Job

…His work: Job was a wealthy farmer, herdsman, and landowner.

His character: Next to Jesus Christ, no one in the Bible carries a more remarkable rÔö£┬«sumÔö£┬«. “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil├ö├ç┬¬. He was the greatest man among all the peoples of the East.”

His sorrow: Except for his own life and the life of his spouse, Job lost

everything: cattle, camels, sheep, buildings, servants, and ten children. No one in all of Scripture-except Jesus-suffered more than he. Then to add to the physical devastation, Job had to endure the cross-examination and derision of three friends who clearly did not know what they were talking about.

His triumph: In the end, Job was vindicated by the Lord, and God blessed him with more wealth than he had before. The Lord also gave him ten more children.

Key Scriptures: Job 1

A Look at the Man

…It all seems so unfair. God and Satan climbed into opposing grandstands and thrust the unsuspecting Job into the arena.

“There is no one on earth like him,” God asserted. “He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Of course he’s faithful,” Satan sneered. “Job’s no fool. Look at what you’ve given him. Who wouldn’t be upright with all that prosperity? He’s got a good thing going.” God knew exactly where this conversation was headed. He wrote the script before the earth was formed. “But open your hand and let me strike everything he has,” Satan scoffed. “If I do this, he will curse you to your face. Destroy his things, and then we’ll see how upright he is.”

“Very well,” God replied. “His possessions are all yours.”

In that moment Job walked into the arena alone. And in less than a single day, he lost everything-five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels. In just a few hours, nearly all of Job’s servants were dead, and then, in a final devastating blow, his seven sons and three daughters were destroyed in a tornado.

Job was broken yet steadfast.

But Satan was not ready to concede. “Open your hand and let me strike his body,” Satan chortled to God. “No one can deal with that kind of pain. He will surely curse you to your face.”

“Very well,” God repeated. “His body is yours, but you may not kill him.”

Then, just as Job was burying his last child, painful sores broke out over his entire body. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, he was covered with horrible wounds.

His wife had seen enough. “Are you still holding on to your God? What’s the use?” she mocked. “Curse him and die!”

But Job refused. “Should we accept good from God and not trouble?”

Then three of Job’s friends appeared. For one week they sat quietly with their suffering friend. Not a single word was spoken. At first their kindness opened Job’s heart. Then it opened his mouth. He began the slow and downward spiral of asking “why?” “Why?” he asked one friend, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Why?” he asked another, clinging to his hands. “Why?” he screamed at the sky.

He cursed the day of his birth and expressed his longing to die.

Then Job and his three friends entered into a dialogue that lasted for many days. The conversation was deeply philosophical, tedious, and depressing. The words of Job’s friends were neither comforting nor helpful.

“How long will you torment me and crush me with your words?” Job finally lamented.

Then God spoke to Job. “Brace yourself like a man,” the Almighty began. “I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

Job had never heard anything like this.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?” the sovereign God asked.

“Tell me, if you understand, who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!”

God’s soliloquy continued uninterrupted. He exposed the greatness of his creation and the mystery and power of his being.

Job was stunned by God’s words and overwhelmed by God’s very presence amid his pain. “My ears had heard of you,” Job finally said. “But now my eyes have seen you.”

Reflect On: Job 40:1ÔÇô7

“What should we learn from the life of Job?”…The life of Job is proof that man usually has no idea what God is doing behind the scenes in the life of each believer. All humans ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It is the age-old question, and one that is sometimes difficult to answer in human terms, but believers have an advantage because we know that God is always in control, and, no matter what happens, there are no coincidences-nothing happens by chance. Job was such a man; he knew that God was on the throne and in total control, though he had no way of knowing why so many terrible tragedies were occurring in his life. ……Job was "the richest man of the East" …Job 1:3…3 He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.… His livestock resources (mainly those for caravan duty) were enormous. That certainly meant that he was a successful trade broker and possibly a source for prized stock. He had multiple houses and land-so much so that "bands" from nearby nations were necessary to destroy his wealth.…God had labeled Job "my servant"…Job 1:8…8 Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless-a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil." …Job was much more than a "nice guy." He was probably the wealthiest man of his day, and yet he was of such godly character that God used him to teach Satan a lesson!…Job never lost his faith in God, even under the most heartbreaking circumstances that tested him to his core. It's hard to imagine losing everything we own in one day-property, possessions, and even children. Most men would sink into depression and even become suicidal after such a nightmare; however, Job never wavered in his understanding that God was still in control. Job's three friends, on the other hand, instead of comforting him, gave him bad advice and even accused him of committing sins so grievous that God was punishing him by making his life miserable. Job knew God well enough to know that He did not work that way; in fact, he had such an intimate, personal relationship with Him that he was able to make the statement in Job 13:15…15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope. (An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads God might kill me, but I hope in him.) I am going to argue my case with him.…There is another lesson in the book of Job, and that concerns the bond between husband and wife. Satan declared war on Job, trying to prove that he was only faithful to God because God had blessed him. God allowed Satan to test Job's faith, but He stopped him at the point of taking Job's life …Job 1:12…12 "All right, you may test him," the Lord said to Satan. "Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically." So Satan left the Lord's presence.…God declares that a husband and wife are "one flesh" …Genesis 2:24…24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.…Therefore, because of this God-ordained bond, Satan was forbidden to take the life of Job's wife, as well as that of Job. She obviously did not have faith like that of Job, because her response to the calamity was to tell Job to "curse God and die!”…Job 2:9…9 His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die."… Her faith did not spare her, but her marriage bond with Job did. She was considered the same flesh as her husband, so Satan could not take her life, either.…Job's plight, from the death of his children and loss of his property to the physical torment he endured, plus the unending harangue of his so-called friends, still never caused his faith to waver. He knew who his Messiah was, he knew that He was a living Savior, and he knew that someday He would physically stand on Planet Earth …Job 19:25…25 "But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.…The spiritual depth of Job shows throughout his writings. He understood that man's days are ordained (numbered), and they cannot be changed…Job 14:5…5 You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.…Job described the experience of salvation as one in which men, destined to eternity in "the pit," are ransomed and redeemed by a gracious God who shines His light on them…Job 33:23-30…23 "But if an angel from heaven appears- a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright-…24 he will be gracious and say, 'Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life.'…25 Then his body will become as healthy as a child's, firm and youthful again.…26 When he prays to God, he will be accepted. And God will receive him with joy…and restore him to good standing.…27 He will declare to his friends, 'I sinned and twisted the truth, but it was not worth it. (Greek version reads but he [God] did not punish me as my sin deserved.)…28 God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.'…29 "Yes, God does these things again and again for people.…30 He rescues them from the grave so they may enjoy the light of life.…There are also many scientific and historical facts in the book of Job. He wrote that the earth is round long before it was proven to be so, referring to the "circuit of heaven" …Job 22:14…14 For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.'…He spoke of dinosaurs, living not before man was created as secularists teach today, but living side-by-side with man, as stated in:…Job 40:15…15 "Take a look at Behemoth, (The identification of Behemoth is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature.)which I made, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox.…The book of Job gives us a glimpse behind the veil that separates earthly life from the heavenly. In the beginning of the book, we see that Satan and his fallen angels are still allowed free access to heaven, going in and out to the prescribed meetings that take place there. What is obvious from these accounts is that Satan is busy working his evil on Planet Earth, as recorded in Job 1:6-7…6 One day the members of the heavenly court (Hebrew the sons of God.) came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan,(Hebrew and the satan similarly throughout this chapter.) came with them.7 "Where have you come from?" the Lord asked Satan.Satan answered the Lord, "I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that's going on." Also, this account shows how Satan is "the accuser of the brethren," which corresponds to …Revelation 12:10…10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,"It has come at last- salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. (Or his Messiah.) For the accuser of our brothers and sisters (Greek brothers.) has been thrown down to earth-the one who accuses them before our God day and night.…And it shows his arrogance and pride, as written inIsaiah 14:13-14…13 For you said to yourself,'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars.I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.…(Or on the heights of Zaphon)…14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.'… It is amazing to see how Satan challenges God; he has no scruples about confronting the Most High God because he has no fear of Him. …The account in Job clearly shows Satan as he truly is-haughty, pride-filled, and evil to the core.…Perhaps the greatest lesson we learn from the book of Job is that God does not have to answer to anyone for what He does or does not do. What we learn from Job's experience is that we may never know the specific reason for suffering, but we must trust in our sovereign, holy, righteous God whose ways are perfect…Psalm 18:30…30 God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true.He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.… If God's ways are "perfect," then we can trust that whatever He does-and whatever He allows-is also perfect. This may not seem possible to us, but our minds are not God's mind. It is true that we can't expect to understand His mind perfectly, as He reminds us …Isaiah 55:8-9…8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.…9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.…Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him, and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. When we do, we will see more clearly the magnificence of our God and we will say, with Job, …Job 42:5…5 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

"My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you" (Job 42:5).

Absolute Trust

Job 13:15-16…15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope. (An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads God might kill me, but I hope in him.) I am going to argue my case with him.…16 But this is what will save me-I am not godless.If I were, I could not stand before him.…The patriarch Job was, according to God’s own testimony, the most perfect and upright man in all the earth Job 1:8yet he was subjected to the most severe testings that anyone (except Christ Himself) ever had to endure. He lost all his great possessions and his large family in a single day, then was afflicted for months on end with a most loathsome and painful disease. He lost the respect of all who had once honored and followed him and was even accused by his closest friends of being a wicked sinner and arrogant hypocrite. Worst of all, the God whom he had loved and faithfully served all his life had apparently completely ignored his prayers for deliverance, or even for understanding of what was happening to him. Finally, a presumptuous young religionist related what he (falsely) claimed was a divine message that even God had accused Job of sin and hypocrisy.

Yet, despite all this, Job never once lost his faith! “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” he insisted. “For I know that my redeemer liveth” Job 19:25, and “He also shall be my salvation”

What an example has been provided us by this ancient patriarch, whose knowledge of God’s Word, God’s love, and God’s great salvation through faith in Christ was only a small fraction of what we know now, with God’s complete revelation before us.

The apostle James well reminds us of “the patience of Job,” probably the greatest example of all “the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience” (James 5:10-11). We can, like Job, know that He who created us deserves absolute trust. James 5:10-11…10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.