Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Vanity: Question about Book of Job

Posted on 11/22/2004 11:12:20 AM PST by stuartcr

I read the Book of Job this weekend, and I have a question regarding the reasoning behind Job's trials. I believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, which includes knowing what we are going to do. Going on this premise, my question is why did God, knowing the outcome, subject Job to all that he went through? Why did He allow satan to do the things he did to Job? The only thing I can think of, was to prove a point to Job?


TOPICS: Theology
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 261-267 next last
To: onyx

Yeah, and God also knew the outcome of Job's trials...why teach Job a lesson when he couldn't have done differently?


21 posted on 11/22/2004 11:34:20 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr

From what I understand...it was a lesson to us. While Job's compadres were trying to figure out what in the heck he could have possibly done to suffer so much... (disobeying God in some way)...Job never faltered in his faith or Love for God--and if I recall correctly, Job never did find out why he had to suffer so much. That is the message I take from the book of Job.


22 posted on 11/22/2004 11:35:11 AM PST by Freedom2specul8 (Please pray for our troops.... http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr; xzins; Corin Stormhands; Revelation 911
You need to check out our weekly Bible Study on Free Republic.

This question was answered when we reviewed the Book of Job last week.

Excerpt:

"At the opening we are handed certain program notes that explain to us something about the drama, something which even the actors themselves are not permitted to know. The answer given is that senseless suffering arises out of Satan's continual challenge to the government of God.

"So, as the book opens, we find God meeting with the angelic creation. Among them is Satan, who strides in sneering and swaggering, convinced that self-interest is the only real motive for human behavior. Satan's philosophy is that the question "What's in it for me?" is the only accurate explanation for why people do anything.

"And here, in the presence of God, he asserts that anyone who claims that human beings act from any other motive is simply a religious phony; furthermore, he claims he can prove it. God says, rather patiently, "All right, we'll test your theory." Then he selects the man Job to be the proving ground.

"In World War II at the opening of the war between Japan and the United States, it looked as though this conflict would be staged in the Pacific Ocean -- very likely the islands of Hawaii, for the battle began at Pearl Harbor. But very early in the war, as you will remember, events took a sudden startling turn and without a word of warning the whole theater of battle shifted abruptly to the South Pacific. For the first time, Americans began to hear of strange names of islands, like "Guadalcanal" and others, There, in those quiet, obscure, out-of-the way corners of the earth, the greatest powers on earth were locked in mortal combat. The islands became the battleground for the great fight between empires.

"And something like this happened in the story of Job. Here is a man going about his private affairs, unaware that he has suddenly become the center of God's attention. For the time being all of God's activity has focused upon him, and he has become the battleground for a conflict between God and Satan in which God is planning to pull the rug out from under Satan, and to reveal him as the phony that he is. Job is that battleground, and Satan immediately moves in with shock troops.

.

Check out the whole sermon.

Let me know if you want to be on the ping list.

Marlowe

23 posted on 11/22/2004 11:35:50 AM PST by P-Marlowe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr

Because some people turn from God... and God knows that, too... I guess it's a difference between what He would like us to do, an what He knows we will actually do...


24 posted on 11/22/2004 11:35:56 AM PST by Chad Fairbanks (01010010 01001111 01010100 01000110 01001100)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Southflanknorthpawsis

I don't understand or believe, that's why I keep asking. Thanks for an honest answer.


25 posted on 11/22/2004 11:36:32 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr


Despite his troubles, Job remained steadfast.
He didn't fault God.
THAT is the lesson.


26 posted on 11/22/2004 11:37:27 AM PST by onyx
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr

Job is one of my faves!

I'll tell you what a Jehovah's Witness had to say about your question. I don't agree with them about alot of things, but in this instance it made plenty of common sense.

According to the book of Job, Satan was flying to and fro between the earth and heaven. He would come before God and the angels and say that the only reason Job worshiped him is because he was blessed with wealth, a large family, good health, etc. So God allowed Satan to inflict suffering onto Job by taking away all that he had, until Job sat there in the dirt scraping maggots off his wounds.

Job lived a very long time ago, back when God blessed those who were good, and cursed those who were not. Job was a good and upright man, so he didn't understand why all of this tragedy had come upon him. Despite it all, he would not curse God.

Behind the scenes though, you have Satan challenging God in front of the angels. Basically he's saying that man will only serve God when it benefits him, but God wanted to prove him wrong, and he did this through Job. He could have just told Satan that he was wrong, but then the doubt would have lingered with the angels. Remember, Satan got too big for his britches and was eventually cast from heaven forever, but at the time of Job, according to the bible, Satan was still allowed to go back and forth between the earth and heaven and stand in God's presence.

Anyway, Job, without knowing what was going on behind the scenes, proved that man can and will worship and serve God regardless of any personal gain, and this story left no doubt of this among the angels.

It also helps to understand why bad things happen to good people.


27 posted on 11/22/2004 11:37:33 AM PST by Miztiki (Living in Hoooston and getting lost on a regular basis!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr
Satan, as you may know, was and angel of God, whose name was Lucifer (Light Bringer). He, and some other angels(now called demons), tried to overthrow God's Kingdom and failed. They have been banished from the presence of God ever since. As a result, they are now confined to earthly realms, and much like the insurgents in Iraq, do everthing they can to create havoc and mischief for God and His people. Their time is to come to an end when Jesus returns. They will be bound for 1000 years in outer darkness until the FINAL battle where they will be destroyed in the Bottomless pit of fire........
28 posted on 11/22/2004 11:38:05 AM PST by Red Badger (If the Red States are JESUSLAND, then the Blue States are SATANLAND......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Hi, Kim.

Yes, and as someone said on this thread, the lessons for us are found in the many episodes throughout the Bible.

From Job we see that life can be unbearable but our faith in God should not be diminished because of our suffering.

29 posted on 11/22/2004 11:38:27 AM PST by Southflanknorthpawsis (FR = A pajama party 24/7)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: ~Kim4VRWC's~

So basically it is a lesson in hope...even though, in reality, it is not needed? A sort of pep-talk to keep people on the straight and narrow.


30 posted on 11/22/2004 11:38:59 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr
This puts me on a tangent.....If God is the most-powerful, then satan cannot be equally powerful. Why does satan exist?

God is most powerful. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. There are many attributes of God that are unique. For example, His perfection, omnipotence, immortality, power and omnipresense. Also, God was not created. He has always existed.

Satan was created by God as the angel Lucifer. Lucifer decided that he wanted to be God and rebelled against his creator. There was a battle and Lucifer lost and was cast out of heaven along with 1/3 of the angels that had followed him.

Lucifer's fall was the result of his own sin against God. That is why Satan exists. Note that Satan is a created being and does not have the attributes of God listed above. God has no peer because all other beings were created by him.

31 posted on 11/22/2004 11:39:43 AM PST by Pete
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: ~Kim4VRWC's~


Superbly stated.


32 posted on 11/22/2004 11:40:43 AM PST by onyx
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr

As I recall from my reading, Satan told God that the only reason Job loved God was because he was wealthy, healthy, had a great family, etc.

God said that wasn't true. Satan said, "prove it" and so, Job lost everything except his life, including his friends, his health, etc. Job, while not understanding all this, remained faithful to God. At last, after Job was unsatisfied with the "consolation" of his friends (who basically told him that he must be sinful since he lost everything), Job questioned God.

God basically told Job, "Who are you to question me?" and subsequently restored to Job everything he had lost.

I take it to mean this: I have no idea why bad things happen to good people. I will likely not understand that until I get to heaven and can get the answers to some questions. Anyway, it's none of my business. I can pray for those who suffer (including myself), I can realize that this life holds no answers, and I can worship God. Whatever His reasons, fine.


33 posted on 11/22/2004 11:41:07 AM PST by Judith Anne (Thank you St. Jude for favors granted.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: P-Marlowe

A lot of that sounds like what the Buddhists say.


34 posted on 11/22/2004 11:41:16 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr

The satan is a manifestation of G-d's will. There is no power or force greater or equal to G-d. And the fact that G-d knows the past, present, and future, doesn't mean we don't have free will. Tomorrow if you go to Baskin Robbins and order chocolate ice cream when you usually order vanilla, G-d isn't going to go, 'doh, I thought he was going to order vanilla.' G-d was already there and knows you ordered chocolate. It doesn't mean you didn't have the free will to choose chocolate or vanilla. Get it? It's complicated.


35 posted on 11/22/2004 11:42:05 AM PST by Cinnamon Girl (OMGIIHIHOIIC ping list)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr
I don't understand or believe, that's why I keep asking. Thanks for an honest answer.

There are many things that we, mortal and flawed humans, cannot comprehend.

Just remember that all we do know is a gift of God. All we don't know is His to reveal or not. Faith has moments of confusion, but that same faith and the Holy Spirit allows us to believe that which we cannot see or explain.

36 posted on 11/22/2004 11:42:29 AM PST by Southflanknorthpawsis (FR = A pajama party 24/7)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Southflanknorthpawsis

Amen to that! Hi Southflank! It's so good to see you...


37 posted on 11/22/2004 11:42:54 AM PST by Freedom2specul8 (Please pray for our troops.... http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Chad Fairbanks

It can't bother Him then, if He knows what we will do, and still allows us to do these things.


38 posted on 11/22/2004 11:43:27 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: onyx

So Job accepted that things just are the way they are. No one's fault. Where's the free-will?


39 posted on 11/22/2004 11:46:03 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: stuartcr

I bet it bothers Him when we turn away from Him. I don't see how it couldn't bother Him.


40 posted on 11/22/2004 11:47:17 AM PST by Chad Fairbanks (01010010 01001111 01010100 01000110 01001100)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 261-267 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson