests of innocence. Rather, Jehovah instructed Job as a father would a son. And that was the right approach. As a result, Job humbly acknowledged how little he really knew, and he repented of his rash words. (Job 31:6; 40:4, 5; 42:1-6) How could this account have benefited people in the past, and how can it benefit us today?

12. How could the Israelites have benefited from the account of Job?

¹² How the Israelites could have benefited. The Israelites could have learned from what happened to Job. Consider Moses’ example. He had to endure a multitude of hardships, disappointments, and discouragements as he took on the role of leader of the nation of Israel. In contrast to the rebellious Israelites, who often complained against Jehovah, Moses went to Jehovah with his concerns. (Ex. 16:6-8; Num. 11:10-14; 14:1-4, 11; 16:41, 49; 17:5) Moses also needed to endure when he was personally corrected. For example, while the Israelites were encamped at Kadesh, probably during the 40th year of their wandering in the desert, Moses spoke “rashly with his lips” and failed to magnify Jehovah’s name. (Ps. 106:32, 33) As a result, Jehovah did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land. (Deut. 32:50-52) This discipline must have hurt Moses; yet, he humbly accepted it. The account about Job could have helped future generations of the Israelites to endure the trials they faced. By meditating on the account, faithful ones could learn how to express their feelings to Jehovah and how to avoid justifying themselves before him. They could also learn how to accept Jehovah’s discipline with humility.

13. How can the account of Job help us to endure? (Hebrews 10:36)

¹³ How we can benefit. As Christians, we too need endurance. (Read Hebrews 10:36.) For example, some of us are coping with a physical or an emotional problem, a difficult family situation, the loss of a loved one, or some other serious problem. And at times, the comments or the actions of others may make our situation harder to endure. (Prov. 12:18) However, the book of Job teaches us that we can express our innermost feelings to Jehovah, confident that he will hear us. (1 John 5:14) He will not condemn us if our heartfelt supplications occasionally veer into the realm of “wild talk,” as occurred with Job. Rather, God will give us the strength and the wisdom we need to endure. (2 Chron. 16:9; Jas. 1:5) He may also correct us to the extent needed, as he did Job. The book of Job also teaches us how to endure if we receive counsel or discipline from Jehovah’s Word, His organization, or mature friends. (Heb. 12:5-7) Just as Job benefited from humbly accepting the correction he received, we benefit when we allow ourselves to be readjusted. (2 Cor. 13:11) What beneficial lessons we learn from Job! Let us now consider how we can use the account of Job to help others.

USE THE BOOK OF JOB TO HELP OTHERS

14. What line of reasoning can we use in the ministry to explain why suffering exists?

¹⁴ Have you ever met someone in the ministry who asked you why suffering exists? How did you answer his question? You may have pointed to what the Bible says happened in the garden of Eden. Perhaps you started by mentioning that Satan, a wicked spirit, told the first human couple a lie that led them to rebel against God. (Gen. 3:1-6) Then you may have pointed out that after Adam and Eve’s rebellion, the world became filled with suffering and death. (Rom. 5:12) Finally, you may have explained that God is allowing enough time to pass to disprove Satan’s lie and to spread the good news that in the future humans will again be perfect. (Rev. 21:3, 4) This is a fine way to reason on the question, and it can lead to good results.

15. How might we use the book of Job to help someone who asks why suffering exists? (See also pictures.)

¹⁵ Consider another line of reasoning that you may want to incorporate in your approach, one from the book of Job. You might start by commending the person for asking such a meaningful question. Then, mention that Job, a faithful man who suffered greatly, raised a similar thought. He even believed that in some way God was the cause of his pain. (Job 7:17-21) The person you are speaking with may be somewhat impressed that his view has a long history. Next, you could tactfully explain that it was not God but the Devil who caused Job’s suffering. The Devil did so in an attempt to prove that humans serve God only for selfish reasons. You might add that although God did not cause Job’s suffering, he did allow it, thus showing that God trusts faithful humans to prove Satan wrong. Finally, you could explain that in time God blessed Job for remaining faithful. So we can comfort others by assuring them that suffering does not come from Jehovah.

16. Relate an experience that shows how the book of Job can help someone who is suffering.

¹⁶ Consider how the book of Job helped Mario. One day in 2021, a sister was doing telephone witnessing. On her first call, she shared a Bible verse with Mario and explained that God not only listens to our prayers but also offers us a future and a hope. When she asked for his thoughts, Mario told her that he had been writing a suicide note when she called. He said, “I believe in God, but I was just wondering this morning if he had abandoned me.” The second phone call led to a discussion about Job’s suffering. Mario decided that he needed to read the entire book of Job. So our sister sent him a link to the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. The result? Mario accepted a Bible study and was excited to learn more about the loving God who took an interest in him.

17. Why are you grateful to Jehovah for including the book of Job in His inspired Word? (Job 34:12)

¹⁷ Clearly, God’s Word has tremendous power to help people, including those who suffer. (Heb. 4:12) How grateful we are that Jehovah included the account of Job in His inspired Word! (Job 19:23, 24) The book of Job assures us that “for a certainty, God does not act wickedly.” (Read Job 34:12.) It also teaches us why God permits suffering and how we can endure it. And it helps us to console those who suffer. The next article will discuss insights from the book of Job, such as how to give effective counsel.