The key theme in this book is that suffering does not always have a known purpose. Eric Ortlund here presents a pastoral commentary (as opposed to an exegetical one) of the book of Job with that key theme in mind. As is usually the case, Ortlund is much harsher on Job's friends than they deserve. Two key points to remember, 1. They sat shiva with Job for two weeks not opening their mouths until Job began the dialogue, and 2. They responded to Job's grieving in the way he expressed he needed it. Remember, the dialogue/debate is a deep part of Jewish cultural roots, Job opened this debate and they responded in like kind. Was their theology wrong? Yes. But so was Job's. The key point is that they responded to his grief in the way he needed. This is almost always overlooked and Ortlund is no exception.

But now back to a book review. Despite this common flaw, EO does a great job (pun intended) in bringing forth both Job and his friend's points in the discussion. Even more, his insights into the final discussion between God and Job is solid gold material. This is a rare book on this subject in that it engages the mind and it touches the heart equally well. I would recommend this book to anyone going through grief or who is close to another enduring such suffering.

Suffering Wisely and Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God by Eric Ortlund is a look at the book of Job and what we can learn from it. This examination of the book for Job is pretty academic. I think it would be great content alongside the text, a supplement for further Bible study. The author unpacks so much in this book and I think it is well worth reading. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I love that the book takes you step by step through the book of Job. There is a part the book were the author repeats himself a little, but the rest of the book is full of great information and explanations for each chapter. The book of Job is not a very common one, you don’t find a lot if resources on this subject. It was eye opening for me. The next time I read the book of Job it will be from a new perspective.

Eric Ortlund gives us a clear definition of different types of suffering and why, and a very readable almost commentary and yet quite not into the book of Job. I've just recently went through studying Job, so much of this was fresh when I dove into Ortlund's text, and was not surprised to learn new nuggets of information that I had missed through my study. While each chapter you walk away with a deeper understanding of the book of Job, my personal favorite chapter was chapter six, Behemoth, Leviathan, and God's Defeat of Evil, because it highlighted something that I had questioned before but really didn't get a good answer to, and that was found here in a way that makes absolute sense. Seeing a fresh take on God's view of Satan as well was enlightening that I know it will rattle around my brain and stick. I appreciate the nontechnical language and yet it is still so deeply thoughtful and provoking that I would have to go through it again just to really soak in the fullness of what has been presented, rather than my speed reading through the book because it's so interesting. Ortlund has given us a fantastic insight into Job.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

First sentence: This book is about suffering both wisely and well as a Christian.

Suffering Wisely and Well is mostly a commentary on the book of Job. Ortlund works through the book of Job. His approach is mainly to look at what each person (and God) has to say. (There are also chapters on the introduction and conclusion to the book of Job.) I believe his lens of reading is a practical one. What can you--the reader--learn from the book of Job. Even the super-messy wrong-ness of Job's friends is spun as a lesson of how not to interact with modern-day sufferers. At times the present is stressed so much that the focus is never on the past context.

One thing that I definitely appreciated was how each chapter ended in a very straight-forward, no-nonsense summary; it was even numbered. It was as if the author was saying: here are the important points I was making in this chapter.

This one definitely has some insights. Like, "Job's friends are actually his tormentors, and no matter how much stage time they are given, they cannot manage to say a single helpful thing to him."

Suffering Wisely and Well isn't your traditional commentary on Job. It opens almost by pretending to be something it's not. The opening chapter makes it sound like it's going to be about ALL types of suffering and how you can use these principles of suffering to discern in what ways you (and others) are suffering and learn how to do it wisely and well. But literally every other chapter in the book is a commentary from the book of Job.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. This is a helpful, thorough and well structured look at a theological perspective on suffering. Useful for preachers and pastors alike.

This book takes a look at suffering and how to suffer as a Christian. It looks at how to encourage and speak to those who are in the midst of suffering in a way that is helpful and gracious. It looks at the book of Job in particular. It explains that there are different types of and different purposes in suffering. Some suffering is meant to deepen us as Christians and is a catalyst for growth. Ortlund talks about the desert-like suffering which "trains us in trusting God daily...teaches how little we actually do trust God, how counterintuitive it is for us, and that we are not as mature in our faith as we thought. God uses the desert to toughen us up spiritually, to grow us in self-denial, and deepen us in our renunciation of the sins we once enjoyed..." (location 202).

I found the section on Job's friends to be really helpful. I've never understood why they would speak as they did and God's response to them. Their words had some semblance of truth but were so unhelpful. Ortlund explains that they believed in the retribution principle...you get what you sow. They had no category for suffering that wasn't caused by sin. If it could happen to Job, it could happen to them and that was too frightening for them to contemplate.

This is a book to be savored slowly. I want to go back with my Bible and pen in hand and make notes all over the book of Job. I pray that I will be more wise in encouraging friends who are going through hard times than before. I have gone through a period of intense suffering that while I still trusted God, made me fear him and the potential cost a bit. This book is helpful in changing how we see God and his reasons for allowing our suffering, and his response to us in our suffering.

Thank you to Crossway for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I'd highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.

Note: I received a free digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an Honest review. **
Job is a difficult book to read, difficult to study. And this book takes me throughout the book of job. Confronts many questions why God allow suffering, pain and trails ESPECIALLY to Good people or people of faith?
This book shows many kind of suffering but focus on JOB's kind of suffering where God puts him in a position in which he has every earthly reason to give up on God. Throughout the book the author answers many of job's questions ( our questions in our life)
Great lesson I learned from this book " The only kind of relationship that will save us is one where he is lover to WHO HE SAYS HE IS, FOR HIS OWN SAKE, irrespective of what secondary, earthly blessings we gain or lose because of our relationship with Him."
The author talk about the Leviathan is hard to understand. But overall because of the interesting insights, the books is worth reading!!
I just reviewed Suffering Wisely and Well by Eric Ortlund. #SufferingWiselyandWell #NetGalley

“The world is both far worse and far better than we ever suspected… But God’s assurance of victory over that [chaos and evil] is far calmer and happier than we ever suspected.”

There are many kinds of suffering in this world— some of the suffering we experience is a result of our sin, sometimes it’s God’s way of producing spiritual growth. But sometimes we experience pain, suffering, and grief that is inexplicable.

Eric Ortlund, in his book Suffering Wisely and Well, homes in on this type of suffering by looking in-depth at the book of Job.

Ortlund (brother to Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly and Deeper and Gavin Ortlund, Finding the Right Hills to Die On) has written a very insightful book on a seemingly well-known story. There's much to be said on this topic and I highly recommend this book. I highlighted so much of his book but I can only share so much here.

Job is famous for his suffering and is often referenced that reason. But reading this book taught me so much more about Job-like suffering and put what I already knew into the correct context.

Ortlund provides a ton of Scriptural cross-references, contextual and historical background, and linguistic study to help us understand the poetic rendering of Job’s laments, his friends words of ‘encouragement,’ and God’s response to it all.

Ortlund teaches Hebrew and the Old Testament at Oak Hill College and focuses much of his research on Job and it shows. He is a good teacher and thoroughly explained more than I expected when I picked up the book.

I will say that some of it felt repetitive, but I suppose a good method of teaching is repetition. And the book is under 200 pages so it’s not like it lengthens the book exorbitantly. Plus each chapter ends with a ‘Here’s what we’ve learned so far’ section to keep us on track.


While reading this book, you will definitely want to have your Bible open and pen ready. I wish I had begun the book with taking notes in my Bible. He references many verses from Job (and elsewhere) and often paraphrases them so it’s fairly helpful to be able to read along or confirm what he’s talking about.

This would make a great study for a small group to deepen their understanding of the book of Job, of thinking about suffering, the goodness and sovereignty of God, and how to help and communicate with our loved ones who are suffering.


Ortlund begins by briefly describing a variety of kinds of suffering and reminding us that suffering wisely and well requires us to use discernment determining what we or our loved ones are experiencing. And we must be careful in making judgments. As with Job’s friends, it is hurtful to condemn someone in their suffering, adamantly protesting that there must be something they need to repent of!

He describes Job-like suffering like this:

“What distinguishes a Job-like ordeal from other kinds of suffering is the intensity of the pain and its inexplicableness. A Job-like ordeal is one in which it is impossible to keep a stiff upper lip and just keep going, and one in which the pain is so extreme that it’s impossible to imagine or even desire any return to normalcy. Any reversal of your fortunes seems pathetically inadequate to the loss you have suffered. A Job-like ordeal is also one in which our pain simply does not make sense. We try again and again to explain why we are suffering, and like waves crashing against a rock, every explanation fails.”

In Job we have the accuser who thinks Job is blameless and upright only because of all the blessings God has given him. Surely if God allows Satan to take away all of these blessings Job will curse God. People only love God for what he can give them, right?

God is not mad at Job. Job has not sinned. But God is proving to the accuser that Job loves God just for who He is.

“God puts Job in a position in which he has every earthly reason to give up on God; the only reason left for Job to endure in a relationship with God is God."

And indeed, this is what happens. Though Job laments and wrestles with God’s goodness and sovereignty, he never curses God. And all while he laments, he never asks for his blessings back. Feeling unloved by God puts him in anguish. Believing God must be mad at him, Job’s strongest desire is to be reconciled with his Lord.

I’ve had my own experience of inexplicable suffering when I miscarried during my first pregnancy. I became bitter and mad at God. I felt unloved by him. How could a good God give me life in my womb and then take it away? I struggled with feeling like I must have done something wrong that he was punishing me. Or maybe I had wanted a baby too much that I made it an idol and he was taking it away.

But long story short, since then, I have come to understand that I cannot explain that suffering and there is no reason for it that I can determine and I, like Job, must trust God through those times. I love God for who he is, not because of what he has given me.

“it becomes clear that what God wants from us in Job-like suffering is neither repentance nor deeper spiritual discipline. All he wants for us is to hold onto him—not to curse him and walk away from him, but just to maintain our relationship with him through tears and sackcloth.”

I love that. He just wants us to hold onto him.


Some things stuck out to me when Ortlund was talking about how we comfort others who are grieving inexplicable loss.

He pointed out that a lot of times we, like Job’s friends, place blame on our friends, assuming they must have done something or missed something or could have prevented it somehow; we try to explain it in a way that makes ourselves feel more comfortable. Those tragedies couldn’t happen to us because we’re different somehow.

“it can be extremely tempting, without even realizing it, to blame the sufferer as a way of quarantining ourselves from their agony. Regardless of whether we consciously intend it, blame is a way to reassure ourselves that such suffering will never happen to us, because we are morally superior to the person suffering.”

“As we speak to suffering, we must constantly be asking ourselves who we are really trying to comfort: our friend or ourselves. It is very easy to think we are consoling our friend when we are really more interested in our own comfort.”

This was a convicting thought. I can see how I would do this sometimes because psychologically we want to believe we live in a ‘safe’ world and don’t like thinking about experiencing hardship. We want to convince ourselves that when other people experience grief we can avoid becoming like them by ‘being better.’ It’s an uncomfortable yet compelling thought.


He also points out that we should be careful not to correct our grieving friends when they say things that aren’t true.

“When your friend starts saying things about God that are not theologically true, resist the urge to correct him. Your friend’s bad theology is only a symptom of a deeper trauma, so addressing the surface issue will do nothing to assuage his deeper pain. Your friend’s bad theology is also temporary. As God restores him, God will gently challenge those unworthy things your friend said about his divine friend. God will faithfully be at work to help him see what a perfect Savior he really is (42:5–6). Your job is not to fix your friend but to walk with him.”

I think this is good advice! I totally have the urge to correct bad theology but I can see how this is not helpful in these situations. We can trust that God will restore his people and gives grace for their grief-induced bad theology. He can challenge, convict, and comfort them and that’s not always our job.


I also love the references to the sea and God speaking to Job ‘from the whirlwind.’ Ortlund provides numerous references for when God appears in the storm and how “it is to do battle and rescue his people.” The sea is often symbolic of chaos and evil, yet God has bounded it. The sea has its limits. In the same way, God tolerates some chaos and evil in the world now, but God is sovereign over it and it is subject to him. We still recognize the tragedies that occur, but we can see that it is not because God isn’t powerful or good enough to stop it.

“As with the stable founding of the earth, the limitations of the sea highlight God’s goodness and protective care of his creatures. This is because the ocean is described in these poetic texts as a restless, relentless, un-organize-able force that, unless restrained, will overwhelm and annihilate all life.”

There is a good segment in the book that discusses God’s speeches about Leviathan and Behemoth and how these descriptions show that the world is far worse than Job ever imagined yet God is calm and provides confident assurance that he will destroy all evil. (Ortlund says many believe these two creatures are descriptions of a hippo and a crocodile but he provides a compelling case for an alternate interpretation.)


A few other things he touches on in this book are divine providence, the source of evil, the principle of retribution, Job’s Redeemer as a picture looking ahead to Christ, the evidence of God’s goodness in creation, lamenting, and more.


I really enjoyed this book and I know I’ll come back to it sometime to do an even deeper study of Job. The content is rich, easy to understand, and full of grace.

If you, like me, have experienced inexplicable grief or suffering, I think you’ll find this book to be a comfort, hope, and encouragement.

If you haven’t had a Job-like ordeal in your life, you might eventually, or someone close to you might, and this book would absolutely be a good bundle of truth to be able to access when the time comes.

Suffering is real and often unfathomable, but we need to approach it with a heart toward God’s heart and who he is not, not his hand and what he gives or takes away. Explanations won’t be as satisfying as we think; God, himself, is our ultimate satisfaction.

Sometimes God just wants us to hold on to him and wait for the restoration and victory that he has promised.


More Quotes:

“God says nothing about all things working together for good, true as that is (Rom. 8:28). He says nothing about guiding evil for his own good purposes, true as that is (Gen. 50:20). He says nothing about the glories of the eschaton overwhelming all the sufferings of this present age, true as that is (2 Cor. 4:17). He only tells Job that he is entirely aware of the problem—more so than Job ever could be—and will one day defeat and destroy the evil he presently tolerates.”

“The world is both far worse and far better than we ever suspected. The chaos and evil that God tolerates (but only for a time) is far more frightening than we thought; if we could see it up close, we would have a hard time keeping our feet (41:9). But God’s assurance of victory over that monster is far calmer and happier than we ever suspected. This does not make Leviathan any less frightening or the chaos it represents any less foreboding. Cancer and car accidents and human trafficking are still awful tragedies. None of us is entirely safe. But when God sees the whole of the world’s evil of which we get only a glimpse, and he speaks of his future victory with a calm joy, we too can engage with God’s sometimes dangerous world not just with courage but with joy and peace. God is not intimidated one iota by the evil that could easily swallow us—so we do not need to be either.”

“even if God does not literally appear to you in the storm as he did to Job, he is nonetheless able and even happy to draw near to you and speak gently but directly into your torment, so that, like Job, you are able to say from your roots, ‘Now I see who you really are, and I am utterly comforted.’”

“even when you find it difficult to believe that God loves you and attends to every word you say, you have the Son of God speaking on your behalf, who is far closer to God than you, who knows suffering more intimately than you do.”


Further Reading:

- Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund (a fantastic book that reminds us what God’s heart for us is, one of the most encouraging books you’ll read)

- How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil by D.A. Carson (a really important read, but probably not best read in the middle of your suffering)

- It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength when Disappointment Leaves You Stranded by Lysa Terkeurst (an honest and transparent book that will help you reconcile your feelings with what you know to be true about God)

- Cultivating Compassion: Practical Advice as You Walk a Friend Through a Season of Loss by Lynne Hoeksema (a short booklet that gives super practical ways to helping your grieving friends and what are helpful or not helpful things to say/do)

- Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop (a great book that provides a framework for how to deal with your pain honestly through the biblical process of lament)

- If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

I thoroughly and heartily recommend "Suffering Wisely and Well" by Eric Ortlund! The Biblical Book of Job is challenging and fascinating reading. At the core, Job is about suffering - terrible, devastating, inexplicable, and undeserved suffering. On this matter, most commentators agree, but beyond this, it seems that many simply "overlay" their own theological bias and force the narrative to make it fit. The result is that so many commentaries miss the mark so badly they fall into a similar category to Job's friends - not speaking right of God! Sadly, with so many poor guides, readers also miss the beauty and profundity of the Book of Job. Ortlund gets it right though! Not only is "Suffering Wisely and Well" is written with expositional and hermeneutical mastery, but it is also written with deep pastoral sensitivity. Ortlund explains the different kinds of suffering that may be experienced by followers of Christ and how to respond to each. The focus of "Suffering Wisely and Well" though, is on the kind of suffering Job faced, where the tragedy is deep, traumatic and unexplainable.

The two chapters on the two speeches of God are worth the price of the book. Ortlund walks the reader through the first speech showing the joyful compassion, and gentleness of God's interaction with Job. God is not a narcissistic bully, shouting down at a broken man. In gentleness, God exposes Job's limited view of creation. In explaining the second speech, Ortlund pulls apart the misguided naturalistic ideas that Behemoth and Leviathan are simply poorly worded descriptions of a hippopotamus and a crocodile! The author explains in detail how Behemoth and Leviathan are symbols of cosmic evil - supernatural creatures in rebellion against their creator.

If you would like an intelligent, pastorally sensitive and helpful guide to the Book of Job, this is the book to get!

What a great, in depth description and explanation of suffering and how to deal with it biblically. This book thoroughly helps you think through biblical examples of suffering with multiple scripture references and a “deep dive” into Job like no other I’ve ever read.

One of my favorite passages in the book:
“After all, the only kind of relationship with God that will save us is one where he is loved for who he is, for his own sake, irrespective of what secondary, earthly blessings we gain or lose because of our relationship with him. Unless Christians can, perhaps imperfectly but sincerely, affirm the all-surpassing worth of knowing God (Phil. 3:8)—surpassing even the worth of knowing one’s children—then we will be bored in the new creation, where God is “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). Our relationship with God must be greater than the secondary blessings he gives us, because it is a matter of time until we lose every secondary blessing when we die.”
― Eric Ortlund, Suffering Wisely and Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God
That hit me square in the eyes and heart. If we can’t try to fully keep our eyes on God while here, no matter our circumstances, how will we appreciate Him to the fullest when we are with Him in glory and He is EVERYTHING? Even through suffering, death, poverty, illness, depression, etc etc etc, a life with Christ is still our ultimate goal. Things of earth will fall away, when we set our eyes wholly on the light that is our Savior.

This is a great book to help us deal with the “whys” of this life. Also, If you would like a deeper understanding of Job, this is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend this book to my friends and family. I also think it would be a great discussion/lesson book for church small groups and adult Sunday Schools.

I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.