Is Providence a Problem? (Job 38-42; LD 9)

Introduction

There is a danger of throwing around "the providence of God" carelessly. Job reminds us that the providence of God and suffering can be complicated. Job captures what many of us feel in seasons of suffering. We feel confusion, frustration, and even the impulse to argue with God.

Our problem is that we forget that when we suffer, God is giving us what we want. We have to remember that God does want his people to be blessed and living in Shalom. The book of Job resists an easy answer to the question of whether God’s providence is a problem. Job is not laying out a health and wealth Gospel. Job is not laying out a poverty gospel either. So, what is Job teaching about God’s providence?

God Upholds and Rules (Creator and Sovereign)

The Heidelberg Catechism grounds us: God is creator and sustainer of heaven and earth. Crucially, he is not just sovereign. God is not just a king, but He is our Father. A good father doesn't shield children from every hardship; he pushes them toward growth and tenacity.

In hard seasons, we learn to wrestle with the deeper questions of who God is. Job has to learn this lesson. When you read his speeches up to this point, Job has a very black and white view of the world. You do what is right, and you necessarily receive a blessing. You do what is wrong, and you suffer. The Lord is showing that His ways and providence are more complex than a simple health and wealth gospel.

God Provides (His Care Extends Further Than We Imagine)

The Lord's speech from the whirlwind (Job 38–39) catalogs his care for creation. The cares for the details that many of us probably don’t think about a whole lot throughout our day. The Lord cares for the mountain goats, wild donkeys, the ostrich, the war horse, hawk, and eagle. The Ostrich is always the one that stands out to me. The animals are not smart enough for a basic survival instinct. They should be extinct, but the Lord continues to preserve them. God takes care of all the tiny details.

The Lord is not trying to overwhelm Job. Rather God is demonstrating that Job needs to have a bigger picture of God, redemption, and the complexity of living in a fallen world. The Lord knows Job, but Job does not really know or see God. If he tends the ostrich, who should not be alive, then how much more does he care for his redeemed people?

Job responds with a half-hearted repentance. His desire for the court is not adjourned. He needs to get ready for round 2.

God Is Consistent With His Own Nature (Good, Holy, Righteous)

Job is simultaneously right and wrong. Job is correct that he hasn't sinned to directly deserve this suffering. Job is wrong in accusing God of injustice. The Lord wants Job to see the bigger picture, and how the Lord continues to care for this creation.

The Behemoth and Leviathan aren't just shows of power. No, these are majestic creatures that will destroy man. However, to the Lord they are merely little puppies who are eager to play. The Lord is in control, there is no creature that will overpower him, and the Lord is able to protect His people.

Job's response shifts from passive-aggressive silence (ch. 40) to genuine repentance (ch. 42): "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." He moves from knowing about God to truly knowing God. That's the turn. Job will concede the Lord’s will even as Job does not understand the deeper struggle.

The deeper struggle is Satan’s, accuser/adversary, challenge that God cannot raise up a people. In other words it is possible that God might be stronger than Satan. However, God is not stronger than his people. His people will never love God just because God is God. Job’s concession is more than just an acknowledgement that living in a fallen world is complicated. Job’s concession and repentance mean that Job truly seeks God.

Conclusion

Providence is not a witty bumper sticker. Not every season is joyful, not every trial comes with an explanation, and God doesn't owe us one. But the God who cares for the ostrich cares infinitely more for those he has redeemed. We might not understand, but Job teaches us that there is a bigger reason. In fact, there is a cosmic battle that wages behind the scenes.

We bring our frustrations to him. God commands us to do this in our prayers. We bring these prayers respectfully, not accusatorially. We trust that in the complexity of a fallen world, this Father is working out something good, even when we cannot see it. Let that be our hope. Let us proceed in the confidence that our Lord will shepherd us to the other side of the trial. We know that He can because not only does he care for this creation, but he has redeemed His people. Let us walk in His power, and let us be confident of his Shepherding hand leading us through the valley of the shadow of death to green pastures.