Job 40:8 - Questioning God's Justice

"I cannot believe in a god who would allow _______" is one reason given by atheists in support of their animosity toward God. When this is the line of reasoning, the atheist is questioning the justice of God. This is precisely what Job did in Job 19:6 when he said, "God has wronged me."

In Job 40:8, God asks Job, "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?" Job's problem was that he did not have enough perspective to see his circumstances from the perspective of eternity. There were things behind the scenes that he did no know about and from his limited perspective he came to conclusion that God was the cause of Job's suffering. Job's line of reasoning was:

I have done nothing to deserve this suffering
God has caused or allowed me to suffer
Therefore God is unjust

Many atheists use a similar line of reasoning.

When Job is addressed by God, thus giving Job a wider perspective, he draws a very different conclusion. When he comes in contact with God, he says in 42:6, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

I keep coming back to what we see in Jesus as the manifestation of God to us. Jesus reveals God's loving nature. If I am suffering (and I have been blessed to have very little of this) it is not because God does not love me or care for me. There must be a different reason. It could be for my purification. It could be as a testimony to those around me. It just could be the result of bad choices by others which effect me. Yet, God is in control and his purpose cannot be thwarted. I must keep sight of the fact that there will come a time when I will be beyond suffering, when death or the Lord's return overtake me.