Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus,
We continue our examination of the Book of Job with the second message in this series. As Job 1:1 tells us, Job was “perfect and upright.” The word “perfect” is the Hebrew word “tawn,” which means, “blameless.” When it refers to a person, it means that they love truth, and they endeavor to live a moral and godly life. However, it does not mean sinlessness or without sin.
What’s interesting is God names Job as one of the three most righteous men that ever lived. The other two were Noah and Daniel. Hower, no matter how righteous they were, they could save no one because they had sin. This is speaking to the coming of a Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who would live a sinless and righteous life through which all men that called upon His Name could be saved.
Ezekiel 14:14
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 14:20
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith The Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
We learned last week that God did not offer Job up to be tempted by satan to curse God. It was Job’s continual fear in Job 1:5 that led to satan having legal access to Job. Job’s continual fear, and the words spoken in fear about his sons and their doings, led to Job coming under the curse.
Proverbs 26:2
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
The Scriptures tell us in Proverbs 26:2 that the curse does not randomly come upon someone. There is a cause to the curse. Job’s cause for the devastation he suffered from the curse was his fear and the words of fear he spoke.
In Job 1:11, we can see that satan’s aim is to have Job curse God. satan wants to prove to God the only reason a man would worship and be attentive to God and His Word is because of the material blessings. We can see in Job 1:13-22 that satan went after all of Job’s possessions almost immediately. satan wanted Job to curse God.
Job 1:21-22
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: The LORD gave, and The LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of The LORD.
22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
We can see that in all the devastation Job did not sin by blaming God. Job worshipped and blessed God. Amazing! Could we do this?
In verse 1:21, Job makes a wrong statement saying, “the Lord giveth and The Lord taketh.” It is also preached like this, and it’s wrong. God never takes away something He has given. The Scriptures make this very clear. What kind of good Father would God be if He gave you something and then took it away?
Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
This verse states that God does not change His mind or revoke what He has given. His gifts and His calling are irrevocable. The phrase “without repentance” conveys that God does not regret or withdraw His gifts once given.
We see in Job 2:1-6 that satan comes a second time to accuse Job to God. Why a second time? Because Job does not crack and curse God the first time even though satan has wiped out all his possessions and his children – “all that Job possessed.” God, again, answers satan with a rhetorical question just as He did the first time. This time satan asks to inflict sickness and punishment on Job’s body. satan believes this will get Job to crack and curse God. The LORD tells satan, this second time, he must spare Job’s life.
Job 2:3
And The LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him, to destroy him without cause.
Again, a critical part of Job 2:3 is a bad translation which leads Believers, who won’t take the time to study to show themselves approved, to believe God allowed satan to convince God to move against Job. Nothing could be further from the Truth, and it’s totally out of line with God’s character. When studied in the Hebrew, the part of Scripture that reads, “although thou movedst Me against him,” reads, “although thou tried to instigate Me against him by coaxing and provoking….” There is a big difference between the two. satan tried to provoke or coax God into moving against Job. However, God speaks to Job having maintained his integrity even though satan urged God to harm Job without cause. God never afflicted Job or any other man. satan, the adversary, is the afflicter. We can see this in Job 2:7.
Job 2:7
So went Satan forth from the presence of The LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
We can see it was satan who struck Job with the boils, not God. The amazing thing is Job still did not curse God even though his wife urged him to do so. “Curse God and die” was Job’s wife’s comment. However, Job still did nothing wrong.
Now, at this point in the story, Job’s theology is still wrong. We see this in Job 2:10.
Job 2:10
But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Although Job did not curse God, which would have been sin, Job still was not accurate or learned in his theology believing that while God gave good things, He could also give bad things. Job believes that he is being punished by God for something he did. Job has a works mentality and theology. We’ll see that Job’s friends believe the same, too. They, too, have a works mentality. However, Job’s friends never change their theology. Job does so eventually. Right now, he is trying to figure out what he has done wrong. Job wanted to know, “why me?” The same question we probably ask of God at times.
Before we get much further into Job, I believe it will help us greatly to have an outline of the events in the Book of Job.
Basic Outline:
I Prologue:
A. Job’s circumstances (1:1-5)
B. The first accusation and attack (1:6-10)
C. The second accusation and attack (2:1-10)
II Main Body:
A. Arrival of Job’s friends (2:11-13)
1. Job lament to his friends (3:1-26)
2. 1st round of advice (4:1 – 14:22)
3. 2nd round of advice (15:1 – 21:34)
4. 3rd round of advice (22:1 – 26:14)
B. Job’s complaint (27:1 – 31:40)
C. Elihud’s rebuke (32:1 – 37:24)
D. God’s chastening of Job (38:1 – 41:34)
III. Epilogue (42:1 – 17)
Job’s three friends arrive in Job 2:11 “to mourn with him and to comfort him.” They were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They sat with Job for seven days and seven nights and didn’t know what to say about the level of loss Job had suffered. Job breaks the silence and curses the day he was born. This is Job’s lament throughout the first few chapters.
Job 3:1-4
1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 And Job spake, and said,
3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
Job 3:11-13
11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
Jobs friends then offer their advice. Their advice was wrong because it was based on the faulty theology of God rewards and God punishes based on works. Again, a works mentality. Job’s friends believed good people go to Heaven, the bad to hell. God rewards good on this earth and in Heaven. They believed God is going to get us if we do something very bad. They would try to make up for it with what they believed to be good works. Job had same mentality as his friends.
We’re going to look at each of Job’s three friends to see the basis for their theology. This is important because it is still repeated today by religion and even by Believers. Eliphaz’s reply and discourse is based on his experience as we see in Job 4:8, “Even as I have seen…”
Job 4:7-9
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
Bildad’s arguments were based on human tradition. This is what our ancestors have always taught. If it wasn’t true, God would have corrected us by now. We see this in Job 8:10, “Shall not they teach thee,” speaking of their fathers in verse 8.
Job 8:8-13
8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
Zophar’s arguments were based on human merit. If man has a good heart and does what God tells him, then God will reward and bless him. If he doesn’t, God will curse and punish him.
Job 11:5-6
5 But oh that God would speak, and open His lips against thee;
6 And that He would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
Zophar is saying that if God revealed what you had secretly done, then we’d find out that God didn’t punish you half as much as you deserved.
Job 11:13-17
13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward Him;
14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
16 Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
17 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
Zophar continues by stating in Job 11:13-17, if you would repent Job, if you will admit what you’ve done, then God will quit punishing you, and He’ll reward you and He’ll bless you. So, Job come clean. No one who has had even a sliver of good will find themselves in your situation. Obviously, there is more evil in your life than you’re willing to admit. All your life has been a lie, and this is God revealing what you’ve tried to hide from everyone else.
We’re warned by The Holy Spirit through Paul in Colossians 2:8 about the theology of Job’s three friends.
Colossians 3:8
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.
Notice The Holy Spirit tells us not to allow men or the world to strip us of our faith in Jesus Christ and His Word with the garbage of the world such as philosophy, lies, traditions, and principles. We see this reflected in religion today, and we see it creeping into faith-filled churches. As The Holy Spirit says, “beware!”
Next message we’ll see Job come to the realization that his theology has been wrong. He begins to realize what caused the devastation in his life, and it isn’t God. As we go forward this week, let’s remember the devil doesn’t run when you use the name of Jesus. He runs when you believe it.
Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Larry