Divine Sovereignty in Suffering: Insights from Job’s Trials (Part 1)

In this sermon from the book of Job, Richard Belcher examines the role of divine providence in suffering and trials. Belcher explores how Job’s experiences and responses highlight God’s sovereignty and the mystery of His purposes, offering insights into the complexity of faith and endurance amid hardship.

The following unedited transcript is provided by Beluga AI.

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The book of Job. Chapter one.

¹ 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. ² There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³ He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

⁵ And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. ⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason?

¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord . ¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. (Job 1:1-22, ESV)

This is the word of the Lord. Praise be to God. Let’s pray.

Our Father in heaven, you do all things well. We know that you are in charge of everything that happens, and even Satan can do no more than you allow him to do. We pray, Father, that you will protect us from the evil one.

Lead us not into temptation, but should you in your wisdom see that it is good for us to be tempted, for us to be sent cross providences, then we pray that you will give us grace that we will be able to say with Job, as he says here in this first chapter, blessed be the name of the Lord. We pray, Father, that you will give great grace to our speakers tonight and that you will help them to preach your word plainly.

And we pray that you will give us ears to hear and that the seeds which are sown tonight will bring forth much fruit to the glory of your name. We pray in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen. We are pleased to have returned to us again at the Founders conference, Doctor Richard Belcher. He has also spoken at some of our regional conferences. He has been on the faculty of Columbia International University since 1976, receiving a THM from Covenant Theological Seminary and a THD from Concordia.

19 years as a pastor, several years in full time old evangelism, a conference ministry that is frequently repeated in India with a special relationship. He has people there and speaks widely in Bible conferences of all types. But we have a great debt to him for his ministry as a writer, and his journey series will live far beyond the flesh and bones of our brother here because of the great impact that they have had.

Didn’t say that very delicately, but it expresses what I’m trying to say: a brilliant idea of using narrative as a form of communicating theology, and arguably the single most used book by this whole. If you add up all the people here who have given out books on the doctrines of grace and ranked them, possibly the number one book that would be distributed would have been Journey in Grace. As a matter of fact, it would be interesting right now, how many here could attribute their understanding of the doctrines of grace to reading that book, Journey in Grace.

Look at that all over. Praise God. I can say personally, I don’t know if there is another book I’ve given away more than that book, and I highly recommend that. And in a culture which is increasingly illiterate, in a culture I have surveys from USA Today, one says that the average college graduate does not read one serious book a year and that the average US household does not buy one book a year. Now, personally, within this room, I think we help the average for the whole United States.

But as that is increasingly so, to put a heavy theological book in the hands of a lot of our people simply will not work. They’re not ready for it yet, but they will read a book like Journey and Grace, which is another stroke of genius. These three-page chapters, because, you know, well, I can read one more. That’s good. I read one more and they just keep going. Brilliant idea. And if you’re not familiar with them, start with Journey and Grace. Buy up some, take them back, and use them. They will be.

Turn in your Bibles once again to the book of Job. I’d like to read chapter two, just the first several verses, and then speak to you from these first two chapters. Job, chapter two. It’s a delight to speak once again at the founders conference. Some of us go way back to the first one. I think this is the fourth conference that it’s been my privilege and honor to address this group. The first one, it doesn’t seem like it was 18 years ago, but what God has done mighty things. Job, chapter two again.

¹ Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ³ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” ⁴ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.

⁵ But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” ⁶ And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” ⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸ And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. ⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:10, ESV)

Pray with me. Thank you, Father, for the tremendous messages that we have been hearing. We praise you that a subject such as providence, that deals with trials and heartaches and sorrows, the mystery of evil, which could become so gloomy, has become to our hearts such a blessing. We pray that we would continue to look to you to learn even from this, your servant, Job. We pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

It’s not difficult to find statements of praise concerning the greatness and the unique character of the Book of Job. Thomas Carlyle called it a noble book. He said, there is nothing written in the Bible or out of it of equal literary merit. A story of the past, said, the Book of Job towers up alone, far above all the poetry of the world. A biblical scholar of the past said, it’s one of the most marvelous products of the human spirit, equal to the greatest literature of the world.

Other various authors, one said, the only book of its kind. Another called it an epic comparable to the work of Homer. Another said, it’s in the category of drama. And another said, it’s an authentic tragedy on Greek lines, complete with chorus. Yes, many will join their hands and voices in speaking of the greatness and the uniqueness of the Book of Job. But there is little agreement concerning the theme of the book. You can read and find almost a different theme for every author.

One man said it speaks of the patience of a good man under suffering. Well, in the first two chapters, his patience was pretty good. But what happened after that? Another man says it deals with the problem of the suffering of the innocent. But is the problem ever solved? Is the problem of suffering and evil in the book of Job ever solved? Could that be its theme if the problem’s never solved? Another author said it speaks of the child of God facing trials. Is that really the theme? Is that all it says?

Or again, the argument against the theory. Job speaks of the argument against the theory that all suffering comes from individual sin. Okay, but what else? All suffering doesn’t come from individual sin. But is that all it says? Another author says it speaks of the question of divine justice and the purpose of life. What question of divine justice? Or again, another author says it’s a positive approach to the problem and mystery of evil. I ask again, does it ever solve the problem and the mystery of evil?

Another author says it’s a book that explains nothing profitable, except that God taunts man in his weakness and suffering. Obviously a non Christian wrote that. Or another one says it’s a presentation of the magnificence of nature and God’s contempt for miserable human beings. I wonder what kind of modernity wrote that. Or another author says it’s a book with a double message. If you’re a pious believer, it’ll reaffirm the power of God. If you’re a skeptic, it will confirm to your heart that the world and man’s sufferings have no solution.

So, what is the theme of the book of Job? Even those themes which we read as suggestions, which came from Christians, I think, fall short for a simple reason. They are too man-centered. Some of them mention God, but only in passing, in some secondary manner. They’re more centered upon Job and his problems than they are concerning God, who certainly is the heart and core, I think, of the book. If we just see Job and don’t see God, we’re missing the point of the book.

And again, these do not do justice to the purpose of scripture. Has not scripture been given to reveal God? Should not the first question be, each time we come to the word of God? What does God want to teach me about himself and his ways? Is not the Bible God’s divine revelation concerning his person and his works, not man? Yes, we learn a lot about man, but the Bible reveals God. Certainly we learn other truths.

But can we ever understand the problems and the questions of man apart from the question of the person and the character and the ways and the works of God? Now, thus, I would maintain today that a man centered theme for the book of Job will miss the point. Let me give you what I would consider to be the theme of Job. A God centered theme. The Book of Job centers on the sovereign providence of God.

I used the word providence as the noun that God is in control of all things, and sovereign as an adjective, stating very clearly that he has the authority and the power to be able to control, and he is controlling all things. Job centers on the sovereign providence of God in all the affairs of the world, but especially in the life of one of his elect, as all things unfold in the life of Job, for God’s glory and for the good of that individual elect, man named Job. Let me put it another way for our benefit.

The sovereign providence of God puts each one of his elect into a certain context of history. And then that sovereign providence governs and orchestrates the unfolding of his or her life for the glory of God and for the good of the elect one. Let me say that again. The sovereign providence of God puts each one of us as the elect of God into a certain context of history. And then God’s sovereign providence governs and orchestrates the unfolding of our lives for his glory and for our good.

And what does God ask from each of his elect as we pass through this sovereignly ordained pathway of providence? God asks us to recognize his person and his authority and to submit to his will for our lives, whatever that will may be. Let’s look and see how this theme unfolds before us in the book of Job. The first thing I want to set before you tonight is that the sovereign providence of God put Job into a certain context of history and governed and orchestrated his salvation.

It was the sovereign providence of God that put Job into history and governed and orchestrated his salvation. There’s no doubt about it. Job was one of the elect. He’s a believer. God testifies of Job’s great righteousness, and yet it was more than just a human righteousness, because later on he says, I know that my redeemer liveth. It was not just a good man, but the fact that he knew God made him a man of integrity.

²⁵ For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. (Job 19:25, ESV)

This is what God says. This is God’s testimony. He’s a man who sought to please God in all that he did. He was perfect now, not sinless, but morally upright. The words mean he reverenced God, which is the beginning of wisdom, fear reverence. He abstained from evil. He walked in righteousness. And as we just kind of plopped down right here in the middle of it all, there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. The question that comes to my mind is, where did he come from?

Here is a godly, righteous man of God, one of the elect in the midst of an ungodly world of people. Here he is in the midst of pagan religions. Here he is in the midst of pleasure. Here he is in the midst of people who love the world. Here he is in the midst of people who are money lovers. He has great possessions, but he’s not one of the others. Here he is in the midst of men who love themselves. Here he is in the midst of the worst or of reprobates.

Here he is in the midst of a people where there are no other godly people, not even mentioned. Not his wife, not his children, not his friends, not his family. Here he is. How did he get there? It’s kind of like waking up one morning and finding a polar bear in your refrigerator. You get up and go to the refrigerator and there’s a polar bear. How did he get here? Looks like Job has just sort of plopped down. There’s got to be an explanation if there’s a polar bear in your refrigerator.

But the book of Job never explains this question. How did he get to this place? But the Bible explains elsewhere that job was one of the elect, chosen from the foundation of the world on the basis of God’s sovereign will. If he is a godly man, a righteous man, truly before God, he was one of the elect means used to bring him to God. Yes, but I don’t know what they were. Here he is right in the middle.

God put him in a context of history, a context where he was alone, a context where no one else knew God. It seems, at least in his immediate area, that we read about. Some have put him in the patriarchal period and said he must have run under one of the patriarchs. And other explanations have been given, but we don’t know. But we do know that God in some manner called Job unto himself. And is it not a strong testimony that salvation is of the Lord?

Thus, by His sovereign providence, God put Job in this context of history and governed and orchestrated Job’s life and brought him to salvation. What an hour. There was an hour when Job heard the truth, responded to the truth. But isn’t this what God has done for all of us, as is each one of us? God put us in a context of history, and God governed and orchestrated all the events to bring us to salvation. It’s true of all of us.

If you go back from the time you can remember and trace the providential work of God, the sovereign providence of God that brought you to salvation, you will stand amazed. I was saved when I was nine years old, but even then, obvious by the sovereign providence and grace of God, born into a Christian home in the United States of America, Christian mother who taught me the truth. And after I was saved, I lived for the Lord until I was about 13.

And then I started to drift, got into a high school that was a bad influence on me. And so I tried to run away from the Lord. I wanted to live my own life, but I was like a little dog on the end of a rope. When the rope ran out, God jerked me back. I cracked my collarbone my senior year of high school playing football; God took one of my gods away. And then my senior year, I changed high schools.

That senior year, there was a group of Christian young people at that new high school. They invited me to their high school Bible club meeting, but I wouldn’t go. They witnessed to me, but I wouldn’t listen. We were part of the jet set, the popular crowd, we thought. And though I admired those kids, I just couldn’t bring myself to go to their high school Bible club meeting, but by His providence, one evening, two of my old football buddies came by and they said, “We know of a party over in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis.”

I was going to Kirkwood High School at that time, and they suggested, let’s crash the party Tuesday night. We read it ourselves as we traveled for a good worldly time, but by the providence of God. When we knocked on the door, it was the high school Bible club meeting. And you can’t say whoops, we’re at the wrong place. We went inside, and God used those precious young people and their testimonies to break my heart and bring me back unto Himself by His sovereign providence. So, God has put you in a context, history.

God governs your life, and God has orchestrated your salvation just as He did Job’s. Do you remember all those providential workings of God when He saved you? May I suggest when you get home tonight, just lay your head on your pillow before you go to sleep, and let that videotape of your mind run through it all again. And you’ll find yourself coming away praising God for His sovereign providence that put you into your context of history and governed, organized, and orchestrated your salvation.

But second, the sovereign providence of God put Job into a certain context of history and governed and orchestrated his life. God orchestrated his will for Job’s life. Now when we read Job, we seem to have an idea. Well, the old Job boy, the whole of his life, he was really under the burden. But the early years of Job’s life were just unparalleled blessings that were all governed and orchestrated by God. He was a wealthy man, as our brother read. 7000 sheep, they go to India and they get a dozen of them out on the road.

Looks like a bundle: 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys. Tremendous household of servants. He was the greatest of all the men of the east. He had respect. When he walked into a room, everybody stopped and said, there’s Job. He had honor. Job. Sit at the most important place at the table. He had power. Now, I don’t know whether he inherited it or whether he worked hard for it, but that’s who he was. A wealthy man, blessed of God. He was a healthy man.

There’s no mention of any severe sickness those early years. And he had a wife and ten children. That means rather clearly he’d lived a little while. May I challenge us this evening, never in the midst of a busy life and ministry, to fail to thank God for the abundant blessings that are yours right now. May this conference on Providence, where there might be a tendency to get a little bit gloomy, as if God, what are you going to zap me with next? All right, come on, God. I’m ready.

No, look and see the blessings we have now. The story is told of an old man who sat down to his supper one day. He lived in a ramshackle house. He had an old piece of bread. That’s all he had. Yet, he bowed his head and he said, thank you, God, for all of this and Jesus too. Thank you for all of this and Jesus too.

I’ve just been reading the life of Isaac Candler, one of the Baptist heroes of the past that not too many know much about. He was an itinerant preacher in the Charleston area in the 1740s. He did a massive work on the doctrines of grace, 340 pages or so. Tremendous task and a great, great job. But I also discovered about a year’s worth of his diary. And every morning in his diary, Isaac Candler was praising God for the ability to rise one more day and walk and serve his lord. Are you counting the blessings that are yours tonight? In my own life, I thank him for my wife. She is one unusual person.

And if you ever call Rich Barry Press, you’ll talk to Mary Ann. My children, my daughter is married to a young man. They live in Lebanon, Missouri. They’re very faithful to their church. Angie is an Old Testament student. She knows more about the Old Testament than I do as far as all the content and people and names. And just recently her oldest son was licensed to the ministry. She has two sons. They both know the Lord. My other son or my son. My other child is a son. He lives in Charlotte.

He teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. Now, somebody is going to say, what happened, is he a Presbyterian? Yeah. They got him when it was time for him to go to college. I didn’t know where to send him to a Southern Baptist school back in the early seventies. And I had gotten such a blessing at Covenant Theological Seminary. I got through Covenant Seminary. They didn’t get me three degrees there. I think Doctor Duncan and I could have a Covenant Seminary reunion this week. We’re both graduates of Covenant Seminary.

There was a few years there where the seminary got a little bit worried, and they probably would like to have had a few of the Baptist boys because they were winning the homiletics award from year to year. But I never felt any pressure while I was there. But yes, Richard went to Covenant College, into Covenant Seminary. Just finished his doctorate at Westminster. He’s the Old Testament prophet. Performed seminary in Charlotte.

I remember when he became a Presbyterian, somebody asked Doctor Rayburn, who was president of the seminary at the time, and Doctor Rayburn was a good friend. And they said, “What will his father say?” And Doctor Rayburn said, “His father would rather he be a Bible-believing Presbyterian than a liberal Southern Baptist.” So we praise God. He’s got three daughters. They’ve all come to know the Lord. The ministry is given rich Barry press, oh so much to praise Him for.

After you’ve gone through in your mind the blessings that God has poured out upon your life, tonight when you go to bed, or after you go through the salvation providence, count your blessings. If we live in an atmosphere of thanksgiving and praise, will it not be a fortress against any hours of discouragement and despair? When the trials come, the heart that’s full of praise as God is pouring out the positive blessings, we’ll surely be more prepared for the dark times. Which leads me to the middle years of Job’s life, the years of testing.

But remember that even these years were governed and orchestrated by the Lord and his sovereign providence. We read the challenge of God to Satan. Satan came into his presence. I don’t understand all of that, but the Bible says that I believe it. And God challenged him in verse six.

⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” (Job 1:7, ESV)

And remember, Peter says he walks to and fro on the earth, seeking whom he may devour. Brethren, we’ve got a real enemy out there. I’m not a guy that wants to look for a demon behind every tree, but we’ve got a real enemy. And I don’t understand everything about him. And I don’t want to focus on him. I want to focus on God. But in the Bible, he’s mentioned about 300 times, and each time he’s given personal characteristics. Jesus said,

¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18, ESV)

So the enemy is fighting. And so here the battle begins. The Lord says, have you considered my servant job? None like him. Verse eight. Satan answered and says, oh, does job fear God for nothing?

⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8, ESV)

God, you’ve put a wall around him. I can’t get to him. You hedged him on every side. you’ve blessed the work of his hands.

⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. ” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord . (Job 1:9-12, ESV)

By the permission of God. By the allowance of God. By the permission of God. Get that down. By the permission of God, Satan carries out his desires against Job. He took everything Job had, except his health and his life. The Sabeans took 500 yoke of oxen. The fire fell from heaven and killed 7000 sheep. The Chaldeans fell on his 3000 camels and took them away.

The strong wind destroyed the house, and all ten of his children were killed. Without doubt, the most difficult. Plus, all of his servants involved in these events were killed. But again, I say all of this was according to the sovereign providence of God. Do you see it? The sovereign providence of God has put him in this place. And the sovereign providence of God is governing and orchestrating that which is taking place. Satan could not touch him except allowed by God. Men could not do their deeds as desired by Satan until allowed by God.

The fire could not fall from heaven until allowed by God. The strong wind could not kill his children until allowed by God. Thus, the sovereign providence of God rules over the great enemy Satan, and over the men who would do us harm, and even over nature, whether it be lightning or whether it be wind.

And how did Job respond? Oh, if his answer is not a statement of sovereign providence, I don’t know where you’ll ever find one. This is a statement of sovereign providence, verse 20.

Job arose, tore his mantle, shaved his head, and fell down on the ground. These are signs of mourning. And the text says he worshiped. What does that mean? Does that mean he sang a song? He got the Founders conference hymnal and praised it. That’s the most tremendous singing I’ve ever heard this week. Thank you, my brother, for leading us in those songs. But you can sing a hundred songs and never worship. Does it mean that he prayed? Or you can say prayers and keep on saying prayers and never worship.

What is the heart and core of worship when it all boils down? What is the heart and core of worship? The heart and core of worship is submission to God, to recognize who God is and bow to His person and His authority. And that’s what Job did. He submitted to God. And if that doesn’t satisfy you, you better read verse 21 here. In the midst of all of this, he submits to God, recognizing God’s sovereign providence, proved by the submission of worship and then proven by the words he spoke.

²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21, ESV)

If somebody would have been standing by, they might have heard him say, “The Lord gave.” Yeah, that’s right, Job. But who took it away? It’s not just that the Lord gave and somebody else took it away. But the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now please understand, we’ve had it mentioned today that there’s nothing wrong with asking why.

And I’m sure in Job’s heart there was a why. He spoke these words without doubt, tears in his eyes, a lump in his throat, a heaviness in his heart. And the question why was there? But it wasn’t. Why, God? Unless you show me why, I’ll never serve you again. No, no, no. It was the why of submission. The Lord gave. The lure is taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That’s a statement of sovereign Providence. But the challenge is not over, because in chapter two, here comes the enemy again, the adversary, the lawbreaker.

And the Lord says, “Where have you been, Satan?” Satan could have said, “God, you know, I’ve been up and down the earth.” And the Lord kind of rubs it in, “Have you seen Job lately? He held fast his integrity even though you tried to destroy him without a cause.”

⁴ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. (Job 2:4, ESV)

Job served you for the goodies. I thought maybe I was wrong. But you take his health and it’s over, God, between you and Job.

God said, all right, he’s in your hand, but you can’t kill him. And so the enemy goes and takes Job’s health completely away from him. He has boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Have you ever had one boil? And the boils scab up, and when they scab up, they itch. And so he has to take a piece of pottery, broken pottery. He can’t find any peace, comfort anywhere. His health is gone. Forsaken by his friends and family, he goes to live in the city dump.

There’s no hope for the future. But even in this hour, he acknowledges God’s sovereign providence. Notice verse nine. His wife said, are you still going to argue that you’re a godly man? Go ahead and curse God and die and get out of here. Get it over with. But listen to what he says. You speak as one of those foolish lost ladies. What shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? He simply says, we receive both good and evil from God.

God is not a God who just gives us good things. We receive the negatives as well as the positives. We can’t expect just because we’re followers of God, for everything to be perfect and to have no problems or bumps in the road. That is a statement of sovereign providence, too. We receive good and evil from God, and this evil has come from God somehow. Now, whether we like it or not, the Bible is full of warnings about trials and the fact that we all will face trials. James 1:2.

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (James 1:2, ESV)

Not if you have trials, but when you will have trials. There’s a gospel out there that says, come to Jesus and he’ll give you instant wealth, continual health with peace and prosperity forevermore. Ha. Only one thing is wrong with it, it’s not biblical. The greatest saints of the Bible suffered the most, and the greatest saints of history suffered the most. You and I can expect various kinds of trials. James says large trials, small trials, medium-sized trials. And James says it’s to teach us perseverance.

The large trials are the tough ones: an automobile accident and someone is killed or hurt severely; the doctor telling you you have a disease and only a few months to live; a child being murdered in Atlanta. As a dear lady shared with me one time several years ago when I was teaching the first chapter of James, and while I was teaching this material, the tears were just rolling down her cheeks. And when I was finished, she told me why. A godly Christian woman, her daughter was killed, murdered in Atlanta.

But you know, those small trials can get you, too. You know, my worst kind of a small trial is waiting to go into a store, and they got two lines to check you out. And I try to pick the shortest one, but guess what? It stops, and the other one clears out four times before I get to the front. The whole time I’m stewing. And then one day I thought, well, I got this figured. I’m going to get in the longer line down the longer line. It didn’t go anywhere.

Or you get behind at a McDonald’s when you’re in your automobile and out preaching Sunday night, stop to get.