Recently I've been studying the book of Job. This man was called upright and blameless before God. He had a wife....10 kids (7 boys, 3 girls)......7000 sheep.....3000 camels.....500 oxen......500 donkeys and countless servants. He was a wealthy man to say the least. His sons would take turns having feasts (parties) and invite the sisters to join. The feasts would last a week at a time. What I find fascinating is that after the feasts....Job would send for them to be purified and offer prayer and offerings on their behalf. As the father of the house his offerings to God would cover any sins his children may have committed. He was concerned his kids may have sinned against and cursed God in their hearts during the fearing times. He did this to show just how dedicated he was to God.
This is very comforting to me as I hope his kids knew how great of a dad he was to them. To pray and plead on their behalf....just in case they sinned and didn't know it. Wow. He took his role as head of the house very seriously and loved God as well. He did these things for his children to show his love for our God as well as them.
Now in verse 6 the angels went before the Lord and satan went along......did you catch that? Satan went before the Lord. In Gods holy presence. The Lord asks satan where he came from. Now we know God knows where he came from yet he asks anyway. Jesus asks the disciples questions he already knows the answers too also......just so we can read and understand that even though Jesus knows our hearts he still asks. Then look at verse 8.....God asks satan if he's considered Job, His servant. Job was the only one on earth at that time that was blameless before God. He respected God and in turn he blessed Job.
Now....God asks satan? And he's asking if he considered His servant Job? God communicating with satan? This makes me wonder a lot of things. But back to the story. God and satan have a conversation about Job. Satan knows God has blessed Job with all his family and possessions and put a hedge of protection around him......yet God is going to test Job by allowing satan to do it. Satan is sure Job will curse God after he's done with him.
Verse 12 God says satan can do what he wants just not to lay a finger on Job himself. Meaning he was not allowed to take Jobs life. So satan went on his merry way. Satan wants to get us as far from God as possible. Once we are Gods child, satan can't have us but he can torment us. This is what he lives for. What good is a discouraged christian to anyone? No good....cause when we get discouraged, we don't study and pray....then we don't make disciples. Just how he wants it.
So he goes out and first kills his oxen and donkeys and kills his servants.....Job finds out from a messenger.
Then Satan burns all his sheep and his servants.....job finds out from a messenger .
Then all his camels get stolen and his servants killed......Job finds out from another messenger
Then all his kids are in a house that suddenly collapsed on them with more servants......Job finds this out from another messenger.
All these things happened one right after the other.
In verse 20........look at Jobs response to all this calamity. He tore his robe and shaved his head. Then fell to the ground to worship God. This was a symbol of mourning.
And then he says he came naked into the world and will leave this world naked. The Lord give and he takes away. He will praise His name.
Job did not sin at all in his response to what happened to him. He still praised his God despite all the heartache. Job knew that all we have and will have or lose in this life belong to God. We are only "borrowing" it from him. I know I've been bitter at God for way less things than what Job went through. We get a sense of entitlement to things and people in this life. Entitlement that's not ours to own. We are prideful people.....but Job is not. He understands who God is and knows his place. Job sets a good example for us.
One thing I've learned in this chapter is that Satan is under Gods authority. Nothing happens to us that God doesn't give permission for. Satan has to have permission to do anything to us. Why would a holy God allow satan to be used in our lives? Well....from all I've been reading and studying it is To make us more like Jesus. Trials and what we go through are used to mold us into more of the image of Jesus each and every valley we get into. The other and most important reason for us to go through what we do is for God to get His due glory. Praising God amongst the storms he allows satan to throw
at us......that's hard to do, but the blessing is so worth it. And we will be more like Jesus!
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