Sermon - AudioJob 1-5 - Audio
Job 1-5 Daily Reading
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What happened to Genesis?
The book of Job is dated to the period of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). Since Genesis 12 begins this period with Abraham, Job is inserted here as part of chronological read through the Bible. Get ready for a journey into a book that reflects life some 1500 years ago and yet shows a struggle with suffering that is real today.
The book of Job as a chapter in the master story of the Bible.
1) Chapter 1:6. Angels (or Sons of God) could refer to heavenly beings gathered before God like a council before a king. Satan is present at this divine council.
The book of Job as a chapter in the master story of the Bible.
The master story of the Bible tells us what God is like and how people should relate to him. Job was written to address the question of suffering, a subject that is pondered as much today as it was 3,000 year ago.
1) Chapter 1:6. Angels (or Sons of God) could refer to heavenly beings gathered before God like a council before a king. Satan is present at this divine council.
2) Chapter 1:13-19. Look again at the accounts of Job's sufferings. How would you have responded? Job's first response was to bless the name of the Lord.
3) Chapter 3. Job wants rest in the form of death and he laments his suffering. Job uses the themes of light and dark equating to life and death. He wonders if he would have been better off not being born than to have enjoyed life and experienced suffering.
4) Chapters 4-5. Eliphaz' sympathy for Job quickly fades and he feels superior to Job. He tells Job that his moral failures are the reason for his suffering and that Job needs to acknowledge and repent of his sin.
4) Chapters 4-5. Eliphaz' sympathy for Job quickly fades and he feels superior to Job. He tells Job that his moral failures are the reason for his suffering and that Job needs to acknowledge and repent of his sin.
3 comments:
Why would God allow Satan to cause so much harm to a faithful servant? I thought we served a gracious and loving God. It's not even that Satan asked God if he could harm Job but rather God pointed him out. This story makes me question "why be faithful if God is going to point it out and allow satan to harm?"
One of the central themes of Job that strikes all of us is both the suffering and God's allowing the suffering of Job rather than stepping in or for that matter stopping it before it begins. The pain of suffering is real and we should not discount it.
As the book of Job opens we find that Job is a really good guy (which means righteous in Bible speak). He does what he is supposed to do, lives in a way that pleases God, and cares deeply for his family. Into this good life God comes and invites Satan to "set his heart on Job" (literal Hebrew of the word "consider). God is inviting Satan to pay attention to Job and his faithfulness to God, he is not pointing Job out so that Satan could do him harm, but so that Satan would be impressed with a God's faithful servant.
The pointing out, however, leads to a spiritual battle. Satan is convinced that Job will dump God if he has to suffer ("Of course Job worships you, he knows which side is bread is buttered on [my paraphrase]). God is sure that Job's faithfulness is not tied to being blessed, but it is a true faith in God himself no matter what.
For reasons that we do not comprehend this spiritual battle is important enough for God to allow Job to suffer so that the battle can be won and Satan defeated. (A total speculation idea on this: Is it possible that in Job winning this battle that God no longer entertains Satan going after the righteous in a testing way because God can point back and says, "We've done that one. Remember my servant Job).
Whatever the reason for the need to win the Spiritual battle, we do know this: God never wastes our suffering. Job's suffering not only wins this battle, it also brings Job God's good word and brings Job to end this part of the story where it began--in worship of God. Our faithfulness which can lead to suffering or our faithfulness in the midst of suffering likewise is not wasted by God. However God uses that suffering we know that it will further his kingdom and when we rightly respond to it will drive us to him rather than away from him.
One last piece on suffering and serving a gracious and loving God. God's end game is the wonder of Revelation 21-22. Finally all of our suffering will come to an end and every tear will be wiped away. On the path to that suffering for God and his kingdom is a reality. But it is a reality that is part of bringing God's plan and God's story to its final end.
It is also worth remembering that the greatest spiritual battle is fought not by Job and others like him, no the greatest spiritual battle is fought by God sending his one and only son into the world to die on the cross. God does not exempt himself from deep suffering in order to defeat evil. We read in Colossians 2.13 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."
Anonymous,
I agree with the above response, and have a couple thoughts to expand on suffering:
We see in 1:9 that Satan believes that Job has ever reason to obey, fear, and love God. Satan explains this a bit in 1:10-11, and tells God that this will no longer be true if certain things are taken away or he is harmed.
It's interesting to see how suffering and faithfulness plays a role throughout history. If we look at people in the Bible like Peter, Paul, Timothy, and even Jesus himself. All were faithful, but each had to overcome struggles and die violent deaths. I'm reminded of the post Larry did the other day on Gen 4-7 where it discussed the very different outcomes of faithfulness between Abel, Noah, and Enoch. Abel was murdered, Noah was a part of the largest catastrophe ever, and Enoch was taken by God!
There is not always an easy answer on how God works and why bad things happen to seemingly righteous people. However, history has proven that the world is changed by our responses in the suffering and what we learn through that suffering. Job's circumstances and responses throughout the suffering is a continuing reminder to me that being faithful and in complete surrender to God is not only for seasons when things are going well, but when things are seemingly hopeless.
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