Bible Study - Suffering (3) - Why Am I Suffering? - Job 11, Job 23 and John 9 - January 26, 2020

Bible Study – Suffering (3) – Why Am I Suffering? – January 26, 2019


This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “When Life Gets Hard: Big Questions About Pain and Suffering.”


Our focus scripture is Job 11:13-16; 23:8-12; John 9:1-3.


Don’t assume your suffering is the direct result of sin in your life.


In general, the Jews thought when ills/problems/tragedies came upon a person it was due to sin. Those who prospered, had good health and good fortune were in favor with GOD.


The Bible gives us insight into what goes on behind the scenes of life.

GOD’S desire is for HIS Children to be in the know and HIS Word allows us to get a better understanding of life as we journey through life.


In our lesson, we will study three passages, two from the Book of Job and one from the Gospel according to John. The Book of Job focuses on questions dealing with suffering and loss, not in theory but in a real story of a man named Job (long “o”). What kind of person was Job?


Job 1:1-3 gives us insight - There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters. ³ His estate included seven thousand sheep and goats, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east.


We learn that Job was a person of integrity, honored GOD and resisted evil. GOD had blessed him and his wife with 7 sons and 3 daughters. The numbers 7 and 3 are complete numbers in the Jewish faith and represent completeness. We also read that GOD had blessed Job and his family materially. All was well. Then tragedy struck.


Let’s read Job 1:6-22:

Satan’s First Test of Job

⁶ One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[b] also came with them. ⁷ The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”

“From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it.”

⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”

⁹ Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Haven’t you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

¹² “Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself.” So, Satan left the Lord’s presence.

¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and reported: “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby, ¹⁵ the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶ He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: “God’s fire fell from heaven. It burned the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷ That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸ He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. ¹⁹ Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²⁰ Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, ²¹ saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.^[c]
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

²² Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.^[d]

Tragedy took away Job’s family and material things that he and his wife had accumulated. GOD allowed it but with restrictions. How did Job respond? How would I have responded? How would you have responded? My response would have been, “woe is me, certainly I must have done something wrong because GOD is punishing me.”


Job’s response reveals his trust in GOD. Job did not sin or blame GOD for anything. To me that reveals a solid relationship between Job and GOD. Born-again Christians have that same relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS and GOD’S Grace.


I recall following the death of our eldest son, early one morning I was praying and was pondering our son’s death. I screamed out, “I HATE DEATH!” You know what? The still small voice of GOD spoke and said “SO DO I” “AND I DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT” “I SENT MY ONLY SON TO EARTH TO LIVE AND GIVE HIS LIFE SO THAT ALL WHO PLACE THEIR FAITH IN HIM WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!” WOW! 

What a moment with GOD and the joy of knowing that our son was with JESUS and one day we will join him in Heaven.


A thought to ponder. I listened to Ken Hamm speak via video and he said, in essence, “Since there is no time in Heaven, when we die, we all get to heaven at the same time.”


Our scripture begins with a statement by the youngest of Job’s friends, Zophar, Zophar gave Job four steps for his healing and restoration. In essence, Zophar established himself as a self-righteous judge. Zophar assumed that Job had sinned. When friends throw you under the bus, it hurts. Let’s explore! Zophar speaks to Job -----


Let’s read Job 11:13-16:

¹³ As for you, if you redirect your heart
and spread out your hands to him in prayer—
¹⁴ if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it,
and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents—
¹⁵ then you will hold your head high, free from fault.
You will be firmly established and unafraid.
¹⁶ For you will forget your suffering,
recalling it only as water that has flowed by.

Zophar’s words reveal his thoughts regarding Job’s situation.

In essence, Zophar was saying, Job, something is wrong in your life. You need to search your heart and “redirect” what is in your heart. You need to reassess your “loyalty” or “trust in the LORD.”

You need to confess your sins by spreading your hands to GOD in prayer. Spreading hands before GOD was a sign of repentance or worship. There was an assumption of sin.

Job you need to exam your heart to identify any sin that you have committed, confess it and dispel it from your life. When Job did this, he could hold his head high, since he would be free of his unconfessed sin. He would be free from fault. Going through this self-confession would set his life upon the solid foundation of GOD. When he goes through all these steps Job would be “firmly established and unafraid.” Job will forget his suffering, recalling it only as water that has flowed by. Problem solved.

If Job had sinned, then Zophar’s advise would have been good. Zophar made a faulty assumption. Always test the advice and counsel of others against GOD’S Word, the Bible.


Now, let’s consider another friend of Job’s. His name is Eliphaz. Job made it clear to Eliphaz that despite feeling abandoned by GOD, he would continue to trust HIM. Job did not understand why he was suffering but he would not let his questions result in him breaking his faith and trust in GOD.


GOD reveals that the righteous suffer. Often, we ask why do the apparently good people suffer? Why? Often, it is through suffering that GOD renders us from that which prevents us from becoming all that HE desires for us to achieve according to HIS plan and purpose for us. Again, more light will be shed on this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, which we will cover in a few weeks.

In Chapter 22, Eliphaz had given Job a lecture. Our next scripture is Job’s response to Eliphaz.


Let’s read Job 23:8-12:

⁸ If I go east, he is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.
⁹ When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him;
when he turns south, I cannot find him.
¹⁰ Yet he knows the way I have taken;^[e]
when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
¹¹ My feet have followed in his tracks;
I have kept to his way and not turned aside.

¹² I have not departed from the commands from his lips;
I have treasured^[f] the words from his mouth
more than my daily food.

Job made it clear that he was seeking GOD. He had searched in all the places where GOD was either working or had been working but he could not connect with HIM. Job knew that GOD knew that he was seeking him. Job knew that when it was all over, he would emerge from the tests as pure gold. WOW! That is faith and that is what GOD desires from all of HIS Children.

The refiners fire comes to mind. A person was watching gold being refined. The goldsmith placed the gold ore in the melting pot. He turned on the gas heat. As the gold melted, a skim called dross would form on the top of the liquefied gold. The refiner would skim off the dross. The goldsmith did this a number of times and the person watching asked the goldsmith. “You keep turning up the heat and this dross keeps coming to the surface and you skim it off, when do you know when the gold is ready?” The goldsmith responded, “When I have the heat as high as it can go and I can look over into the melting pot and see my reflection. It is then that I know the gold is pure and ready. WOW! GOD desires to see HIS reflection in our lives as we obediently live and serve HIM as we journey through life.

The issues we encounter in life can either bring us closer to GOD through faith and trust in JESUS or drive us away.

For Job the trails he faced brought him closer to GOD. We know the end of Job’s life story. We are still working on our conclusion. But know that JESUS said it best in Matthew 7:9-11:

⁹ Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.

Job trusted GOD.

Now, let’s consider our last set of scripture. Again, even in JESUS’ day the common belief prevailed that sin was at the heart of the issues of life. The idea of wealthy, health and good fortune was heaped upon those favored by GOD. But when bad things happened to good people it was the result of sin. JESUS’ desire was to teach truth and dispel the false.

Today, we get false notions about GOD and life. Satan uses tragedy to drive a wedge between the people of earth and GOD. Yes, bad things happen to born-again Christians. These bad things break our hearts. Who do we turn to for comfort?

Let’s read John 9:1-4:

The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind (Sixth of seven signs that testify to JESUS as the Messiah.)

9 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.

Notice, who asked JESUS this question? It was none other than HIS disciples. We may feel ignorant in asking some questions but if one does not know, ask. As I have heard it stated, you only ask one dumb question because after that you know the answer. So never refrain from asking. Seek truth.

The disciples of JESUS asked HIM: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” JESUS taught HIS disciples truth. Their question revealed their lack of understanding on this important issue. They were from the old school, “Physical ailments, tragedy, poor circumstances, etc. equaled sin.” They thought either the man born blind or his parents had sinned thus the son was being punished for sin.

Don’t you love it when truth comes to light? JESUS responded ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.”

My, my, what do we learn from this statement? First JESUS healed the man by spitting into dirt and making a mud paste. In that day, it was believed that there was healing power in the spittle (saliva) of a Holy man. This was physical evidence to confirm JESUS as the promised Messiah. It was GOD’S message to the religious leaders.

In what ways are GOD’S works displayed in those who are blind?

I worked with an attorney in Washington, DC who was blind. He marveled me with his ingenuity and keen sharp mind that picked up on things that many of us missed.

GOD often uses issues in our lives for us to draw closer to HIM and to help others. HE loves us and desires the very best for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 captures this idea:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways know him,
and he will make your paths straight.

We read in Romans 8:12-17:

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, ¹³ because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba,^[g] Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Blessings!!!

Note: All of John Chapter 9 is attached for who those care to read it. TS

 John 9:1-41:

9 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. ⁴ We^[a] must do the works of him who sent me^[b] while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ After he said these things he spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So, he left, washed, and came back seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?” ⁹ Some said, “He’s the one.” Others were saying, “No, but he looks like him.”

He kept saying, “I’m the one.”

¹⁰ So they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

¹¹ He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So, when I went and washed, I received my sight.”

¹² “Where is he?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Healed Man’s Testimony

¹³ They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Then the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight.

“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.

¹⁷ Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?”

“He’s a prophet,” he said.

¹⁸ The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.

¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

²⁰ “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. ²¹ “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him as the Messiah, he would be banned from the synagogue. ²³ This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.”

²⁴ So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”

²⁸ They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’s disciples. ²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.”

³⁰ “This is an amazing thing!” the man told them. “You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him. ³² Throughout history^[c] no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

³⁴ “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”^[d]

³⁶ “Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?” he asked.

³⁷ Jesus answered, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”

⁴¹ “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Embrace truth and not notions because you will be held accountable. Ask JESUS to reveal truth to you as you seek, knock and discover. Blessings!!!