Pain and Suffering: The Book of Job with Derek Thomas

[@adriano.lira27]

Greetings from Brazil. I am preaching on Job tonight. God bless your ministry.

[@Xxxxxx19-p1c]

Job is the book I need to periodically and consistently dive into. It’s a beautiful book.

[@jd-jw8hm]

Blessed be the name of the Lord..🙏

[@janetpizor1697]

Thank you Dr. Thomas for your understanding of Job's wife. I have been saying that for some years now and you are so far the only pastor I have heard that understands how this affected Job's wife and how confused and frightened she must have been.

[@loriguercio4374]

Agreed...Lisa Harper explained the same

[@mikemccormick9667]

As always another good lesson from Dr. Thomas. May we each let the love of Christ shine in us today. 🙏😊🙏

[@solafidedeum]

Genesis 50:20 "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.,.,"🙌 Let God’s Peace and Grace be with you (To The Reader). Praise God always. Amen..🙏🙌

[@NarrowPathDoctrine]

Excellent. Just excellent. Thank you.

[@wanril8988]

What i needed to hear!

[@DutchAlaskagirl]

Our pastor is preaching through Job right now. So much in there

[@denonjoka8848]

Hawayu Ligonier Ministries *& I Appreciate Pst. Derek Thomas 4 This Powerful, Blessful, Deep Sermon on "Pain & Suffering: The Book of Job With Derek Thomas!"Where I Have Learnt From Pst. Derek Thomas That Our Great Almighty God Doesn't Permit evil But Our Great Almighty God Permits Good Because Our LORD Is Good & His Mercies Endures Forever Written In Psalms 136:1'Where What Was Meant 4 evil, God Meant It 4 Good & That God Makes Everything Work Together 4 Good 2 Those Who He Loves & According 2 His Purpose Written In Genesis 50:20 & Romans 8:28 4 I Have Been Blessed Pst. Derek Thomas* & May Our Great Almighty God Bless Yu Pst. Derek Thomas & Ligonier Ministries So Veryyyyy, Veryyyyyy Much.🙏🙏🕊️🕊️

[@Michael_Office888]

Amen

[@joncardenas3203]

I love listening to Dr Thomas.

[@sl3763]

Love Derek Thomas

[@ginjalife]

Love ya ligonierians

[@franvieiraleite]

I love studying this book. Excellent lessons!

[@RestfullyRenewed]

Thank you

[@cameronvinson]

Who sez people are good.

[@hc911013]

Nice

[@louismastrangelo3781]

When I read the story of Job, and I have read it many times, all it eems to dois further my believe that the entire reason for our being is just to be the pieces in a cosmic game God created along with an opponent he knew could not defeat him. I am a believer, but I really struggle with this. Please help me understand this along with my first comment.

[@matthewcook4643]

One explanation is that God allows Satan the same free will He allows us. I think this is partially the explanation, because Satan is a creation of God as well. However, the Bible does not teach salvation for demons and other fallen angels. I believe that God uses our hardship to allow us to get closer to Him. God has given us some of His traits (reason, emotion, compassion, love) and we experience these more deeply and more richly when we experience suffering. And our relationship with God, like with any person, is strengthened in a special way when you endure hardships together. God loves us. Deeply. And He promises to walk with us, and that our minds cannot fathom the good of those who love Him.

[@JohnMoog-ug6bk]

I just finished reading Job with great difficulty & this is very helpful, thanks for posting. Does anyone have a reference for the view that Dr. Thomas attributes to Islam? I know they’re extremely strong on God’s sovereignty, perhaps at the expense of human initiative, but I’ve never heard that they question God’s goodness.

[@louismastrangelo3781]

My question is this; just because satan incites God, why did it mean God had to take the bait? We are told to ignore these sorts of incitements, why is there an apparent contradiction?

[@e.t.h.559]

The reason is so that God may be vindicated at His word and so that we might understand that trials and tribulations will come to those who are godly. In the former, we see the righteousness of God. After all, none are righteous before God (Rom. 3:10-12). In the latter, we see the perfection of Job’s faith (James 1:2-4). Further, I think that it is important to understand that God, being all-knowing and all-wise, cannot be tempted or incited by evil in the same way that humans can. It is not accurate to say that God is tempted or enticed by Satan to allow the afflictions that Job experienced. This assumption would imply that God is susceptible to evil or that He is swayed by Satan's actions or desires. James 1:13-14 states, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." In the case of Satan inciting God, it is not a matter of God being tempted or falling into sin. Rather, it is a demonstration of God's sovereignty and His ultimate plan and purpose. God allows certain events and actions to take place, even those initiated by Satan, in order to accomplish His greater purposes. The apparent contradiction you mention arises from the distinction between God's permissive will and His revealed will. While God may ordain certain things to happen, it does not mean that He approves of or desires evil. God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and we are called to trust in His wisdom and sovereignty, even when we may not fully understand His ways. The last few chapters of the book of Job, specifically Job 38-42, are relevant to your question because they provide God's response to Job's questioning and suffering. 1. Job 38:1-4: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.'" Job 40:1-2: "And the Lord said to Job: 'Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.'" Job 42:1-6: "Then Job answered the Lord and said: 'I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ... Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.'" These passages highlight God's response to Job's questioning and emphasize His authority, wisdom, and sovereignty. They remind us of the limitations of human understanding and the need to trust in God's greater plan, even in the midst of suffering and unanswered questions.

[@louismastrangelo3781]

Thank you for your reply I very much appreciate it. However, be as it may God did react to settings challenge. I don’t understand why God would feel as an all knowing all powerful mean that he had an obligation to satan of any sort to prove anything especially when he knew the outcome and the futility of it all.

[@ca7998]

​​@@louismastrangelo3781I am glad you're willing to wrestle with these questions, but I think you are presuming to know more than you do when you call the story of Job futile. It is the height of arrogance to assume because you cannot see the purpose or the rationale behind God's dealings with His creatures that it is futile. I can attest to the preciousness of a book like Job firsthand. I was studying it to teach our youth/young adults at church when my wife encountered complications with giving birth to our first and only biological child. As she was rushed into the operating room and I was asked to wait in a room off to the side while they prepped her for surgery, the truth that God was all powerful, all knowing, and in complete control of a situation I was utterly helpless in was more comforting than any other truth I could fathom at the time. I found myself comforted by the fact that nothing would befall me or my wife and son that was outside of God's infinitely wise and perfect will, even if I didn't understand it. As I cried out for God to save my wife and son and wondered if my faith would fail me should the worst happen, I was reminded of the steadfastness of Job and how God restored him. My mind was also drawn to when Jesus told Peter that Satan had desired to sift him like wheat and that Jesus had prayed for him so that when he returned he would strengthen the brethren. I found myself amazed at the reality that Jesus was likewise praying for me. God could have prevented Peter from falling and Job from suffering, but He had much wiser reasons for letting them endure what they did so I would caution you against being so presumptuous as you try to think through these matters. Who knows the incalculable difference such experiences made for Job and Peter personally and yet they're recorded for our benefit as well. I would encourage you to consider Job's response at the end of the book and compare that with your arrogant conclusion that his suferings were futile. I hope that my reply is received as intended. I rarely engage in comment sections because they usually devolve into irreverent nonsense, but I thought you were genuinely trying to come to terms with the truths explained in this video and wanted to give you something to consider as you do.

[@wk1810]

​@@louismastrangelo3781but it wasn't futile, because Job came to know and understand better God's ways in His Sovereignty, and corrected his thinking on the matter. God said "My ways are not your ways. Neither My thoughts as your thoughts".