This past June through October had been a medical challenge for me, not to mention how hard
it has been for my beloved wife to see me in such a condition. Recovery will
carry over into a good part of the next year, barring that sweet rapture of the
Church, of course. But I must say that Yahweh had not only been there with me
every moment during my twofold-crisis. He had revealed His hand in those
moments, too many times to be coincidental, that could only be explained by His
intentional intervention. God’s timing is impeccable. Sometimes we would like
for Him to hurry up a bit, but He is never early, never late, and always right
on time, His time.
He
was not only sufficient for all things concerning me, but His sovereignty was
evident in controlling the circumstances swirling about me like an EF-5 tornado.
Like Job, I was under a divine decree and simply had to sustain through Him
what was coming my way. It came, and I just about went, save for the grace of
God, and I had no choice in the matter! In fact, like Job, I was totally blindsided
and had no control over what was happening to me. Beverly felt helpless, too,
but Yahweh ministered to her and strengthened her as only He could do.
Though
I make mention of Job, I am not saying that my integrity was being challenged nor
am I suggesting that I am of the same spiritual caliber of one of my heroes in
the faith; I aspire to have the same spiritual integrity as Job, but I know
that my spirituality pales in light of his towering faith in God! That’s why I
look up to him and thank God for Job’s example of faith (cf. Rom 15:4).
I
mean; look at his spiritual resume in Job 1:8, a blameless and upright man, one who
fears God and shuns evil (cf.
Gn 6:9). What true believer would not want that said
of him or her by Yahweh! Job maintained his innocence in spite of the overwhelming
difficulties (Job 2:3). It makes me wonder about the integrity of my own faith,
not questioning my salvation but my commitment to Him in the good times and in
moments of adversity. Job embraced the good times as well as the bad, in his
case, really bad.
It
is suggested that Satan had already been looking for a way of getting to Job by
his answer to Yahweh’s question in Job 1:8, Have you not made a hedge around him, around
his household, and around all that he has on every side (Job 1:10)? Satan wanted at Job for
some time and was given the opportunity. At this juncture, Job was literally untouchable
by Satan (cf. Job 1:11).
You
know the story of Job, but note that in the last chapter (Job 42), that Yahweh
never addresses the why of it all to Job, losing all of his vast wealth,
many of his servants, his ten children, and his health. Oh, but Satan saved the
best temptation for last by tapping into Mrs. Job’s grief and despair, and she unwittingly
became a tool of the devil and pleaded with her husband to curse God and die (Job 2:9)! This was at
the core of all their present troubles, Job’s integrity!
Imagine
that; while Job was at the lowest point of his life, sitting among the ashes
and using a broken piece of pottery to scrape the sore boils covering his body from toe
to head (Job 2:7-8), the love of his life pleads with him to give it up! Mrs.
Job was beside herself and distraught; she couldn’t take any more of this
surreal nightmare in their lives and wanted it all to stop. Job had to square
her away spiritually during his great grief,
You
speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God,
and shall we not accept adversity (Job 2:10)?
Are
we getting this!? After all that has happened to Mr. and Mrs. Job, he makes
this incredible faith statement in question form, allowing his precious wife to
ponder. We never hear from Mrs. Job again. Her only recorded words in Scripture
were immortalized, Curse God and die (Job 2:9)!
Indeed,
God is often praised when good things happen to good people, yes? But sadly,
God is also cursed by the same people when bad things or adversity comes into their
lives (Job 1:22; 2:10). In all this Job did not sin with his lips. And, if that wasn’t
enough suffering, Job had to put up with his three friends who had planned to come and mourn with
Job, and to comfort him (Job 2:11-13); I think this was the aggravation phase by Satan
for Job’s unwillingness to curse God! God knows we sure don’t need Job’s kind
of friends in our lives, eh?
To
our enemy, all of this suffering of a son of Adam is impervious to him; he has
no compassion. Satan is intent on proving the all-knowing God is wrong at any
expense allowable! This still has me at “What were you thinking, Lucifer?” Satan’s
thinking is not in touch with reality to think he can rebel, outmaneuver, and
overthrow his all-knowing, all-wise, and all-powerful Creator!
Getting
back to Job’s three amigos, after seven days and seven nights, they felt compelled
to break their silence starting with Eliphaz (Job 4:1f) and proceeded to
figuratively kick Job around while he was still down. After seeing all of the
devastation surrounding Job, his friends came to the collective opinion that Job’s
integrity had been compromised by some sin in his life.
There
is this huge assumption on their part that sin is in the camp somewhere! In
their wisdom, how could such catastrophic events in Job’s life be explained
otherwise? Sometimes, that is true with chastisement, but not in the case of
Job. With spiritually-sensitive friends like that, who needs enemies, yes?
We know that Job’s integrity was being tested while Job and company were being run through the wringer by Satan, but not because there was sin in his life! Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had it all wrong, not to mention Satan (cf. Job 1:11, 22; 2:5, 10). Job maintained his integrity throughout all of it (cf. Job 1:22; 2:10) and proved them all wrong by just being Job living out being blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1).
We
never read in Scripture Yahweh ever putting a double-blessing (cf. Job 42:12,
13) on a disobedient saint, yes? No, not even a single blessing for those who
disobey Him! Obedience brings blessings; disobedience yields burdens. When will
we ever think this thing through and get it in our heads that it doesn’t pay to
disobey!? Thank God for grace and mercy!
Back
to the last chapter of Job, there is something that is often overlooked in the
process of Yahweh straightening out Job’s friends and blessing Job two-fold in
this last chapter. Note in Job 42:7 when Yahweh had finished speaking to Job;
then He turned His attention to Eliphaz and spoke to him, the elder of the three
friends of Job. Now, I am of the opinion that Bildad and Zophar were present
when Yahweh spoke to Eliphaz, My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends.
These
three pals of Job provoked Yahweh to anger (cf. 2 Kgs 22:17) but not because of
idolatry but something entirely different. Yahweh mentioned it twice in Job
42:7, 8,
(v7) …Yahweh said to Eliphaz, My wrath is aroused
against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is
right, as My servant Job has (emphasis
mine).
(v8) Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has (emphasis mine).
This
is intriguingly significant when you put it in the context for the reason of
the attack on Job by Satan, and yes, Yahweh allowed all of these terrible events
to enter the life of Job and His family (Job 1:12; 2:6). Satan thought he
understood humanity better than Yahweh and was out to prove the all-knowing God
wrong! Again, “Lucifer, what were you thinking?” When you layer the words of
Yahweh to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar,
(Job
42:7) …you have not
spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.
(Job
42:8) …you have not
spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has,
you
get the impression, Satan was using Job’s three comforters, too! Yahweh doesn’t take
too kindly of people saying wrong things about Him to others! Job had a better
understanding of Yahweh than his three buddies – “My servant Job has spoken of
Me what is right.” I don’t know about their spiritual status, but I hoped that Job’s
friends apologized and thanked him for praying for them – for Yahweh had
accepted Job’s prayer! What a gracious and forgiving man Job was!
Can
you blame the reaction of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar after Yahweh had spoken to
them? They went
and did as Yahweh commanded them (Job 42:9). Is physical death being suggested
as the outcome to these men if Job did not pray for them? I think so (cf. Job
42:7, My
wrath is aroused against you and your two friends).
At
the close of this great testing of Job’s integrity, His friends were rebuked,
but Job was restored! Spiritual warfare always leaves some kind of collateral
damage; in this case, the death of Job’s children and many of his servants. It
was a deadly assault on the household of Job!
So
Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite
went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job (Job 42:9).
I
think it is kind of funny that Yahweh saw the words of Job’s self-righteous friends
as folly (Job 42:8), but Job did not sin
with his lips (Job
2:10).
Some
of my experiences in June through October were not something I would want to ever
repeat if I had a choice in the matter, but I am reminded by Job’s words to his
distraught wife, Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity (Job 2:10). Mr. Job
said that to Mrs. Job knowing that his integrity had not been breached by
personal sin. I have a suspicion Mrs. Job was thankful for her husband’s
response to her foolishness; as painful as their experiences were, their life
was not over,
(Job
42:16) After
this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and
grandchildren for four generations.
(Job
42:17) So
Job died, old and full of days.
Why
was “why” not on the table in the book of Job? Think of it; from Have you considered my
servant Job (Job
1:8) to all hell breaking loose in his life to Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15), and Yahweh
restoring him two-fold! I think it wise for us to approach the big “W” like Job
– trust, but our quality of
trust must rise to the level of a Job - genuine.
“Why”
is never on the table for how does the creature demand an answer from the
Creator saying, “Why is this so?” No son of Adam is in any position to challenge
the Creator or demand an answer as if He is accountable to His creation. Such
line of questioning challenges the goodness, lovingkindness, justice, or mercy
of God.
I
said this in my last article, but it is worth repeating,
I believe that Yahweh is waiting for us who know Him to take that step of faith “from seeking or demanding answers of Him to trusting in Him without reservations, regardless of the season or situation for nothing enters our lives without His permission.”1
I can say of a surety, Satan wants for us to curse God to His face for allowing this or that to happen in our lives rather than trusting in Him to see us through whatever the season or situation. The choice is ours to make, but there again, blessings always follow obedience. We see this in the life of Job though on the front end; his world fell apart, but on the back end, Mr. and Mrs. Job were blessed two-fold by Yahweh. No matter how it begins or ends, trusting is better than questioning. <><
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1. https://michael-gram.blogspot.com/2020/12/m-g-12520-testament-of-our-faith-in.html
