Why Does God Allow This to Happen?

[podcast]http://www.revkwon.com/podcast/God_Allowed_This.mp3[/podcast] Virtually everyone in this room will experience a bitter calamity and problems beyond explanation sooner or later. You can quote me on that. When it comes, it will almost certainly seem absurd and meaningless and undeserved when it comes. When it comes, you’ll cry, “Why?” a hundred times before it passes over. Most of our grief and pain doesn’t come as punishment for sins; most of it comes out of nowhere and it’ll baffle and befuddle us. One of my duties as your pastor is to preach and pray in such a way that you are prepared in mind and heart not to curse God in the day of your calamity. But even more, that instead of cursing you might worship God and bless Him as your free and sovereign Father no matter how intense the grief or deep the pain He brings into your life. That’s why the book of Job is so relevant. Job’s suffering seems to come out of nowhere and have no connection to his character. His story is recorded for us so that we will have some help in living through these calamities—and not just keeping a stiff upper lip but bowing reverently and trustingly before the sovereign goodness of God. Let’s open up to Job 1.  ¹In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. (Job 1:1-3) ⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” ⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” ⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. ¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,     and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;     may the name of the Lord be praised.” ²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:6-22) In one afternoon Job had lost his ten children and all his wealth. Shortly afterward he was afflicted with a horrid skin disease. I want us to read that too, because it’s so interesting. Let’s go, chapter 2. ¹On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” ³ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” ⁴ “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. ⁵ But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ⁶ The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” ⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. ⁸ Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. ⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” ¹⁰ He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:1-10) In both these tragedies he kept his faith and revered the sovereign hand of God. In 1:21 he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In 2:10 he said, “Shall we receive good at the hand of the God and shall we not receive evil?” He affirmed the absoluteness of God’s control over all things, and he bowed in submission to these heavy blows. But Job’s faith and reverence weren’t rewarded by a quick healing. So the question arises: Why? Didn’t Job show that God was his most precious treasure, even more precious than his health? God’s honor was upheld. Why doesn’t God restore the fortunes of Job? Why not just skip to chapter 42 where the happy ending comes? The answer is because there is so much yet to learn about suffering and about God. I have three points to give you about why it happens, and three more points to give you on what to do when it happens. I know we just read a whole lot this morning, but this is so super important, so you need to pay attention—why does God allow this to happen?

1. God aims to magnify His worth in the lives of His people. What that means is that all things that happen in our lives, good or bad are meant to point us into the direction of God so that we would cleave to Him and cherish Him above anything else because He is the only thing that matters.
2. God grants to Satan limited power to cause pain in this world. But why does He do that? God does this so that we can weigh in deeper, how much more valuable God is than the pain and pleasures of this world. If Satan is a lion, then he is a lion at the zoo—he can’t get out of the cage God puts him in.
3. There is wisdom behind apparent arbitrariness that must be accepted. Look at what it says in chapter 1, verse 21: TheLord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. God allows it to happen because He has a plan for it. There’s also another place this is queued in, chapter 2, verse 10: Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?

Now that we know why God allows this to happen to me, we have to figure out our response and act accordingly because it will happen, we need to be able to deal with the situation appropriately—just like Job did.

1. Affirm in your hearts and in your minds that God is in control. This is like saying to yourself that you believe God is in control. Then believing it and going after it.
2. Go cry. Look at what it says in chapter 1, verse 20a: At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. This is what David did when he lost his infant son. It’s the Bible’s way of saying that he cried. Even the act of crying is worship.
3. Hang on tight to God. You need to cling to him. You need to hold on tighter to what you have in God. The reason you need to do that is because you’re about to witness something incredible and you need to hang on so you can witness it. Look at what happens to Job at the end of this: After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)

When your calamity comes, may the Lord give you the grace to affirm the sovereignty of God, let your tears flow freely, and let God himself be your treasure and your joy. Amen.