It seems almost a joke I am speaking on the book of Job because it is known by my family and Rob I really do not have much positive consideration for this book. The first time I read it all the way through from beginning to end was torture until I got to chapter 38, which talks about who God is. Honestly I just got tired of hearing Job whining and his friends being really lame from chapter 3 to 37. God has a funny sense of humor when it comes to these things.
Job 1:1-3,6 - 2:10
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East…
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan {the Adversary} also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
8 Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around 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 now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
12 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job Loses His 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 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed 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, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed 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 daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly 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 are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Job 2
Satan Attacks Job’s Health
1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
3 Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”
4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to 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 shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
As my friend and I were reading and I was further explaining the situation, a few verses stuck out to me in chapters 1 and 2 where Job was described as blameless and a man of integrity. I said to my bible study partner (who you will see I am very relaxed with), “Wow, okay so Job is the guy who is blameless, Satan asked for him, and God allowed Satan to tempt Job and put Him through rough times. Remember this guy had lost his livestock and his crops from fire that appeared to have come from God, lost his sons and daughters, he’s been raided and lost the rest of his possessions and servants, and now he has boils all over his body. Crazy, I mean this guy did nothing to deserve this. To be honest it seems a bit unfair if you put our human understanding to it. God sees this guy as blameless first off and then He lets Satan do those things to Job? I mean who can you even think of today who are seen as blameless by God?”
My brain began to roll to the “superstar Christians” I knew and then something hit me…”You are.” And then almost with a shout I said, “Dude, WE ARE!” We are seen as blameless! We are because Jesus came and died for our sins, you and I have both accepted Him into out life, given Him our hearts and minds, and are pursuing a life that looks like Jesus, so that His life as the ultimate sacrifice has covered our sins! God sees us as blameless!”
Yes, my friend looked at me a bit strange by the crazy eyes I am sure I had at this point, but it is too late because we are rolling! So to you now…if you have turned your life over to Christ…YOU ARE BLAMELESS. Satan the accuser has nothing on you! He will try and He will come to God pointing out all our wrongs and God’s response will be, “I see my Son, there is no sin in them.” Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down...””
Here is a question I am sure you are thinking at the moment: If Job was seen as blameless and I am seen as blameless why does God allow all those terrible things to happen? This story demonstrates that when bad things happen to us here on earth, it has nothing to do with God getting back at you or punishing you. Job was seen as blameless by God, same as you. Let’s go back to Job 2:10, ““You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Will you only take the good? As a Christian, bad things will still happen to you because you are still living in the fallen world called ‘Earth.’ Heaven is where there are no tears or sorrow. The cool thing though is that God uses those rough times for you to finally see who God is and to develop a relationship with Him, making those bad times for your good as it says in Genesis 50:20 if you let Him.
Another thing that sticks out to me here as well is that Job really did do nothing to deserve anything that happened to him, and if you think about your own life, we deserve every bad thing that happens to you and me and more. We actually do not even deserve to live because of what a sinful selfish life we are all living. Yet God sees us the same way he sees his servant Job who really was a man of integrity. We have been made righteous by Christ Jesus alone.
Now who of you think God is a betting man? Do you think God knew how Job was going to react? Do you think He knew Satan would ask for Job? Luke 22:31-32, “31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.””
So the group conclusion is that God knew, correct? If God knew Satan would ask, He knew how Job would react, meaning he knew Job’s timeline or life path in a way…does that mean God knows your TIMELINE as well? Yes! God knows exactly who you are in present and who you are becoming and where you have been. He knows your strengths, He knows what truth you know of Him, and He knows what you can handle and better yet what you can handle with Him fighting right by your side. Your timeline to Him is in 5D or in other words beyond our understanding. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”” God knows what you are made of. He will not throw anything at you that you cannot bear without Him by your side. He knew Job would stand strong in God when everything was going miserably around him. (Romans 8:26, 28, 34, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”)
A question to ask yourself: Are you willing to do what Job did? In the story his wife told him to let go of his integrity and to “Curse God and die!” How many times are we cursing God by throwing our sins in His presence without a thought? How many of you have compromised your integrity for trash on this earth? Yes, we are blameless in God’s sight, but as it says in Romans 6:1-2, “1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Ask yourself what decisions can you begin to make to not just be seen blameless by God, but to live a blameless life, a life of integrity to the world to show them what being Christ-like really means?
Here is a point I feel God showed me through my friend Adam’s story with his baby: I had asked Adam how his new baby was and his response was “Much better now.” I laughed because honestly this was a strange response and I gave him a look saying ‘explain.’ Adam went on to tell me he is away at work all day so he does not get the interaction his wife gets with their baby and even when he would come home the baby just drooled, ate, and slept and really did not interact with him. He loved his baby so much and he wanted so badly to connect with him, but really was not getting anything returned yet. Well now the baby is maturing, starting to smile with Adam, interacting with him by flailing his arms and making noises back and Adam loves this because He is starting to feel like a dad. As I left for my walk my mind kept rolling on what Adam had said. I began to think how the baby will continue to grow and Adam’s interaction will increase as well and soon Adam will be showing his son new games, explaining the world to him, teaching him life lessons, and continually protecting him from dangers in the world. It then clicked to me that what Adam is feeling with his baby God feels the same way with us as Christians. He desires to interact, to teach us, to play with us and laugh with us. God desires to feel like our Father! But like so many Christians we never grow past the milk phase and never really experience a relationship with God. It does not mean that God loves us any less; just the same way that Adam does not love his baby any less. It means that God is not experiencing the joy of interacting with His child and we are not experiencing the joy of having our Father teaching, leading, and protecting us in our life. It is when we begin to grow spiritually and eat the meat God is giving us through our daily experiences, reading His word, and through prayer that a relationship with God begins to develop.
Excerpt from a write up I found:
“We should not forget that every year has its many challenges and unexpected trials. These, too, are a part of the goodness of God if we face them with faith and trust in Him. Job found this out and has taught us that the highway to God’s blessings is the road of patience.
America today is a most blessed nation and the evidence of God’s unfailing love is everywhere to be seen. There are great challenges in the land, but I hope that instead these will awaken in us trust, prayer and patience, for “out of Zion (the Christian Church) will radiate the perfection of beauty”. So said the ancient Psalmist of Israel and thus, morning by morning throughout the year, we will experience God’s mercies and love.”
Job 42:12-16, “Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning… Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and full of days.” God wants to bless your time here and knock off anything that is not of Him so you can end your life here on earth knowing you have walked the walk God has called you to in Him.
Trust God and wait on Him so you can be an adornment to Him and be blessed by Him. I do not know about you, but I want God to say this to me when I get to heaven as the master says to his servant in Matthew 25, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”
Take aways:
1. You are righteous in God’s eyes once you have…
a. Putting your faith in Jesus Christ as your savior
b. Accepted Him into your heart and so into your life
c. Life meaning a change of direction by following a life in Christ
d. In doing this you are laying your life and sins at His feet and accepting Christ’s righteousness as your own
2. What is happening in your life is not because God is angry with you and getting back at you
a. God LOVES you!!
b. God desires to be your father, so let Him.
c. Hebrews 10:16-17, “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
3. God is your Father who wants to show you Himself and His creation.
a. Your Father wants to teach you many things.
b. Your Father wants to help you conquer and come out victorious the mountains in your life
Questions:
1. Do you consider yourself righteous by God’s eyes? Why or why not.
a. Galatians 2:16, “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”
b. Romans 3:22-24-5:1-2, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus… Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
2. What areas of your life have you been giving to the trash of this world and not to God?
a. Galatians 2:20-21, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
b. Romans 6:1-2, “1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
3. Are you willing to trust God since He sees your past, present, and future, He knows what He is doing with your life when you give it to Him?
a. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you (for peace and not of evil), plans to give you hope and a future.”
b. Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
4. Ask yourself what decisions you can begin to make to not just be seen blameless by God, but to live a blameless life, a life of integrity to the world to show them what being Christ-like really means…to be an adornment for Him.
a. Acts 11:20-24, 26, 29 “However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. 22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord…Both of them [Barnabus and Saul] stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians… the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the disciples in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.)”
b. They did not name themselves, but instead those watching how they lived in Antioch named them Christians. Do you think those around you would “name” you a Christian by your actions?
5. How do you begin to move from milk to meat in your life so you can keep growing as a mature Christian in a relationship with God where He really can be your Father?
a. Joshua 1: 6-7, “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
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