Understanding Suffering: Lessons from the Book of Job
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There was a man in the land of us whose name was job, and that man was blameless and upright and one who feared god and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also his possessions were seven thousand sheep three thousand camels five hundred yoke of oxen 500 female donkeys and a very large household so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. [00:00:21]
The first look we have at job shows him to be an exceedingly righteous man. The author gives us here an impressive description of a man who's not perfect but certainly he's complete in his devotion respect and obedience to god. I find it fascinating that job's connection to god seems to be independent of any other old testament character. [00:07:35]
We have to save ourselves from the mistake of thinking that that at some point, job's sufferings job's experiences have for an explanation the idea that he caused them in some way, and what the writer of job is taking great great trouble to point out to us is that job was blameless. [00:09:21]
The central problem that job is going to have to deal with is theology. You see job must deal with the fact that in his life, god does not act the way that he thought he should. In this drama the the book of job it isn't like the record of the solutions and the explanations to job's problem. [00:05:44]
The book of job is the war that is fought when a man or a woman tries to make sense of the deepest questions in life, and that's what job's going to deal with. So we saw the earthly scene right in the first five verses the camera pans back right great big crane shot or with a helicopter you know pan's back. [00:15:19]
Now there was a day when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord, and satan also came among them. And the lord said to satan from where do you come? So satan answered the lord and said from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it. [00:15:56]
God was so impressed with job that he affirmed the description of job that was first recorded in job chapter 1 verse 1. I mean look at it verse 8 how would you like god to say this of you in heaven in verse 8 he says that there is none like him on the earth a blameless and upright man one who fears god and shuns evil. [00:24:31]
Satan believed that adversity could make job move from the standing in faith that he had. He believed that job would be unable to stand against the wiles and the deceptions of the devil. You know doesn't that remind you sort of the ephesians chapter six scenario right where we're called to stand against the attacks and the lies and the deceptions and the wiles of the devil. [00:33:39]
God gave satan great power it was limited power but it was great power and permission to attack job. God would let down the hedge he wouldn't remove it, you see satan had the power and the desire to afflict job all along what did he lack he lacked the opportunity before god and so when god gave him the opportunity satan was more than happy to attack job up to the limit of the allowance. [00:34:43]
You know the idea that god uses his people to teach angels eternal lessons is totally reinforced to us by the new testament are you aware that that ephesians chapter 3 verses 10 and 11 tells us that god is using the church to teach angelic beings about his wisdom that is exactly what god is doing in the life of job right here. [00:39:58]
Do you understand that satan is just serving god's purpose in all of this? Satan is actually going to serve the purpose of god in the book of job absolutely and utterly. Think about it at the end of it all satan intended to destroy job and get him to curse god i don't mean to spoil the story for anybody but job doesn't. [00:43:49]
Job experienced all of this it was like a waterfall of disaster upon him right it was like a niagara falls of disaster coming down upon joe. You and i because it's revealed to us in the scriptures we know what was happening behind the curtain right job didn't know so doesn't it make sense for you to think there can be happening things behind the curtain in my life that i don't know about. [00:51:42]
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The first look we have at job shows him to be an exceedingly righteous man. The author gives us here an impressive description of a man who's not perfect but certainly he's complete in his devotion respect and obedience to god. I find it fascinating that job's connection to god seems to be independent of any other old testament character. [00:07:35]
We have to save ourselves from the mistake of thinking that that at some point, job's sufferings job's experiences have for an explanation the idea that he caused them in some way, and what the writer of job is taking great great trouble to point out to us is that job was blameless. [00:09:21]
The central problem that job is going to have to deal with is theology. You see job must deal with the fact that in his life, god does not act the way that he thought he should. In this drama the the book of job it isn't like the record of the solutions and the explanations to job's problem. [00:05:44]
The book of job is the war that is fought when a man or a woman tries to make sense of the deepest questions in life, and that's what job's going to deal with. So we saw the earthly scene right in the first five verses the camera pans back right great big crane shot or with a helicopter you know pan's back. [00:15:19]
Now there was a day when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord, and satan also came among them. And the lord said to satan from where do you come? So satan answered the lord and said from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it. [00:15:56]
God was so impressed with job that he affirmed the description of job that was first recorded in job chapter 1 verse 1. I mean look at it verse 8 how would you like god to say this of you in heaven in verse 8 he says that there is none like him on the earth a blameless and upright man one who fears god and shuns evil. [00:24:31]
Satan believed that adversity could make job move from the standing in faith that he had. He believed that job would be unable to stand against the wiles and the deceptions of the devil. You know doesn't that remind you sort of the ephesians chapter six scenario right where we're called to stand against the attacks and the lies and the deceptions and the wiles of the devil. [00:33:39]
God gave satan great power it was limited power but it was great power and permission to attack job. God would let down the hedge he wouldn't remove it, you see satan had the power and the desire to afflict job all along what did he lack he lacked the opportunity before god and so when god gave him the opportunity satan was more than happy to attack job up to the limit of the allowance. [00:34:43]
You know the idea that god uses his people to teach angels eternal lessons is totally reinforced to us by the new testament are you aware that that ephesians chapter 3 verses 10 and 11 tells us that god is using the church to teach angelic beings about his wisdom that is exactly what god is doing in the life of job right here. [00:39:58]
Do you understand that satan is just serving god's purpose in all of this? Satan is actually going to serve the purpose of god in the book of job absolutely and utterly. Think about it at the end of it all satan intended to destroy job and get him to curse god i don't mean to spoil the story for anybody but job doesn't. [00:43:49]
Job experienced all of this it was like a waterfall of disaster upon him right it was like a niagara falls of disaster coming down upon joe. You and i because it's revealed to us in the scriptures we know what was happening behind the curtain right job didn't know so doesn't it make sense for you to think there can be happening things behind the curtain in my life that i don't know about. [00:51:42]
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