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What are some major ways the Psalms and Wisdom literature address the problem of human suffering?

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The Psalms and Wisdom literature, such as Job and Ecclesiastes, address human suffering by emphasizing trust in God's sovereignty and faithfulness. The Psalms often depict suffering as a path through which God guides and protects believers, offering hope and comfort. Job presents suffering as part of God's inscrutable plan, urging patience and trust despite its inexplicability. Ecclesiastes suggests that ultimate judgment by God offers meaning beyond present suffering, encouraging adherence to divine commandments.

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King David is believed to have written most of the psalms, many of which praise God through times of suffering. David was a man who knew both glory and tremendous suffering, being both a king and a man who was hunted by Saul, who intended to kill him. Yet in times of extreme difficulty, he praised God's sovereignty anyway.

In Psalm 23, David uses his childhood experiences of shepherding to draw metaphors between himself and God. He sees God as his shepherd and himself as the obedient sheep. One of the most powerful images of suffering occurs in verse 4:

Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

First, it's important that David notes that God doesn't lead his sheep to the darkest valley but through it. This singular preposition makes a...

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tremendous difference to those who are suffering, because it offers hope. The light will eventually return, and the valley will be left behind. David also uses the "rod" and "staff" as metaphors for God's protection over those whom he loves. The rod was often used by shepherds to keep away other wild animals, who presented danger to his sheep. The staff was often used to gently pull a wandering sheep back into the fold, keeping it safe and headed in the right direction. Thus, God can be trusted to hold back the forces of evil who seek to destroy the brokenhearted and can be looked to for guidance through life's dark valleys.

Psalm 22 was also written by David during a time when he felt utterly surrounded by his enemies and forsaken by God. He cries out in desperation in the first verse, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Interestingly, Christ himself will echo these very words from the cross in the New Testament, reflecting the enormity and universality of human suffering. Here, David feels that God has left him alone to suffer, and he is desperate. Yet he recalls God's nature based on prior experiences:

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame. (22:3–6)

God has always proven himself faithful and trustworthy. He has delivered David's ancestors from suffering and affliction in the past.

In verses 12–18, David describes very specifically his ailments and troubles. Yet he arrives at this conclusion in verse 22:

I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.

This is David's decision. Even though he feels abandoned by God, even though he feels surrounded by his enemies, and even though he doesn't feel like it, he chooses to praise God anyway.

This is one of the themes in the psalms of David. Darkness will fall. Life will force David to walk through valleys. And at times people will "stare and gloat over" him (Psalms 22:17).

The circumstances don't matter. David has determined that even in times of suffering, God can be trusted to be faithful and to deliver David from his enemies. Therefore, David will "proclaim his righteousness" (Psalms 22:31) through his own personal suffering.

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The theme of suffering is central to the Psalms and to the wisdom literature, especially in the Book of Job. By anyone's standards, Job has suffered a lot. As well as having his physical health ruined, the poor man has also lost his wealth. For good measure, his children are dead, and he's lost the respect of the community.

And yet it seems that Job has done nothing whatsoever to deserve such calamities. A good, honest, devout man, he's the last person on earth you'd ever expect to be singled out for such misfortune. Even God admits that Job is a "blameless and upright man." Yet still he allows his loyal servant to be subject to all manner of suffering.

On the face of it, it would appear that God is nothing more than a capricious tyrant, deliberately inflicting suffering for the sake of it. Or, to be more precise, God doesn't inflict suffering himself but allows Satan to do it instead, which, if anything, is even worse.

Amidst all this suffering, Job consistently affirms his righteousness. And though he initially refuses to join his wife in blaming God, he eventually begins to rail against the Almighty for his perceived injustice. It is only when Job is given a personal revelation of God that he retracts his rebuke of God and asks only to be taught by him:

I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees you; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:2–6).

The moral of the Book of Job appears to be that suffering is all part of God's inscrutable plan and that it is not our part to question it. From our limited perspective, we may not understand why our suffering or anyone else's is necessary. But God sees all. And from his perspective it all makes perfect sense. That being the case, we should simply place our trust in God and teach ourselves to be more patient in bearing suffering.

Whether one finds this a plausible message is largely down to the individual's religious beliefs. But at the very least, the teachings of the Psalms and the wisdom literature, especially the Book of Job, allow us to put our own misfortunes into perspective, which is surely no bad thing.

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The issue of suffering is a problem for all people, philosophies, and religions. Therefore, no one tradition will offer a perfect answer for all people. That said, I believe wisdom literature offers one of the best answers, if not the best answer. Let me give you a few examples.

First, the psalmist does not ignore suffering. Many of the psalms are complaints of human suffering. For example, Psalm 22, probably the most famous psalm, opens with these words:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest...

By the end of the psalm, the psalmist realizes that God is with him. This is one answer to suffering. God sees, knows, and helps us in our suffering. When we come to the New Testament, Jesus utters these same words and what follows is a resurrection, which suggests that God vindicates suffering.

The psalms also teach people that God uses suffering to teach his people. Therefore, suffering is not meaningless, but a sanctifying tool that God uses to mature people. Here is what Psalm  119:71-72 states:

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Third, the book of Ecclesiastes gives another answer. In the final chapter, the book reminds readers that there is judgment before God. This point, too, suggests an answer to suffering, because the life we have now is not ultimate. There is a suggestion that there might be something else, and God will be the one who blesses people who have suffered well. 

Ecclesiastes 12:13 states:

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

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