by Leigh Ann Dilley on June 19, 2024
In the last devotional, we talked about loss and grief. The best example of loss we have in the Bible comes from Job. We can learn a few things from Job, but this book can also be confusing. For instance, why would God allow Satan to test Job? What is Job really saying through all his laments, and what's with his friends? Their presence may have been comforting but their words were not.
Let's begin with a review of the story. Job was the most successful farmer in the land of Uz. He feared God, meaning he held God in reverence and stayed away from evil. He offered sacrifices to God for the sins of children.
One day, Satan was out patrolling the earth to see what was going on when he came, unsolicited, before God. God says, "Have you noticed my servant, Job?" Job 1:8-10 says, "Job is the finest man on earth...a man of complete integrity," to which Satan replies, "He has no reason to fear God...you put a wall of protection around him and his property...therefore, he is prosperous in all that he does."
What Satan proposes next is if everything was taken away from Job, he would surely curse God. So, God gave Satan permission to test Job. Over the course of time, Satan does test Job. Job loses everything; the animals, the crops, and the buildings are destroyed, the servants and all of Job's children die. Even Job's skin is diseased. Job's reaction? Job 1:21 says, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord."
Job loved the giver more than the gifts. Upon being told by his wife to curse God and die, Job responds in Job 1:10, "Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" Job did not sin by blaming or cursing God for his circumstances.
Three friends came to comfort Job. No one said a word for seven days because Job's mourning was so great. When his friends began to speak, simply stated, the bottom fell out. Theology in ancient Israel recognized God as all-powerful, full of justice, and that no person was without sin. The ancient theology became evident when Job's friends began to share their thoughts through a series of speeches. To sum up their message to Job, people were prosperous if they were righteous but if they sinned, they would receive punishment involving suffering. Job must have sinned, and God's forgiveness was not an option.
It is important not to miss the point of the book of Job through the forest of these wordy speeches that ensure. Job never sinned by blaming God. Rather, he continued to praise Him throughout his suffering. What tormented Job the most was the loss of his companionship with God. He states God abandoned him and he was unsure why.
The author of the Book of Job is laying the foundation of a new perspective of righteousness and sin. Righteous people are not exempt from suffering and wealth is not reserved only for the righteous. Consider Jesus. In many ways, Job could be seen as a precursor to Jesus. His story is meant to shift the mindset of ancient theology. Jesus was sinless. Job was a man of integrity, yet both men suffered. Furthermore, Jesus did not possess wealth or material possessions, yet he was righteous. When Jesus hung on His cross, what pained Him most? He said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus echoed Job's greatest suffering. Jesus felt abandoned by God during His last moments on earth.
Jesus said no person is responsible for the sin of another, but we have an adversary who wants to drive spikes in our relationship with God and expose our love for God as fraudulent when we blame God for our suffering. This is what was done to Job. Job overcame these adversaries. He remained faithful to God despite his circumstances.
In the end, God finally speaks. He rebukes Job's friends and explains to Job that His Godly wisdom is higher than our earthly understanding. Job prays for his friends. God accepted Job's prayers and Job was restored to a life even more prosperous than before.
Satan's accusations are what started the testing of Job. Could it be that God allowed Job's testing because it was necessary for God to claim victory over Satan? Are your sufferings and trials doing the same for you? We never know what battle God may be fighting in the spiritual realm on our behalf. When you experience trials, do you do your best to stay in relationship with God without understanding? Do you pray for your accusers and for the friends who attempt to lead you astray? Like Jesus and Job, let's trust God when our earthly wisdom fails us. God loves the righteous and the faithful.
