Job 7-8
Job is still suffering and still proclaiming his innocence. This post explores why bad things happen to good people and provides a broader context for understanding and coping with suffering. [It is recommended to read Job 7-8 after reading Genesis 18-19.]
Summary
Job continues to complain of his suffering. He feels as though he is in so much agony that he will never be the same again. Job hopes to escape his pain when he sleeps, but he even suffers from bad dreams. He will not remain quiet. Job resents his friends for questioning him and not letting him just complain and have that bit of peace. If they cannot believe him and let him be, why are they even visiting him?
Bildad speaks up this time. He claims that God is just and wouldn’t punish Job for no reason. They’ve seen karma happen before. They have learned that if a person forgets God, that person will lose all hope, confidence, and fortitude. Bildad states, so just have faith in God, tell God what you’ve done, and he’ll provide you with happiness again.
Sidebar
Have you heard of Theodicy?
Theodicy is the philosophical study that attempts to justify the goodness and omnipotence of God in the face of the existence of evil and suffering in the world. If God is all-powerful and all-good, why does evil and suffering exist?
One argument for suffering is Soul-Building. I explored this concept briefly in my The Meaning of Suffering post. Suffering is a tool to help contribute to a more meaningful life and enlighten us. Through enduring and overcoming suffering, individuals can develop virtues such as courage, compassion, and patience, which contribute to their overall spiritual and moral growth. Look at someone you know who has suffered in life. Do you believe it provided layers to them as a person? Did they grow from that experience?
Another suggested reason for suffering is Free-Will. God gave humans free will to make choices, and with that freedom comes the possibility of choosing evil. Some say a world with free will, despite the existence of evil, is better than a world without free will. It allows for genuine love, moral growth, and the development of virtues. This reasoning goes hand in hand with soul-building but also lends to the concept of karma. In Buddhism, karma is a belief in which your choices can shape your life. What you do can lead to good or bad consequences. Ultimately, if you do bad things, it will lead to suffering, which is what Job’s friends are trying to explain to Job.
The Greater Good argument reasons that God permits certain evils because they lead to greater goods that would not otherwise be possible. Some suffering may serve a higher purpose, even if that purpose is not immediately apparent. For example, when someone loses a loved one, they suffer immense grief. The family may start a charity in that person’s name to bring awareness around the cause of their loved one’s death (e.g., Red Sneakers for Oakley). That awareness may help to prevent numerous future deaths.
Eschatological reasoning states that ultimate justice and resolution of suffering will be achieved in the afterlife or at the end of time. Present sufferings are temporary, and we will be compensated by an eternal life of happiness and justice, where God will right all wrongs. Similarly, there is the Mystery of God’s Plan. We may not understand God’s overall plan, but we will. Suffering and evil may be part of a divine plan that is beyond our comprehension. We simply must have faith things happen for a reason.
Intention
Pray. We have all suffered at some point in our life. Some of the reasons above may resonate with you. The main takeaway is to have faith and trust in God’s wisdom, even when we cannot understand the reasons behind our suffering. In the meantime, try to be resilient in the face of life’s challenges.
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
