27 Job

Job, Yes there was a man in the bible called Job. But you didn’t pronounce it like Job. it was like Jobe. Robe, Jobe…… He was a man of great faith. They call him the Tested Man.

Imagine the worse day of your life and how you felt on that day. Job faced that kind of day, he really had everything in life – an amazing wife, seven sons, three daughters, thousands of sheep, camels and goats. That was where your wealth lied in the bible, on how many animals you had. That was your worth and he had tons. The bible tells us that Job was in fact the richest person in that entire area. Usually such enormous wealth goes to peoples heads, but in this case, the Bible is clear that Job was still – A man of complete integrity.

So, satan approached God with a plan to put Job to the test, convinced that if all Job’s material blessings were removed, then he would cease to be such a big time believer and curse God instead. So God gave satan permission to test Job, and on that very same day, Job lost all his servants, all his animals, and children. One thing after the other. There was a fire in the field and he lost all the animals. All the children were under one roof and the roof fell in and killed them all, every single one of them. Can you imagine. He was wiped out immediately. Job was stricken with grief. All this unimaginable tragedy in his life, like all at once!!! However, he did not curse God, not once. So satan starts afflicting Job with illness big time, convinced that this would turn Job’s heart from the Lord. Poor Job was stricken with various illnesses and skin problems, so ugly even his wife turned away from him. All this and Job remains faithful. God knew he would. Job was initially very patient, but finally he broke down and said he wished he was never born or that he had succumbed to death immediately after his birth. Atleast then he would have been spared all of this suffering..

Then comes along three of his good friends. They sit with him for one week before even speaking a word. They are awed and horrified at the awful extent of his suffering. They then speak up and there is this big conversation between the three of them. They think he is suffering because he had sinned. Job has not sinned, and wouldn’t sin and he continually defends his innocence. Despite that his friends thought he did something wrong in the eyes of God, and even Job questions God, and what he was doing. But not once did Job ever curse God, and he never turned away from God. He had strong faith. So how did all this end? Well after this big debate among these men, God appeared and spoke directly to Job. He ignored their debate completely, however, and instead confronted Job with a series of questions. He quite clearly shows Job where his ignorance lies. They are quite the questions too. Like where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Etc. He leaves Job speechless.

This story in the bible deals with an age old problem: If God is good and just and powerful, why do good people suffer? Because it is not God, it is satan that is the culprit behind all of this. And if you have faith and hold onto it during the hard times in your life, there will be a better outcome for you. In the end, God gives Job twice as many worldly goods as he had in the beginning. God also restores the same number of children as he had before. The account of Job shows that God is aware of the suffering of his people, even when he doesn’t step in and stop it. However, God always rewards perseverance and spiritual patience. so we must be patient. So as you can see satan wasn’t impressed by God’s praise of Job. Of course Job was on good terms with God, he blessed everything Job did. Satan suspected that if Job’s good fortune, and life suddenly came to an end, Job’s loyalty to God would too. So God gave satan permission to perform the experiment or test. Satan could do whatever he wanted, so long as he didn’t harm Job’s actual person. so you see.. hold true and things will work out for you. Don’t give into satan and his tests!!! You really should read the whole book to understand. Basically what Job is all about is that it is not God that inflicts pain and suffering. It is satan. And whatever pain you have suffered. God is and always will be there for you if you keep the faith.

And notice what Job did, or rather did not do . “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” The big question that people have asked through the years is why does God allow bad things to happen, and like Job we do not always know the answer to that question. We may not always understand why, but there are some things of which the Bible assures us:. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us….And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” . Thus, we can be assured that God does have a plan whether we recognize it or not. With this attitude, then, we can use the trials of life to draw nearer to God and let Him use them for our good, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” . Suffering can either make us bitter or better; Job's example encourages us to let it make us better.

The book of Job is God's inspired answer to the issue of suffering in life. Again, in this life we may never fully understand all the whys and wherefores, but there are some conclusions that we can reach based upon what God has revealed in His word. Whatever happens, God is still there, He is still in control, and He always cares for us . He may not necessarily remove the difficulties that we face, as in the case of Paul's thorn in the flesh. However, He will bless us as we have need and finally glorify us, promising that if we remain faithful until death we shall receive the crown of life.