10/24/2011 9:12:33 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Job’s Misery
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 2:1-3:26
Message of the verses: Because of the length of the section that we are about to cover I have chosen to break it up into two different SD’s. We will look at “The voice of the accuser” and “The voice of the quitter” in today’s SD, and then in the next SD we will look at “The voice of the mourners,” and “The voice of the sufferer.”
“The voice of the accuser” Job 2:1-8: “ 1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." 3 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. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause." 4 Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 "However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face." 6 So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."
“7 Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.”
It is not known how long between the time that Job lost all of his family and property that the time that Satan afflicted him. What we need to look at in this section is what the Lord told Satan and that is that Satan had lost this battle, for all that he had done to Job did not cause him to sin, for Job was without blame in all that happened to him. The Lord then tells Satan that he had incited “Me” against him to ruin him without cause. Job had done nothing to incur all that had happened to him, but his friends would continue to tell him that he must have sinned or done something wrong in order to have all these thing happen to him.
At this time I wish to quote a paragraph from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary: “Not all physical affliction comes directly from the evil one, though Satan’s demons can cause (among other things) blindness (Matt. 12:22), dumbness (9:32), physical deformities (Luke 13:11-17), incessant pain (2Cor. 12:7), and insanity (Matt. 8:28-34). Sometimes physical affliction is the natural result of carelessness on our part, and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. But even then, Satan knows how to use our folly to further his cause.”
“The voice of the quitter (Job 2:9-10) : “9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" 10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
Now we come to the part of the story of the book of Job when some women will tell you that Job’s wife endured the same losses in the first attack of Satan that he did and therefore has a right to be upset over what happened to both of them. I believe that this is true, however Job does not handle it in the same way that she did, for it says “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
Job’s wife was tempting him with the very thing that Satan wanted him to do, but Job did not give into the temptation. Adam listened to his wife, and Abraham listened to his wife and they both sinned, but Job did not. Satan can use even those who are close to us to cause us to sin.
In looking at his wife’s situation as stated above she had lost all that Job had lost with the exception of her health, and perhaps she was feeling sorry for him and said this so that there would be a quick ending to Job because of the way that he was looking and feeling, perhaps if he cursed God, then God would take his life.
We see in this that Job would not give up his faith in God nor give up his integrity, and that is exactly what his wife wanted him to give up. “Job was going to trust God—and even argue with God!—and not waste his sufferings or his opportunity to receive what God had for him.”
Dr. Wiersbe writes, “In the end, Job’s wife was reconciled to her husband and to the Lord, and God gave her another family (42:13). We don’t know how much she learned from her sufferings; but we can assume it was a growing experience for her.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I like the way that Job answered his wife when she suggested to him that he curse God and then die, for he did not argue with her, and he probably did not yell at her, but simply said that she was speaking as a foolish woman, and that we are to accept both the good and bad things that come from God. I would suppose that we learn much more from the troubles in our life than from our good times, even though we enjoy the good times more when they are happening to us.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
2. “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
3. “10 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,”
4. “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
10/24/2011 10:15:12 AM
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