#636 "Consider My Servant Job"

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 4 His 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. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed[a] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
Satan Allowed to Test Job

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[b] also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around 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 stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants[c] with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job 1 ESV

This is the first of the Poetic books, one of the most ancient writings in our Bible, and if I have failed to mention it before, God is sovereign and that is my understanding of all that occurs herein. This is the Mariana trench, and while we may be able to describe depth, we cannot deal so easily with the pressure. Shall we walk away for fear of drowning then, or the terror of being exposed? Will all I think I know of God or believe about myself hold up? 

So here I have come back to this place, and I remember on a Sunday in Volusia county, at a church in Ormond Beach, close to the birth of Lily, I remember a preacher saying, "Consider my servant Job." He said it trembling, in awe and wonder, and each time he said it, I felt it all the more, "consider my servant Job." Oh God, I thought, please do not have such conversations about me. 

It says that Job is blameless, and in the whole counsel of God, I understand there to be original sin, and I do not think this implies that Job is sinless, but rather on a horizontal plane, there is nothing that anyone could say against him, yet they will. He fears God and that this is so old, it seems to be after the order of Melchizedek, he seeks to walk upright and to turn away from evil. His affection is toward the true God, Creator of all things. I remember sitting in my pew that day, thinking that there was good reason for God not to have this conversation about me. I was not blameless before men, it was just a short time before that day, that I was a drunk and before that a drug addict. I had claimed the name of God's Son, that I was one of His followers, but I had never denied myself, never taken up that cross. I was not blameless before men, in saying "Christian", but living like the vile wretch I was, greedy, envious, violent, a thief, I did not have the love of Christ in me.

It says that Job was great in the land as pertains to the wealth of that time. He enjoyed family, and even though his children were grown, he was still a priest to them, sacrificing for each member of his family. This was a rich and materially blessed life, but also a life that acknowledged sin and the need for atonement, even for those hidden sins, that which we may not have recognized as sin in our heart.

The sons of God came and their leader was among them. Now these were the angels of old, created to the glory of God, to worship Him, His messengers. These are the third of the stars that fell from heaven, and Satan (Lucifer), is the one who tried to exalt himself before God. He fell for the sin of pride, a created thing, wanting the position of the Creator, to be exalted, to be worshiped. He cannot fill the place of Creator, of the infinite and eternal God, and yet God being light, the devil thinks there is this niche, to be God's opposite equal in the dark. The only close comparison to himself is not God, for God is, He is "I Am", God does not come into being, but rather is being, so there exists no yen and yang between the two. His closest reasonable adversary would be Michael or Gabriel, for they are also angels, created things. Yet here we find that when asked to give account of himself, he was out roaming the earth, like a lion, seeking whom he may devour, pointing the finger always against man, hoping to find fault in God.

"Have you considered my servant Job?"  God knows what we think, and he knows the heart of the devil is always looking, always hunting for a way to honor himself. Remember these things are for our learning, but here all the angels receive an education as well, for who among them or us is wise? The devil cannot help himself, "Job is only as good as the gifts you have given him. I know the answer to this, take away his wealth, remove the arrows from his quiver, and he will curse you." Now with David we saw that it caused pain and uncertainty, but he comes in the end and through his adversity to say, "though You slay me, yet will I praise You." When he was rich, now that was when he was actually at his worse. It says in God's word that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Solomon enjoyed great wealth, but he did not walk blamelessly before God or man; his life directed others towards folly. Job is different from all these, he may lack in his doctrine, for his is but a candle, and his Theology may want for this as well, but God says there is none like him. What an affront this must be to one who has enjoyed so much access, but has chosen delusion instead. Ok, then take his property and his children, but go no further, that is your boundary.  

Now, one day, they are all together, enjoying a birthday party or some other celebration, and think about that, it is the opposite of what we have inherited under the curse. They celebrate life, and it is death that is the promised wage for sin, but God has shown compassion, He has held back His hand for a time. There is nothing or anyone here that He cannot rightly take; it all belongs to Him, and everyone is bound in this entropy, and there is no set time, but no one is expecting it on a day like this. It is a beautiful day of family, food and wine, a wonderful and joyous celebration, but then one by one the reports come in, they are all gone, your animals, your holdings, servants and children. I do not know the heart of the devil, though I have held hands with him on numerous occasions, never to my good, but I would think this must give him some pause to consider, listen to the words of Job after he tore his clothes and shaved his head:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return." Was I ever so humble? I did not make myself, there is no grasping at the things I have borrowed, have been made God's steward of, money, land, health, family, it was all His to begin with. "No, no,' you say, ' I have worked too hard for this, I deserve this, these are the hands and feet that have gotten me here." But did you make them my friend, did you design this planet and all these resources? 

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." I worship You because You are God, not because of what You do for me. I bless Your name because You are Holy and I am not. You have understanding beyond all this that I do not. I cannot now sin against You for taking back what belongs to you or for acting on the part of justice before the time I hoped. 

"Consider my servant,          ."

This wonderful triumph of faith did not come from Job acting alone, but only as Job reacted to these disasters filled with and connected to God. We are not told that the Spirit of God filled Job to react this way and say these things, but we know it to be true. Satan was acting; but so was God in heaven. “He saith to himself, ‘If Satan shall do much, I will do more; if he takes away much, I will give more; if he tempts the man to curse, I will fill him so full of love to me that he shall bless me. I will help him; I will strengthen him; yea, I will uphold him with the right hand of my righteousness.’” (Spurgeon)

 For jwe do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against kthe rulers, against the authorities, against lthe cosmic powers over mthis present darkness, against nthe spiritual forces of evil oin the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12