JOB & JOSEPH, Part 1a

Faithful in Trials

We serve a God so full of love. A God who relentlessly pursues us with this insurmountable love and Who, even upon us falling short at times, still loves us unconditionally and passionately.

So why then do we see so much suffering around us? Why is it that blameless and upright men and women who fear the Lord and keep his commandments suffer so greatly?

I have had this very question asked to me many times. I think the best way to answer this is from God’s Word. In the Bible we find many examples of men and women who were blameless and upright. 

Two stories in particular jump out at me: the story of Job and the story of Joesph. I think both are great to consider because in both we see just how God’s sovereignty and providence play out, but in two very different circumstances.

Job is a man full of many blessings and wealth when his trials hit, while Joseph is still a young boy, just 17, with nothing of great value or wealth to his name. Let’s just touch first on Job before looking at Joseph. Then we will dig deeper into Joseph’s story.

Job lost all of his children, possessions, and health. His own wife told him to curse God and die; his three companions wrongly accused him. Throughout all of Job’s sufferings he is left completely clueless as to why. In Job 1:1 we are told that he was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

So why would a God of love allow such a blameless and upright man to be attacked in such a traumatic way? The answer lies in God’s sovereignty. But what is sovereignty?

Sovereignty is limitless power. Since God is the creator of all things, His power is limitless and absolute. There is nothing He can not do or create. Whatever He wills into existence, exists because of His limitless power.

Because He is sovereign and contains absolute power, He also contains absolute control of all within His creation and is responsible for everything that occurs within His dominion.

However, while He possesses this control, He also delegates free will to every one of us. Proverbs 16:9 says “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” But doesn’t this contradict itself?

Stay tuned for next week…and Part 1b.