THE SUFFERING OF JOB

"I am the law and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."  (3 Nephi 15:9)


There has been some dispute among the scholars regarding the real existence of Job. If his existence was fiction, it would make The Book of Job the greatest literary work of the Old Testament and perhaps of all scripture. Because of latter-day revelation, we know that Job was indeed a real person. When Joseph Smith cried out in anguish: "Oh God, where art though? Where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" (D&C 121:1), the Lord responded with: "My son peace be to thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.....Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgressions, as they did Job (D&C 121:7-10). If Job was not a real person, the comparison between Joseph's and his sufferings would have been intolerable, since one cannot compare real with unreal things (Old Testament Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p 29). Perhaps the question of Job's valid existence could be attributed to the unusual conversation between God and Satan which provides a poetic setting of the stage for Job's test in mortality. Whether the conversation was real or not, we do know that God is not in cahoots with the devil, nor does he bargain with him or agree to his evil deeds. This conversation, however, and the whole story of Job is consistent with the concept that God allows Satan to afflict and torment man to test and prove him according to the purpose of mortality.

Job was an exceptionally righteous and upright man. He lived in the Land of Uz (Job 1:1), which was a large region east of the Jordan River. To understand why his trials were so great one needs to understand the greatness of the man who experienced them. Job is a perfect example of the principle that the trial has to equal the stature of the man. Just any trial would not do for a man who the Biblical account describes in the following manner:

He was upright (1:1)
He feared God (1:1)
He avoided evil (1:1)
He instructed many (4:3)
He strengthened weak hands (4:3)
He supported those who were falling (4:4)
He strengthened the feeble knees (4:4)
He walked in the Lord's ways (23:10)
He did not turn away from the commandments (23:11)
He loved the Lord's words more than food (23:12)
He delivered the poor (29:12)
He cared for the orphans (29:12)
He helped those whom no one else would help (29:12)
He gave the widow cause to sing with joy (29:13)
He was eyes to the blind (29:15)
He was feet to the lame (29:15)
He was father to the poor (29:16)
He searched for people in need of his assistance (29:16)
He never found joy in the suffering of his enemies (31:29)
He never wished evil on his enemies (31:30)
He opened his home to strangers (31:32)
He did not try to hide his sins (31:33)
He would not follow a multitude to do evil (31:34)
He refused to be silent because of the disapproval of others (31:34)

So Job was righteous, did good continually, was incredibly respected in the community and he was fabulously wealthy. You could say, his life was perfect. Hence the whole argument that Satan presented. When the Lord held Job up as an example of perfection, Satan challenged with something to this effect: "Of course he is good when you are blessing him left, right and center. It's easy to be good when you have a perfect life, but take all that away and see how much he is going to love you and believe in you." So Job went from the pinnacle of society to living in rags on the outskirts of the city, in constant pain, not understanding what has happened to him. Basically he went from the picture of perfection to this:

"From the symptoms, some have said that it appears that he had elephantiasis. Sore boils, one of the symptoms of this disease, had attacked Job's body, forming large pustules which itched so greatly that a piece of pottery was used to scrape them. Job's face was so disfigured that his friends could not recognise him. Worms or maggots were bred in the sores (7:5). His breath became so foul and his body emitted such an odor, that even his friends abhorred him (19:17ff), and he sought refuge outside the city on the refuse heap where outcasts and lepers lived. Pain was his constant companion (30:17,30) as were also terrifying nightmares (7:14). Whereas, formerly old, young, princes and nobles alike honored Job, he now felt abused by those whom society itself rejects; who live on the outskirts of town, among the bushes, along the ditchbanks or in caves" (Keith H. Meservy, "Job: 'Yet Will I Trust In Him'", Sixth Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, BYU, January 1978)

"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" (Job 19:25)

The greatest lesson we can take away from Job's example of tenacity and endurance is his testimony of the Saviour of the world. It is this testimony that enabled him to rise above each wave of his suffering. Even though he sunk to the depths of despair wishing to die, not understanding the reason for his suffering, he remained true to his conviction of God's wisdom and power. He was also convinced of his integrity as a person. When his friends suggested that his misfortunes had befallen him because of his past sins, Job bore his testimony by replying, "I know that my Redeemer liveth". Job knew that even though he was a sinner like all men, he was a repentant sinner and that because he had accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour he was forgiven of his sins and what is forgiven is forgotten of the Lord: "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more" (D&C 58:42). This is a good indication of his understanding of the Atonement: "It is important to remember that Job was 'perfect' not because he had never committed sin - he concedes that there were 'youthful iniquities' in his life - but because the Redeemer makes him, as a repentant sinner, perfect through His own blood. We too can be perfect in this sense" (Breck England, "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" Lesson 32, Meridian Magazine)

If Job was not required to suffer for his sins, why was he required to suffer at all if he was such a good and righteous person? And what of us? Why are good people allowed and even called to suffer in this life? This answer is twofold. Firstly, all those who desire to come unto Christ have to experience a portion of his suffering to properly know Him. Job knew of God prior to his suffering but at the end he came to know God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5). In other words, before his suffering, Job knew God theoretically but through his suffering he came to know Him experientially. Not only did his suffering draw him closer to God so that his faith could be perfected, but he came to understand what it was like to be Him because in reality Jesus suffered above us all. To receive His glory, we need to become like Him and be partners in some small measure in His sufferings and walk the path He walked.

Secondly, the fiery darts that we suffer in mortality are designed to fit us for exaltation. Jesus himself had to learn obedience 'by the things which he suffered' (Heb 5:8,9). Suffering is meant to educate us, mould us and refine us. President Kimball said:  "Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil - all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls. Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood" (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 97). In other words, there would be no point in being here.

Our eternal welfare is God's main concern. He would have us become like Him so we can in the end be a mirror image of all that He is and all that He has. For this reason He will allow us to suffer in the refiner's fire that we might come out purified and have His image in our countenance. This is illustrated well in the following story:  "Some time ago, a few women met in a certain city to study the scriptures. While reading the 3rd Chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the 3rd Verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". One woman proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them on what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the object of her errand begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?". "Oh yes, Madam", replied the silversmith, "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured". The woman at once saw the beauty, and comfort of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure. Before she left, the woman asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?" "Why, that is quite simple", replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished".

As you sit in the furnace of your affliction, remember His watchful eye is over you. He does not love you less because He has allowed misfortune to befall you. In fact, He loves you more because of what you will become and what you will have endured. He knows your sorrow and your anguish. He has seen your tears and He longs to encircle you in the arms of his love. You were bought with a price and you are cherished. You are his sheep and He is your Shepherd. Have strength as you trust in His promises and His work to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His most valuable possession which is you.