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There are a few differing thoughts that we naturally progress through as we read the story unfold in Chapter 2. The first is compassion. We empathize with Job. What a horrible situation to be in! Satan has been given the green light to ruin Job short of death. The suffering is unbearable. The torture is relentless. The language conveyed at the end of this chapter (in verse 13) is actually an expression that is used to describe pain as it is increasing.
Job’s friends gather around him in silence because they cannot believe the agony he is enduring. It’s so bad that his wife tells him to die. There is absolutely no doubt we empathize with him. It feels unfair and unjust.
But there is a different thought here that flies under the radar. It is sovereignty. Satan needed permission to attack this child of God. God stopped Satan short of death. God, our Creator and Protector, allowed for this suffering to take place. God concluded that all this should happen rather than not. Is this hard to reconcile in our hearts?
Who is ultimately in control here? It’s not Satan, and it’s not Job either. They are the main characters in a bigger act that’s taking place. The glorification of God is unfolding; slowly and silently infusing itself into the background as the tragic events take center stage and steal our attention. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Is this the best way?” we ask ourselves. For those of us who have experienced the living God strengthen our faith through trials, that answer is a resounding yes, even though it may not be an enthusiastic yes. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of looking with a skeptical eye.
It’s not easy, but it’s right. It’s not appealing, but it’s good. In the end, it’s not about us anyway, it’s always about Him.