This morning we're beginning our summer sermon series in the book of Job.
If we had 15 months, let alone the 15 weeks we have this summer, it wouldn't be sufficient
! time to cover the book of Job exhaustively. John Calvin preached 159 sermons through the book of Job.
But our hope is to look at key landing points throughout the book that will hopefully help
us understand and get a general view of the main messages and themes in Job and how they apply
to our lives. Now when you think about Job, you most likely think of suffering, immense suffering
and loss. And if you've read Job, most likely it's because your yearly Bible reading plan took you
there. Or maybe you were searching for a specific verse and Google took you there.
Or possibly you or someone you loved was going through great suffering and you were looking for
comfort and for answers. Now if you fall into that last category, I hope you did find both
comfort and answers. If you did, you might question the series title, Suffering and the Silence of God.
However, if you didn't find the comfort or the answers that you were longing for, maybe you're
fully behind the concept of God's silence during our suffering. Now just objectively speaking,
God is silent through the majority of the book of Job, more than 80% of it. And as we begin to work our way
through this very long, often repetitive feeling, 42 chapters, it might be easy to find yourself anxious
to get on with it. Longing for God to break the silence, to show up, to speak comfort, to give answers.
And yet, at the same time, wishing Job's friends would stop. Stop talking, stop trying to give some
encouragement, stop accusing, stop arguing that they would just be silent. I think those feelings are
one of the goals of the author. Because subjectively speaking, if you've gone through intense suffering and
loss, I'm sure you know firsthand how slow it can seem, how long every day seems to take. In the moments,
the days, the weeks, the months, possibly even the years, that it seems like God is silent.
Well, at the same time, all those around you are probably saying more than they should about things
they might not fully understand. But I hope this summer that you'll begin to see that even when God is
silent, it's an expression of his immense love. And it's a precious invitation, an invitation to draw
closer, to know and experience him in a more intimate, deep way. Now, even though we're not going to
look at Job in depth, if you'd like to dig deeper in your own personal study of Job, there is a
commentary that I would recommend. It's Job, the Wisdom of the Cross by Christopher Ashe. And there's a
QR code on the screen or in your listening guide that will take you to a link for the books. But
there's also a link to a free online summary of the commentary as well, if that would be of use to you.
Now, the book of Job, it's an incredible work of literature. Aside from chapters 1, 2, and 42,
the majority of Job, about 95% of it, is written in exquisite Hebrew poetry.
It's possibly the oldest book written in the Bible, and many people believe Moses may have edited it
for inclusion in the Hebrew scriptures. Its unique composition has led some modern scholars to suggest
that the book of Job is completely fictional. That in some sense, it's an extremely well-written
ancient parable. However, we see in both the Old and the New Testament clear references to Job as a
historical figure. In Ezekiel 14, verses 12 through 14, Ezekiel writing says,
And the word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly,
and I stretch out my hand against it, and break its supply of bread, and send famine upon it,
and cut off from it man and beast. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it,
they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.
And then James, in chapter 5, verses 10 and 11, writes,
As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Behold, we consider those blessed who remain steadfast. You've heard of the steadfastness of Job,
and you've seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
So I think we have every reason to see the book of Job as capturing historical events,
but in a powerful and creative way that's designed to speak to the heart and not just the head.
Which is also why you'll find it included with other books of the Bible that we call wisdom literature,
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.
Now, the book of Job begins with its own introduction.
And so if you would turn with me to Job chapter 1,
if you're using a Bible from the seat around you, you can find it on page 417.
Page 417.
And we'll begin in chapter 1, verse 1.
The first thing we're going to see is that there was a man.
There was a man.
And we need to consider four things about this man.
The first is who he was.
Who he was.
His identity.
If you'll follow along in chapter 1, verse 1, it says,
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.
Now, we don't know the exact location of Uz.
Probably in the land of Edom, which is east of the promised land,
because of Lamentations 421, which reads,
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz.
Now, on this map, which is also in your listening guide,
you'll see that that places Uz to the east of what would eventually become Israel.
But also notice, it places it just to the west of Ur.
And if you remember, Ur is where Abram, who would become Abraham,
was called by God to leave and follow him in faith.
But also notice, it puts it in the same general vicinity of Midian.
And many years, of course, after Job,
we'll find that Moses spends 40 years in Midian,
in the same general area as a shepherd,
before he leads the Israelites out of Egypt.
Now, when we look at Job, just based on the length of Job's life,
as well as the fact that in the book of Job,
there's not really any reference to the law,
that the way that Job himself offers sacrifices,
that gives us some indication,
most likely Job lived during the time of the patriarchs,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, in that general time.
So not only do we see who he was,
but we also need to consider what he was,
what he was, his righteousness.
Verse 1 continues,
And that man was blameless and upright,
one who feared God and turned away from evil.
We need to look at those four things,
starting with being blameless.
And this is important because this is a key point in the book of Job,
that as suffering and tragedy hit,
we will see Job's friends time and time again
and tell him it must be because of his sin.
And Job will consistently proclaim his blamelessness,
that he doesn't deserve what's happened.
Now, as it goes on and on and back and forth,
you might find yourself tempted to think,
maybe Job is guilty of something.
Maybe he doesn't know,
or maybe he's deceiving himself.
But there must be something there.
And Job's friends will continue telling him,
it's a sin that he needs to confess.
But maybe, maybe you'll decide for yourself
that it's just Job needs to grow.
It's to help him mature in his faith,
help him to become more, more faithful in some way.
But isn't that how we tend to view most suffering?
We see it either as a result of our sin
or discipline of our sin,
or we think suffering's been sent to help
some deficiency in our spiritual lives,
to help us grow in Christ-likeness.
But we have to remember,
in the book of Job,
Job is really blameless.
What happens is not because of sin,
and it's not because of the immaturity of his faith in any way.
There must be a third option.
A third option for why suffering happens.
And I think Eric Ortlund summarizes it really well
when he says,
sometimes God allows pain and loss
that have nothing to do with sin in our lives
and are not meant to teach us anything.
Rather, our loss and bewilderment
become an avenue by which God gives himself to us
more than he ever could have before
when we were at ease.
When God puts us into a position
where we must hold on to our relationship with God
for God's sake only,
in which we stand to gain nothing but God,
we start to receive him more fully than we ever had.
Now, thinking about Job's blamelessness,
maybe it will help you,
as it did me,
to recognize that blameless
is not the same as sinless.
Now, of course,
I know that only one man
has ever been truly sinless.
That's Jesus.
But I think in the past,
I've kind of seen Job as like second place.
You know, like not sinless.
He probably had a bad thought once
or, you know, lost his temper once,
probably with his kids, right?
That he was almost sinless.
But the truth is,
that's not the picture that we get in Job at all.
Job himself admits his sin
numerous places in the book of Job.
Here's just one example.
Job 14, verses 16 and 17.
Job says,
For then you would number my steps.
You would not keep watch over my sin.
My transgression would be sealed up in a bag.
And you would cover over my iniquity.
You see, Job's blamelessness
paints this picture of a man
who honestly acknowledges his sin.
Who has offered sacrifices in faith
to atone for them
and believes in faith.
He's forgiven.
And then lives differently
because he is forgiven.
So this term blameless,
it really communicates this genuineness,
this authenticity in Job's relationship to God.
Now, let me just ask you something.
Has there been a time in your life
where you said to yourself,
I really wish that I could be blameless?
That whatever has happened,
whatever has gone on,
that it could be wiped away,
that it could be clean.
And the truth is,
no matter what you've done,
no matter how big your pride,
your selfishness,
your evil,
your wickedness is,
you can be blameless today in Jesus.
If you would follow along with me,
Colossians chapter 1,
verses 19 through 23,
it reads,
For in him,
that's Jesus,
in him all the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself
all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you,
who once were alienated
and hostile in mind,
doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled
in his body of flesh
by his death,
in order to present you
holy and blameless
and above reproach before him,
if indeed you continue in the faith,
stable and steadfast,
not shifting from the hope
of the gospel that you heard.
You see,
you can be blameless today,
but your blameless
is a little different than Job's,
but similar.
It involves honestly acknowledging your sin,
accepting in faith Christ's death
as the sacrifice that atones for your sin
and giving your life to him,
believing in faith
that you are forgiven in Christ,
and then living differently
because you are forgiven
and have new life in Christ.
So you can be blameless today.
And if you'd like to know more
about how you can have
that kind of relationship with Jesus,
please don't leave today
without talking to me
or to someone around you
so that we can make sure
that you have a relationship with Christ.
So Job is blameless,
but he's also upright.
Now, the word blameless
talks about his condition
or his relationship with God,
but the word upright
talks about his relationship
and how he treats others.
You see, Job dealt with others
with moral integrity.
He was honest, respectful,
honoring,
and consistently so.
He's the kind of friend
or family member
or boss or business associate
that we all want to have
and hopefully that we all want to be.
And we'll see his uprightness
laid out in vivid detail
when we get to chapter 31.
But not only is he blameless and upright,
but he's one who feared God.
Job was truly humble.
He lived with an awareness
of his place
before a holy and a sovereign God.
I think Charles Bridges
in his commentary on Proverbs
has my favorite definition
of this fear of the Lord.
He writes,
But what is this fear of the Lord?
It is that affectionate reverence
by which the child of God
bends himself humbly and carefully
to his father's law.
His wrath so bitter
and his love so sweet
that hence springs
an earnest desire to please him.
And because of the danger
of coming short
from our own weakness
and temptations,
there's a holy fear,
an anxious care,
a watchfulness
that we might not sin against him.
So Job feared God,
but you should ask yourself
a question at this point,
and that is,
how does Job know God?
How does Job know God?
Because if Job was living
during the time of the patriarchs,
that's long before
any of the scriptures
we have were written.
It's a long time
before Moses began
under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit
to capture,
to write,
to organize
the beginning books
of the Hebrew scriptures,
what we call the Pentateuch,
the books of Genesis,
Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers,
and Deuteronomy.
So how does Job,
or really any of the patriarchs,
how do they know
anything about God?
Now, it's worth asking
that question
so we can take just a moment
to appreciate God
and how from the beginning,
from the time of creation,
God's been working
at revealing himself
to mankind
and sovereignly working
to make sure
the things he reveals
about himself,
those things are passed on.
And so today,
as a result,
we're blessed
to have his written word.
We can see several places
in scripture
that emphasize
the importance
of passing on this knowledge
of who God is
and what he's done.
Here's two examples.
Genesis 18, 19.
God speaking of Abraham says,
For I have chosen him
that he may command
his children
and his household after him
to keep the way of the Lord
by doing righteousness
and justice
so that the Lord
may bring to Abraham
what he has promised him.
So one of the reasons
God calls Abraham
is to pass on
this knowledge
of who God is,
of what God has done
and how to live rightly
before him.
We also see
when Moses is calling
the Israelites
to treasure
and to obey God's law.
In Deuteronomy 4, 9,
he says,
Only take care.
Keep your soul diligently,
lest you forget
the things your eyes have seen,
lest they depart
from your heart
all the days of your life.
Make them known
to your children
and to your children's children.
You see,
from the beginning,
God's been at work
to reveal himself to us
and to be sure
that that knowledge
is captured
and passed on
until it's finally written down
in its entirety for us.
And with that said,
just take a minute
and consider this chart.
You can see it up here,
but it's also
in your listening guide
if it's easier to see.
Just four things to consider.
Okay, the first is,
look at Adam and Methuselah.
Adam and Methuselah,
their lives
overlapped 243 years.
There are 243 years
that Methuselah
could have sat down
with Adam
and heard directly from him
about everything
that had happened
from the beginning.
But then notice,
Methuselah and Noah,
Noah is Methuselah's grandson,
their lives overlap
600 years.
But Methuselah and Shem,
his great-grandson,
their lives overlap
98 years,
a lifetime for us.
Can you imagine them
working on the ark together
and Methuselah telling Shem,
yeah, this is what I heard,
this is what I know,
this is what's important.
But then notice Shem.
Shem lives 600 years,
and I'll just tell you,
I hadn't realized
until this particular time
that Shem outlives Abraham
by 35 years.
And that Shem is alive
the first 110 years
of Isaac's life.
So again,
just to consider that
at the time that Job lived,
that most likely
it's possible
these stories of creation,
of a holy God walking
with Adam and Eve
in the garden,
of their rebellion against him,
and the fall of humanity
into sin
and separation from God,
the need for sacrifices
to atone for sin,
even about the worldwide flood,
all of those things
could have been heard
in as little as
three degrees of separation.
Now, just to put it
in other words,
let's say you lived
at the time of Job.
Well, at that point,
Adam could have told Methuselah,
and Methuselah could have told Shem,
and Shem could have told you.
Now, did that happen?
We don't know.
The Bible doesn't tell us.
We know that it was possible,
but the main thing
to recognize
is that the source
of information about God
is not as far removed
as we tend to think it is.
But whatever the number
of degrees of separation,
Job knew about God,
and what he knew about God
had grown into
this affectionate reverence
by which Job had learned
to bend himself
humbly and carefully
to God's law.
which also means
Job turned away from evil.
Now, again,
Job's not sinless,
but when he sins,
he's repentant.
You know,
we often talk about repentance
and give it the definition
of turning away from sin.
And that's exactly
the picture we have here.
This paints a picture
of a man whose character
is marked by daily repentance,
a habitual turning away
from evil in his thoughts,
his words,
his deeds.
So we see Job's godliness
as Christopher Ash puts it,
Job is a real believer,
genuine in his integrity,
upright in his relationships,
pious in his worship,
impenitent in his behavior.
His life was marked
by what we would call
repentance and faith,
which are still the marks
of the believer today
as they have always been.
Now,
we also need to consider
what he had,
his greatness.
Follow along
in verses 2 and 3.
It says,
there were born to him
seven sons and three daughters.
He possessed 7,000 sheep,
3,000 camel,
500 yoke of oxen,
and 500 female donkeys,
and very many servants,
so that this man
was the greatest
of all the people
of the East.
Now,
the first thing we see
is his family
having seven sons,
three daughters,
ten children.
All of those numbers
in Hebrew
are reflective
of good,
ideal things.
And we'll see momentarily
the relationship
they had
with one another.
Job has a wonderful family
that he's been blessed with.
We also see
his prosperity.
You see,
Job's a farmer.
He's not a nomad.
He has a house.
He doesn't live in a tent.
His extended family
have houses.
And then these massive herds,
sheep for food and clothing,
and camels for desert transport,
oxen for plowing,
and donkeys for local transport
of all of this produce
with a vast staff of servants
that make it all happen.
Just immense prosperity.
But not just prosperity.
We also find out later
that Job had this influence
that is worth noting.
When he describes it
in Job 29,
verses 7 through 10,
he describes it this way.
When I went out
to the gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat
in the square,
the young men saw me
and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood.
The princes refrained
from talking
and laid their hand
on their mouth.
The voice of the nobles
was hushed,
and their tongues
stuck to the roof
of their mouth.
It's this description
of influence,
of respect,
of standing
in his community.
So just speaking
of his prosperity
and his influence,
it's probably not
an unreasonable comparison
to say Job was
the Elon Musk
of his time.
And so it's really,
it's no surprise
that the summary statement
given is
that he is the greatest
of all the people
of the East.
Now, the last thing
we need to consider
is what he valued.
What he valued.
His intercession.
Follow along
in verses 4 and 5.
It says,
Job with his sons
used to go
and hold a feast
in the house
of each one
on his day.
And they would send
and invite their three sisters
to eat and drink
with them.
And when the days
of the feast
had run their course,
Job would send
and consecrate them.
And he would rise
early in the morning
and offer burnt offerings
according to the number
of them all.
For Job said,
it may be
that my children
have sinned
and cursed God
in their hearts.
Thus, Job did continually.
Now, a few things
to notice.
One, notice that Job's
relationship with God
is intimate.
It's authentic.
It's inward.
It's spiritual.
But it doesn't end there.
Job doesn't view
his relationship with God
as merely a personal thing.
He has a heart
that desires
to see others
in right relationship
with God as well.
We see that concern
first presented here
about his family,
his concern and commitment
to lead them
into right relationship
with God.
It's because he recognizes
the wickedness
of the human heart.
And that although Job
undoubtedly
has taught his children
what is right
and how to live rightly
before God,
nonetheless,
he knows
they might have sinned
and turned away
from God
in their hearts.
So Job would summon them
and he would lead
each of them
in offering sacrifices
to make things right
with God.
Francis Anderson
in his commentary
on Job
says,
Job's own act
of intercession
in offering burnt offerings
to restore
the holiness
of his children
shows a belief
in the power
of a mediator
that will lead
to his desire
later on
that someone
should do the same
for him.
See, this wasn't
a one-time thing
for Job.
He did this continually.
It was a lifelong
practice
such that even
as adults,
Job's children
knew what to expect.
They knew their father
would summon them.
They knew that he
would lead them
to right worship
and right relationship
with God.
But Job's concern
for others
doesn't end
with just his children.
We'll see in Job 2
verses 9 and 10
how he seeks
to shepherd his wife
and guide her thinking.
In Job 13
7 through 10
we'll see
he's concerned
for his three friends'
views about God.
In chapter 27
verse 11
he expresses
his desire
to teach his friends
about God's ways.
And then finally
in chapter 42
verse 9
at the end
we'll see Job pray
for his friends
that their relationship
with God
would be restored.
So we see
this man Job
a godly man
who's blessed
with both
prosperity
and influence
that cares not only
about his own
relationship with God
and living rightly
before him
but also cares
about others'
relationship with God.
We see
this picture
of the world
being the way
we want the world
to be.
A world
where the righteous
are blessed
with prosperity
and influence
and they use it
for God's glory.
But yet
even in this
perfect picture
there's just
this subtle awareness
that people
may act
like they love
and serve God
but in their hearts
turn away from him
cursing him
wishing him gone
or dead.
Christopher Ashe
summarizes it
this way.
He says
there's something
dark
in human hearts
and Job
knows it.
Job knows
that by nature
we do not
honor God
as God
or give thanks
to him.
Only sacrifice
can cover
such sin
in the heart.
and we know
that it's only
Jesus' sacrifice
that can truly
atone
for such sin
and change
sinful hearts.
So there was a man.
But that's not all.
We also need to see
there was a day.
There was a day.
And if we're honest
the ripples
of that particular day
wouldn't stop
at just changing
Job's life
forever
but they continue
down through time
impacting
even us today.
So just briefly
we need to consider
four things
about that day.
The first is
who was there?
Who was there?
The sons of God.
Look at verses
six and seven.
It says
now there was a day
when the sons of God
came to present
themselves
before the Lord
and Satan
also came among them.
The Lord said
to Satan
from where
have you come?
Satan answered
the Lord
and said
from going
to and fro
on the earth
and from walking
up and down
on it.
So on this
fateful day
we start
by being privy
to seeing
into the heavenly
throne room.
We see God
and the word
used here
is really
God's proper name
Yahweh.
We see Yahweh
in the place
of absolute
authority.
And we see
these sons of God
come
to present
themselves
before Yahweh
and give
a report.
Now
this term
sons of God
indicates
created beings
that we can
describe as
superhuman
or maybe
supernatural
is better.
We see this term
used throughout
the Old Testament
but here's just
a few examples
from Psalms.
Psalms 29
verse 1
says
ascribe to the Lord
O heavenly beings
O sons of God
ascribe to the Lord
glory and strength.
Psalm 82
1
God has taken
his place
in the divine
council
among the sons
of God
in the midst
of the gods
he holds judgment.
In Psalm 89
verses 6 and 7
for who in the skies
can be compared
to the Lord
who among the heavenly
beings
among the sons
of God
is like the Lord
a God greatly
to be feared
in the council
of the holy ones
and awesome above all
who are around him.
So these sons of God
are supernatural
beings
but then notice
that one of these
supernatural beings
is highlighted
for us
the Satan.
Now I say
the Satan
because there's
a definite article
here in the Hebrew
which is why
if you look
at whatever translation
you have
it's quite likely
that there's a footnote
that says
it could be
translated
as the accuser
or the adversary
which is what
Satan means
well this has led
to much discussion
and an abundance
of writing
about whether
or not
this
the Satan
is the same
Satan
that's talked about
more explicitly
in the New Testament.
Now time constraints
keep us from delving
into this
in any detail
but let's just
look briefly
at Revelation.
Revelation chapter 12
verses 9
through 11
it reads
and the great dragon
was thrown down
that ancient serpent
who is called
the devil
and Satan
the deceiver
of the whole world
he was thrown down
to the earth
and his angels
were thrown down
with him
and I heard a loud
voice in heaven
saying
now the salvation
and the power
and the kingdom
of our God
and the authority
of his Christ
have come
for the accuser
of our brothers
has been thrown down
who accuses them
day and night
before our God
and they have conquered him
by the blood
of the Lamb
and by the word
of their testimony
for they loved
not their lives
even unto death.
So what I can tell you
what we can see
for sure
about the Satan
and Job
is that he's doing
the very same thing
we see him described
as doing in Revelation
he's accusing
the brothers
now in my opinion
that makes it
definitely reasonable
and I would say likely
to think that
it's the same
supernatural being
talked about
as Satan
in the New Testament.
Now I know
the topic of angels
and demons
always piques
everybody's interest
and most likely
you have a lot
of other questions
that you'd like answered
from these verses
and I am not
going to answer them
because I don't want
us to be distracted
from the main point.
You see the main point
of this brief glimpse
into heaven
is to make it
abundantly clear
that Yahweh
is the sovereign God
who is in absolute
control of all things.
He's the supreme
and sovereign creator.
All of creation
lies under
his absolute authority.
Our God has no rivals.
He has no competitors.
And there's no one
that can thwart
his holy will.
Yet,
we also see
that in his sovereignty
he chooses
to govern
the world
as Christopher
Ash aptly
puts it
by the means
of and through
the agency
of a multiplicity
of supernatural powers
some of whom
are evil.
That is to say
the sons of God
represent powers
that are greater
than human powers
and yet are less
than God's power.
They include
among their number
the Satan
and his lying
and evil spirits.
So we see
who was there.
We also need to see
what was asked.
What was asked.
The invitation.
Look at verse 8.
It reads,
And the Lord said to Satan,
Have you considered
my servant Job
that there's none
like him on the earth?
A blameless
and upright man
who fears God
and turns away
from evil?
Now, the first thing
to make note of
is the word considered.
That word really
literally means
have you set
your heart upon?
And so God
basically invites
Satan
to set his heart
upon Job.
But notice
the two words
God uses
to speak of Job
my servant.
You see,
this term
makes clear
Job's intimate
relationship with God.
It communicates
Job's honor
and dignity
that Job
is indeed
living
in a covenant
relationship
with God.
It's a term
we find used
40 times
of Moses.
Here's just one example
from Numbers chapter 12.
God speaking
says,
Hear my words.
If there is a prophet
among you,
I, the Lord,
make myself known
to him in a vision.
I speak with him
in a dream,
but not so
with my servant Moses.
He is faithful
in all my house.
When I speak,
with him I speak
mouth to mouth
clearly and not
in riddles.
And he beholds
the form of the Lord.
Why then were you
not afraid to speak
against my servant Moses?
It's an intimate title.
It's a title used
of some of the patriarchs.
It's a title used
of a number
of the prophets.
And it really
communicates here
a powerful
intimate relationship
between God
and Job.
So God invites
Satan
to consider
or to set
his heart
upon Job.
But we need
to be sure
we don't overlook
what was confirmed.
What was confirmed
and that's Job's
righteousness.
Right?
God himself
states,
There is none
like Job
on the earth.
A blameless
and upright man
who fears God
and turns
away from evil.
God himself
affirms
that Job
is this kind
of man.
But also notice
Satan doesn't
argue with God.
There's no pushback.
Satan's like,
What?
Job?
That guy ain't
blameless?
Let me tell you
some things.
Right?
There's no argument.
As a matter of fact,
we're going to see
just momentarily
that Satan
goes on
to acknowledge
Job
does indeed
fear God
and turn away
from evil.
Which brings us
to the final point.
We need to consider
what's the accusation?
What's the accusation?
And it's that
God is unjust.
Look at
verses 9-11.
It says,
Then Satan
answered the Lord
and said,
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've 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.
Now,
there's several
important observations.
One,
again,
notice,
Job does indeed
fear God.
Satan is willing
to concede that.
And also notice,
Satan has
set his heart
on Job.
Right?
It appears
that all of the
previous times
he has attempted
to mess with Job
or his stuff,
he's been thwarted
by God's protection.
That there's a shield
around him
and all of his things.
Also notice
that all of Job's
greatness,
his prosperity,
his influence,
his family,
all of that
is really from God.
It's not that Job's
a self-made man.
It's that God
has been the source
of all of these
blessings
in Job's life.
But then also,
think about
Satan's accusations.
He says,
does Job fear God
for nothing?
You could translate that.
Job's righteousness
is not genuine.
He's just serving
himself.
It's just about
what he gets.
Then he says,
you've blessed him
on every side.
And the accusation
is,
you're buying him off.
You're bribing him.
You're paying him
to love you.
Then take it all away
and he'll curse you.
Your system
doesn't work.
It produces hypocrites,
not worshipers.
So we see Job's
godliness is challenged
as being superficial
or selfish,
that it's only sustained
by God's divine protection
and blessing.
But even more than that,
worse than that,
God's character
is maligned.
He's accused
of bribing Job
into devotion,
paying him off,
making it easy.
And so here we have
the central questions
raised.
Is God worthy
of love
for who he is
apart from his blessings?
Will a person
remain faithful
even without receiving
any benefits?
You see,
Satan's basically
questioning God's policy
of rewarding the righteous.
He says,
it's flawed.
God,
you got this wrong.
You're corrupting
true virtue.
You're making it impossible
for there to be
true righteousness
because you're introducing
these ulterior motives.
And eventually,
we'll see Job
question God's policy
of letting the righteous
suffer,
saying that it's not just,
it's undeserved.
And really,
through the book of Job,
we'll see Satan
and Job
and Job's friends
all in one way
or another
eventually question
or challenge
God's wisdom
in how he rules
and runs
his creation.
So,
on that day,
we see who was there,
what was asked,
what was confirmed
and the accusations
that were made.
Now,
as we work our way
through Job,
we'll consider
both the process
and the purpose
of suffering.
But this morning,
this morning,
let's end our time
considering,
asking ourselves
the same basic question
that Satan
is asking God.
Why is Job
pursuing a relationship
with God?
And let's make it
more personal.
Why are we,
why are you
pursuing a relationship
with God?
Is it,
is it because God
is worthy
of your love,
your devotion,
and your worship
in and of himself?
Or,
is it because of
what you're getting
or what you hope
to get from him?
Let me ask you
this week
to ponder,
to consider,
what if you lost
everything good
in your life?
What if it happened today?
What if you lost
every blessing,
your money,
your source
of financial support,
your home,
your closest,
most precious relationships,
your health?
I mean,
just everything good
in your life.
What if you lost it today?
Would you still love,
obey,
and worship God?
But,
but let's up the ante
because it's hard
for us as followers
of Christ
to,
to really consider this
because of all the blessings
that we receive
in Jesus.
But,
but imagine if it was possible
and in Christ
it's not possible,
but imagine if it was possible.
What if you lost heaven?
What if you found out today
without a doubt
that,
that when you die
it's just over?
There's no heaven.
Or,
or maybe worse,
what if you found out today
you would spend eternity
in hell?
Would you still love,
obey,
and worship God?
You see,
we have to ask
these questions
because it's,
it's the very question
being asked
of Job
here.
Which leads us
to verse 12,
the last verse.
It says,
then the Lord said
to Satan,
behold,
all that he has
is in your hand.
Only against him
do not stretch out
your hand.
So Satan went out
from the presence
of the Lord.
And so we have this
final verse
in our passage today
and it sets
the foreboding tone
for what's to come
next week.
Let's pray.
Father,
we come to you
this morning
thankful for your
grace and your glory.
Father,
confessing that
that those of us
that love you
and follow you,
we want to
be able to say
that we love you
in and of yourself
for you are worthy.
But Father,
we know our hearts
are deceptive.
So we ask
that by your spirit
you would search us,
that you would show us
what it is
in our hearts
that truly drives us
to pursue you,
that it might be refined,
that it might be
for our love
for Christ,
for who he is,
first and foremost
in all things,
that he would be lifted up
in our hearts
and minds,
that our devotion
would be pure,
that we would be equipped
to face whatever comes
knowing that
if we have Jesus,
we have all that we need.
It's in Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.
Thank you, guys.
Have a good day.