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Archive for the ‘Job’ Category

Job’s Fear

Posted in Job on April 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

    25″For what I fear comes upon me,
         And what I dread befalls me.
    26″I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
         And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.” Job 3:25-26

Job lost everything including his family and his good health – the very thing he feared happened.  Is there anything you fear or dread?  God does not play on our fears but Satan does.  God does not give us a spirit of fear but of love.  Job wished he was never born and the tragedy of his life became too much to bear.

We should never fear the worst or dwell on what might happen.  Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has enough trouble on its own.  But there are times like Job that the very thing we fear comes upon us.  We know that God wants us to operate in faith but at times fear does grip us.  In situations like this God wants us to cast all our cares upon him, including our fears.  We should never be ashamed to tell God the things we dread in life.  By being honest with God we allow God to reassure us that everything will work out toward our good. 

There are many things in life we do not understand like death, or why bad things happen to good people like Job.  Job tries to make sense of all that has happened and he begins to ponder God in all of this.  We should never be discouraged by the tragic events in life, or be gripped by fear.  God is on our side just as He was on Job’s.  God never left Job, and God will never leave you.  So don’t fear, but be encouraged for the Lord is with you always.

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Silence is Golden

Posted in Job on April 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.

 12When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.

 13Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.  Job 2: 11-13

Job’s friends set out to comfort Job in his time of need.  They knew that Job was a successful and wealthy man and were surprised by the tragedy that had befallen Job.  They mourned with Job and sat in silence with him for seven days. 

Many times those that are in mourning just need to be comforted.  They do not need to hear why tragedy has struck their life.   Too often as Christians we are quick to give an explanation of why bad things happen, or find the need to defend God.  Many times we make wrong assumptions about someone’s situation or why God allowed for a situation to take place.

The book of Job does not give a reason why Job endured all that he lost.  We know that it was Satan who caused all of this, but we really do not know why God allowed Job to be tested.  We should never assume we know why things happen to people or try to always answer the question why.  Often times all a person in suffering needs are friends that will sit in silence with them and simply be there for them.  This was the most loving act that Job’s friends did.  They said nothing but mourned along with Job.

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Job Holds On

Posted in Job, Satan on April 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 8And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.

 9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”

 10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.  Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.  Job 2:8-10

Job was a great man of wealth and by the hand of Satan he lost his possessions, his children and now his good health.  It would be very easy to say that Job was cursed but Job is still favored by God.  Even Job’s wife told him to just curse God and die.  Job’s response was that we should accept whatever God gives us including adversity.  The bible makes a point that Job did not sin by this statement.  However, we know from the story that Job’s adversity comes from Satan.  Still Job makes a bold statement.

In Job’s mind even though he believes that God is responsible for all that has happened to him, Job refuses to curse God.  He accepts that no matter what happens to him, he will continue to acknowledge God.  Oh what faith Job had! 

Are we the same?  Do we only worship and praise God because of the things God has done for us?  Is our faith contingent on God’s continued protection of what we possess?  If God never gave us another thing, or if we lost everything by Satan’s hand, would we still call upon the name of the Lord?  What is your faith based on?  What is it that you seek after from God?

God proved to Satan that Job was an upright man.  Satan accused Job of only serving God because of what God gave Job.  But in all that Job said and did, he did not sin.  Now comes the most difficult part for Job;  the accusations by his closest friends and the fact that no one comes to Job’s aid.

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Satan Strikes Job

Posted in Job, Satan on April 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

4Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.

 5″However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.”

 6So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

 7Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.  Job 2:4-7

Sickness and disease is not the will of God.  God does not use sickness and disease to teach us lessons to make us better people.  Satan had already taken everything Job had including his children, but was convinced that if Job himself suffered then Job would curse God.

We can see that Satan had only ill intensions toward Job.  Satan could not stand Job’s relationship with God.  God did limit Satan by stating that Satan could not kill Job.  Even though Job was in Satan’s power, Job’s life was still in God’s hands.  We can be assured that no matter what Satan tries to do to us, no weapon forged against us will prosper.  All that Satan did to Job did not result in Job cursing God.  Instead God was able to demonstrate that Job was a good man.  Job feared God and shunned evil.

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Again God Praises Job

Posted in Job, Satan, The Father on March 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 1Again 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.

 2The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

 3The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”  Job 2:1-3

God allowed Satan to test Job’s faith.  Satan had killed Job’s children, livestock and servants.  Once again God boasts that Job is a blameless and upright man who continues to hold onto his integrity despite all has happened.  God says no one on earth is like Job.  God also notes that Satan had no cause to ruin Job’s life.

Even though God blames Satan for inciting God against Job, Satan and those responsible for attacking Job’s family are still accountable for their actions.  We also have to keep in mind that Satan’s desire is to kill, steal, and destroy.  God only wants the best for us.  God does not want to harm us. 

Job is not aware of Satan and believes that all that has happened to him is because of God.  But even with that believe, Job still holds onto his integrity and faith.  He still believes that God is in control.  We can now see the kind of man Job was and that God’s words were true about him.

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Job the Worshiper

Posted in Job, Knowing God, Satan on March 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

He said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
  And naked I shall return there
  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
  Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.  Job 1:18-22

After God allowed Satan to test Job, Job got word that all of his livestock and servants had died.  Then he got word that his children were killed.  What was Job’s response?  He worshiped God.  He didn’t grab a weapon and go after the men who had attacked.  He didn’t take his own life.  He did what he knew to do and that was to worship God.

From Job’s response we can see that Job was a worshipper.  It was instinctive.  When we are stressed out or in shock our only response is doing something that is familiar or what we have been trained to do.  Worship was second nature to Job because in all that happened he responds by worshiping God.

Job also proved Satan to be a liar, because Satan accused Job of only following God because of what God had given him.  But now that Job had lost his possessions and family he still responded out of reverence to God.  Job still acknowledged God.  Even the scripture makes the point in all that Job did he did not sin nor did he blame God.  Job blessed the Lord.

So in a crisis what is our response?  Do we blame God or curse Him?  Can we simply recognize that despite our situation God is still God and is worthy of our praise.  Not because of what He has given us but because of who He is.  Even though Job did not recognize that Satan was at work and believed that God had taken away what He had given to Job, Job still blessed the Lord.  God is looking for true worshipers.

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Our Enemy

Posted in Job, Satan, The Father on March 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 8The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

 9Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

 10“Have You not made a hedge about 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 put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”

 12Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.  Job 1: 8-12

Satan is our enemy and our accuser.  After God had said that Job was an upright man, Satan accused Job of only fearing God because God had blessed him.  Satan argued that there was no substance in Job’s relationship with God.  Job was only interested in what he could get out of God.  So Satan claimed that if Job lost everything he would curse God to His face.

So God allowed Satan to test Job.  However, God put limits on Satan and Satan was not allowed to touch Job.  However, what should be noted is that God just gave Satan power over the things that belonged to Job.  God did not tell Satan to take everything from Job.  Satan’s argument was that Job only feared God because God had power over Job’s life and had blessed him.  So now that Satan was given the power – the question is would Job now bow to Satan and curse God?  Was Job the man God said he was.  God knew that Job was an upright man, and is now setting the stage to prove that Job was a man of God.

God knows us and Satan stands as our accuser.  Satan is also the father of lies and God knows that whatever Satan says about us is a lie.  God does not need Satan to tell Him about our faults.  God knows our faults and weaknesses but He sees beyond that.  God sees the good in us and the reflection of Himself in us.  We are God’s creation created in His likeness.  We are His children set apart for His good purpose and pleasure.  He has no plans to harm us.  Remember it is Satan who is our enemy and is out to destroy us.

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God’s View of Job

Posted in Job, The Father on March 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Job 1:8

Often times when we read the story of Job we try to find some fault with Job because of what happened to him.  But God saw Job as a blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil.  In God’s statement about Job there is no”but” or comma after the statement.  God saw Job as a man with no fault.  So it would be wrong for us to find fault with Job.

Those of us who are saved are viewed by God as righteous.  God no longer sees us as sinners.  God does not have a negative view of us.  He sees past our weaknesses and sees us from our future.  That is how God saw Job.  Even if Job had faults God saw the best of Job and was telling Satan that there was no one on earth like Job.

Just picture the delight and love God had for Job when He made the above statement.  God knew Job was a good man.  God was being a proud Father bragging about one of His children.  He does the same for all of His children.  He sees the best in us.

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Job as Priest

Posted in Job on March 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

4His 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.

 5When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.  Job 1:4-5

Job’s children were accustomed to the life and favor of their father’s wealth.  So they would have feasts to celebrate being Job’s children and all that they had.  Job was concerned that they had sinned so he would have them consecrated and would offer up burnt offerings for them.  Job interceded for his children.

In the same way Jesus intercedes for us.  In these two verses we actually see a depiction of the relationship that we have with the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.  Job loved his children and loved God.  He did not want to see them fall into sin and would consecrate them and make burnt offerings on their behalf.  Job was the priest of his household just like Jesus is our High Priest.

The wonderful thing is that God knows that we cannot be holy on our own.  So He Himself makes offerings on our behalf and intercedes for us.  Jesus who was without sin became sin so that we might live and have a rich and full life as God’s children.   We are the King’s kids and He is worthy to be praised.

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Satan Subject to God

Posted in Job, Knowing God, Satan on March 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

 The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”  Job 1: 6-7

Satan is not equal to God in power or sovereignty; instead Satan is subject to God and cannot act without God’s permission.  Just as we have to give an account to God, so does Satan.  This is why we can stand on the promises of God and know that God is ultimately in control.  However, we also need to understand that Satan is our enemy who seeks to steal, destroy and kill.  As Peter says in the New Testament, Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1 Peter 5:8).  The good news is Satan is limited by God.  Satan is not omnipresent (everywhere) like God.  Satan is not omniscient (knowing everything) like God.  Satan is not God.  Remember Satan was an angel that was thrown out of heaven.

Satan is considered the prince of the earth, but let us remember that when Jesus came He took back dominion over the earth and returned it to man.  Satan is now subject to us.  He really has no power over us unless we give it to him.  We have the authority to say “no” to Satan.  Satan is a defeated foe and the accuser of brethren.  We can silence him by proving his accusations of being false.  Remember Satan wants nothing more than to destroy us. 

We see this in the story of Job.  God is not out to destroy Job, Satan wants him destroyed.  Fortunately, for Job Satan cannot do anything without God’s permission.

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