"You have heard of the patience of Job" (James 5:11 WEB).
5. THE PATIENCE OF JOB
"You have heard of the patience of Job" (James 5:11 WEB).
If we were asked, "Who was the most patient man in the Bible?" many of us might answer "Job," as the Scriptures specifically refer to how patient he was (James 5:11). Although James does not say that Job was the most patient of all biblical characters, as is sometimes stated, he certainly shows that Job's patience was remarkable.
The story of Job, which tells how the righteous patriarch was severely tested, is one of the most compelling in the Bible. Job's name may be derived from the Hebrew word for "persecution," thus meaning "the persecuted one." It is clear that Job did feel persecuted by God himself (Job 19:22) because of the terrible things that happened at one phase of his life – apparently through no fault of his own (Job 1:22; 2:10).
Yet despite the terrible things that happened to Job – the loss of his possessions, his children, his health, and finally his friends (who presumed he was being punished for some sin) – throughout the book we see that Job patiently persisted in the hope that he might somehow find opportunity to vindicate himself before God (Job 9:15-30; 10:7; 13:15-23; 16:17; 23:7-12; 27:1-6; 31:35-37). This is an important aspect of the story. We may know and love the verse in which Job is said to exclaim "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15 KJV), but this is actually a mistranslation. The NIV gives a footnote explaining that this verse may be translated "He will surely slay me; I have no hope, yet I will surely defend my ways to his face." This is, in fact, what the Hebrew text says – and the verse is translated that way in many versions of the Bible such as the RSV and NEB.
Choosing the supposedly less negative translation of Job 13:15 found in the KJV, NIV, and some other versions actually minimizes Job's terrible anguish and his unflagging determination to bring his case before God. On the other hand, knowing the better translation helps us to more clearly understand the patience of Job.
As we saw in Chapter 3 of this book, there are two kinds of patience: patience with events and patience with people – represented by the two Greek words hypomonē and makrothymia. The patience Job exhibited was clearly patience with events – hypomonē – in fact, that is the word James uses of him in saying "You have heard of the patience of Job"
(James 5:11). That is why the NIV and many other recent English Bible versions translate the word "endurance" rather than patience, but endurance can suggest simply hanging on despite circumstances rather than persistence for a reason, a goal – just as Job did. For this reason, hypomonē is probably best translated not simply as "patience" or "endurance," but "patient endurance."
The book of Job actually indicates Job might not have been as patient with people as he was with events. We see this, for example, in Job 12:2-3 and in some of Job's other responses to his friends. That is not to say Job was not provoked, just that a lack of patience with people does seem to be present in what he is recorded to have said. If we have ever exhibited a lack of patience with people after a bad day at work or having been stuck in traffic for hours, we can probably sympathize with Job rather than judge him in this. Job's occasional impatience with people even flowed into his relationship with God, as he himself admitted: "Is my complaint directed to a human being? Why should I not be impatient?" (Job 21:4). Remarkable Patience But when it comes to patient endurance with circumstances and events, Job's response was truly amazing. This is especially true when we realize the length of time that may have been involved in Job's suffering. When we read this book, we don't always think about the way the storyline leapfrogs from one event to another, but there may have been considerable time between the different events. Think, for example, of the length of time possibly involved between the two times that the Satan or accuser comes before God (Job 1:6; 2:1) and the time involved for Job's friends from other lands to receive news of his plight, to prepare for the journey, and then to travel to be with him.
Everything is, in fact, slowed down in this book – just as it is when we suffer. The three friends wait seven days before even speaking. And Job himself exclaims "I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me" (Job 7:3). All of these factors – and others – indicate that Job's suffering may have lasted a considerable amount of time, so his patient endurance in the terrible circumstances that he faced is all the more remarkable.
Eventually, the story tells us, God showed Job his error and Job repented, but his repentance seems not to have been for wrongdoing, but for questioning God's wisdom and purposes. That is why Job exclaims:
"Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6 CSB). Job may have been unable to see God's purpose in allowing him to suffer undeservedly, but his patient endurance remains a lesson and an encouragement to all of us. Whatever he was not, Job certainly was patient and endured even the worst of imaginable circumstances with a willingness to wait: "All the days of my hard service," he told his friends, "I will wait for my renewal to come" (Job 14:14).
So there is a great deal we can learn from Job in the matter of patience. His story gives us a perfect case-study of patience with circumstances and is one from which we can all profit in the difficult times we may encounter in our own lives. Job shows us that although we may not understand why God allows certain things, we aim to be patient through whatever occurs. We can worship God and still express our deepest pain and unhappiness. We can say with Job: "You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Yet these things you hid in your heart" (Job 10:12-13 ESV), and we can strive to patiently endure whatever the pains and unhappiness may be.
Interestingly, Job is also a reminder that even with a great degree of patient endurance with circumstances, we can still lack patience with people. Problems associated with our health, families, work, or other areas of life can all make the continued expression of that kind of interpersonal patience seem difficult. Yet the Christian is called to both, and we cannot use the presence of one form of patience as an excuse for a lack of the other. That may often be easier said than done, but it is an attainable goal, as we will see in the next chapters.