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.”
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. – Job 1:20-22 (ESV)
Then [Job’s] wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. – Job 2:9-10 (ESV)
“It doesn’t seem fair.” “We don’t deserve this.” These complaints are common even among Christians, but arise from our culture, and do not reflect God’s perspective and what he wants us to know about life.
We can know that God created us, loves us and wants His best for us. But we also must know that when humanity sinned against God, there was a break, sin entered the world, and the world system is now broken. So some of our suffering we (humanity) have brought upon ourselves. What about the rest of it? Do we deserve it?
The only thing we deserve is death (the wages of sin). But God in His grace has allowed humanity to continue and to experience all the good things of life. And while sin sometimes has temporary victories, God’s salvation plan, completed in the death and resurrection of Jesus, will be our final salvation.
