A Theology of Suffering from the Psalter – Part 1
By: Tom Knoff, M.Div. | July 16, 2023
The age-old question believers from all eras and backgrounds have grappled with is how one reconciles the presence of personal anguish with the promises and power of a benevolent God. Whether it is physical pain, emotional distress, mental torment, spiritual affliction, persecution, unjust treatment, or a host of other maladies, the believer often finds himself perplexed about the divine purpose of affliction.
A key feature of the struggle is the doubt that emerges regarding God’s role in either causing the suffering or his failure to alleviate it. This leads to many corollary questions about God’s power (or lack thereof) to stop the suffering, his motives and love, his justness, and his faithfulness. It also invites questions about how one perceives the world and whether true justice exists. As believers encounter tragic events, seemingly unjust circumstances and treatment, unanswered prayer, and deep grief and sorrow, there is a natural inclination to begin doubting the benevolence of God, his power, his sovereignty, or the veracity of the Scriptures that proclaim his character and ways.
These questions not only have significant theological implications but are also eminently relevant to the everyday, practical matters of a believer’s life. While people seek answers to questions related to suffering, the problem of evil, and how to understand injustice in light of how one expects or desires the world to operate, the believer can find answers and hope in the Scripture, particularly the Psalms, for they say much about suffering. The theme of distress and sorrow permeates the writings of the psalmists as they appeal to God on behalf of themselves and their community for relief. They write in vivid and passionate terms, using images and evocative language to get the attention of Yahweh.[1]
A careful study of the Psalter will reveal that the Psalter is rich with the truth about suffering. The Psalter reveals much about the purpose of affliction, namely that suffering is actually an expression of love granted by an all-powerful God to his people for their benefit. In tracing what the psalmists say about suffering, this article will demonstrate that affliction is, in actuality, a kindness, albeit painful, granted by a benevolent God to his people.
The Purpose of Suffering
What the Psalter Reveals about God’s Reasons for Suffering
Developing a theology of suffering requires one to understand the nature of affliction, as well as recognize its source. While such knowledge is valuable, it would be insufficient without also affirming the results and benefits of suffering. Thus, while the preeminent purpose of all that exists and happens is the glory of God, the Psalter presents a variety of purposes he is carrying out, which will work toward that end. The results of suffering are effective advantages and benefits for the sufferer. These include the development of a greater understanding of God’s character and ways, a richer expression of thanksgiving, the development of godly character, a greater dependence on God, a stronger reliance on the Word of God, and a deeper intimacy with God through prayer.
Suffering Produces a Greater Understanding of God and His Ways
One of the key results of suffering in a believer’s life is that it produces a greater understanding of who God is and how he works. It is through affliction that the believer’s understanding of God’s character and ways is enlarged. As God ministers to the suffering soul, they experience Him as their deliverer (Ps. 18:2), fortress (Ps. 18:2), divine helper (Ps. 54:4), and guide (Ps. 48:14), the supreme source of hope (Ps. 71:5), mighty and unshakable rock (Ps. 62:7) and refuge (Ps. 46:1; 61:3), shield from the enemies attacks (Ps. 18:2), and supernatural stronghold (Ps. 18:2; 37:39).
It is in the midst of heartache that the believer learns that God’s love is unfailing (Ps. 86:5; 103:8), He is utterly faithful to keep His promises (Ps. 145:3), and that his care and love are more precious than life itself (63:3). The psalmists reveal that the suffering believer gains a richer perspective on how God operates. For instance, one learns that in the midst of suffering, God “does not forget the cry of the afflicted” (Ps. 9:12) and that in his timing and way, He will deliver the righteous out of all their afflictions (Ps. 34:19). Though the person may not feel like God sees or cares about them, the psalmist reminds the sufferer that not a single tear goes unnoticed (Ps. 56:8), that suffering is not a sign of God’s absence or neglect (Ps. 22:24), that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Ps. 147:3), and that the suffering in the believer’s life is only temporal (Ps. 30:5; 126:5-6).
The psalmist reminds the afflicted soul that God is loving and always has a purpose, as He uses it to get the attention of a person, to change their perspective, and to prepare them for greater blessings in the future. Though people who are suffering often have a sense that God has hidden his face (Ps. 13:1; 17:15) and is distant or has gone silent (Ps. 22:1, 11, 19; 33:1; 35:22), the Psalter teaches that God is not blind to their situation. For example, he sends his angels to encamp around his people to deliver them from danger (Ps. 34:7), and he is near them in times of sorrow (Ps. 34:18). It is notable that God uses times of silence to develop within the sufferer greater patience and a more acute sense of need and desperation.
Suffering Trains a Heart to Be Thankful
Suffering also teaches a person to be more grateful, for as they cry out to God in desperation and then see him bring help and deliverance, the heart grows in appreciation and praise. The Psalter depicts stress and joy not as two disconnected realities but actually as two ends on one spectrum wherein both lament and thanksgiving co-exist.[2] It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between psalms of praise and lament because thanksgiving psalms presuppose the presence of affliction and trouble and thank God as he responds to their desperate cries for help in times of crisis.
The Psalter is saturated with praise and thanksgiving, much in large part to the gratefulness that emerges when God delivers his people through affliction. It is in the Psalms of thanksgiving that sufferers express deep gratitude for God’s deliverance from hostile adversaries (Ps. 18; 92; 138), adversity and trouble (Ps. 66:14), illness (Ps. 32; 116), and his provision of food and a good harvest (Ps. 67).
Notes
[1] Phillip Johnston and David Firth (eds.), Interpreting the Psalms: Issues and Approaches (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2006), 84.
[2] Johnston and Firth, 82.
About the Author
Tom Knoff is a Senior Class Teacher of Worldview Philosophy at Grapevine Faith Christian School in Grapevine, Texas. He is in the Ph.D. in Theology and Apologetics program at Liberty University. Tom, his wife, Kim, and his family are originally from Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Copyright, 2023. Bellator Christi.
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