Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the first of the poetic books of the Bible, the story of Job. We have all heard of “the patience of Job.” But I’m not so sure that most people understand this book’s importance to the ancient Hebrew people or to us today.
The ancient Hebrew culture taught
that if a person was successful, it was because he was a good person in the eyes
of God. Conversely, they believed that
an evil person or one who did not follow God’s leadership would never be rich
in this world. At times, we see that God
gives earthly blessings to those who are obedient to Him (Abraham, David,
Solomon for example) and we do see, at times, that God removes earthly blessings
from those who are not obedient (Cain, Lot, Saul for example). But the correlation between worldly success or
failure and obedience to God cannot always be made. After all, God allowed foreign, pagan kings
to overthrow Israel when Israel was disobedient. Those pagan kings were not obedient to God,
but He allowed them to prosper in order to chastise God’s people. We will see in Job that his obedience was no
guarantee that he would not suffer, just as our obedience today is no guarantee
that we will not suffer. As a matter of
fact, we are told to expect suffering, especially if we are following Christ,
since the world and it’s prince, Satan, are diametrically opposed to Him.
God has
generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also
of suffering for Christ’s sake. (Philippians 1:29)
As long as this
world suffers under the penalty and consequences of sin, anyone living in this
world will be subjected to suffering.
And at the same time, many will be rich and successful, whether they are
following God or not.
He makes the sun
rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the
unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45b)
The main theme of the book of Job
is the sovereignty of God. Although
Satan is allowed to devastate this world for the time being, his power is
limited by Almighty, Sovereign God. As a
matter of fact, he is only like a pawn in God’s hand. We can take great comfort in knowing that any
suffering that we are allowed to face is no surprise to God and that God limits
the amount of our suffering, just as Satan was restricted to taking all but Job’s
life.
The Adversary answered the Lord, “Does Job
revere God for nothing? Haven’t you fenced him in—his house and all he has—and
blessed the work of his hands so that his possessions extend throughout the
earth? But stretch out your hand and strike all he has.
He will certainly curse you to your face.” The Lord said to the Adversary,
“Look, all he has is within your power; only don’t stretch out your hand
against him.” So the Adversary left the Lord’s presence. (Job 1:9-12)
No temptation has seized you that isn’t common
for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your
abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that
you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
So why did God allow Job to be tested? God already knew that Job was a righteous man
and, being all-knowing, he knew that Job’s heart would not be turned against
Him. I will not pretend to know God’s
motives – His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts are deeper than
mine. But I can see at least three reasons
for Job’s testing. First of all, God
proved the power of faith that Job had in Him to Satan. That same power of faith is available to us,
and Satan knows it. Secondly, God proved
the power of faith to Job. He taught Job
to not listen to the advice of men, but to trust only in God, never allowing
his faith to be undermined by the wisdom of the world. We need to learn that lesson, too. We need to be careful about who we go to for
advice, especially when we are suffering.
The wisdom of this world is in total opposition to faith in God. Remember, “Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, King James
Version) Worldly wisdom is based on
logic and common sense, not faith. And
thirdly, God was preparing His people, Israel, to receive Messiah. This third lesson is where we can see Christ
in the book of Job, some believe to be the oldest book in the Bible. From before the beginning, God was preparing this
world to receive His Messiah, His Ransom for His sinful people.
Remember that the Hebrew culture taught that
righteousness guaranteed blessings and that unrighteousness guaranteed curses. God needed to change that way of thinking in
order for His people to be receptive to Messiah, so He gave us Job, a
foreshadowing, a type of Christ:
· Job was a good man, wealthy and powerful. Jesus, God’s Holy Son, owns all the silver
and gold in the world. He is all-powerful.
A man in the land of Uz was named Job. That man
was honest, a person of absolute integrity; he feared God and avoided evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and
owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred pairs of oxen,
five hundred female donkeys, and a vast number of servants, so that he was
greater than all the people of the east. (Job 1:1-3)
The silver and the gold belong to me, says the Lord
of heavenly forces. (Haggai 2:8)
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the
one who is first over all creation, because all things were created by him: both
in the heavens and on the earth, the things that are visible and the things
that are invisible. Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities,
all things were created through him and for him. He existed before all things, and
all things are held together in him. (Colossians 1:15-17)
· Job’s wealth, family, and esteem were taken
from him. Because of His love for us, Jesus
left the splendor of heaven to be born in a stable, raised by a carpenter,
never to have earthly riches or esteem. When Adam sinned, all humanity was separated
from Jesus by sin.
One day Job’s sons and daughters were eating
and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. A
messenger came to Job and said: “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys were
grazing nearby when the Sabeans took them and killed the
young men with swords. I alone escaped to tell you.” While this messenger was
speaking, another arrived and said: “A raging fire fell from the sky and burned
up the sheep and devoured the young men. I alone escaped to tell you.” While
this messenger was speaking, another arrived and said: “Chaldeans set up three
companies, raided the camels and took them, killing the young men with swords.
I alone escaped to tell you.” While this messenger was speaking, another
arrived and said: “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in
their oldest brother’s house, when a strong wind came from the desert and
struck the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people, and they
died. I alone escaped to tell you.” (Job 1:13-19)
I have come down from heaven not to do my will,
but the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38)
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
(Matthew 8:20, New King James Version)
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3, King James Version)
And they heard the sound of the Lord God
walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. . . therefore
the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which
he was taken. (Genesis 3:8, 23, New King James Version)
· God allowed Job to be tested as we saw above,
and God also allowed Jesus to be tested by Satan. Neither Job nor Jesus lost faith in God.
Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the
wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. (Matthew 4:1)
Because we don’t have a high priest who can’t
sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way
that we are, except without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
· Job suffered physical pain. Jesus was beaten, crowned with thorns, and
crucified, suffering pain unto death.
The Adversary departed from the Lord’s presence
and struck Job with severe sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his
head. (Job 2:7)
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
· Job’s riches, family, and health were restored
to him. Jesus was victorious over death, He lives
and reigns in splendor and power, and because He ransomed us from sin and
death, we now are able to have fellowship with Him, victorious for eternity.
Then the Lord blessed Job’s latter days more
than his former ones. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one
thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He
also had seven sons and three daughters. . . After this, Job lived 140 years
and saw four generations of his children. (Job 42:12-13, 16)
And the angel answered and said unto the women,
Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not
here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
(Matthew 28:5-6, King James Version)
And what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which
he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own
right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave
him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:19-23, King James Version)
So the lessons God was teaching the children of
Israel, He is still teaching all of us today.
Don’t trust in your good works to save you, but trust only in Him and
the ransom He paid to to give us victory over the power of sin. When hard times come, don’t be
surprised. If God allowed His own Son to
suffer, why should we not also suffer?
God loves us and will never give us more suffering than we can bear with
His help. When that suffering comes, be
careful about who you go to for help. Go
to God first, and then if you go to friends, be sure their counsel is wise and
Biblical, not just empty sympathy.
My prayer for you and for me this week is Job’s
declaration:
Dear
God, Though (You) slay me, yet will I trust in (You). (Job 13:15a)
All Scripture is from Common English Version
unless otherwise noted.
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