What about Job?

Understanding the book of Job

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Have you ever heard this? “If you’re suffering, you must have done something wrong God must be punishing you.” Here’s another. “God is using these hard times to teach you humility.” These misunderstandings can be traced back to one of the oldest and most misunderstood stories in the Bible, the story of Job. As I’m sure you know, Job was a man who lost everything. The Book of Job is not mainly about his loss, but how he tried to process his loss with the help of his wife and three friends.

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I had no idea that so many people would get upset by telling them that God does not take away his good gifts. To be honest, the Apostle Paul the first to say that. I found that revelation from (Romans 11:29) “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” God does not give and take away. Through and in Christ your sin, shame, and sickness have been taken away. As he did for Job. The blame for Job’s woes are to be squarely placed at the feet of the Devil.

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Much of what Job’s friends told him, is exactly what we hear to today. While Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did not condemn God, they did accuse and condemn Job. They were wrong to do so as it was not God or Job’s fault that the terrible events had taken place. Let’s not forget that none of these men had a revelation of the Devil. If the name “Satan, Devil or Lucifer” had been mentioned to any of them, they probably would have responded with “Who?”

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When Job said “Naked came I out of 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.” We see he was unlearned in his knowledge of God. No one has ever returned to their mother’s womb when they died. He had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. He had no knowledge there was a Devil so the writer states. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. (Job 1:21,22)

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“How convenient to blame the Devil,” you may say. “Surely God could have stopped Satan. Surely God set Job up by boasting about him.” Actually neither is true. Read the Job account in a HEBREW literal translation such as Young’s and you will see that Satan came gunning for him.

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(Job 1:8) Young’s Literal Translation:

And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, “Hast thou set thy heart against My servant Job because there is none like him in the land, a man perfect and upright, fearing God, and turning aside from evil?”

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Satan set himself against Job. “So why didn’t God stop the Devil?” Good question. We might also ask, “Why doesn’t God stop earthquakes or famines or wars?” The answer is, not everything that happens is God’s responsibility. He left the planet in Adam’s control and Adam handed it to the Devil. Satan went for Job because he could. Satan assumed that God had put a hedge around Job. God never said there was a hedge. See (Job 1:10) When God said, “All that he has is in thy power” (Job 1:12), He wasn’t handing Job over to Satan, allowing or lifting off a hedge of protection. God doesn’t do deals with the Devil! – He was simply stating a fact. The whole unredeemed “world is under the influence of the evil one” (1 John 5:19) (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Devil is not as smart as you think. God could not and does not lie. (Titus 1:2) (Hebrews 6:18). Why did satan smote Job with boils, a skin issue from head to toe? The enemy can not just have his way with you he has to find a weakness. We see that Job had fear. (Job 3:25) For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me. Job had a great fear and this is the doorway satan used to smote him. Today the medical field has connected stress and fear to many skin related issues. Job did not have Paul’s letter to Timothy that says: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
(2 Tim 1:7)

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We have it better than Job. Job was not under any Biblical covenant or promise in his time.

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Job wasn’t saved. He wasn’t sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. He had some understanding of God but he was also a fearful and superstitious man filled with self-pity and self-righteousness in his own eyes (see Job 32:1).

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Don’t ever compare yourself to Job! Jesus didn’t conquer the grave to give you Job’s life but His life. It is Christ who lives in those who believe, not Job as the scriptures clearly teach. God does not inflict death and sickness on us to teach, correct or humble us. (James 1:13-14) says: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man: (with it) God is more than capable of disciplining (i.e., training) us through His Word (2 Tim 3:16).

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One of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, reasoned that Job was being afflicted on account of his sins. This same line is often heard today. When things go wrong we pray, “Lord search me and see if there be any wicked way in me.” When there are problems within the church, we hunt for “sin in the camp.” Do you realize how absurd this is? If God really judged us according to our sins, who could stand? If God was in the business of punishing sin in the camp, there wouldn’t be any camp. (Church)

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Let us not be ignorant of Jesus and His work on the cross and resurrection then ascension to the Father. God does not and could not make us sick or allows the Devil to kill us for our sin. Jesus paid the price so we do not have to. Eliphaz was such a man. God said of him, “You have not spoken concerning Me rightly” (Job 42:8). Anyone who says your hardships are God’s punishments is, like Eliphaz, not speaking of God rightly.

Later, Eliphaz suggested that Job would receive the blessings of God if he was worthy of them. Indeed, Job began to think exactly this way. “Look at all I’ve done.” This is equally absurd. God is not beholden (indebted or obliged) to any of us. God blesses us in accordance with the riches of His grace, not the merits of our works or performance.

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Why is Job’s story in the Bible? It is not there so we can look to him as a role model? No (we have Jesus)! It is there so that we might learn from his example. Those who don’t learn by example tend to learn by experience and experience is a harsh teacher. For those of you who would rather not learn the hard way, here’s the lesson: It is always Satan’s intention to harm us; it is always God’s intention to bless us. When you confuse the latter with the former, your reality will be defined by a lie making it virtually impossible to receive all that God has for you. If you relate to God on the basis of obligation and performance, then you will falsely interpret life’s hardships and spiritual attacks as works of God. Instead of submitting in faith to the unconditional love of the Father and resisting the Devil, your unbelief will lead you to submit to the Devil and resist the one who loves you. It’s a recipe for disaster that is played out a thousand times every day by those who relate to God as Job did.

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God does not desire your sacrifices

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For as long as Job lived in fearful religion, trusting in the sacrifices (works) of his own hands, he was setting himself up for disaster. “Those who cling to their own goodness forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” But when he finally shut up and repented (turned around changed his thinking) about his wrong theology, he opened the door to the blessings of God. God is not asking us to live for Him. He is asking us to let Him live through us (Gal. 2:20). The lesson we take from Job is worth repeating: the Devil is bad but our Father is good and He loves us and desires to bless us so we can be a blessing to others. Understanding the book of Job through a New Testament believers mind-set will help you see that. How? Because…..

God, who at many times and in various manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; His Son is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of God’s being. He holds everything together through his powerful words. After he had cleansed people from their sins, he received the highest position, the one next to the Father in heaven. (Hebrews 1:1-3).

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

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And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

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Jesus said he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father? (John 14:9)

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Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” (John 8:58)

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Job did not have this revelation of God. So how and why would a New Testament believer relate to Jesus our God like Job did? Paul was given a full revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1: 11-12)

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So Paul puts it this way. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:19)

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Jesus revealed himself to Paul, called him, taught him the gospel by revelation, took him into the third heaven, sent him from Antioch, delivered him from prison, spoke to him in dreams and visions and inspired him to write a great deal of the New Testament.

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Notice that Paul does not mention or compare the New Testament church or individuals to Job in any of his letters. If Paul does not use Job as an example. Why are legalistic religious Churches doing so today? As a matter of written fact Paul writes: ” My dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people”. (Romans 16:17,18)　

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This is Paul’s prayer for the Church today:

I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth　knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. ( Ephesians 3: 14-21)　

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Conclusion

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Job is one of the oldest book written in the Bible. Many Bible scholars agree that Job was before Abraham and Moses. Since he had no promise, covenant or law from God. He had very little knowledge of God. He had an understanding of sacrifices and sin. Cain and Able had only this basic understanding of God. In (Genesis 4:7) God said to Cain. If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it. This explains why Job would offer sacrifices for his children just in case they had sinned. (see Job 1:5) Many religious “sin conscience” Churches today teach that Satan enters into the throne room stands before God, to accuse the brethren. First of all The New Testament　teaches that believers should have no more consciousness of sins. (Hebrews 9:14,10:2) Just before Jesus went the cross he said “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world (Satan) be cast out. (John12:31) Paul said “For he has put everything under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:27) God does not send Satan to do his dirty work. Our family members that have gone on before us to be with the Lord are not hanging out in heaven with Satan. Watching him come before the Lord to accuse the brethren. (Job1:6)

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As we get to the end of whole story, after hearing what Job’s friends assumed and hearing his wives bad advice. What does God have to say? What does Job have to say? Why is it in almost all churches today we do not hear these infallible words of scripture?

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The LORD said: Who is this that darkens councel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2)

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Job says: Behold, I am of small account and vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth.(Job 40:4)

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Job admits he spoke wrong: Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (Job 42:3)

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This is what the Lord said about Job’s three friends: For you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right. (Job 42:7)

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Job repented (turned around changed his thinking). And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)

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This is why the only mention in the New Testament we have of Job is in the book of James. Behold, we count them happy who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate, and of tender mercy. (James 5:11)

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Most scholars also agree the book of Job is a story that only lasted 9 months. So if you think your like Job. Look to Jesus, get over it and be blessed. The next time you here a New Testament believer quote Job, ” The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away” let them know they can repent of their wrong thinking as Job did. Ask them about the eternal security of the believer. Since God gives us eternal life can he take it away? Of course not, this statement from Job is absurd and why in the end he said he was wrong.

Job his wife and friends did not have the knowledge and scriptures that we have today. They did not have these scriptures to stand on.

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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

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Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

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Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: (Colossians 2: 8-10) Job was not after Christ. In Him we have the power to resist All principality and powers that come against us! So remember that the book of Job is a complete story. We should not just grab and quote a verse here and there. Towards the end of the story in Chapter 38  God tells Job you do know what your talking about:

(Job 38:1-4) Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ² “Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge? ³ Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me. ⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.

The story ends with  chapter 42, Job saying: Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (Job 42:3)

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Be Free!

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What about Paul’s “Thorn in the Flesh”?

https://kingdomhealer.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/pauls-thorn-in-the-flesh-removed/