Godward Thoughts

Sometimes the best comfort is your presence not your words. The initial comfort that the presence of Job’s friends brought quickly vanished. When going through a crisis, people need basic care – safety, sustenance, and compassion. It has been said, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

We don’t always understand. Job, in spite of serving God faithfully, suffered intensely. Even though his friends desperately tried to point out a cause to Job they failed. His wife offered nothing but despair and suicide as an answer. Job didn’t know why these calamities came. In the end, Job is restored but God never tells him the provocation for his actions. Until the day when God deems it appropriate for our understanding to be enlightened, we walk by faith and not by sight. Read more »

Job is a remarkable book that is appreciated by believers and non-believers alike. It is listed among the great works of ancient literature due to its treatment of human suffering.

Overview of the Book

Job’s Calamities

Job is clearly a remarkable man. Of this, God leaves no doubt: “there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (Job 1:8). Modern TV evangelists would assume that this man should be healthy, wealthy, and happy. In fact, this is precisely how Job is introduced. Quickly the theme of the book is revealed. Job’s story is not about his prosperity, but his suffering. The key question is not “Will God give those who serve Him everything they want?”, but “Is God worthy of worship regardless of what benefits might be obtained from Him?” Read more »