In Job, you'll find places where Job makes some totally bizarre statements. After losing his belongings and his children, he tore his robes and declared, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21) After losing his health and his loving wife tells him, "Curse God and die" (thanks, honey), he answers, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:9-10) Notice what Job is saying here. He is saying, "God is doing 'bad' things to me." Not moral evil. I get that. We know that God does not cause moral evil (James 1:13-15). But Job is claiming that God gives and takes away, that God gives good and calamity. And Job is saying "That's alright." No, Job is declaring it as good.
You might think it's an oddity or just Job's mistaken idea, but turn in your Bibles to Psalm 42. It's a psalm from "the sons of Korah" which starts with the famous, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God." (Psa 42:1) Part of this psalm is a complaint of sorts. People are taunting him, saying "Where is your God?" (Psa 42:3) He complains that God has forgotten him (Psa 42:9). If you read it, he actually complains that because God has forgotten him, he is oppressed by enemies (Psa 42:9-10) In other words, in some sense, God is behind the genuine hardships the psalmist is facing, even if God is not actually causing them. And yet, read what he says. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." (Psa 42:11) Again, the psalmist, like Job, is saying on one hand that God is somewhat to blame for his difficulties and that God is doing the right thing and is to be trusted.
Another fluke? How about this one? We all know Lamentations 3. We know it because of the wonderful statement of hope.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lam 3:22-26)Oh, yeah, such good stuff. Real confidence builder. The certainty of the steadfast love of the Lord, His mercy, His faithfulness, a reason to hope in Him, His goodness. Marvelous! But ... did you look at the context? Read through the first 20 verses of that chapter and you will find a stunning perspective on God. It starts with being "under the rod of His wrath" (Lam 3:1) through "He has broken my bones" (Lam 3:4) and "He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy." (Lam 3:7) The prophet, Jeremiah, claims that God has made him His target (Lam 3:12-13). "My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, 'My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.'" (Lam 3:17-18) Those first 20 verses offer nothing pleasant about God. And it doesn't look like it is God's "judgment" in some sense, as if Jeremiah is being disciplined for what he has done wrong. It's just what God is doing. For whatever reason He is doing it. There is no mitigation, no reason offered. God is just doing it. And yet, he concludes, "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope" (Lam 3:21) and tells us all that God is loving, merciful, faithful, good. "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will hope in Him."
You remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were the three Jewish boys who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's image and were given the option to bow or burn to death. They were the ones who said, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Dan 3:17-18) "If not." Whether God does the pleasant, the comfortable, the "good" things or He does not, these three guys followed Job and the psalmist and Jeremiah in their thinking. God actually allows and even causes some very unpleasant things. It's not all "fun and games" with God. He isn't our therapist, our butler, our healer, our play friend. Sometimes God can make things very, very uncomfortable. The point is it doesn't matter. The point is that God is always right. Whether He is making things more tolerable or less, He is loving and faithful. Whether He is removing pain or bringing it, He is merciful and good. Whether or not we are comfortable, God is always reliable. Jeremiah remembered that God was at the base of all his suffering and simply knowing God was sufficient to cause hope and comfort.
Yes, it is contrary to normal human thinking. That doesn't make it wrong. It's certainly biblical. As for me, my prayer is, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."
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