Many people outside of the church are familiar with the existence of the book of Job from the Bible. The simplistic view is that it is a book about how bad things happen to good people. There is a common struggle among people as they strive to understand how seemingly unfair events witnessed in this life can come from the hand of God.
The inevitable question is: how can a righteous and all powerful God allow this evil to exist and even thrive in the world? People's conclusion is often that God is either not all powerful and able to subdue evil, or He is allowing the evil to happen and therefore cannot be considered good. This is demonstrated by the words of Job's counselors revealed in this book, as these men demonstrate the folly of thinking people can understand God’s ways.
The reality revealed in the book of Job is centered on the sovereignty of God.
From the beginning chapters of Job, the reader is taken into the spiritual realm as satan is permitted by God to test Job, this ultimately humiliates satan and deepens Job’s relationship with and his understanding of God.
God begins to declare to Job the vastness of His creation. God challenges Job to understand how much he does not comprehend regarding God’s creation. Yet, without a full understanding of the physical creation, Job still trusted God. God tells Job the lack of complete understanding you have of the physical world is also true of your lack of understanding of what is going on in the spiritual realm.
Job's faith and trust comes full circle with God’s words to understand this is the appropriate place to be before God Almighty. God does not reveal why He does or does not do anything specifically. He has only revealed He is in the unique position to bring divine perspective. He is to be trusted in all His ways.
Through the book of Job we learn we are to trust God and worship God in all of life’s circumstances. Believers are to stay focused on God’s character as revealed in scriptures, and not be distracted by life events.
