Suffering Wisely and Well
Suffering Wisely and Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God
By: Eric Ortlund
[This was on my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2022]
“The world is both far worse and far better than we ever suspected… But God’s assurance of victory over that [chaos and evil] is far calmer and happier than we ever suspected.”
There are many kinds of suffering in this world— some of the suffering we experience is a result of our sin, sometimes it’s God’s way of producing spiritual growth. But sometimes we experience pain, suffering, and grief that is inexplicable.
Eric Ortlund, in his book Suffering Wisely and Well, homes in on this type of suffering by looking in-depth at the book of Job.
Ortlund (brother to Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly and Deeper and Gavin Ortlund, Finding the Right Hills to Die On) has written a very insightful book on a seemingly well-known story.
Job is famous for his suffering and is often referenced that reason. But reading this book taught me so much more about Job-like suffering and put what I already knew into the correct context.
Ortlund provides a ton of Scriptural cross-references, contextual and historical background, and linguistic study to help us understand the poetic rendering of Job’s laments, his friends words of ‘encouragement,’ and God’s response to it all.
Ortlund teaches Hebrew and the Old Testament at Oak Hill College and focuses much of his research on Job and it shows. He is a good teacher and thoroughly explained more than I expected when I picked up the book.
I will say that some of it felt repetitive, but I suppose a good method of teaching is repetition. And the book is under 200 pages so it’s not like it lengthens the book exorbitantly. Plus each chapter ends with a ‘Here’s what we’ve learned so far’ section to keep us on track.
While reading this book, you will definitely want to have your Bible open and pen ready. I wish I had begun the book with taking notes in my Bible. He references many verses from Job (and elsewhere) and often paraphrases them so it’s fairly helpful to be able to read along or confirm what he’s talking about.
This would make a great study for a small group to deepen their understanding of the book of Job, of thinking about suffering, the goodness and sovereignty of God, and how to help and communicate with our loved ones who are suffering.
Ortlund begins by briefly describing a variety of kinds of suffering and reminding us that suffering wisely and well requires us to use discernment determining what we or our loved ones are experiencing. And we must be careful in making judgments. As with Job’s friends, it is hurtful to condemn someone in their suffering, adamantly protesting that there must be something they need to repent of!
He describes Job-like suffering like this:
“What distinguishes a Job-like ordeal from other kinds of suffering is the intensity of the pain and its inexplicableness. A Job-like ordeal is one in which it is impossible to keep a stiff upper lip and just keep going, and one in which the pain is so extreme that it’s impossible to imagine or even desire any return to normalcy. Any reversal of your fortunes seems pathetically inadequate to the loss you have suffered. A Job-like ordeal is also one in which our pain simply does not make sense. We try again and again to explain why we are suffering, and like waves crashing against a rock, every explanation fails.”
In Job we have the accuser who thinks Job is blameless and upright only because of all the blessings God has given him. Surely if God allows Satan to take away all of these blessings Job will curse God. People only love God for what he can give them, right?
God is not mad at Job. Job has not sinned. But God is proving to the accuser that Job loves God just for who He is.
“God puts Job in a position in which he has every earthly reason to give up on God; the only reason left for Job to endure in a relationship with God is God.”
And indeed, this is what happens. Though Job laments and wrestles with God’s goodness and sovereignty, he never curses God. And all while he laments, he never asks for his blessings back. Feeling unloved by God puts him in anguish. Believing God must be mad at him, Job’s strongest desire is to be reconciled with his Lord.
I’ve had my own experience of inexplicable suffering when I miscarried during my first pregnancy. I became bitter and mad at God. I felt unloved by him. How could a good God give me life in my womb and then take it away? I struggled with feeling like I must have done something wrong that he was punishing me. Or maybe I had wanted a baby too much that I made it an idol and he was taking it away. (I wrote more about that here)
But long story short, since then, I have come to understand that I cannot explain that suffering and there is no reason for it that I can determine and I, like Job, must trust God through those times. I love God for who he is, not because of what he has given me.
“it becomes clear that what God wants from us in Job-like suffering is neither repentance nor deeper spiritual discipline. All he wants for us is to hold onto him—not to curse him and walk away from him, but just to maintain our relationship with him through tears and sackcloth.”
I love that. He just wants us to hold onto him.
Some things stuck out to me when Ortlund was talking about how we comfort others who are grieving inexplicable loss.
He pointed out that a lot of times we, like Job’s friends, place blame on our friends, assuming they must have done something or missed something or could have prevented it somehow; we try to explain it in a way that makes ourselves feel more comfortable. Those tragedies couldn’t happen to us because we’re different somehow.
“it can be extremely tempting, without even realizing it, to blame the sufferer as a way of quarantining ourselves from their agony. Regardless of whether we consciously intend it, blame is a way to reassure ourselves that such suffering will never happen to us, because we are morally superior to the person suffering.”
“As we speak to suffering, we must constantly be asking ourselves who we are really trying to comfort: our friend or ourselves. It is very easy to think we are consoling our friend when we are really more interested in our own comfort.”
This was a convicting thought. I can see how I would do this sometimes because psychologically we want to believe we live in a ‘safe’ world and don’t like thinking about experiencing hardship. We want to convince ourselves that when other people experience grief we can avoid becoming like them by ‘being better.’ It’s an uncomfortable yet compelling thought.
He also points out that we should be careful not to correct our grieving friends when they say things that aren’t true.
“When your friend starts saying things about God that are not theologically true, resist the urge to correct him. Your friend’s bad theology is only a symptom of a deeper trauma, so addressing the surface issue will do nothing to assuage his deeper pain. Your friend’s bad theology is also temporary. As God restores him, God will gently challenge those unworthy things your friend said about his divine friend. God will faithfully be at work to help him see what a perfect Savior he really is (42:5–6). Your job is not to fix your friend but to walk with him.”
I think this is good advice! I totally have the urge to correct bad theology but I can see how this is not helpful in these situations. We can trust that God will restore his people and gives grace for their grief-induced bad theology. He can challenge, convict, and comfort them and that’s not always our job.
I also love the references to the sea and God speaking to Job ‘from the whirlwind.’ Ortlund provides numerous references for when God appears in the storm and how “it is to do battle and rescue his people.” The sea is often symbolic of chaos and evil, yet God has bounded it. The sea has its limits. In the same way, God tolerates some chaos and evil in the world now, but God is sovereign over it and it is subject to him. We still recognize the tragedies that occur, but we can see that it is not because God isn’t powerful or good enough to stop it.
“As with the stable founding of the earth, the limitations of the sea highlight God’s goodness and protective care of his creatures. This is because the ocean is described in these poetic texts as a restless, relentless, un-organize-able force that, unless restrained, will overwhelm and annihilate all life.”
There is a good segment in the book that discusses God’s speeches about Leviathan and Behemoth and how these descriptions show that the world is far worse than Job ever imagined yet God is calm and provides confident assurance that he will destroy all evil. (Ortlund says many believe these two creatures are descriptions of a hippo and a crocodile but he provides a compelling case for an alternate interpretation.)
A few other things he touches on in this book are divine providence, the source of evil, the principle of retribution, Job’s Redeemer as a picture looking ahead to Christ, the evidence of God’s goodness in creation, lamenting, and more.
I really enjoyed this book and I know I’ll come back to it sometime to do an even deeper study of Job. The content is rich, easy to understand, and full of grace.
If you, like me, have experienced inexplicable grief or suffering, I think you’ll find this book to be a comfort, hope, and encouragement.
If you haven’t had a Job-like ordeal in your life, you might eventually, or someone close to you might, and this book would absolutely be a good bundle of truth to be able to access when the time comes.
Suffering is real and often unfathomable, but we need to approach it with a heart toward God’s heart and who he is not, not his hand and what he gives or takes away. Explanations won’t be as satisfying as we think; God, himself, is our ultimate satisfaction.
Sometimes God just wants us to hold on to him and wait for the restoration and victory that he has promised.
More Quotes:
“God says nothing about all things working together for good, true as that is (Rom. 8:28). He says nothing about guiding evil for his own good purposes, true as that is (Gen. 50:20). He says nothing about the glories of the eschaton overwhelming all the sufferings of this present age, true as that is (2 Cor. 4:17). He only tells Job that he is entirely aware of the problem—more so than Job ever could be—and will one day defeat and destroy the evil he presently tolerates.”
“The world is both far worse and far better than we ever suspected. The chaos and evil that God tolerates (but only for a time) is far more frightening than we thought; if we could see it up close, we would have a hard time keeping our feet (41:9). But God’s assurance of victory over that monster is far calmer and happier than we ever suspected. This does not make Leviathan any less frightening or the chaos it represents any less foreboding. Cancer and car accidents and human trafficking are still awful tragedies. None of us is entirely safe. But when God sees the whole of the world’s evil of which we get only a glimpse, and he speaks of his future victory with a calm joy, we too can engage with God’s sometimes dangerous world not just with courage but with joy and peace. God is not intimidated one iota by the evil that could easily swallow us—so we do not need to be either.”
“even if God does not literally appear to you in the storm as he did to Job, he is nonetheless able and even happy to draw near to you and speak gently but directly into your torment, so that, like Job, you are able to say from your roots, ‘Now I see who you really are, and I am utterly comforted.’”
“even when you find it difficult to believe that God loves you and attends to every word you say, you have the Son of God speaking on your behalf, who is far closer to God than you, who knows suffering more intimately than you do.”
Further Reading:
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund (a fantastic book that reminds us what God’s heart for us is, one of the most encouraging books you’ll read)
How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil by D.A. Carson (a really important read, but probably not best read in the middle of your suffering)
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength when Disappointment Leaves You Stranded by Lysa Terkeurst (an honest and transparent book that will help you reconcile your feelings with what you know to be true about God)
Cultivating Compassion: Practical Advice as You Walk a Friend Through a Season of Loss by Lynne Hoeksema (a short booklet that gives super practical ways to helping your grieving friends and what are helpful or not helpful things to say/do)
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop (a great book that provides a framework for how to deal with your pain honestly through the biblical process of lament)
If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
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