An Initial Approach Towards the Development of a Biblical Theology of Job's

Sufferings

(This article is an abbreviated version of the dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the Master of Arts in Theology, April 2021)

About the author: Roger Wellinger, M.A. in Theology; University of Chester, UK

From another ash-heap

Abstract

Never before in the history of the Western hemisphere has it been so easy to avoid

suffering as today. Advances in the medical field as well as multiple ways for distraction are

increasingly alienating people from a healthy attitude towards suffering. To some extent, this

also applies to Christianity. The Bible, however, testifies to suffering from cover to cover.

Next to the sufferings of Christ, the book of Job is a primary example of how God works in

his creation through affliction. The purpose of this work is to develop a Reformed biblical

theology of Job's sufferings to affirm that Christians should not regard affliction as an alien

matter. In the stories of Joseph, Naomi and the Psalms, the sufferings of Job can be

recognized as a unifying yet developing theme. That also applies to the New Testament,

wherein the method of typology is used to demonstrate this.

Keywords: The book of Job, suffering, biblical theology, sovereignty of God, revelation,

typology

1
Introduction

Suffering is a strange thing. It is ever-present in human life, and yet mankind cannot

find peace with it. It is one of man's most loyal companions, present at birth, death, and in

between. But simultaneously, it is one of his greatest enemies. Different factors have led

modern man (at least within a western context) to lose touch with suffering to a considerable

extent or is tempted to repress it at all costs. Medical achievements, a prosperous economy,

the promises of "everlasting health and beauty", as well as instant "everything", have made

man to expect the good side of life as a given. Often, this same attitude is also found in the

Church. While suffering decreased and simultaneously prosperity increased, the Church

neglected to provide a healthy theology of suffering. So Christians are often puzzled how

personally experienced or observed suffering should be reconciled with their theology.

The Bible, however, is not shy of speaking about suffering. From cover to cover, the

scriptures of the Old and New Testaments reveal the triune God, who in his providence both

decrees and eliminates suffering. Suffering, so to speak, runs like a red line through the

Bible. The Bible distinguishes between deserved and undeserved suffering, and it is the

second that sometimes seems intolerable. The Book of Job is the prime example of such

suffering. It can probably be seen as the quintessence of the timeless cry "Why, oh Lord"

amidst undeserved suffering.

This article shows that a Reformed biblical theology of Job's sufferings can be

developed to serve the Christian that suffering should not be regarded as a suspicious,

revised matter, but instead as an integral part of God's redemptive plan with his creation

2
throughout history.1 Within the limited space of this article, this subject can only be

scratched on the surface. That is why, besides the Book of Job, this work covers only a few

selected sections, stories and key verses of the Bible. However, since this work essentially

deals academically with the subject of a biblical theology of Job's sufferings, it is also a call

to humbly embrace whatever suffering God ordains in one's life.

The Book of Job

The story of Job is a masterpiece, one of the most important literary works ever

written. Andersen describes it as a theological reflection "whose majesty and emotion are

unsurpassed in any literature, ancient or modern".2 While the book of Job is theologically

very rich and deals with various topics, it is first and foremost God's self-revelation. Within

that frame, it deals with one of the most profound questions man has in this world, namely

why there is undeserved suffering. Within a short period of time, Job, God's prime example

of a God-fearing man and "the greatest of all the people of the east" (Job 1:3), looses all his

children, servants, possessions (1:13-19) and ultimately his health (2:7). Subsequently he

looses the support from his wife (2:9), relatives, and society at large (19:13-19).3 What Job

1
There is no single valid definition of what biblical theology truly is. For this work however the
approach of Gerhardus Vos as laid out in: G. Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testament (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948/1971) is used. This approach is generally expressed as
“Reformed Biblical Theology”.
2
F. Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.
Edited by Donald J. Wiesman. Vol. 14. ( Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976), 15.
3
It is not clear from the biblical text how much time elapsed between the loss of his possessions
and children (which Job was told about at almost the same time) and the loss of his health.

3
does not know when disaster strikes, the reader is aware of right from the beginning. After

God has remarked upon Job's integrity in the heavenly courtroom, Satan questions God's and

Job's character. He speaks:

Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house

and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his

possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he

has, and he will curse you to your face (Job 1:9).

God grants Satan's request to test Job by taking all his children and possessions.

After the failure of his first attempt, Satan challenges God a second time, saying: "Skin for

skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his

bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face" (Job 2:4-5).

Satan implies in these two accusations that Job only fears God because of his

experienced blessings and protection (which would be out of self-interest) and that God is

not truly loved and worshipped just because He is worthy.4,5,6 This accusation can only be

countered by means of a test required by Satan, and so everything is taken away from Job,

even his health, to the brink of death.7,8 Job's skin is covered "with loathsome sores from the

4
C. Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross. Preaching the Word. Edited by R. Kent Hughes.
(Wheaton: Crossway, 2014), 43-44.
5
Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary, 84-85.
6
In a real sense, Satan is mocking God here by alluding to the failure of Adam and Eve. Just as
Adam and Eve were closest to God and yet sought their own benefit during their time of probation, so
Satan predicts, will Job, God's closest friend, depart from God as well.
7
Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross, 51-52.
8
It is this test that echoes from the Garden of Eden and reverberates through the Scriptures over
and over again. Through suffering, the loyalty to God and the authenticity of a selfless faith is tested.
Though not the first echo (Cain, Abraham and others precede as bad and good examples), Job's story is
the first detailed treatise about such which God placed very early in the history of His revelation.

4
sole of his foot to the crown of his head" (Job 2:7). His condition and appearance are so bad

that he starts living among other outcasts on the ash-heap, a burning dump outside the town

(2:8; 30:19).9 This is a place where "rubbish, rotting carcasses, playing urchins, homeless

beggars, village idiots, and howling dogs" are found.10 Ash rightly remarks, "[e]verything

about Job is broken now. And he is all alone".11 This is suffering at its most extreme.12

Job's Expressions about his Sufferings

After the first test, Job responds with one of the most wonderful replies ever uttered

by man in the face of such tragic circumstances :

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and

worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I

return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord

(Job 1:20-21).

Tearing one's garments and shaving one's head are ancient customary expressions of

mourning and despair in the face of great sorrows (i.e. Gen 37:29&34; Josh 7:6; respectively

Isa 15:2; 22:12; Jer 7:29; Ezek 7:18). Job's falling to the ground is not because he collapsed

from weakness or despair, but is a well-considered act. He expresses his mourning publicly

and submits to God's ruling power, who is giving and taking, blessing His name in

9
G. Wilson, Job (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007/2012), ch. 5, para. 1.; S. Balentine, Job
(Macon: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2006), 62.
10
S. Terrien, 1954 as cited in: L. Wilson, Job (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), 38.
11
Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross, 52.
12
The attributes of God, here specifically Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence,
indicate that God has orchestrated the heavenly scenario with its outcome. Satan's challenge took place
because it was God's intention to give revelation through the setting of Job's sufferings.
5
worship.13 Job understands that God is at work behind his losses, and it is according to

God's good decree what will ultimately happen.14 Satan predicted that Job would curse God,

yet Job is blessing the name of the Lord. Thus Job passes the first test and thereby shows a

shining example to all future believers.

When he looses his skin, Job also looses the one person who was closest to his

"skin". Even his wife, his most intimate partner, turns against him, taking the side of the

accuser. However, Job asserts his faith and knowledge about God. As he does accept God's

sovereignty over his life after the first trial, he remains doing that during the next one. 15 But

Job's acceptance is more than a mere submission; it is an act of co-operation with

providence.16 For Ortlund, the act of worship amid unspeakable grief is an expression of

Job's relationship with God which is "entirely on terms of grace". He states: "without

suppressing his pain, he considers God no less worthy of worship when he takes than when

he gives".17

Thus Job successfully passes also the second test. God has proven that He is loved

by Job merely because He is worthy, regardless of the benefits. The case should be closed

and Job restored. But God has other plans for the benefit of Job, his friends and all future

13
Balentine, Job, 56-57.
14
Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross, 49.; L. Wilson, Job, 346.
15
There is a difference between the first and the second trial regarding coming to terms with the
traumas. While the events of the former are completed and allow for processing, the latter is an ongoing
process that involves a continuous renewal of suffering.
16
Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary, 93.
17
E. Ortlund, “Five Truths for Sufferers from the Book of Job,” Themelios 40, no. 2 (2015) 255.

6
humanity. After the refutation of the charges, Satan leaves the stage. He does not appear nor

is mentioned anymore.

Friends Turning to Enemies

"Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him,

… [t]hey made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort

him" (2:11).

It is difficult to classify the role of the three friends. On the one hand, they undergo

the hardships of a long journey, which required elaborate coordination, since they lived in

different regions. Furthermore, they needed to prepare what they would speak and how

theology had to be applied. Also, their acts, weeping loudly, tearing their garments,

sprinkling dust on their heads and sitting beside Job in silence for seven days and seven

nights (2:12-13), can be viewed as signs of their honest spirit and genuine friendship. On the

other hand, in light of the developing conversation, it becomes clear that the three friends are

overwhelmed by the situation and are lacking in enduring love. For G. H. Wilson, the act of

sitting on the ground in silence foreshadows what will follow, namely "their future failure to

reply to [Job's] verbal expression of agony";18 and Ash concludes that "[t]heir silence may

be not so much a silence of sympathy (although it may have begun as such) but a silence of

bankruptcy".19 Spending seven days and nights in the immediate vicinity of his friends, yet

not receiving a word of comfort, Job breaks the silence in a shocking way.

18
G. Wilson, Job, ch. 6, para. 4.
19
Ash, Job, 62.

7
Job's Lament and Self-Curse

"After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth" (Job 3:1).

Job wishes that he would never have been born or that he had been stillborn (Job 3:3,

7, 16). Arthur describes Job's pain and suffering as so severe that he desired a state of "non-

existence". His only hope is the impossible, a thought that God might have forgotten the day

of his birth.20 That there had never been this particular day (3:4-9). However, Job does not

curse God. Neither is he actually cursing himself. L. Wilson points out that, however

shocking Job's self-cursing may seem to be, it is "primarily a cry from the heart, a call of

extreme frustration, rather than intended to be an efficacious curse".21 A cry necessary for

preserving his faith which he does not abandon. Also, Williams does not view Job's dark

lament as problematic. He states: "There is no conflict between faithful submission and the

honest expression of human anguish; indeed, it is the difficulty of anguish that makes the

submission genuine".22

It is argued here that the most shocking loss Job experiences is the loss of God's

peace. Andersen brings it to the point: "It is because he seems to have lost God that he is in

such torment". Moreover, "he has no idea why".23 Similarily, to Ash, it is because of Job's

faith that "the deepest pain he endures is that it seems to him he has fallen under the

20
J. Arthur, A Theology of Suffering (Carlisle: Langham Publishing, 2020), 87.
21
L. Wilson, Job, 42.
22
C. Williams, The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Job (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2017), ch. 6,
para. 4.
23
Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary, 98, 110.

8
judgment of God".24 Job's self-curse and lament set the stage for the following long and

harsh dialogues with his friends.

A Word About the Companies Theology

It is important to note here that Job, like his three friends, since living in the

patriarchal era, did not live within the framework of God's covenant with Israel. Waltke

mentions that "Job's covenant relationship with God, like that of the patriarchs' relationships

with God before Abraham, is based on God's general revelation of his wisdom, power, and

goodness in the creation and of his justice in the conscience" (Rom. 1:18-32).25 Retribution

theology was a considerable part of this faith.26 This is particularly true for the three friends

for whom this system, as the course of the dialogues will show, is the only acceptable faith

and practice.

To define Job's theology is no easy task, for there are two different portraits of Job's

expressions of faith. While the retribution theology to some extent is expressed in the poetic

dialogues (Job 3:1-31:40), it is completely absent in the prologue (1:1-2:13). Amazingly,

Job's reaction in the prologue is identical to that of his answers to the Lord in 40:3-5 and

42:1-6. He humbly submits to God's loving providence. In the poetic dialogues, however,

Job's expressions of faith are shifting (not exclusively) to "assaults on divine wisdom and

24
Ash, Job, 132.
25
B. Waltke, An Olt Testament Theology: An exegetical, canonical, and thematic approach
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 931.
26
The most basic definition of retribution theology or the retribution principle is: God blesses the
righteous and punishes the wicked.

9
justice".27 But this does not mean that Job committed to retribution theology like his friends.

However, there were elements in it, as Job's dilemma of how to match his theology with his

suffering shows.28 Indeed, retribution theology presents Job with an unsolvable dilemma

here. That is the reason why Job's suffering continues after the tests have been fulfilled. God

uses Job's sufferings to reveal truth about Himself and so to correct a providentially limited

theology.

Why, oh Lord?

It is Job who breaks the silence, and his pain is so severe that he cannot address

anyone, instead he cries into the void. Job's main concern is not the dialogues with his

friends. More profoundly, he must find his lost intimacy with God and, therefore, "appeals

to God again and again".29

Unfortunately, there is not enough space to include the discussion and its impact

between Job and his friends here. It must suffice to know that not a single comforting or

compassionate word will leave the lips of the friends. On the contrary, Job's friends become

his accusers. They apply their flawed theology in a cold, religious way. In fact, to some

extent, the friends take on the role of the accuser who left the stage in Chapter 2.

However bitter Job's complaints run through the speeches, they are interspersed with

words of hope and profound devotion. Job will never curse God. On the contrary, though he

27
B. Gault, “Job's Hope: Redeemer or Retribution?,” Biblioteca Sacra 173 (2016): 148.
28
Larry J. Waters, “Elihu’s Theology and his View of Suffering,” Biblioteca Sacra (1999) 156.
29
Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary, 98.

10
may sometimes go too far with his words, Job never turns his affection away from God. By

resisting to acknowledge any particular sin as proposed by his friends, Job shows genuine

faith and love towards God. Of course, he could have confessed and repented regarding

something, solely with the notion to regain his former benefits (e.g. Job 11:14-17, 22:21-27).

But that in fact would be deceitful and amount to a betrayal of his integrity. In doing so, his

action would confirm Satan's accusations (1:9-10, 2:4). But Job's love towards God and his

profound struggle to understand God's dealings with him prohibit Job from taking such a

deceitful step.

Anyway, with his ongoing bitter complaints, the seed of a new kind of hope emerges

in Chapter 14: the afterlife. Though Job wonders " If a man dies, shall he live again?"

(14:14) and considers that "he who goes down to Sheol does not come up" (7:9b), Job

somehow anticipates a resurrection (14:14b-17). R. L. Harris expresses it beautifully: "Job

trembles on the threshold of a new hope. … Job sees, as it were, a light in the keyhole of the

door in heaven which John the apostle saw opened full wide".30 In Chapter 19, Job

pronounces some of his most amazing words. After contemplating his total rejection by God

and his social environment (19:13-22), he says:

Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were

graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer

liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin

worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God (19:23-26).

30
R. Harris, “The Book of Job and its Doctrine of God,” Grace Theological Journal 13, no. 3
(1972) 28.

11
 Job finishes his speech with a renewed request for God's answers and an explanation

of his case (31:35-38), along with a declaration about his righteousness. For Job, there is no

way out of his anguish. He suffers tremendously. He knows he has done nothing wrong to

deserve his afflictions. Yet, it is this "deserves" which God in his coming answers will

address.

The Long-Expected Answer

Finally, God grants what Job several times requested: a meeting with God (e.g. Job

23:3; 31:35). After Job has made his case, God speaks. What follows out of the whirlwind is

astounding. It was a strong wind that brought death to Job's children (Job 1:19). Now God

approaches Job with the same "natural" force. However fury and consuming the "storm"

within Job is, God's mighty appearance instantly turns Job's focus completely on God. God's

answer does not face resistance; rather, it falls on well-prepared soil. God does not address

Job's questions of why he suffers or grants him "a bill of indictment, or a verdict of

innocence".31 Rather, God confronts him with His majestic and caring sovereignty over

creation. It is important to state here that God does not condemn Job, but in a quite tender

yet overpowering way shows him his limitations. Questions like "[w]here were you when I

laid the foundation of the earth?" (38:4) or "[d]o you give the horse his might? Do you

clothe his neck with a mane?" (39:19) make Job become aware of his limited knowledge

about both God and His creation.

31
D. Thomas, Job: The Storm Breaks (Grand Rapids: EP Books, 1995/2015), 334.

12
 Chapter 9 of the book of Job is a wonderful example of how God responds to Job's

complaints. After Job testifies of God's unfathomable omnipotence in creation, he turns to

bitter lament towards his expected dealings: "When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks

at the calamity of the innocent" (9:23). These are daring words. But Job regards himself as

being beyond God's attention: "If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe

that he was listening to my voice" (9:16). But God listens to every single word and answers.

In replying to Job with the very things Job mentioned in his speech in chapter 9, He shows

great affection and kindness (9:7 vs 38:12, 33; 9:7 vs 38:12, 33; 9:8 vs 38:5).

In the first answer, God shows Job His wisdom in creation and His sovereignty in

ruling it. In the second answer, He shows Job that He is also supremely sovereign over the

chaotic forces. God also confronts Job more directly: "Shall a faultfinder contend with the

Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it" (Job 40:2). This may sound

sarcastic, but Andersen argues that since God's speeches are friendly in tone, these

questions, even when sounding ironical, are not meant negatively towards Job.32

After God has explained how impossible it is for Job to carry out God's righteous

work on this earth (40:9-14) in the first answer, God uses now the example of two creatures

to show that he also rules over the powers of chaos: Behemoth (40:15-24) and Leviathan

(41:1-34). They are powerful adversaries that are not susceptible to human control. For L.

Wilson it is crucial, that "Yahweh has chosen not to eradicate Behemoth and Leviathan, but

to place them under his sovereign governance".33 To Job it is now clear that his sufferings

32
Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary, 285.
33
L. Wilson, Job, 118.

13
are part of God's providence, which have their origins outside of an act/consequence

mechanism. He is able to grasp that God's ways are too mysterious to understand, also

including unjust suffering. G. H. Wilson (2007/2012) mentions: "His new understanding of

God practically obliterates any need for a public declaration of his innocence. It is enough

for him to stand in right relationship with his sovereign God, who is far beyond human

knowing".34

Job will never know what the reason for his terrible suffering is. God does not

provide an answer. But before Job is restored, not knowing that restoration will come at all,

even without a clue about reasons, he finds peace in his encounter with God. Finally, he has

his beloved friend again.

The Sufferings of Job Unfolding in the Book of Job

It is not beneficial to reduce the whole book of Job to a single denominator. It is too

complex for that. However, it is possible to deliver Job's sufferings into a coherent message.

Following the studies mentioned above, a straightforward biblical theology can be

presented.

At the beginning of the book, Job is pictured as a righteous man, living in complete

harmony with God. According to God's providence, Job's faith was limited, as it was for all

his contemporaries. The book of Job subsequently reveals the core of its testimony in the

first two Chapters: the transcendent God, working outside man's understanding, uses

34
G. Wilson, Job, ch. 163, para. 9.

14
undeserved suffering as an agent to reveal the truth about himself.35 Even though Job's

submission to God's action towards the first and the second test is flawless, it seems that

after God's speech his inner self has also finally arrived at the ash-heap (Job 42:6). Job, like

his three friends, enters the story with a limited view of suffering. Suffering is not denied

nor dismissed as something evil. It is not about preventing suffering, but about shunning

evil. In their view, suffering is caused by unrighteousness, blessing by righteousness. Yet in

different degrees, the company expected the retribution principle as an unquestionable

aspect of faith. On the ash-heap, however, retribution theology becomes a dead end. To the

friends, it is a coldly applied formula, and to Job, it constitutes an unsolvable dilemma. But

the story of Job reveals that "the sovereign God is not a captive to a rigid law of retribution,

but rather is free to do what appears mysterious to humans".36 Further, L. Wilson points to

the remarkable absence of consideration of the retribution theology within the Yahweh

speeches, although it is extensively discussed in the dialogues.37

In the Book of Job, suffering is removed from a mere act/consequence mechanism

and placed in a broader context. Suffering becomes a tool that God uses according to His

plan for His glory, the good of His people, and to reveal truth about Himself. Job's journey

from unresisting acceptance and submission towards God's acts to vehement accusations

reveals a God who tolerates such questioning. Considering Job's early placement, it can be

said that God is providing new revelation, not only concerning experienced undeserved

35
Waltke, Old Testament Theology, 932.
36
D. Estes, Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms (Ada: Baker Academic, 2010), 23.
37
L. Wilson, Job, 128.

15
suffering but Himself in general. A revelation of a covenant relationship, where also

lamentations and even some degree of bitterness have its place. The Book of Job shows that

not only it is impossible to remove God from suffering and pain, but also that Job's suffering

was according to God's counsel, in line with His omnipotence and omniscience. For the

small company this means, that "God enables them to put their limited perspective in a new

whole: mortals are restricted in their knowledge, serve God through suffering in mystery,

confident that it is part of God's plan in which he retains control over evil".38 However, it is

important to mention here that Job could not regain his peace through his own achievement.

He needed an encounter with God. It can be concluded then that God's appearance and

speeches humbled Job in such a way that he could accept God's good dealings with him,

which also include the administration of "evil". And God, in doing so, is absolutely just.

Hence Job repents from putting God in the wrong.

The Suffering of Job Unfolding in the Scriptures

Building a biblical theology needs to be compliant not just with one book of the

Bible, but with the whole of Scripture, culminating in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the question arises of how the unfolding self-revelation of God and His

redemptive acts with mankind shaped and defined the meaning of suffering, as displayed

from Job's life onwards to the emerging Church.

38
Waltke, Old Testament Theology, 944.

16
 Unfortunately, for reasons of space, it is impossible to even close examine the Old

Testament concerning Job's sufferings to a desirable extent here. Nonetheless, a small

overview can be derived from a few selected texts, including: The creation account, Joseph

and Naomi, and Psalm 22. In order to trace the message of Job's suffering to its fulfilment in

Christ and to his believers, the New Testament will be examined more thoroughly.

Creation

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when suffering originated. God pronounces it as a

result of a violation of the covenant of creation (Gen 2:15-17) and realized in the Fall: "Then

the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig

leaves together and made themselves loincloths" (3:7).39 The realization that they were

naked led to fear and meant suffering for Adam and Eve (3:10). Accordingly, it is generally

accepted that suffering is a direct consequence of the Fall. But is there the possibility that

suffering (physical and spiritual) was part of God's good creation plan to some extent and

quality? "If so", Arthur remarks, "then some suffering is intrinsic to creation itself and must

be a gift like the other creation gifts God bestows on us".40 The question arises whether it

can be assumed that Adam and Eve were capable of experience some kind of suffering

before the Fall. God's very words to Eve after the Fall seem to confirm this: "I will surely

39
The covenant of creation, or of works, is the first divine-human covenant mentioned in
Scriptures. It contains both elements which are necessary for a covenant of works: promised blessings for
obedience / promised curse for disobedience.
40
Arthur, Theology of Suffering, 13.

17
multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children" (3:16).41 Only

something that already exists can be multiplied. Thus, it can be considered that pain, yet "of

a different order to the suffering caused by sin", actually existed to some extent before the

Fall.42

Another point is God's statement that "it is not good that the man should be alone"

(Gen 3:18). It raises the question whether Adam did experience a lack in his life. Scripture

offers no indication about whether Adam felt this lack (respectively suffered to some extent

because of this) or whether this being alone was not considered good by God. However,

Adams exclamation "[t]his at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Gen 2:23a)

suggests a certain relief on his part. Furthermore, the following argument can be mentioned:

Vos is pointing to the tree of 'knowledge of good and evil' as the "instrument to lead man

through probation to that state of religious and moral maturity wherewith his highest

blessedness is connected."43 If it is to be experienced as such, probation must contain a

certain tension, a vulnerability. Hence, a certain degree of suffering. This does not contradict

the very good state of creation before the Fall. Adam and Eve were created to seek relief

from this suffering from God, who was in their midst.

It demonstrates that, although God considers all of creation as "very good", it allows

for a conclusion that there is a certain vulnerability within the initial creation. That makes

sense in so far that creation cannot be absolutely perfect as the Creator Himself is.

The Hebrew word used here for multiply is ‫( ָרבָ ה‬ra.vah); according to its use in Genesis, in
41

particular the creation account and the re-creation story of the flood, it can be translated as
“multiply/increase”.
42
Arthur, Theology of Suffering, 13-16.
43
Vos, Biblical Theology, 31.
18
Otherwise, God's uniqueness would be destroyed. For Cooper, this leads to the conclusion

that "if it be not thus absolute [creation], there is some lack; something in which it comes

short, of the perfection of him that made it".44 Lack, as mentioned above, means suffering to

some degree.

But there is still another central argument: The covenant of redemption, pactum

salutis, the agreement of the triune God to save the elect from the just consequences of sin,

decreed before the beginning of creation, included the suffering of Christ as the means for

redemption.45 This suffering is the expression of God's love for mankind and not a result of

sin. Therefore, it is assumed that suffering, a concept born in God's eternal counsel for the

good of His people, was also intended for creation from the beginning to a certain aspect. It

would be a false implication that the element of suffering is only related to the redemptive

work of Christ and not also in the context of the whole of creation as something good.

Arthur rightly remarks: "What greater proof could there be that pain and suffering are not

evil in themselves and that the suffering of pain is not, in itself, a futile burden but a fruitful

good, than the cross of Christ".46 This insight allows a way of looking at Job's suffering that

is completely inaccessible to the three friends. But based on Job's immediate reactions to the

blows he suffered, it seems that such a view was familiar to him to some extent. The

44
J. Cooper, “Theodicy,” Bibliotheca Sacra 60, no. 239 (1903) 409.
45
Louis Berkhof provides the following definition to the covenant of redemption: “[T]he
agreement between the Father, giving the Son as Head and Redeemer of the elect, and the Son,
voluntarily taking the place of those whom the Father had given Him”. This involves a division of labour
within the Trinity: “The Father is the originator, the Son the executor, and the Holy Spirit the applier.” As
in: L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1941), 271, 266.
For a more detailed discussion about the covenant of redemption, see: J. Fesko, The Covenant of
Redemption: Origins, Development, and Reception (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016).
46
Arthur, Theology of Suffering, 25.
19
creation account allows suffering to be seen in a greater context, not primarily as a result of

evil, which is to be avoided to all cost, but as something God works through in his

providence. It introduces the concept that good comes through suffering. Through suffering

triggered by the Fall, the redeemer will come: God incarnate (Gen 3:15; John 1:14). Through

the suffering of childbearing, new life will arise which is declared as a blessing (Psalm

127:3) (Gen 3:16). Through suffering, food can be enjoyed (Gen 3:17). Through suffering,

even the suffering of death on the cross, Christ will redeem his people and bring them to

glory in heaven (Phil 2:8;1 Peter 2:24; John 14:2-3). Further, what applies to Job also

applies here: Through suffering, God gives revelation. Even before God turn to Adam and

Eve announcing the curses, He curses the serpent and provides the first revelation of the

coming Messiah, the so-called Proto Evangelium (Gen 3:15).

It can be concluded that just as the whole of creation, which in God's view was good,

very good indeed, was distorted by the Fall, it is the same with suffering. Originally

something good, it was distorted by the Fall. But still, as with the rest of creation, the

distorted functions like and shares characteristics with the originally good. Though suffering

may be severe and often perplexing, it still contains the originally good, even if often

disguised. The stories of Job and those of Joseph, Naomi, and David, as shown below,

illustrate this well.

Joseph

The story of Joseph shows remarkable similarities with that of Job. Joseph, too, is

righteous at the time of his tribulation. His affliction is sudden and severe (Gen 37:18-28).

He repeatedly suffers over a considerable time (39:7-20; 40:14&23; 41:1). Like Job, Joseph
20
is vindicated, reconciled with his family, and his former status is more than compensated

(41:38-46; 45:1-5, 19; 46:5-7; 47:11-12: 50:22). Like Job, loyalty to God is a key element of

Joseph's character demonstrated by the fact that he did not sleep with Potiphar's wife (39:7-

13). Like Job, God providentially ordained Joseph's trials for his good plan (50:20). Though

not directly mentioned in the text, it is obvious that just as with Job, Joseph's character was

strengthened through tribulation.

Joseph's story affirms what the book of Job testifies: God is sovereign over all and

also ordains evil in order to bring about good, both for his creation and the sufferer.

Still, there is a difference. Joseph's sufferings are of another quality and intensity. He

is continually experiencing God's favour in his sufferings (Gen 39:2-5, 21-23; 41:38), which

is denied to Job. That seems to affirm what was mentioned earlier, namely that the loss of

God's peace is the main burden of Job's sufferings. Job's first reactions to his sufferings are

similar to those of Joseph. But as God's peace stayed with Joseph, somewhen it left Job on

the ash-heap during his tribulations. Also, Joseph does not express laments or complaints

towards God. Additionally, Joseph knows the reason for his sufferings: the evil deeds of his

brothers. That may be the reason amongst other things that he seems not to be so perplexed

about the dealings of God with him, in the way Job is. Concerning Job's sufferings, the story

of Joseph impressively demonstrates therefore one claim of biblical theology: "discovering

the unity of the Bible in the midst of its diversity".47

47
M. Lawrence, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 15.

21
Naomi

About 700 years after Joseph, a woman expresses a lament strongly reminiscent of

some of Job's laments.

"Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with

me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi,

when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon

me?" (Ruth 1:20-22).

Not only are her laments and perplexity about God's acts similar, but her whole story

also shares characteristics with that of Job. Naomi has everything she needs: land, a husband

and the blessing of two sons. Because of a drought, they move to Moab, where first Naomi's

husband dies, and then her two sons. Returning with one of her daughters-in-law, she

exclaims in despair – in her view: "the hand of the Lord has gone out against me" (Ruth

1:13). Like Job, so Naomi went from pleasantness to bitterness.48 It is of particular interest

here that Naomi uses ‫( שַׁ דַׁ י‬shad.day) twice in her lament. In the ESV as well as in the KJV,

this frequency is only exceeded in Genesis (6x) and Job (29x and 31x, respectively).

Naomi's use of ‫ שַׁ דַׁ י‬within her lament reflects Job's lament in Job 6:4; 27:2 and 31:2. Since

‫ שַׁ דַׁ י‬also carries the meaning of "sufficiency" in it, Naomi is perplexed about how the

Almighty treats her, leaving her "barren". There is one further point of interest. In the

canonical order of the English Bible, Naomi is the first person to use ‫ שַׁ דַׁ י‬in connection with

affliction originating from God. However, as claimed above, Job lived at the time of the

48
The meaning of the name for Naomi is “pleasant”, while Mara means “bitterness” (see Ruth
1:20)

22
patriarchs. That allows for the conclusion that Naomi reflected on the story of Job and found

her own suffering reflected therein. Hence the similarities of their laments.

Naomi's sufferings remind one of Job's in the following ways: she too suffers not due

to sins, she looses her children (and her husband), she is a stranger, she recognizes God's

acts towards her in the suffering that has struck her, she cries out in bitter lament, she

assumes her miserable state as final, but is ultimately restored. Further, through the story of

her suffering, God is glorified and reveals truth about himself: Then the women said to

Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his

name be renowned in Israel!" (Ruth 4:14).

However, like Joseph, there is a difference between Naomi and Job. In Ruth, Naomi

has a faithful helpmate (Ruth 1:16); she is not alone. Furthermore, just like with Joseph,

there is the aspect of the Saviour's lineage (4:17) which is not present with Job.

Psalms

With the Psalms, the study of Job's suffering moves away from the historical account

of creation and two individual life stories towards the expression of personal or general

lament. Laments are a central theme in the Psalms. In fact, 59 of the total of 150 Psalms are

Psalms of lament; and in some of the others, laments constitute a significant part. Many of

these psalms reflect Job's sufferings and lamentations. They differ, however, on a few major

points: they always contain an element of praise (except for the 88th Psalm), are addressed

directly to God, and sin as a possible cause for suffering is sometimes acknowledged and

confessed (e.g. Psalm 32, 38, and 51). However, the reality that God assigns affliction also

without sin is evident (e.g. Psalm 6, 22, 88, 102, and 143).
23
 Using the example of the 22nd Psalm, it will be briefly examined here how the

sufferings of Job are reflected within the Psalms and through which the development of a

biblical theology of Job's sufferings can be observed. The 22nd Psalm is a good example

because it foretells the sufferings of Christ, which will be considered further below.

The Psalm opens with the well-known lament, also cried out by Jesus on the Cross:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? "(Psalm 22:1; Matth 27:46). This cry, even

if it is exclaimed in great perplexity, stems from the basis of a functioning and steadfast

relationship. Faith and trust are still present. However, God is silent and seems to be out of

touch. The absence of God from the covenant relationship does not just cause Job to feel the

existential distress, the psalmist feels that as well. Like Job, perplexity about being forsaken

by God is also so severe for David that he is crying day and night, but finds neither answer

nor rest (Job 19:7; 30:20, Ps. 22:1-2). There is no hint within the Psalm of sin as the cause

for David's affliction, neither does he express words of repentance. This leads to the

conclusion that like Job he suffers "undeserved ". David's agonies are so severe that he

considers himself as a worm rather than a man (Job 7:5; 17:14, Ps. 22:6). Job sat on the

ashes all alone, scratching his terrible wounds with broken pottery (Job 2:8); David

considers himself "dried up like a potsherd", laid "in the dust of death" (Ps. 22:15). Like Job,

David is "despised by the people "(Ps. 22:6), but after his affliction is over, "he now sits

with his fellow human beings and participates in a feast which symbolises fellowship with

God" (22:26).49

49
P. Craige and M. Tate, Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 19: Psalms 1–50 (Second Edition)
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2018), 201.

24
 Yet there are also differences or developments regarding a biblical theology of Job's

sufferings: David's sufferings invite to worship in congregation (Ps. 22:22-23,25). This

congregation is the people of the covenant (22:27-29, 31). Furthermore, David is aware of

God's saving interventions in the covenant people's needs in the past (22:4-5). It is up for

debate what Job understood about an afterlife. For David, however, the afterlife is part of the

comfort for the afflicted (Ps. 22:26). Additionally, the Psalmist alludes to the sufferings of

Christ.

That leads to the conclusion that while the bitter experiences of God's providential

dealings with his people are sometimes similar to Job's sufferings, the writers of the Psalms

have a background, which Job did not have: the history of God's redemptive acts and his

mighty deeds for his covenant people. Further, what applies to Job also applies to this

example. God gives revelation through the suffering of one of his friends: Christ's sufferings

on the cross.

There are other interesting books and stories to examine, for example, Jeremiah or

Habbakuk. It is Habbakuk, in particular, who is highly perplexed about the coming suffering

and yet humbly submits to God's glory. Habbakuk's outcry, which is an echo from the past,

can move the focus of this study forwards to the New Testament: "O Lord, how long shall I

cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? "(Hab

1:2).

Job's Sufferings in the New Testament

Until now, the sufferings of Job has been briefly examined in the Old Testament to

see if there is a common, developing thread. In other words, is there a biblical Theology of
25
Job's sufferings present within the OT? This question has been positively answered above.

So, the development of a biblical theology of Job's sufferings enters the New Testament,

considering first Christ and secondly the followers of Christ. To accomplish this, the

approach of "typology" is applied here. When properly applied, typology, as shown below,

can perfectly match biblical theology. It links the Old and New Testament in a vital way,

reassuring "the continuing power and relevance of the Old Testament as a revelation of

Jesus Christ".50

Typology

Typology consequently poses the question of whether the suffering Job represents a

"type" of the suffering Christ and, eventually, of his people. In other words, does Job

represent a type that progressively builds and culminates in Christ (antitype)? Does he serve

as a prospective reference fulfilled in Christ? Berkhof (1950) claims that the New Testament

comments on the Old Testament, and "that the Old and New Testament are related to each

other as type and antitype", in the sense of bud and flower. "The one contains types, the

other antitypes".51 Augustin expresses it similarly: "The Old Testament is the New

Testament concealed, The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed".52 Therefore, in

line with Berkhof and Augustine, it has to be mentioned that the Old and New Testament

have to be perceived as a unity. Berkhof insists: "They both contain the same doctrine of

50
Williams, Shadow of Christ, ch.1, para. 3.
51
L. Berkhof, Principles of Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1950),
133, 137.
52
Augustinus, Quaestiones in Heptateuchum, Adnotationes in Iob ed. J. Zycha 1895 (CSEL
XXVIII (SECT III PARS 3), P. 141).
26
redemption, preach the same Christ, and impose upon men the same moral and religious

duties", yet progressively revealing its concepts.53 The bud of the OT becomes a flower in

the NT.54

Job as a Type for Christ?

So, does Job fulfil the criteria to function as a type for Christ? As shown above, Job's

life, his sufferings and his submission unto God's providence point in many ways to Christ.

Yet, this subject is widely discussed, and scholars take different viewpoints. Moreover, the

view changed in the course of church history. While Job served as a type of Christ in the

patristic age, the Reformation, with its approach of grammatical-historical exegesis, no

longer recognized this pattern. Williams note that "[t]he patristic Fathers … often simply

read the Gospels back into the book of Job by means of allegorical interpretation".55

However, Williams concludes that however valuable the achievement of Reformed

hermeneutics was, they "have brought with them an overcompensation for the abuses of the

past [allegorizing], and consequently, a reluctance to consider the merits of Job as a type of

Christ".56 So, can a more balanced approach be used to identify Job as a type of Christ? If

so, how does this fit within the development of a biblical theology of Job's sufferings?

(1) There are various type/antitype relationships between Job and Christ. So, for

example, Job's righteousness, God's joy in Job, Job's submission, his suffering and

53
Berkhof, Principles, 135.
54
It is indeed the case, analogous to the growth stages of a flower bud in nature, that a bud goes
through various visible stages to then result in full flowering.
55
Williams, Shadow of Christ, ch. 2, para. 4.
56
Ibid., ch. 2, para. 5
27
abandonment (also from God), the enmity of people, Job's cry of lament, and his

vindication. Even when not conclusive, all of these topics are inseparable from Job's as well

as Christ's sufferings. Probably more than any other figure in the Bible, Job shares a great

deal in his sufferings with the sufferings of Christ. Smick, therefore, boldly concludes:

"Indeed, [Job] is a grand type. In all his wounds he prefigured the wounds of that One, who

as the antitypical innocent sufferer, the only truly holy man and God in the flesh, provided

for us the ultimate solution to the problem of evil".57 Is Job testifying about God's

involvement in suffering? Christ fulfils it. Accordingly, Ash points to Christ on the Cross as

the culmination of the type/antitype relationship: "In the darkness and Godforsakenness of

those terrible hours of lonely agony, the sufferings of Job are transcended and fulfilled".58

(2) It is not just Job as a person who reflects Christ's sufferings, but also his setting

serves as a foreshadow. Job has his darkest moments in a desolate, unclean place outside of

the City (Job 2:8); accordingly, Christ is crucified outside the city gates (Matt 27:33; Mark

15:23; Heb 13:12). Waltke draws a parallel between Job's three friends on the ash heap and

Christ's plea to his three friends to stay awake and pray with him in the garden (Mark 14:33-

41; Matth 26:37-45), yet "[they] have so little compassion that it could not prevent their

sleeping even for a moment. And Jesus was left alone to the wrath of God".59

(3) Job speaks about his suffering as can be seen again with Christ (Mark 10:34a;

Luke 18:32; 22:63; Acts 2:23): "Men have gaped at me with their mouth; they have struck

57
E. Smick, “Semeiological Interpretation of the Book of Job,” Westminster Theological Journal
48 (1986) 37-38.
58
Ash, Job, 436.
59
Waltke, Old Testament Theology, 934.

28
me insolently on the cheek; they mass themselves together against me. God gives me up to

the ungodly and casts me into the hands of the wicked" (Job 16:10-11).

Williams emphasizes particularly the role of various antagonists in the fulfilment of

predestined suffering culminating in Christ. He states: "Job's experience in this regard seems

to clearly distend into the realm of typology. This is a theme that exactly mirrors the

messianic suffering described so vividly in the Psalms and the Prophets, and which came to

pass in the Gospels".60

(4) Thomas specifically refers to the scene where Job, as the suffering servant,

intercedes for his three friends, so that God's wrath is propitiated and they are restored

before him. For Thomas, "[t]he analogy of this scene with that portrayed by Isaiah

concerning Christ can hardly be avoided". Though fiercely accusing Job and wrongly

speaking about God, they became not only Job's "enemies" but God's as well. Through Job's

intercession, "Job's friends were given a glimpse of the Saviour to come".61

These examples provide clues as to how Job can be perceived as a "type" of Christ.

But there is one limitation in so far, that Job's sufferings cannot be seen as strictly

redemptive. They do "redeem" Job, as well as his friends, of a limited view of God, but they

do not redeem him from sin or indicate a future redemption accomplished by Christ. Fritsch

makes a crucial remark: "in typology, the fulfilment of the antitype can only be understood

in the light of the reality of the original type".62 Christ accomplished redemption through

60
Williams, Shadow of Christ, ch. 6, para. 15.
61
Thomas, Job, 346.
62
C. Fritsch, “Biblical Typology,” Bibliotheca Sacra 104, no. 414 (1947) 214.

29
suffering, but Job's sufferings cannot be regarded as such. It can be concluded here

therefore, that it is alright to allow the question of whether Job is a type for Christ to remain

open. The positive or negative answer has no bearing on Christ's work, nor on Job's story.

Anyway, as discussed above, the sufferings of Job are comprehensively reflected in Christ's

and placed in the context of Christ's redemptive work. Furthermore, as shown below, Job

can be definitively identified as a type of the Christian.

Job as a Type for Christians?

Berkhof points out that a "type" does not have to represent only one New Testament

"antitype". He states: "[I]t should be borne in mind that some types may find more than one

fulfilment in New Testament realities, for instance, one in Christ, and another in the people

who are organically connected with him".63 Consequently, even when Job could be

identified as a type of Christ, it would anyway be possible to identify him additionally as a

type of the Christian. So does Job fulfil the required characteristics for that? There are

several strong factors corroborating such a view. In the following, these factors will be

classified accordingly:

(1) As discussed above, Job's sufferings serve different purposes. However, they do

not have a redemptive aspect. Also Christians are called to suffer in various ways (e.g. John

16:33; Rom 8:17-18,35-36; 1 Pet 1:6-7;4:12,19;5:10; James 1:2). And also, those sufferings

63
Berkhof, Principles, 147.

30
do not contain a redemptive element. It follows that Job the righteous sufferer is a picture of

the suffering (righteous) Christian.

(2) God explicitly ordained Job to serve as an example of the suffering believer.

Even though the Christian should expect to suffer, he is often perplexed by it. James points

to Job as an example of suffering and patience: "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job,

and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful"

(James 5:11). As the following passage shows, the Letter of James is addressed to a

suffering audience: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for

you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (1:2-3).

The sole use of Job as an example for perseverance in tribulation allows for the

conclusion that James has developed a theology of suffering for which the story of Job is

normative. This is of particular interest since James, using the example of Job, connects

trials or testing to the whole spectrum of afflictions. Thereby, James affirms a continuity in

God's dealings with his people through suffering. Isaacs points to the parallels between the

prologue of the Book of Job and the trials that Christians have to go through; namely "as a

test of the disinterestedness of their faith", and therefore "[s]uch experiences are, …, to be

welcomed".64 Yet, it is not only the prologue that points to this, but Job's whole journey of

suffering. Amid deepest conflict and perplexity, Job testifies to the authenticity of his

integrity which is being tested: "When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job

64
M.. Isaacs, “Suffering in the Lives of Christians: James 1:2-19A,” Review and Expositor 97,
no. 2 (2000) 183.

31
23:10). It is the same principle God applies to Christians; through the trial of suffering, faith

is found more precious than gold and glorifies Christ (1 Pet 1:6-7).

Job desires above all else to regain peace with God. Not to have his health or losses

restored and so give him the confidence of what he is; rather, he completely depends on God

"for his very sense of himself and his own rightness". For Job, this means "[i]f God does not

vindicate him; Job simply doesn't know who he is or what category to put himself in".65

Although Job sometimes looses his temper, it is perfectly right of speaking of him as the

"quintessential example of patience in suffering".66 Job never takes the shortcut.

Another point is made by Smick. For him, it is crucial that Job never finds out about

the heavenly council. Only in this way Job is able "to continue [until his vindication] as a

model to his readers who must suffer in ignorance of God's explicit purpose".67 What Smick

is saying is that the whole journey of Job serves as a model for the believer. This includes

his submission without knowledge about the future vindication. Therein Job does

foreshadow the Christian in terms of perseverance in suffering.

(3) As mentioned above, Christians are expected to suffer. Like for Job, the path of a

Christians way is marked with tribulation (John 16:33; James 1:2-3). Surpassed only by

Christ, Job is the example of the suffering of the righteous, heavily accused from all sides.

Job has to persist in his faith, all on his own. The Christian, on the contrary, has the help of

the Holy Spirit, who makes intercession for his weaknesses (Rom 8:26-27). In fact, Jesus

65
E. Ortlund, “How Did Job Speak Rightly about God?,” Themelios (2018) 357, 356.
66
S. McKnight, The Letter of James (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), ch. 7.3.4.2., para.1.
67
Smick, Semeiological Interpretation, 148.

32
himself makes intercession for the saints at the Father's right hand (Rom 8:34). Ash correctly

points out the difference in the heavenly council: "But if we are in Christ, the Satan is no

longer able to accuse us before God. He no longer has that access".68 But it would be totally

incorrect to draw the conclusion here that the believer cannot experience times of deep

spiritual sufferings or even times of spiritual desertion.

It was God who ordained Job to suffer in order to show the heavenly council "the

beauty and radiance of his faith";69 likewise the believers are encouraged to glorify God

through suffering (1 Pet 4:16).

(4) There is one further fulfilment indicated for Job. His earthly vindication

foreshadows the final vindication of all believers. Schreiner states: "[Those who belong to

Yahweh] will be finally vindicated, and so there is a hint here of future life with Yahweh".70

This vindication, as the New Testament points out over and over again, will come through

present suffering.71 It is therefore argued here that Job fulfils the characteristics required to

be identified as an Old Testament "type," which points to its fulfilment in the Christian.

68
Ash, Job, 56.
69
T. Schreiner, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 236.
70
Ibid., 236.
71
Ash, Job, 436.

33
Conclusion

In developing a biblical theology of Job's suffering, an attempt is made to explain

God's decrees in ordaining suffering to humans. Placing the book of Job within the

patriarchs' era means that it can be used as a wonderful red thread regarding God's acts

towards suffering. Job's sufferings occur neither because of sin nor because of a furthering

of his spiritual growth. His sufferings are to give glory to God and reveal knowledge about

Him.

It is stated that God's use of evil for the good of his people is consistent throughout

the Scriptures. This evil, applied to the context of Job's sufferings, namely undeserved

sufferings, produces great perplexity. It is this perplexity which causes the most severe

suffering. That can be observed in the lives of Naomi, David, the Psalms, and most

importantly, in Jesus on the cross. Furthermore, Job's laments, uttered at an early stage of

God's redemptive history, are echoed throughout the Bible, and culminate in Christ's outcry

on the cross. Although the question of whether Job can be considered a "type" of Christ

remains open, it can be inferred that he is a "type" of the Christian.

A biblical theology should not only concern unity; it also should include diversity

within that unity. Joseph also experiences undeserved severe suffering, but he never laments.

Similarly, while the Apostle Paul severely suffers, he still is able to rejoice. It is the "God

forsakenness", which Job, Naomi, David and Jesus experience, that cause them to cry out in

their deepest darkness. Therefore, it is argued that, however severe suffering can be, it is the

presence of God's peace which makes the difference, remembering that Job finds his peace

before his vindication. According to his purpose, God sometimes withholds such peace, also

in the believers' life today. For some of God's people, peace will only come when they
34
"face" God finally in eternity (Job 42:5; Rev 7:17). The story of Job teaches that severe

suffering can not be understood through reason, nor by getting answers to questions. Peace

will not come in such a way; the hurt is often too deep. Accordingly, James instructs his

audience to ask for Godly wisdom when facing trials. By sharing in the sufferings of Christ,

Christians bring Glory to God, and as Job proved, that God is not merely loved because of

his blessings, but because of Himself. Further, what was true for the Lord Jesus, is also valid

for the Christian today, as it was for Job, Joseph, Naomi, and David: "Although he was a

son, he learned obedience through what he suffered" (Hebr 5:8).

In this study, it is shown that a biblical theology of Job's sufferings is valid. It can be

concluded that Job's sufferings are at the same time a starting point as well as an underlying

structure of God's unfolding revelation of his work through suffering. It is assumed here that

suffering is an integral part of God's good creation. At first good in quality and magnitude

within the act of creation, suffering deteriorated because of the Fall, yet still inhibiting the

originally good to some respect. However, as demonstrated, suffering is regarded as a core

aspect of God's revelation of his redemptive acts throughout history. Taking into account the

richness of the Book of Job and the sheer volume of the biblical text concerning suffering, it

is clear that this study is only a first partial analysis. Hopefully further efforts will be made

in the future to provide a more detailed and coherent biblical theology of Job's sufferings to

serve today's Christianity in the face of severe and perplexing suffering.

35