Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this lesson on Job and suffering.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to describe the story of Job and explain how Christians can understand suffering through this story.

Now we'll be drawing upon knowledge of the God of classical theism and the problem of evil within this lesson, but there'll also be lots of new learning.

Don't worry though, because I'm here to guide you through each step of the lesson, and I'm confident that by the end you'll achieve this outcome.

So let's get started by taking a look at our keywords for today.

We have faith, Job, and suffering.

Now, faith is when somebody believes strongly in something and they have complete trust or confidence in this.

Job is a key figure in the Old Testament who is central in the Book of Job, which explores suffering, faith, and God's justice.

And suffering is the experience of pain or distress.

Now, our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at the Book of Job and we'll then move on to look at Christian interpretations of the Book of Job.

So let's get started and take a look at the Book of Job.

Now, I'd like you to imagine that you had everything you ever wanted, your family, friends, good health, a good job, and more.

Now imagine that suddenly all of this was taken away from you.

How would this make you feel and what questions might you have? Pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

As part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have said that you might feel sad, disappointed, confused, and lost, and you might have questions like, why did this happen? Why did this happen to you specifically? And who is responsible for this? Now the scenario that you've just imagined forms part of an important story about evil and suffering in the Old Testament, and this story is found in the Book of Job.

Now the Book of Job tells a story of Job, a wealthy and good man who loved and trusted God.

Job had a big family, lots of animals, and lived a comfortable life.

One day, Satan, who's also known as the devil, challenged God and said that Job only loved God because of the blessings that he'd received throughout his life.

So God allowed Satan to test Job, but said that Satan could not harm Job's life.

During the test, Job suddenly lost all of his children, his animals, and his wealth, and he also became sick with very painful sores.

Even though Job had suffered a lot, he didn't stop believing in God.

So let's check your understanding on the story so far.

True or false? Job lost his faith in God when he lost his family, livestock, and wealth.

Well done.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because Job did not stop believing in God despite the suffering that he'd experienced.

So despite losing his family, his animals, and his wealth, he didn't stop believing in God.

So well done for identifying that the statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

Now, during Job's misfortunes, three of his friends came to visit him, and they said that he must have done something wrong in order to deserve this.

But Job knew that he hadn't done anything wrong and he had not sinned.

He asked God why he was suffering and he struggled immensely with his pain, but he still did not stop believing in God or speak against God.

Finally, God spoke to Job and told him that humans can't always understand God's plans and Job accepted this and stayed faithful to God, so continued having faith and belief in God.

In the end, God gave Job back even more blessings than he'd had before.

And God blessed Job with a new family and a long life.

So let's check your understanding.

What was the reason for Job's suffering according to the Book of Job? A, Job's suffering was a punishment from God; B, Job's suffering was a test from Satan with God's permission; C, Job's suffering was because he lost faith in God; or D, Job's Suffering was because Satan overpowered God.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is B.

According to the Book of Job, Job's suffering was a test from Satan with God's permission.

So well done for identifying that B is the correct answer.

So we've already seen that Job remained faithful and committed to God despite his suffering.

And during Job's suffering, the Book of Job states that Job said this: "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 praised." Now I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, what's significant about Job saying this during a time of suffering? Off you go.

So these words are significant because Job is highlighting that everything he had in his life was a gift by God.

It was given to him by God.

And he responds with acceptance that these things have been taken away from him.

Now, Job's words show that Satan's assumption that Job is only devoted to God because of the blessings he received is wrong, and Job continued to have faith in God despite his suffering and even praised God during his suffering.

So let's check your understanding again.

Is this statement true or false? Job's words during his suffering showed that Satan was wrong to assume that Job was only devoted to God because of his blessings.

Fantastic.

That statement is true.

But how do we know that this statement is true? Well, it's because Job stated that everything he had was given and taken away by God and continued to praise God.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to explain which character out of Jacob and Aisha is showing an accurate understanding of the story of Job and why.

And in your explanation, I'd like you to refer to a biblical teaching that supports the character who has the accurate understanding.

So our first character is Jacob, and he says: "The story of Job is about a good man who is tested with misfortune but still continues to trust God and even praises God.

When God sees that Job has remained faithful, he blesses him again." Our second character is Aisha, and she says: "The story of Job is about a good man who is tested with misfortunes but still continues to trust God until his three friends suggest that God is punishing him because he's done something wrong.

Job loses all faith in God and no longer praises him." Now here are some sentence stems that you might find helpful when explaining which character is showing an accurate understanding and including a biblical teaching to support this.

You might start by saying: blank shows accurate understanding because.

This is supported by.

And then blank does not show an accurate understanding because.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain which character out of Jacob and Aisha is showing an accurate understanding of the story of Job and why, and you were also asked to refer to a biblical teaching to support the character with the accurate understanding.

Now your response might be similar to this.

Jacob shows an accurate understanding because he recognises that Job is a good man who is tested with misfortunes, and he recognises that despite Job's suffering, he continues to trust and praise God.

This is supported by Job 1:21, where Job states that God is responsible for everything he has and should be praised.

Aisha does not show an accurate understanding because she states that Job lost his faith after speaking to his friends.

So well done for identifying that Jacob is the character who shows an accurate understanding and supporting this with a biblical teaching, and also recognising that Aisha does not show an accurate understanding.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at Christian interpretations of the Book of Job.

So now we've looked at the story that's found in the Book of Job.

I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, what might Christians learn about evil and suffering from the story of Job? Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have identified that Christians can learn that suffering is a test, that suffering is a mystery, that God is always in control, or that suffering does not last forever.

Now we're going to look at each of these ideas in more detail now.

Now, some Christians interpret the Book of Job as showing that suffering is a test of faith, and this is because Job's experience of suffering proves that faith isn't based on blessings or comfort, but instead it's based on trust in God, even during times of suffering.

Now, Asher is a Pentecostal Christian who holds this belief.

He says this: "One of the ways that I interpret the story of Job is that suffering can be seen as a test.

I believe that the story shows that Christians should stay faithful to God even when life is hard." Now, another way that Christians might interpret the Book of Job is that it teaches that suffering is a mystery.

James is a Roman Catholic Christian who takes this approach.

James says, "One lesson that I learned from the Book of Job is that humans will not always be able to understand why suffering happens.

The story shows that suffering is a mystery, but that God always has a plan.

Even when we don't understand why we're suffering, we must trust in God's plan." So let's check your understanding.

True or false? Some Christians interpret the Book of Job as showing that suffering is a mystery to humans and God.

Well done.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because some Christians do interpret the Book of Job as showing that suffering is a mystery to humans, but that God always has a plan and that humans must trust in this plan.

So that shows that suffering is a mystery to humans, but it's not a mystery to God.

So well done for identifying that the statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

Now, some Christians also focus on God's power and control in the story of Job.

Richard is a Seventh Day Adventist, and he takes this approach.

Richard says, "In the story of Job, Satan caused Job's suffering, not God.

However, God let it happen to show a bigger purpose.

I believe that God is always in control, even when bad things happen, and that God never causes evil.

I trust that God is good and is always with us, even during hard times." So what we can see from Richard's belief is that he focuses on God having ultimate power and control and allowing the devil to test Job and cause evil and suffering.

This also highlights how God is not the cause of evil and suffering.

Now, another way that Christians might interpret the story of Job is to focus on the hope that suffering will not last forever.

Earlier we heard from Asher who is a Pentecostal Christian and he had told us that he focuses on how suffering is a test from God in the story of Job.

But Asher has more than one interpretation of the Book of Job.

Asher explains another way that he interprets this story.

Asher says, "I also interpret the story of Job as showing that God can provide healing and hope.

At the end of Job's suffering, God gives him many more blessings, which shows that God can heal and restore us after we've been through a difficult time." Now, what we can see from Asher's explanation is that Christians may also focus on the hope found within the story of Job, but we can also see how one Christian can actually have multiple interpretations of a story, not just one.

Now, this means that Christians might focus on one or multiple interpretations of the story of Job to explain the existence of evil and suffering in the world.

These interpretations defend God's nature as all loving, all powerful, and all knowing, against the existence of evil in the world.

So let's check your understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Christians believe that the story of Job shows that God is the cause of suffering.

Well done.

That statement is false.

But how do we know that that statement is false? Well, it's because for most Christians, God is not the cause of suffering, but it can be argued that God allows suffering for a greater purpose.

The story of Job can be interpreted as showing that Satan is the cause of suffering, but that God allows this to happen for a reason.

So well done for identifying that the statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for your final task of the lesson.

I would like you to complete the table to explain different Christian interpretations of Job's suffering.

The interpretations are: that suffering is a test from God, suffering is a mystery, God has ultimate power and control, and suffering will not last forever.

So pause the video and have a go at completing the table by explaining each of these interpretations.

Off you go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to complete the table to explain different Christian interpretations of Job's suffering.

And your completed table might look something like this.

For suffering being a test from God, you may have said that Job's experience of suffering proves that faith is not based on blessings or comfort, and Christians should continue to trust in and believe in God, even when they're suffering.

For suffering being a mystery, you may have said that Christians might not always be aware of the reason behind their suffering, like Job did not know the reason for his, but they should continue to trust in God's plan for them.

For God having ultimate power and control, you may have said that in the story of Job, Satan was only able to test Job with God's permission, showing that God has ultimate power and control to allow suffering for a greater purpose.

And finally, for suffering will not last forever, you may have said that at the end of Job's suffering, God gives him many more blessings, and this shows that God can heal and restore people after they've been through a difficult time.

So well done for completing that table.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that the Book of Job, which is found in the Old Testament, contains an important story about evil and suffering for many Christians, and that in the story of Job's suffering, Satan says that Job is only faithful to God because God has blessed him.

We've also seen that in this story, God gives Satan permission to test Job to see if Job remains faithful and that Job does not understand the misfortunes that he experiences, but he remains faithful to God and even praises God.

We looked at how many Christians interpret the story of Job as showing that suffering is a test from God and that suffering is a mystery to humans.

We also saw that Christians may interpret the story of Job as showing that God has ultimate power and control and that God is able to heal and restore humans after suffering.

So a huge well done for all of your work this lesson.

It's been wonderful learning with you today.