2 “How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? 3 Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? 4 If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression. 5 If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy, 6 if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and restore your rightful habitation. 7 And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.
Job 8:2-7
There are pains in life that just seem to drag on and on. For the majority of those that experience such hardships, it can be extremely disheartening. Our perspective on life can easily be skewed and become pessimistic, critical, and even negative in our perception of God’s justice. As Job replies back to Eliphaz with harshness, it not only sparks sober rebuke from Bildad, but a very hard truth that is difficult for Job to swallow, as much as it would be hard for us to take in ourselves: God’s justice is perfect and unchanging.
In verse 2-3, Bildad states: “How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right?” How quick we can be to shift the blame on God and point fingers at His righteousness instead of reflecting on our own hearts. Constant and prolonged suffering can often tempt a person to perceive that nobody else could understand. All reasoning and justification of the circumstances regardlessly seem unfair. We attempt to find our reasoning, and what easier way than to do that by avoiding self-awareness, and resorting to blaming others? We make scapegoats of our wretched circumstances in order to appease some of the pain. There are times that pain and suffering are caused by certain people around us, and it is legitimate to recognize that certain pains are caused by others. But when it is inexplicable and we cannot discover a reasoning, we are quick to blame God. We might possibly reason that God is not answering, not hearing, or has changed his mind about us; He all of a sudden does not care for his children. But this could be far from the truth!
“…if God could change (in his being, perfections, purposes, or promises), then any change would be either for the better or for the worse. But if God changed for the better, then he was not the best possible being when we first trusted him. And how could we be sure that he is the best possible being now? But if God could change for the worse (in his very being), then what kind of God might he become? Might he become, for instance, a little bit evil rather than wholly good? And if he could become a little bit evil, then how do we know he could not change to become largely evil — or wholly evil? And there would be not one thing we could do about it, for he is so much more powerful than we are.”
Wayne Grudem1
It is not God’s heart that changes nor is imperfect, rather, in the example of Job we must take note that somehow his heart has turned from humility and surrender to God, into pride and spitefulness. He has not turned away from God per say, but he has grown quite bitter. He refuses to believe that he has done anything wrong, or to believe that his children had sin unresolved. Bildad is urging him to plead with God instead of lashing out in rebellious rant.
When pain is so prolonged in our lives that we just can’t seem to process nor understand why it continues, do we grow impatient and bitter with the Lord? Even if we have lived in love and fear of the Lord, been faithfully obedient to his commands and served him faithfully, pain and suffering can still occur in our lives. It does not magically disappear. Not all the righteous prosper and have happy days, everyday. In fact, how much more valuable to us is God’s love and justice in the midst of pain? Lest we forget about his righteousness and forget about our need for his Grace. We ought to constantly conclude and remember that his justice is perfect, and it never changes – it cannot be perverted nor distorted. In the same way, his plan for our lives is perfect and never changes. Whether the reward for perseverance comes in this life or in heaven, there is strength in remembering that His will is perfect.
Thus today or tomorrow, or even in the belligerent pain of yesterday that haunts our lives, remember the perfection of God’s unchangeable character and justice. Plead with him and seek him constantly as much as it hurts. In humility, recall how our sins have been justified by the blood of His Son and keep pressing forward. In that recollection, your pain may even become worthwhile, that even if I should die today there is heaven awaiting me tomorrow. There will be no more sin, no more pain, and no more suffering.
1. Grudem, Wayne A.; Grudem, Wayne A. (2009-05-18). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Making Sense of Series) (p. 168). Zondervan.
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