Archive for Suffering

With Jesus in the boat

June 22, 2009 at 7:27 pm · Filed under Jesus Christ, New Testament, Suffering ·Tagged , , ,

 

 

Mark 4: 35-41

Introduction

“With Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm, Smile at the storm, Smile at the storm, With Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm, As we go sailing home.”         (Children’s chorus based on this incident in Mark.)

 

A storm at sea

Jesus had been working hard, teaching the crowds, healing the sick. He was exhausted. So he said to his disciples, “Let’s get in a boat and go to the other side of the lake”. That was the Gentile side – he knew it was unlikely that any Jewish people would want to go there. Jesus climbed into the boat just as he was and lay down on a fisherman’s leather cushion at the stern of the boat. Within a short while he was fast asleep – worn out. And so they set off in their boat, and a few other small boats with some other followers of Jesus went with them.

Now, weather conditions on Lake Galilee are treacherous. The hillsides and valleys all around the lake funnel the winds. Sometimes a squall can blow up out of nowhere, with no warning. That’s what happened here. One moment all was peaceful and calm, the next they were struggling against strong winds and huge waves. The waves were breaking over the boat and they were in danger of being swamped. The disciples panicked – but there was Jesus, fast asleep! One is reminded of Jonah fast asleep, below deck on the ship to Tarshish. The difference is that in Jonah’s case, his sleep was an escape from a guilty conscience. In the case of Jesus it was sheer physical and mental tiredness. He was asleep and he was at peace.

All this was too much for the disciples. “Master don’t you care if we drown?” they cried, as they tried to rouse him. Jesus rubbed his eyes, got slowly to his feet, and in a loud clear voice said, “Quiet, be still!” Jesus spoke to the storm just as you might command a barking dog to be quiet. And the wind just petered out, the waves died down, and calm came over the sea.

“Why are you so frightened?” he said to his disciples. “Do you still have no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and fear. “Who is this, even the wind and the waves obey him?” It was fear that had led them to awake the master. Now he is awake it is replaced with a much more profound awe and fear. Who is this man?

At the beginning of this incident we see a very human Jesus. He lies down in the stern of the boat just as he is: unwashed, unfed, totally worn out. He seeks the oblivion and restorative power of sleep. This is a very human Jesus. He is so obviously a man, and we can all identify with him. But when he calms the storm they see his divine power. Here is a man who can control the weather with a single word of command. We see no magic mumbo-jumbo here, no incantations, no spells. Not even an invocation of the name of Jehovah. By his own power Jesus stills the storm, with a word of command. And the wind and waves obey him.

Who is this man? He’s more than just a man. What then, an angel? A semi-divine being? No, something more than that. For the disciples this was the beginning of a steep learning curve that will lead ultimately to Thomas’s great words of faith: “My Lord and my God!” The recognition of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

 

Storms of life

Now we, as followers of the Risen One, also believe that Jesus is Lord and God. We also believe he has power to calm storms. Like many preachers, and commentators, and hymnwriters of the past, we can see a parallel with the storms of life which Jesus can calm.

“Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift and the cables strain, Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

“We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move, Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”

 

And:

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake To guide the future as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.”

 

what do we mean by “the storms of life”? Well, I suppose, all the “heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to”, as Shakespeare says in Hamlet.

We are thinking of all the trials and difficulties we face at times. For one person it might be financial crisis of debt. For another: life-threatening illness. Or it could be bereavement. It could be be pain and disability. It could be rejection and opposition, perhaps persecution for one’s faith, or because of one’s race. Some might suffer slander and backbiting. Others might be worried about loved ones: their safety, their heath, their moral or spiritual well-being. It might be the burden of broken relationships or divorce. It might be the pressure of work or the stress of responsibility. It might be the loss of a job or the pain of long-term unemployment. It might be the intolerable burden of caring for someone else. This is a far from comprehensive list. I’m sure some of you could add to it from your own experience.

 

With Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm

Whatever the storms of life may be, we know we are safe if the Lord is with us. Those disciples were safe as long as Jesus was in the boat with them, even when he was asleep! God would look after him: it was not his destiny to drown in Lake Galilee. Rather, he was to go on to die at Calvary. That was God’s plan. Yes, “With Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm”.

But notice this: Jesus has to be in the boat with us. Have we got Jesus on board?

Our church, the Presbyterian Church of Wales, faces many storms at present – have we got Jesus on board with us? If we are seeking to glorify him, then we will weather the storms.

We have storms in our lives too. Ask yourself: “Have I got Jesus on board? Is he the Lord of my life? Does he rule my actions? Do I know him as my Saviour? If the answer is “yes”, then I can face the storms of life that come at me. The Lord is in the vessel of my life, I need not fear the storms. And if, perchance, he does not calm the storm, then he will give strength to endure it. If we have Jesus on board, then we can face the storms. But if we don’t yield our lives to him, then there is no way we can expect his help in our lives.

 

Conclusion

So, once again, the call is to follow the Risen Christ, who is Lord and God in human form. “Immanuel: God with us.” He will be with us in the boat as long as we have invited him on board.

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Joseph and his brothers

May 18, 2009 at 7:52 pm · Filed under Old testament, Suffering ·Tagged , ,

 

 Joseph Recognised by His Brothers, by Peter Von Cornelius 

 

[Talk given at a Family Service in the Brecon Presbyterian Church]

Joseph had ten older brothers and one younger. His older brothers hated him because he was the favourite of their father Jacob. One day Joseph’s father gave him a very special ornamented robe with long sleeves. It was the sort of garment only worn by an important man. Jacob was treating Joseph as if he was the head of his brothers. And Joseph also used to tell tales on his brothers when they did wrong. So they hated him.

 

The dreamer

And Joseph was a dreamer. One day he told his brothers how, in his dream, they had been binding corn in the field when suddenly all his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his. And in another dream the Sun and Moon and eleven stars had all bowed down to him. This was too much even for Jacob. So he said, “Will I, and your mother, and your brothers all bow down to you?”

One day Joseph was sent by his father to see how his brothers were getting on with tending the flocks – he was sent to check up on them. When they saw him coming from a distance they said, “Here comes that dreamer, let’s get rid of him”. Some wanted to kill him, but eventually they just grabbed him and threw him down a pit. It was a dry water cistern. Joseph cried for help but the brothers ignored him and sat down to enjoy their lunch. Eventually they sold him off to some traders who were on their way to Egypt.

 

In Potiphar ’s house

So Joseph ended up in the slave market in Egypt. He was bought by Potiphar , the chief of the palace guard. Joseph had had a hard time, but in Potiphar ’s house God blessed him. He was so good a servant that Potiphar put him in charge of the whole household. Everything went smoothly and Potiphar prospered. But after a while Potiphar ’s wife began to notice Joseph – he was a very handsome young man of about 18. She was filled with desire for him. “Come to bed with me!” she demanded. Now Joseph could have done this. He would have been well treated as Potiphar ’s wife’s “toyboy”. No doubt he would have got away with it. But Joseph knew in his heart it was wrong. “My master trusts me with everything. He has kept nothing back from me, except you because you are his wife. And it would also be a sin against God.” Potiphar ’s wife was persistent – every day she pestered Joseph and tried to get him to lie with her.

One day she came into the house while Joseph was doing his household duties. There was no one else there. She grabbed hold of his robe and said, “Come to bed with me!”Joseph ran off, leaving the robe in her hands. Then Potiphar ’s wife was angry – she had been rejected. She screamed out to the servants and told them that Joseph had tried to rape her. When she told Potiphar, he was angry, and had Joseph put in prison.

 

In prison

But in the prison God was still with Joseph. The prison warder, when he saw how competent Joseph was, put him in charge of the whole prison. Joseph did all the administrative work and the everything ran smoothly. The story of Joseph is full of ups and downs. We’ve already seen some of them. But there are a lot more to come!

Reading: Genesis 40:1-8

 1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.     2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,    3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.

    4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time,    5 each of the two men— the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison— had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

    6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.    7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, Why are your faces so sad today?

    8 We both had dreams, they answered, but there is no-one to interpret them. Then Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.

Genesis 40:1-8 (New International Version – UK)

 

We’ve just heard how the cup bearer and the baker of Pharaoh had dreams they could not interpret. With God’s help Joseph was able to explain the dreams. The cup bearer had dreamed of a grape vine with three branches which budded and blossomed before his eyes and then produced grapes. Then, in his dream, he took the grapes, squeezed the juice and gave the cup of grape juice to Pharaoh. Joseph saw that this was a sign that the man would be forgiven by Pharaoh and restored to his high position. When that happens, Joseph said, “Get Pharaoh to let me out of this prison. I haven’t done anything wrong!”

The baker, when he heard the favorable interpretation, eagerly told Joseph about his dream. He had dreamed of three baskets of cakes which he was carrying on his head. And the birds were coming down and pecking at the cakes. Joseph said, “In three days time Pharaoh will lift up your head – but not in the good way he lifted up the cup bearer’s head. No, he won’t restore you to honour. Instead he will lift up your head on the gallows! And so it happened just a Joseph had predicted: the cupbearer got his job back but the baker was hanged.

But when the cup bearer got his old job back he forgot all about Joseph and left him there in the prison!

 

Pharaoh’s dream

Joseph spent two more years in prison before something else happened. Pharaoh had a dream, a very strange one. Seven fat cows came out of the Nile, followed by seven skinny ones. And the starved and skinny ones swallowed up the fat and sleek ones. Again he dreamt. This time seven plump ears of corn were followed by seven withered and blasted ears. And the withered ones swallowed up the plump ones.

Pharaoh woke up with a start! He didn’t like these dreams one bit, even though he couldn’t tell what they meant. He called or all his wise men and magicians, and not one of them could interpret his dreams. Then, at last, the cup bearer remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about this Hebrew slave who had predicted everything that happened to him and to the baker. “Call him at once,” said Pharaoh . So they hurriedly brought Joseph out of the jail. They gave him a wash and a shave and put clean clothes on him, and brought him before Pharaoh .

“I hear you can interpret dreams,” said Pharaoh.

“No, not I, but God can explain them,” said Joseph.

So Pharaoh told his dreams and Joseph explained them with God’s help. The seven fat cows and seven fat ears of corn represented seven years of plentiful crops. They would be followed by seven years of famine. And the years of famine would be so severe that they would eat up all the harvests from the good years.

Joseph said, “Pharaoh should find a wise man and put him in charge. He should collect one fifth of each of the good harvests and store away the grain as provision for the bad years which will follow. “What a good idea,” said Pharaoh, “And who is better fitted to do it than Joseph?”.

So Joseph was made the second in command over the whole land of Egypt. He had full authority to implement the famine relief strategy.

 

Ruler of Egypt

So Joseph became a great man and married the daughter of one of the priests and ruled the land of Egypt under Pharaoh. And then it came about as Joseph had predicted. And Joseph so organised things that there was no starvation in Egypt. But the neigbouring counties were hard hit by the famine and people flocked to Egypt to buy the surplus grain.

One day some Canaanites came to Egypt on donkeys with bags of silver to buy food. Joseph immediately recogised them as his brothers – but they didn’t recognise him. After all, he was now a full grown man in his thirties and he was wearing Egyptian clothes and was clean shaven. He didn’t look like a Hebrew at all. And he was speaking Egyptian and communicating with them through an interpreter.

Joseph was disturbed in mind – he had mixed feelings. On the one hand he was glad to see his brothers and he desperately wanted to hear about his father. On the other hand, could he trust them? They had sold him as a slave. They had even talked of killing him. How could he know whether he could trust them? Testing his brothers So Joseph decided to test them. He accused them of being spies and put them in prison. Then he sent them home but kept one of them – Simeon – as a hostage.

Later, when they returned with Benjamin the youngest brother, Joseph played a trick on them. He planted a silver cup in the neck of Benjamin’s sack of grain and then accused him of theft. The brothers were aghast. They believed that this had come about as punishment for what they had done to Joseph almost twenty previously. Judah offered his own life as a slave in exchange for Benjamin. How could they return to their father Jacob without Benjamin the youngest? It would break Jacob’s heart which had already been shattered after the disappearance of Joseph.

Now Joseph could stand it no longer. He ordered out all his servants and he wept loudly before his brothers as he told them he was Joseph. They were stunned and shocked. They couldn’t believe it. How could this man be Joseph? And if he was, what then? Would he not now take his revenge on them?

 

Reconciliation

But Joseph said, “Don’t be upset, it has worked out alright. God has sent me to Egypt ahead of you so I could save the lives of all of us. Go back to my father. Tell him I am alive and now in charge of the land of Egypt and then come and live here in this land where there is plenty of food.”

 Pharaoh was pleased when he heard about Joseph’s brothers. He invited them to go home and bring the whole family to Egypt. And so Jacob came at last to Egypt to meet his son who was now such an important man. And he saw his two grandchildren, Joseph’s sons. And he was presented to Pharaoh and lived the rest of his life in the land of Egypt. After Jacob died his body was embalmed after the custom of the Egyptians and carried back to the land of Canaan for burial. And then Joseph’s brothers were afraid that he would now take his revenge on them – now that their father was dead. So they sent a message to Joseph saying that Jacob, before his death, had asked that Joseph would forgive them.

Joseph wept when he heard this – he had already forgiven his brothers years before. He was grieved that even now they didn’t trust him. They didn’t believe him when he said he had forgiven them. Joseph said, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good! He brought me to this position of power so I could save the lives of many people”. So he spoke kindly to them.

 

Conclusion

What do we learn from Joseph ? Life is full of ups and downs but God is in control. He was even in control when Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave, and when Potiphar’s wife accused him, and when he was forgotten in jail. God was still in control and brought good out of the situation. Like Joseph we have to learn to trust God. if we are faithful to God he will be faithful to us. He is the Faithful One.

Theres a little song in the old Scripture Union hymn book “Sing to God” – No. 130

Joseph had eleven brothers

 Joseph had eleven brothers, and they wished him far away. Sold him for a slave in Egypt for some silver coins one day.

Refrain: He remembered the Lord in the land of Egypt and the Lord remembered him.

He worked very hard for his master and was treated like a son. Until he was thrown in prison for a crime he hadn’t done.

He worked very hard for the warder and took care of all the men. He explained their dreams but he longed to have his freedom back again.

Pharaoh had two dreams that bewildered him till Joseph made them plain. He was given power and appointed to take charge of all the grain.

 Joseph’s brothers travelled to Egypt; no where else could they buy bread. They didn’t know this great man was Joseph; they were sure that he was dead.

He discovered that they were sorry for their cruelty and greed. Told who he was and forgave them and he helped them in their need.

(Sister Oswin)

We have to learn to forgive – just as Joseph did.

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The message of Job

February 1, 2009 at 1:12 am · Filed under Jesus Christ, Old testament, Suffering

 

Job 1:6-22, 2:1-10,  16:1-21

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil”. ( Job 1:1)  

  And Job was very healthy, wealthy and wise.  He was a happy man blessed with seven sons and three daughters. But days of evil were soon to come upon him.
In the book of Job  we hear his cry of anguish of the godly man when tragedy strikes him. We learn something  of the nature and  cause of suffering.

The heavenly drama

Satan asks to test Job   (Job 1 1-22)

One day the angelic beings are before God and Satan also appears.
God: Where have you come from?
Satan: From roaming through the earth and going to and fro in it.
God:  have you considered my servant Job – there is no one like him, blameless and upright
Satan: Why shouldn’t he be good? You pay him well enough! You have fenced him round with a hedge of protection -  look how rich he is. No wonder he “worships” you! But just take away all he has and, you  see, he will curse you to your face.
God: Behold – all that he has is in you power Satan, but don’t harm him physically.

And so a series of tragedies hit Job, one after another. In one day, according to the book of Job, he received the news that: 
·  the Sabeans had taken all his oxen and asses and killed his servants.
·  his sheep had been struck by lightning, along with the herdsmen.
·  the Chaldeans had taken all his camels and killed the servants.
·  a freak storm had hit the house where all his children were feasting and they had all died when the house collapsed.

How did Job react to all these disasters?
Job arose and rent his robe in grief, fell on the ground and worshipped God. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord ( Job 1:20-21)


And so Job did not curse God.

Round one is over -  Satan has lost this one. What about round two?

 

Satan asks to test Job again  (Job 2:1-1)

God: Where have you come from?
Satan: From roaming through the earth and going to and fro in it.
God: have you considered by servant Job – no one is like him blameless and upright  – he still maintains his integrity even though you incited me to ruin him without any reason.
Satan: Skin for skin (ie. a man will be prepared to lose even his loved ones to save his own skin). A man will give anything for his life. Just touch his body with sickness and he will curse you to your face.
God gave Satan permission for this:  “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

And Satan went forth and struck Job with “Egyptian boils” – a particularly foul illness which inspired horror in all who saw it . Like leprosy, or like AIDS today it was thought by many to be a sign of God’s judgement. And so Job is sitting on the ash heap, scratching his boils.  His wife says, “Curse God and die!” But Job will not curse God.

 

Job’s sorrow

Job’s three friends came to comfort him.  When they saw him they did not recognize him. They wept, tore their robes, threw dust on their heads and sat with him on the ground for seven days, in accordance with the custom of that day. No one spoke a word to him  for they saw that his suffering was very great. (This is the best thing, and sometimes the only thing, to do in situations of tragedy.)

At last Job opened his mouth and he cursed the day he was born. He asked God why he had not died at birth. He cried out in his agony. The speeches of Job , which last many chapters, reveal a soul in torment. He can not understand why. “Why me, O Lord?” he says, “I know I am not sinless, and yet I have tried to live a godly life. O why does God punish me?”

Part of Job’s suffering stems from the fact that he does not know about the heavenly drama, he has no idea of what has been going on behind the scenes. He does not know that God has allowed him to be tested by Satan. It’s not because  of his sins, but actually because of his righteousness, that he is suffering. However, Job does not know that.

 

Job’s “comforters”

Job’s comforters now speak – and with friends like this, who needs enemies!  The speeches of Jobs friends reveal a complete  lack of understanding, sensitivity and imagination. They can not put themselves in his shoes. They assume that he must be a gross sinner or all this would not have happened to him. Why doesn’t he repent and beg for mercy, then surely everything will go well with him.  One after another they imply that God is punishing him for his sins.

By the end of their  “comforting” they are making direct accusations against him.   If only those three friends had remained silent. They did well then – when they sat in the dust with Job and just empathized with him. But the moment they tried to make sense of what was happening they increased his sorrows greatly.

Job in his reply becomes sarcastic. No doubt you are the people and wisdom will die with you ( Job 12:2) Now he is really scathing – and who can blame him?

I think there is nothing crueller than to say to a person in pain that it is their own fault, or the result of their sin. And this applies even when you think it might be true – it might indeed be their own fault. It might actually be the result of their own sin. Even if that is the case, you can never say it to the person who is in anguish.  In Job’s case it definitely was not true – the pain was not the result of his sin and he was suffering illness and bereavement as well as poverty. It was particularly cruel for his friends to speak in this way.

In some sections of the Christian Church you find the doctrine of health and wealth. “God want’s you rich: God want’s you healthy.  If you give financially to his work you will never be poor. If you pray with faith you will always be healed.” The corollary of this is: if you are poor, or if you are not healed, then it must be your own fault; you don’t have enough faith;  you are not right with God. This doctrine is not only untrue, it is cruel. It was exactly this kind of teaching in which  Job’s comforters believed.

 

Job cries out

Job feels that it is so unfair – he needs someone to mediate between himself and God:    If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his  hand upon us both.  (Job 9: 33)

Job is asking for the seemingly impossible – an umpire between himself an God. Someone who could bridge the gap between the  human and the divine. Can such a thing be possible?  Yes, there is one such person, who is both human and divine, and can lay his hand on both.  Job senses the reality of this, even though he does not know the name of his Advocate.

Even  now my Witness is in heaven, my Advocate is on high. My Intercessor is my friend, as my eyes pour out tears to God. On behalf of man he pleads with God as a man pleads with his friend. ( Job 10: 16-21)

(These are amazing words for something in the Old Testament.)

 

 Yes, Job there is an Advocate – his name is Jesus Christ, our High Priest, Son of God and Son of Man. He pleads with God as a man. He atones for our sins and  bears our sorrows.

·  “a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.”  (Isaiah 53:3)

·  He has been tested in every way as we are, and yet without sin                       ( Hebrews 4: 15)

·  There is one Mediator between God and Man – the man Christ Jesus               ( 1 Timothy 2: 5)

God’s answer

When Job and his three comforters have had their say Elihu comes along. He is a young man who thinks he knows all the answers. He attempts to portray the wonders of God’s creation to Job. Nevertheless, all he has to offer is words.

Then God himself speaks  – out of a whirlwind.

Who is this who darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man, I will question you and you will answer me.
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand…
Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place…
Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?  …
Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?  …
Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.            (Job 38)

And so on, for several chapters. As one commentator says: God doesn’t explain, he explodes

 Job is quite incapable of knowing the answer to these questions. How then can he hope to know why he is suffering? And God gives no answer – not even to explain Satan’s role in all this. He simply points to the wonder of his creation,  so that Job is astounded.

In the film Keeping Mum, Rowan Atkinson plays a vicar who has to address a conference on the theme: God’s Mysterious Ways. He ends his address saying something along the lines of: “When it comes down to it God says to us: I am mysterious – live with it!” 

It’s quite funny when said in Rowan Atkinson’s voice -  but it is so true also. And this is  what Job found. Even with all this sorrow he found he could live with the mystery of suffering. Job is satisfied with his encounter with God – even though God gives no explanation

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’  My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.   ( Job 42:3-6)

Job’s reward

Job had found satisfaction,  not in the logic of his friends’ arguments, but in an encounter with God himself. God does not reprimand Job after his repentance – but he does reprimand Job’s friends:

After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.    ( Job 42: 7 -8)

Here is a reprimand to all purveyors of the health and  prosperity teaching.
Although, in the end, Job was richer than before and had more children. “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first”, we are told. (Job 42:12)

Our reward for patient endurance may not be the same as Job’s. God does not promise to reward us in this life. Job knew very little about the hereafter. For him, the reward in this life was a vindication of his righteousness, after  all he had suffered. We know that in the life of the world to come all will be put right. There will be vindication for those those have been treated unfairly in this life. In the life of the Resurrection:  [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  (Revelation 21:4)

Job did not know all this, but even in the depth of his sorrows and grief he grasped some inkling of it:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
 I myself will see him with my own eyes— I, and not another.   (Job 19:25-27 )

This is our hope also!

As the Apostle Paul says:   this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

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