First of Three Sermons on Job

Sermon Job I

I have been fascinated by the book of Job from the first time I read it many years ago. It is easy to be put off by the lengthy discourse between Job and his friends, but once I got through that and focused on the message, I was hooked.

I have read various Bible scholars who claim all scriptures are accurate history. Exodus actually happened, and the red Sea opened to allow them to pass. I am not of the literal school. I believe the truth of the Bible is accurate throughout, but the Old Testament is not always accurate history. To record events that happened before man learned how to write. I am not saying that there is no basis, but over time the accounts turned into legends. Exodus. There is ample evidence of the Jews migration from Egypt to Canaan, but the archeological record indicates the migration took place over several years. That, however, doesn’t change the message. God led the Jews out of Egypt. Moses probably led the main body into the desert where he received the law from God and welded these ex-slaves into a community.

You can say much the same about the Book of Job. I found experts who claim it was written by Job himself. They claim they can determine the exact date within 50 years. The book is a long poem. Epic poems were written to preserve oral history. Like the famous Beowulf we studied in school, they tell of heroes and exploits that inspire pride in the people about whom they were written. King David was an actual person, but was Goliath rally nine feet tall? Job was probably a real character, but at some point, the legend became more real than the man. The message, however, remains intact. Did Satan really show up at a meeting of God’s angels and challenge the Almighty? I don’t think so. You are free to disagree. There are some PhDs with lofty credential who will say I’m wrong, and that’s OK. I am more concerned with the message than in Job the man.

The first two chapters of the book show the nature of Satan. Satan is relentless. There are some who say Satan is a metaphor for the evil side of man. I say Satan is real and the personification of evil. Satan challenges God. “Stretch out you hand and strike everything he has and he will surely curse you to your face.” So, Satan went to work and took everything Job had, his wealth, and even his family. Can any of you relate? How many do you know who have lost everything? I have a cousin who went through a nasty divorce and lost everything, his family, his job and for a while his freedom. But Job did not curse God as Satan thought he would. Instead, he uttered the famous passage, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job understood that everything we have are gifts from God. Life itself is given us from God. Twelve years ago, I lost my right eye. It would have been easy to curse God. But God let me have two good eyes for over 60 years, and He gave me a spare, so I can function just fine with the one I have left. God took my little sister last year. God also gave me the gift of having her in my life for as long as I did. Job understood this. “The Lord gave and now He has taken away.”

But Satan wasn’t through. When taking everything away from Job didn’t cause him to turn away from God, Satan asked for more. He continued to challenge God and asked to be allowed to cause him physical pain. “Stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” When extreme physical pain didn’t cause Job to turn away, Satan disappeared from the narrative. Like most bullies, he probably went to seek out easier victims.

The Book of Job also displays some of the nature of God. God is too complex for me to say it depicts His nature, but it reveals a small part of it. When Satan asked to test God’s favorite human, God allowed it. “Very well then everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself, do not lay a finger.” God allows Satan to temp us. Note He put limits on Satan’s actions. God can limit Satan. God controls Satan. He could even eliminate him if He wanted, but He doesn’t. God allows temptation. I will not try to answer why God allows it. It is beyond my capability to determine God’s motives. When Satan persisted and requested the limits be revised, God did so; but limits on Satan’s actions, although expanded, still existed. “You must spare his life.”

The scripture reveals the nature of Job, and by extension the nature of believers. Job’s wife also realized that nothing happened without the consent of God. Her reaction to her husband’s plight was to “Curse God and die.” Job’s response, however, was typical of believers. “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” There are many here who have faced adversity. Adversity is not strong enough for what I mean, but I can’t think of a stronger word. I was mad at God when my boys drowned in the lake. I was angry that a benevolent God would allow this terrible thing to happen, but I never lost my faith that God is the controller of all things. I never lost my faith that God loves me. I just didn’t understand, and I vented my lack of understanding with anger. I have talked to Steve, and his faith was never shaken even under the worst tragedy anyone can face. Steve and Anne are believers. Their faith is unshakeable, just as Job’s was.

I think I will quit here for now. The message from Job is in three parts. In the first two chapters the nature of Satan is revealed as well as one small part of the nature of God. Lastly, the message reveals the nature of believers.

In the next 34 chapters the message will explore the nature of man. The last five chapters reveal more of the nature of God.

Pray with me. Lord, we know you are our Creator. You are the creator of everything that is. We have faith that you answer or prayers even as your will is paramount to ours. We know and will never doubt that you created us out of love. Amen