Job s Trials Job 1-2 Justin Deeter August 7, 2016

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1 Job s Trials Job 1-2 Justin Deeter August 7, 2016 Introduction Suffering is a facet of human existence in this fallen world. We ve experienced its anguish in our own ways, some of us more than others. We ve experienced suffering from little things to great things. We ve experienced the suffering of a splinter in our finger, the embarrassment of a bad hair day, or the tragedy of a lost book. But our sufferings are often much bigger: a diagnoses of cancer, the death of a child, or the loss of a job. You are either now in a place of suffering or going into a time of suffering. Many describe Christianity as a happy-go-lucky bandaid, an opium for the masses that creates an illusion of happiness. Many think that Christianity is wrongly and hypocritically glib, disconnected from the horrors of human suffering. Yet, nothing is further than the truth. If any people on planet earth should think deep thoughts about suffering, then it s the people who worship a suffering Messiah. But, sadly many of us don t give serious thought about suffering in the Christian life until it strikes us. So we get caught flat-footed and off balanced, questioning our faith when tragedy comes. That is one of the reasons we turn our attention to the book of Job as a church. I want to prepare you for whatever lot God has in store for you. I want you to be able to hang on to your faith like Job, learn from his mistakes, and declare in anchored confidence that Though I may have nothing, in Christ I have everything! John Calvin took 159 sermons to preach this book. As I see your eyes roll into the back of your head at such a number, take heart; I plan to preach this book in just four sermons. Today we turn our attention to Job chapters 1 and 2, as we look at Job s trials. Now, we know very little about this Old Testament book. The author is anonymous, and we are not even sure when the book was written. Yet, it has served as a powerful meditation on human suffering as we examine the sufferings of Job. I pray that as we begin this four week study today that we would trust God s sovereign will, though we don t always understand it. 1

2 The Godliness of Job (1:1 5) The book begins with a summary of Job s life. Job is described here as the quintessential godly man. He was blameless in his character. He was a man who feared the Lord and turned away from evil. The Lord had blessed him in many ways. He possessed the wealth of great livestock and many servants. By all measures this godly man was a success. He had ten healthy children, seven sons and three daughters. Every day the family gathered together to feast. Job would rise early in the morning to go and make sacrifices for his sins and the sins of his children. Even if there was no known sin, Job would offer up a sacrifice just in case. Job was wealthy and prosperous, but notice that his wealth drew him to the Lord, not away from him. The lure of riches, wealth, and luxury can so easily cause our affections for the Lord to dwindle. The weekends away at the beach, the comfort of your luxury, the tithe checks unwritten slowly but surely your love of money leads you to spiritual decline. May Job serve as a model for us; here is a wealthy man whose devotion to the Lord ever increases! We also see that Job is a man who seriously cares for the spiritual needs of his family. He leads them in worship, he cares for their spiritual lives. He is not a distant father, but a pastor of his home, caring for his family. Again, this man serves as an example to us, particularly us men, challenging us to be the spiritual leaders and shepherds of our homes. The picture of Job presented is clear. The sufferings that he is about to endure are not warranted by his actions. The Scripture tells us that Job did this continually. He was constant in his devotion and obedience to the Lord. Job was a hardworking family man of pristine character who put God first in his life and the life of his family. As we will see, these facts about Job s life makes his suffering so puzzling. He will be an innocent sufferer. But then in v. 6 the scene shifts from Job to heaven. God Permits Jobs Testing (1:6 12) Now all the heavenly beings came to gather to present themselves to God. These sons of God refer to angels and any other heavenly creatures. These heavenly hosts have gathered before their creator to worship him. Such a heavenly scene makes the arrival of Satan so strange. Why would Satan enter this heavenly gathering? This is why God says to him, Where have you come? God is not ignorant here, he knows all and knows exactly where 2

3 Satan has come from. Like God walking into the Garden after Adam and Eve s sin saying Where are you? God s not expressing ignorance, but he s making a point, a clear distinction. God, the holy, transcendent, and pure God makes clear to Satan the strangeness of his presence at this heavenly gathering. Satan responds as the aimless spirit that he is, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it. The message is clear: Satan doesn t belong in this scene and he is not deserving to be among this heavenly hosts. God makes the distance of his location clear. God reigns in the heavens while Satan is slithering in the earth. This is one of the only conversations we have recorded between God and Satan, the adversary. Interestingly enough, it is God who speaks next. And he speaks to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? Amazingly, God is the one who brings Job up to Satan! Now there are a few things going on here that we need to untangle. First, we must notice God s complete sovereignty. As we will see in this book, God wields complete and total control, even over the actions of Satan. God in his sovereignty and omniscience knows the heart of both Job and Satan, and knows the outcome of the trial before it begins. Second, God is luring Satan into a trap! Satan hates God and refuses to worship him as good and glorious. So God, knowing Satan s hate, lures him into a contest by bringing up Job. Third, God choose to select Job for this showdown! Out of all the people on the earth for this trial, God draws Satan s attention to Job. This godly man pleased God, and God knew that he could handle the trials he is about to endure. Now what honor to be selected by God for this trial, to have the Lord think so highly of you and your love for him! Now knowing what Job s about to go through you might not feel such suffering is an honor! You may not want to be selected for such privileges suffering! Yet, note this: God s delight in his servant Job meant God gave Job suffering. Job doesn t suffer because God hates him, but because he loves him. In Acts 5, the apostles are brought in before the religious leaders and charged not to preach in the name of Christ. Then they were beaten and let go. Yet the disciples did not mourn their suffering, but rejoiced in it. The text tells us that they departed that place rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (Ac 5:41). You see, it is a gift to be asked to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ, and God gives this gift of suffering to his most precious saints. Why is it a precious gift? Because we are able to give more glory to God in the midst of suffering than without it, as we will see in Job. 3

4 So God lays Job like a piece of cheese on a mousetrap to lure Satan in. Satan takes the bait. He responds, Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face (1:9 11). Here we see Satan s cynical outlook, and his disgust with God. He tells God, The only reason Job loves you is because you ve blessed him. Who wouldn t love you if you gave them a beautiful family and riches beyond all measure? But if you take that away, Job will be revealed as a fraud, he doesn t really love you God, he just loves the stuff you ve given him. You see here is the challenge: Satan doesn t think God alone is glorious enough to captivate our love; Satan doesn t believe that God is beautiful and wonderful enough to be loved on his own. Satan attacks God s glory, God s loveliness, and God s excellence. Satan takes the bait. You see this whole trial has nothing to do with Job, but everything to do with God s glory. Is God sufficient enough for Job, that even though he may have nothing that he would still be satisfied in God? Let me throw that same question your way. If God took your family, your job, your wealth, your health would God be enough for you? Would you still love him and still cling to him? Satan doesn t think so, so God uses Job as a lure to expose Satan s lies and his wrong thinking about the sufficiency of God in a godly man s life. So God gives Satan permission to take everything from him, only not to touch his health. Satan then departs from the presence of God. Notice God s sovereignty over the foul serpent named Satan! There is no cosmic dualism here. There is no Yin and Yang, no light side of the force and dark side, waging war as equals. No! There is one ruler, one God, and one sovereign and that is the Lord of hosts! Satan needs the permission of God to inflict any suffering on Job. When suffering comes into your life, God is not caught off guard by it. He s not watching up in heaven, scrambling when suffering happens to you. Instead, he is sovereign over it. For some this brings up a perplexing question. Does Satan inflict Job with these tortures or does God? Well the answer is yes. Though Satan performs the actions, God permits it. As we see here, Satan and his demons are kept on a very short leash! Though Satan acts, God remains the one true Sovereign. Nothing in this universe happens without God s control. He rules the cosmos with wisdom and power. God permits, allows, and wills that Job go through these trials. God knows that though Job s afflictions will be great, God also knows that his right hand will give Job the strength to have faith in the midst of trials. 4

5 Now I m sure questions are already starting to come into your mind. Why would God permit this? Why does God allow Satan do perform these wicked deeds? Why does God let us suffer? Any college student who walks into a philosophy 101 class will immediately have their non-christian professor try to throw out this problem of evil in order to discredit the Christian faith. They will say things like God is either all good, but not all powerful, or all powerful but not all good. The question of God s allowance of evil requires careful thinking, but your atheist philosophy professor didn t just stumble across this issue of suffering and God s sovereignty, as if its some new question. Christians have been reflecting and answer that question for millennia! In fact, this is what the entire book of Job is about! Christians don t shy away from the hard questions, but even in our Scriptures we see both the wrestling and answer to this question as we will discover in the book of Job! Job s First Trial (Job 1:13 22) Then dawns the worst day in Job s life. He receives a series of messages that rocks his world. First, a messenger comes up and tells him that the Sabeans, a group of foreign raiders, came and struck down his oxen and donkeys and his servants. The messenger says, I alone have escaped to tell you. Just as the messenger was finishing with the news another messenger arrived reporting that fire from heaven came down to destroy his sheep and his servants. Then a third messenger arrived, telling him that the Chaladeans raided and killed his camels and more servants. While the third messenger was still reporting a fourth and final messenger came and said, Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you (1:18 19). Can you imagine? In one day you ve lost everything. Not only did he lose every possession he owned, including all his wealth, his hard working servants, but he lost every single child at one moment. All ten of his children gone as the wind collapsed the house they were gathering in. And the news came like a barrage of machine gun bullets. As soon as one messenger came the other was right behind. Job didn t have time to process the previous tragedy before hearing about the next. Can you imagine the anguish the man must have felt? Job responds to all this news by tearing his clothes, a sign of mourning, declaring in confidence: Naked I came from my mother s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the 5

6 name of the LORD (1:21). The text tells us that in all of this, Job did not sin against God. Amazingly, Job recognizes God s providential hand. Though grieved, he acknowledges that God doesn t own him anything. He came into the world with nothing, and if the Lord takes it all away, that s his prerogative to do so. While often times we feel entitled to God s blessing, to a comfy house and a regular paycheck, Job recognized that everything was a gift of God undeserved. If the Lord chooses to take it away, who is he to reject the will of God? After all, God doesn t owe him anything. Job s Second Trial (2:1 10) Next we see the same cycle repeats: a conversation in heaven, a trial upon Job, a statement of faith. Satan again come cowering into the presence of God, and God again proudly brings Job to Satan s attention. God says, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason (2:3). Yet, Satan cannot admit defeat, and he refuses to lose. Like a lunatic grasping for straws, he makes another cynical accusation. Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life: But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face (2:4 5). So God gives permission for Satan to take his health, but not to take his life. We are told that Job began to break out in painful sores over his entire body. Then Job s wife tells him to curse God and die! Oh, what a wonderful, supporting woman. But yet, Job refuses to do that. He looks at her and says You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? (2:10). If your not a Christian, how do you make it through those times of suffering? What grounds you when calamity strikes? If all you have was taken away, what would you have left to live for? Sadly there are many people who get to a point of desperation where they feel like they have nothing left to live for, getting to the point of taking there own life. That s exactly what Job s wife encourages him to do. Yet, Job s faith remained firm. Though everything, including his health, was taken from him, God was enough for Job. Our hope alone rests in Christ. In many ways the sufferings of Job introduce an important biblical category of the innocent sufferer. Job, an innocent man, suffered greatly and lost everything. As we will see with Job s dialogue 6

7 with his friends, his friends believed that Job must have done something to deserve this. He had to have sinned in some way, after all what else could explain all these tragedies the hand of God inflicted on Job? But the book of Job tells us that God often permits innocent suffering to accomplish his glorious purposes in this fallen world. He uses Satan s devious actions to accomplish his sovereign will. After all, the entire Christian faith hinges on Christ the innocent suffer! That God would permit his blameless son to endure the horrors of the cross by wicked men, is the lynchpin of our faith! The unjust death of Christ is what justifies us before God! When we put our faith in Christ, the suffering servant, we are saved from our sin and made children of God! So turn to Christ, the innocent sufferer, who died on the cross for you! If your not a Christian this morning and would like to learn about how Jesus saves us from our sins, come find me at the door in the back, I d love to talk with you about how you can receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus. Job s Comforters (2:11 13) Now we turn our attention to Job s friends, his poor, well meaning, but misguided friends. There names are Eliphas, Bildad, and Zophar. The came together to go be with Job in his sufferings and mourning. They arrive to see him so disfigured they could hardly recognize him. They see him and the go and sit with him for seven days, never speaking a word. Sometimes the best ministry we can do for one another is to simply sit in silence. In times of tragedy, theologizing and philosophizing about the problem of evil is not what people need. They need to know that there is someone who cares, who will mourn with them, and be there for them. Job s friends are about to get a lot wrong when the time comes to begin talking about what has happened to Job, but we see their intentions and heart are good. They love their friend and they want to be there for him. Final Thoughts Today, I know that many of you are in the midst of suffering. Your sufferings may not be as great as Job, but your struggling, hurting, and floundering in your faith. You are tempted to doubt God s goodness, his love for you, and his commitment to your good. Like the devious temptation Job heard from his wife, you hear the enemy whispering in your ear to Curse God and die, to give up on life, to give up on the Christian faith, and to abandon Jesus. But do you not see that God chooses his most precious saints for suffering? Do you not see that God receives glory in the midst of your pain, shamming 7

8 Satan and the world who say that God is not enough? God is glorified in your life, when through the tears, through the aches, through the grief you cry out to God and say I m hurting and I don t understand, but you are good God and your enough for me! I don t know why I m suffering, but I know that you ve been nothing but good to me, and though my world is shaken, Christ is my rock! Any sufferings I go through pale in comparison to the horrors of hell you ve freed me from through the sufferings of Christ! That s the sort of prayer that makes God look glorious. When I think of the most powerful testimonies of the Gospel, I don t think of the man who stands up with his life all together with millions in the bank, but I think of a 30 year old man diagnosed with terminal cancer preparing to say goodbye to his wife and young children, who says in death Blessed be the name of the Lord. I think of the mother who stands over the casket of their infant daughter and whispers through the tears Blessed be the name of the Lord. I think about the Christians around the world locked up in prison for following Christ, singing in joy Blessed be the name of the Lord. God can be glorified in our prosperity, yes. But there is something about worship in the midst of suffering that magnifies the sufficiency and glory of Christ. For those of you in pain, have the faith of Job. Pursue your trial with joy, though you may not fully understand you know that your suffering is temporary because of Christ, that in your suffering God is purging from you any trust in worldly things, and that God is setting you ablaze as a light on a hill proclaiming to this dark world the glories of Christ. When you trust Jesus in the midst of your pain, you confound the demons and evangelize to the lost. Bring glory to God in your suffering. Trust in Jesus, and may he be enough for us even in the face of suffering. 8