April 10, 2024

Where is God when I don't feel Him?

Job 23

Taylor Barnett
Wednesday's Devo

April 10, 2024

Wednesday's Devo

April 10, 2024

Wednesday's Devo

April 10, 2024

Wednesday's Devo

April 10, 2024

Big Book Idea

God is at work even when we can't see it.

Key Verse | Job 23:8

"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him."

Job 23

Job Replies: Where Is God?

1 Then Job answered and said:

2  “Today also my complaint is bitter; 1 23:2 Or defiant
    my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3  Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
    that I might come even to his seat!
4  I would lay my case before him
    and fill my mouth with arguments.
5  I would know what he would answer me
    and understand what he would say to me.
6  Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
    No; he would pay attention to me.
7  There an upright man could argue with him,
    and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

8  Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
    and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9  on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
    he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10  But he knows the way that I take;
    when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11  My foot has held fast to his steps;
    I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12  I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
13  But he is unchangeable, 2 23:13 Or one and who can turn him back?
    What he desires, that he does.
14  For he will complete what he appoints for me,
    and many such things are in his mind.
15  Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
    when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16  God has made my heart faint;
    the Almighty has terrified me;
17  yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
    nor because thick darkness covers my face.

Footnotes

[1] 23:2 Or defiant
[2] 23:13 Or one
Table of Contents
Introduction to Job

Introduction to Job

Timeline

Author and Date

The unknown Israelite author of this book presents Job as a person living in Uz (see note on 1:1). Job’s godliness (1:1) matches the ideals of Israelite wisdom literature. He clearly knows Yahweh (1:21). The events of the book seem to be set in the times of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).

Theological Themes

The book of Job concerns itself with the question of faith in a sovereign God. Can God be trusted? Is he good and just in his rule of the world? The book shows that the reasons for human suffering often remain a secret to human beings.

In the book of Job, God seems both too close and too far away. On the one hand, Job complains that God is watching him every moment so that he cannot even swallow his spit (7:19). On the other hand, Job finds God elusive (9:11). Though God is greatly concerned about humans, he does not always answer their most agonizing questions.

At the same time, Job’s friends offer no real help. They come to “comfort” him (2:11), but Job ends up declaring them “miserable comforters” who would console him “with empty nothings” (21:34). These friends represent an oversimplified view of faith. They think that all human troubles are divine punishments for wrongdoing. Their “comfort” consists largely of urging Job to identify his sin and repent of it. These friends are negative examples of how to comfort those who are suffering.

The book illustrates that one does not need to fully understand God’s will in order to be faithful while suffering. Those who suffer need not be afraid to express to God their confusion and questions.

Purpose

The book of Job was written to those who struggle with the question of how God can be good when the world is filled with suffering.

The author does not provide a formal defense of God’s justice. Rather, as Job’s friends offer their inadequate answers, the author shows how their reasoning fails. Then, in chs. 38–41, the Lord speaks in his own defense, bringing Job to fuller understanding (ch. 42).

Even during his suffering and confusion, before God finally speaks, Job can triumphantly declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25).

Outline

  1. Prologue: Job’s Character and the Circumstances of His Test (1:1–2:13)
  2. Dialogue: Job, His Suffering, and His Standing before God (3:1–42:6)
    1. Job: despair for the day of his birth (3:1–26)
    2. The friends and Job: can Job be right before God? (4:1–25:6)
      1. First cycle (4:1–14:22)
      2. Second cycle (15:1–21:34)
      3. Third cycle (22:1–25:6)
    3. Job: the power of God, place of wisdom, and path of integrity (26:1–31:40)
    4. Elihu: suffering as a discipline (32:1–37:24)
    5. Challenge: the Lord answers Job (38:1–42:6)
  3. Epilogue: The Vindication, Intercession, and Restoration of Job (42:7–17)
The Global Message of Job

The Global Message of Job

Universal Questions

With its story of one man’s life and suffering, the book of Job raises universal questions. Why do people suffer, especially godly people? Where is God in suffering? Can God be trusted amid suffering? Job’s friends try to answer such questions with superficial and simplistic solutions, eventually earning God’s rebuke (Job 42:7–9).

Ultimately we learn from Job that we can hope steadfastly in our sovereign God. Instead of providing easy answers to hard questions, this incomparably glorious, all-knowing, and almighty God presents to people in all places and in all times the simplest, most powerful, and most universal answer to these questions. God’s answer to human suffering has everything to do with his own infinite goodness and care for his creation.

Suffering in a Fallen World

In the life of Job we see the breadth and depth of human suffering. We see suffering in health (Job 2:7), suffering in the loss of property (1:14–17), and suffering in the tragic death of family members (1:18–19). In Job we also listen in on a discussion in the heavenly courtroom between God and Satan (1:6–12; 2:1–7), in which God delights in the upright life of Job. There we are given a window into the normally invisible reasons for our trials and suffering.

Sin and suffering. Suffering is universal, though the kind of suffering differs from circumstance to circumstance. Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin. There is no such thing as sin without consequences. Sometimes God himself directly chastises his people for their sins. However, Job’s friends are wrong to assume that his suffering is a direct result of disobedience (Job 8:4), and it would likewise be wrong to conclude that all or even most suffering in the world today is divine punishment for specific sins. The speeches of Eliphaz (chs. 4; 5; 15; 22), Bildad (chs. 8; 18; 25), and Zophar (chs. 11; 20) reflect such wrong assumptions.

Common suffering. Another type of suffering is what we might call “common suffering.” This is suffering that affects all people without distinction. It is simply the result of living in a fallen world. It includes health problems from colds to cancer. It includes bad weather, earthquakes, and typhoons. It includes financial struggles, and even death itself. Each tragic incident in Job’s life includes an element of this common suffering.

Godliness and suffering. Not only are godly people afflicted with suffering just as others are, but the godly experience some kinds of suffering due specifically to their godliness (Matt. 10:24–33; Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12). Faithfulness to Christ will bring insult and at times persecution—suffering that could be avoided if we were not disciples of Christ. We see this principle in Job, for it was precisely Job’s uprightness that prompted God to single him out to Satan and then led Satan to seek to afflict him (Job 1:8–12).

Devastating suffering. Job’s suffering is uniquely profound and painful. Some suffering, we learn, defies any category. We discover in Job that Satan has a hand in some of the suffering of God’s people (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7; compare 2 Cor. 12:1–10). But even such demonically instigated suffering is not outside of God’s sovereignty. Nor should our focus be on Satan when we suffer but rather on persisting in steadfast faith amid such God-ordained pain. At the very least a lesson to be learned from Job is that our vision and insight into suffering is severely limited. What is not limited, however, is God’s perfect understanding and sovereign control over every event in our lives. In the “Yahweh speeches” of Job (chs. 38–41), God does not engage Job in the details of his questions and complaints. Rather, God reminds Job that God is God and Job is not. God laid the foundation of the earth (38:4); he is God over the seas (38:8, 16), over the stars (38:31–33), and over every creature (39:1–30; 40:15–41:34).

A Global Message of Comfort and Hope

The almighty, all-good God. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of Job speaks a message of great hope to the world. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign God who sees, who is good, and who is faithful. We are not victims of random fate or uncontrolled circumstances. We are loved faithfully and passionately by a sovereign God who works all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). The suffering global church can take comfort amid suffering, knowing that God is pleased with our faithfulness to him, even as God expressed delight in “my servant Job” (Job 1:6–8; 2:3). James 5:11 reminds us that God will fulfill his good purposes and is indeed compassionate and merciful toward his people.

No neat formulas. Living an upright life of faith in God does not exempt us from suffering. This was the fundamental misunderstanding of Job’s friends (Job 8:6) and the reason that their “comfort” was so “miserable” (16:2). Indeed, in Job and in all of Scripture we see that suffering is a part of the experience of godly people, and that suffering is also a means for our sanctification. Suffering is a blessing as through it we learn that God’s ways and purposes are much greater than we can know (chs. 40–41). His purposes and faithfulness are much greater than the achievement of ease and a comfortable life; the global church must not make an idol out of worldly comfort and earthly abundance.

The sufferings of the Savior. Job confessed faith in the living Redeemer (Job 19:25). That Redeemer would one day come and suffer for us on a cross. Here we have yet another kind of suffering, the atoning sufferings of Christ. He suffered for our salvation, bearing the penalty for our sin. It is also our great privilege to share in his suffering (2 Cor. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:8; 2:3; 1 Pet. 4:13). These are not the sufferings of health problems or bad weather or the consequences of our own folly. These are sufferings that flow from our union with and loyalty to Christ. There is a global attack on the righteous, but God will continue to provide sufficient grace to his people (2 Cor. 12:9).He will grow both his people and his kingdom through such suffering as it is endured in faith.

Our Intercession and Mission of Hope

Though God’s righteous anger burned against the three friends of Job, their folly was forgiven in response to the righteous intervention of Job’s prayers (Job 42:7–9). What then is the Christian response to those who suffer—and to those who cause suffering?

We are to intercede for the world, both in prayer and in life. We are to “comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). This comfort must find expression in our ministry and service to those in need both where we live as well as around the world—to orphans, widows, and all those who suffer.

This comfort is most gloriously and eternally known as the church ministers the gospel of new hope in Christ to the world—to the lost, to the downtrodden, and even to our enemies (Matt. 5:44). For the greatest suffering in this world is not the loss of property or even family; it is to be lost in sin, without the living Redeemer.

Proverbs Fact #1: Wisdom

Fact: Wisdom

Wisdom is a key term in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The word can mean “skilled at making sound decisions in life.” Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Job Fact #1: Comfort

Fact: Comfort

Comfort is a key word in the book of Job. When faced with personal tragedies, Job receives no comfort from his friends (16:2). But when God answers him (see chs. 38–41), he finds the comfort he needs.

Job Fact #7: Three cycles of conversations

Fact: Three cycles of conversations

The book of Job includes three cycles of conversations in which the friends of Job offer their comfort and advice, and then listen as Job responds. The first cycle covers chs. 4–14.

Job Fact #15: Elihu

Fact: Elihu

Elihu is the only character in the book of Job with a Hebrew name.

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

After the Lord allowed Satan to afflict Job, three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, came to comfort him. However, all three wrongly assumed that Job’s suffering was the result of some hidden sin. Each man urged Job to repent so that God would have mercy on him. But Job insisted that he was innocent. Although it is true that some suffering is a result of sin, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar oversimplified this truth. They believed that all troubles are punishments for wrongdoing, which was not the case for Job. The wrong actions of Job’s three friends should remind believers today to be wise and sensitive when dealing with people in distress. The Lord rebuked Job’s three friends and instructed Job to pray for them. (Job 42:7–9)

Study Notes

Job 23:2 The opening phrase of Job’s response is probably directed at his friends more than at God. Today also. Job is implying that his friends have neither comforted him well nor persuaded him of his guilt. My hand is heavy describes discouragement (compare “our hands fall helpless,” Jer. 6:24).

Study Notes

Job 23:3–7 The last time Job used this kind of legal language, he was convinced that God would both ignore and condemn him (see 9:3, 16, 19). Here, his convictions are just the opposite: if Job were granted an audience, God would pay attention (23:6), and Job would be acquitted (v. 7).

Study Notes

Job 23:13–17 Although he has carefully considered his way (vv. 10–12), Job knows his future depends on what the Lord appoints to happen (vv. 13–14; compare Prov. 16:1, 9; 20:24; Jer. 10:23). Therefore, he is terrified at the thought of God’s presence (Job 23:15–16). Still, even in the darkness of not being able to understand God’s purposes fully, he continues his lament: yet I am not silenced.

S3:069 Job 23

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Job 23

In Job 22, we read how Eliphaz accused Job of a series of sins and falsely reasoned that Job's suffering was a direct consequence of his sins (Job 22:4-5). Today, we read Job's response to Eliphaz and see how Job expresses the feeling that God is distant.

This passage makes my heart ache in response to the deep pain and sorrow that not only Job has felt but that we all feel as we navigate a broken and grief-stricken world. After the fall, pain became common to all of mankind, but it often brings up difficult questions such as, "Why would God allow this to happen?" and "Where is God?" I have witnessed the grief of others, as well as my own while working in a pediatric ER, and I have wrestled with these same questions. So where is God when we feel like Job when he states, "I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him."? (Job 23:8)

Even as he cries out to God, Job reminds us of God's unchanging character. He acknowledges that God is in control and near to us, even when we cannot feel His presence (Job 23:13; see also Psalm 34:18). None of the tragedies or changes we face are a surprise to God. He remains the same and continues to use everything for our good and His glory. Sometimes we get the privilege of seeing this, such as when our faith is strengthened through trials or when we can encourage others (Job 23:10; 1 Peter 1:6-7). But what about the horrible events when we can't seem to find the purpose or when we don't know what to say to God? We are to remain like Job—staying in constant communication with God, reminding ourselves of His character, and seeking comfort from Him alone.

This month's memory verse

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

– Galatians 5:22-23

Discussion Questions

1. Job presents an excellent example of how we as Christians are to lament. Lament is a pathway between sorrow and trust in God. It takes faith to pray when it feels easier to give God the silent treatment. The key components of lament are: Turning to God, complaining, asking, and trusting. (For a deeper dive, check out Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop). What examples of this do you see in the passage?

2. Can you think of a time in your life when you felt as though God was silent or distant? Can you now recognize how God was at work in your life? If not, how did your faith (or lack thereof) show during this time? 

3. What characteristics of God can you remind yourself of when it feels difficult to pray to Him?

4. What temporary things or outlets do you use to soothe your pain rather than going to God? Take time today to confess these to a trusted friend or your community group. If you are feeling stuck in your own destructive habits like I was, I'd encourage you to check out re:generation, Watermark's Christ-centered recovery program! If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, explore how God seeks to comfort you through Grief Recovery. 

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

MS

Michael Scaman

PBS is happy to present a Panel Discussion: Job's Desire to Argue His Case with God in Job 23 with distinguished guests Jean Valjean reprsenting the redeemed guilty, Edmond Dantès representing the innocent sufferer and Atticus Finch representing the defender of the falsely accused. Moderator: Welcome, esteemed panelists. Today, we have ex criminal Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," prisoner Edmond Dantès from Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo," and lawyer and criminal defender Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." Each of you has faced significant trials and injustices in your respective stories, much like Job in the Bible. Let's begin with your thoughts on Job's desire to argue his case with God. Jean Valjean: Thank you for having me. Job's desire to confront God resonates deeply with me. Like Job, I experienced years of unjust imprisonment, societal rejection, and moral dilemmas. My journey was one of redemption and seeking forgiveness. Job's longing to present his case before God reflects the human need for justice and understanding in the face of suffering. God is in the background, powerfull but unpercieved. You cannot provoke him to appear. God shows up in the whirlwind, a wind event even though a wind event was a source of great pain for Job with the loss of his children, but has a buffer in the person on Elihu, not showing up on demand. Edmond Dantès: Indeed, Job's plight mirrors the injustices we endure. When falsely accused and imprisoned, I too yearned for vindication and justice. Job's courage to question God's ways speaks to the human struggle for meaning and righteousness amidst adversity. His desire to argue his case resonates with anyone who has faced unjust suffering. My years of waiting tell me Job has a big ask which is usually answered in more subtle than overt ways. God does show up and does not rebuke Job for wanting a mediator. God commended the people's desire for a mediator to speak to them instead of the terrifying thunder in the giving of the law. Atticus Finch: Job's desire to confront God reflects the universal quest for truth and justice. In my own experience defending Tom Robinson, an innocent man wrongly accused of a crime, I faced similar moral dilemmas. Job's willingness to challenge God's actions reminds us that even in the darkest times, we must uphold our principles and seek understanding. That said... God does not just show up on our terms. God however does not rebuke Job for trying to being his prefeflective unvarnished thoughts, and feelings to Him as is the case sometimes in the Psalms. Some Psalms lament even in a theologically incorrect way as an example to bring your laments to God. When the book ends, God will yet call Job "My servant" . Moderator: Thank you for your opening insights. It's clear that Job's story continues to inspire and provoke thought across different narratives and contexts. We appreciate your perspectives on this timeless theme of human suffering and the search for justice. To sum up. God gives us what we need not what we demand, God does not rebuke us for wanting a mediator, and God does not rebuke us for our sincere laments even when our thinking confused confused.
GJ

greg jones

Good morning Taylor. I love your deeper dive. I love how you connect the circumstances and questions of Job to the circumstances and questions you have and hear in your daily life. Some Bible nerd stuff Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me. There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge. Job 23:2-7 That’s a bit of a foreshadowing of Job 38-41. Here Job says “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.” There, Job 38:1, the Lord speaks to Job out of the storm. What storm? Job 37:19-24 pay attention to verse 21 and the wind that sweeps clean. So if you think about what is going on here in light of what is being described in 37, God is present, Job can’t see him, he’s making his arguments. The wind that sweeps clean is present, but only if, we, or Job notice. Here Job says, “I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me. There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge. That gets tricky in Job 38-41. Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans
    with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me. Job 38:2-3 Ok when God said who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge if I was Job I would have been naming names. But the text is quite, so maybe he was just pointing or cutting his eyes to the guilty. In any case questions lgo on for 2 chapters. Then there’s a break in the questioning at Job 40:1-5. The Lord said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
    Let him who accuses God answer him!” Then Job answered the Lord: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
    I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—
    twice, but I will say no more.” It sounds like Job is getting put into his place. It sounds like his friends have been right along. Job’s friends have spent the entire book giving him answers that didn’t fit the questions he had. Here God sounds like Job’s friends. But is God contending with Job in his power? Reading very closely. “Who is this that (((obscures my plans))) with words without knowledge?” Followed by silence. “Let him who accuses God answer him” Followed by “Then Job said…” There’s a difference between 38 and 40, as in Job contending with God in front of his friends was the plan along, if we catch it. There’s even a bit of 38:3 foreshadowing 40:3-5 Today Job said, “There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.” In chapter 42 God will say “you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you (in the greatness of my power) according to your folly. Job 42:8 Enough of the Bible nerd stuff. Taylor I love how you ask the hard questions of God when what you experience in life doesn’t seem to make sense. And the nerd in me also loves how the Bible trains a reader to ask hard questions of it when it too sometimes seems to make no sense.
SB

Sue Bohlin

SUPER devo, Taylor! A nurse in a pediatric ER is in the *perfect* position to consider that hard hard question, "How could a good and loving God allow this to happen?" The best thing I found about today's chapter is Warren Wiersbe's quote from Dr. Constable: “When God puts His own people into the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much.”
AL

Amy Lowther

1. One, “lay my case before him
 and fill my mouth with arguments”. Two, 
“I would know what he would answer me
 and understand what he would say to me”. Three, “But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?”. Four, “What he desires, that he does. for he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind”. Five, “God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face”. 2. There are times in the workplace God seems silent and distant. But God loves and supports each of us 24/7. God helps me recognize the strengths of people and the common grounds with them in which we can work. 3. I would probably have someone else pray for me and I would listen to them. God encourages trust. 4. I think of God and what He can do, but I don’t talk or pray to Him. Then after letting others pray for me and talking to them about what occurred, I pray to God again. Taylor - Thank you for sharing your ideas. You make a good point in saying, “But what about the horrible events when we can't seem to find the purpose or when we don't know what to say to God? We are to remain like Job—staying in constant communication with God, reminding ourselves of His character, and seeking comfort from Him alone”. Well done!
JS

Jessica Schoellkopf

I’m several days behind, but I just wanted to thank Greg Jones for his comments a couple of weeks back about the “years of silence on God’s part” and his issues with a “silent God” and how his study of Psalm 73 revealed God was not silent at all. These comments by people like Hugh (come back!) and Greg and Sue are as much helpful in pointing me to the Lord in this faith walk as the devotionals are (life changing). Thank you.