10/22/2011 9:47:12 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job’s Adversity
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 1:6-19
Message of the verses: “6 ¶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." 8 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 "Have You not made a hedge about 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 put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." 12 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
‘13 ¶ Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 16 While he was still speaking, another also came 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 still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’”
In the account above we see that Job has lost all of his material blessings along with all of his children in one day. It is because the author of Job has taken us into the throne room of God that we know why all of this happened to Job, but think if we had not known why all of this happened wouldn’t we tend to be like Job’s friends and think that all of this happened because Job had sinned against the Lord is some large way. I suppose that all of the times that I have read the book of Job that this through had never crossed my mind, for I always looked at the story as it was told and therefore I was always upset with his friends, yet perhaps I would have done the same thing if I did not realize the whole story behind the story. Job knew what had happened to him, but he did not know why all of this happened to him.
The first thing we can learn from this is that God is sovereign in all things. We know from different Scriptures that God is on His throne and so He is the One who is in control. Not even Satan can do anything to God’s people without God’s permission. The writer of Job wants his readers to clearly understand that God is in control.
I don’t know if this second truth will surprise you at all, but we see in the passage above that Satan can come into the presence of God. I don’t remember who it was, but a long time ago I heard a speaker talking about the destruction of heaven and earth that is found in the latter part of Revelations, I think chapter twenty-one. The question came up as to why heaven, the place where God lives, be destroyed and the answer that he gave was right from this section of Job, and that is that Satan had access to heaven and therefore it was tainted with sin and therefore would be destroyed.
There will come a day when Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, but now he is free to roam the earth and cause trouble for God’s people.
The next truth we see here is that God did not find any fault with Job, but Satan found fault with Job. Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:44: “"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” This is an example of one of Satan’s lies that is finding fault with Job.
Dr. Wiersbe writes: “This is a courtroom scene, and God and Satan each deliver verdicts about Job. As you study this book, keep in mind that God said ‘Not guilty!’ (1:8; 2:3; 42:7) There is nothing in Job’s life that compelled God to cause him to suffer. But Satan said ‘Guilty!’ Because e is the accuser of God’s people and finds nothing good in them (Zech. 3; Rev. 12:10).
“Satan’s accusation against Job was really an attack on God. We might paraphrase it like this: ‘The only reason Job fears You is because You pay him to do it. You two have made a contract: You protect him and prosper him as long as he obeys You and worships You. You are not a God worthy of worship! You have to pay people to honor You.”
After reading this statement I find it easier to put things into perspective as far as understanding this book better.
Dr. Wiersbe goes on to say “The fundamental reason for Job’s suffering was to silence the blasphemous accusations of Satan and prove that a man would honor God even though he had lost everything. It was a battle ‘in the heavenlies’ (Ephesians 6:12), but Job did not know it. Job’s life was a battlefield where the forces of God and Satan were engaged in a spiritual struggle to decide the question, ‘Is Jehovah God worthy of man’s worship?’”
The fourth and last truth that emerges from this section of Scripture is “Satan can touch God’s people only with God’s permission, and God uses it for their good and His glory. “
As believers we are to bring glory to God, and our goal should be what is found in Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” Now all of this fits into the thing that I write most every day in my SD, and that is to learn contentment. Paul writes in the last part of Philippians 4:11 that he had learned to be contented in all things, and the way that he learned it was the same way that Job learned it, and the same way all believers learn and that is going through troubles. Dr. Wiersbe pointed out at the beginning of his commentary on Job that he realized that in order to write his commentary more effectively that he would have to go through trials, and that is what he told his wife. He points out that he did go through some trials, but not what they were, and this made it easier for him to relate to Job. Whenever I think about Paul writing that he had learned contentment I am truly amazed, for this is a difficult thing to learn, but in learning it we become conformed to the Lord which should be all believer’s goal.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: We are not told all that went through Job’s mind when he received all of this terrible news, but what we do see is a man who handled it in a mature way, trusting the Lord even in all of this tragedy that he was going through, and after all that is the best thing to do. For this my respect for Job is “off the chart.”
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Put on the spiritual armor; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
10/22/2011 10:38:03 AM
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