Job

"We serve a good God who de-feeted a bad devil that no longer holds sway over us."

THERE WAS A MAN in the land of Uz, whose reputation was HATED. And so begins the book of Job. It goes on to say that Job, his name means "hated," was an upright, moral man, who feared God, and turned away from evil. Whatever men thought of Job, God called him righteous, the meaning of “upright.”

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1)

Job was the greatest man in the east. Greatest in magnitude. Greatest in substance (Job 1:3). He was also an important man. He sat in the assembly at the gate where men stopped to listen (Job 29:7-8). He was well-known, and we see from these happenings that some were jealous. They plotted to steal all he had (Job 1:15,17)

Uz (ootz) was in the Arabian desert, in what is now modern Saudi Arabia. There, violent storms often tore across the land. And violent tribesmen, nomadic people unafraid to steal, kill, and destroy (Job 1:15, 17; John 10:10) Satan put it in their heart. While roaming the earth, he had set his heart on Job (Job 1:8; Luke 11:24).

God noticed (Job 1:6).

Satan tried to blend in with the sons of God when he presented himself before God, though he wasn't one of them (Job 1:6). He couldn't wait to be out of the Presence of God (Job 1:12). He had come in only for this reason. This whole thing made him exceedingly uncomfortable (Job 1:12). His best bet, since he no longer knew the thoughts of God, he'd fallen from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18) ... his idea, today, was to play the blame game. He'd accuse Job, Satan means “accuser,” he’d accuse him of not being like God at all (Genesis 1:26; Revelation 12:10). Just as soon as something went wrong, Job would curse God and sin. That's what he'd say. "You hurt him, and he'll hate you (Job 1:8)." So much for men being made in God's image (Genesis 1:26). He'd prove otherwise.

Good and honest, righteous Job had ten children, 7 boys and 3 girls, who didn't share their dad's worship of the Almighty. Where good men worked to earn their keep, Job's kids drank their lives away on daddy's dime, not caring how the sun rose or set (Job 1:13; Proverbs 24:30-34). Job worried about his children. What if they'd sinned against God? What if they did the unthinkable and rebelled against Him? Afraid for them, he prepared a sacrifice on their behalf. Something he did continually (Job 1:5; Job 3:25). God had so blessed the work of his hands and protected him. But sometimes, the Lord gave and sometimes He took away. This is what Job believed (Job 1:21). From God you received good. From God you receive evil (Job 2:10). Yet, He praised God.

God knew everything. All the thoughts and intents of the heart (Job 42:2; Hebrew 4:12). Nothing was hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:13). He knew the man Job feared God and avoided evil (Job 1:1,9). Though Job's understanding of evil and Satan fell short (Job 38:2), though he was outside of Abraham’s covenant in his ancestors (Job 1:1 “Uz”), Job worshipped Him well (Job 1:20;Job 42:7). Satan He also knew, knew his desire to destroy Job and knew how he planned to do it (John 8:11). God loved Job (1 John 4:8). He did not fear Satan, the accuser (James 1:13) but had big plans to destroy all his works (1 John 3:8). No being that He'd created could sin and continue to lord it over man (Luke 10:19).

God did not hold hands with evil. It was no temptation to Him (James 1:13). But man, He knew, was taken by many temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). And this deceit of Satan which had captured Job's thinking would cause great grief (Job 3:25;Job 3:1). What Job didn't know of God's loving nature (1 John 4:8), He would pour out upon him and bless him in the end, returning to him double for what he'd lose (Job 42:10). He would never leave or forsake a righteous man (Hebrews 13:5;Psalm 37:25). His desire for His creation was to do good (Psalm 119:68). One day, He'd send a Daysman (Job 9:33), a Mediator, God Himself to save them (1 Timothy 2:5).

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5 KJV)

"Curse God and die!" Job’s wife said (Job 2:9).

Job stared at her, understanding her pain, but not her words against God (Job 2:10). Boils had broken out upon him (Job 2:7). A potsherd in his grasp, he scraped at them and mourned (Job 2:8). No, she was wrong. What God had done he would submit to in obedience. Though, his mood souring, depression settling in, he didn't see a way out (Job 3:11;Job 7:4).

God provided a way (Job 42:10). But from Job's words, we can see what Light about God he lacked (Job 40:4). We must look at the book of Job from what God has revealed in the New Covenant (Ephesians 1:9). We have the work of the cross. Job did not. We have the Holy Spirit within and upon us. Job did not. We know that because God so loved the world He died in our place then raised us up into heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). God revealed Himself to Job in the last few chapters, and Job repented for all he had said that was wrong about God (Job 40:4). God then had him pray for his friends, whose words were unrighteous (Job 42:7,10). From Job's life we see not only the work of the devil to kill Job (Job 2:7) but the forgiveness of God and Job's patience in enduring (James 5:11). What men have misunderstood of Job's story is cleared up when read in the eyes of the Spirit.

“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:11 KJV)

We serve a good God who de-feeted a bad devil that no longer holds sway over us (Colossians 2:15). This is the story of Job. God is not divided between good and evil now and was not divided then, but He is singular in purpose and entirely holy (Luke 11:17-18). He is Light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). In this truth, we stand and rejoice. For God is our Savior, Resurrected and crowned in a plan foreordained before the beginning of time (1 Peter 1:20). A plan revealed and celebrated in Jesus Christ, and though Job did not know Him, he saw the evidence of him in what God did for him.

Let’s get it right.

“After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.” (Job 42:16-17 KJV)

*This has been a paraphrase of the story of Job. Note the Scripture references which validate the truth. Also, great light came from the Bible365 broadcasts of Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.

Image by K47 from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com