A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (August 27, 2018)
I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee. (Job 42:5)
The Book of Job is probably the least read book in the entire Bible. It’s long and it’s full of sufferings so people just don’t want to read about all the terrible things Job went through. One Pastor said in his recent blog post that he had read through the entire Bible many times and as he did he would always skip over the Book of Job. So you see, even some Pastors don’t like to read the Book of Job.
I want to approach this Book from a totally different perspective than you have probably ever heard it taught or preached before. In my opinion, God is trying to show us the tactics of the enemy through what happened to Job but we have to have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear.
The Book of Job is considered in most theological circles as probably one of the oldest books of the Bible. Historians think that this account transpired in the patriarchal times such as the times of Abraham. Please note that people of that time did not have the New Testament. They did not know what we know today about the enemy, his ways, and the spiritual warfare that ensues. They just thought that everything was controlled by God (we still have major religions that teach and believe that). They did not know they had an enemy that was trying to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).
In this one instance God gave Satan permission to attack Job, his health, his family, and all his possessions. The only thing Satan could not do was kill Job. It confused Job (Job 10:15) because Job had a personal relationship with God and he felt he had done nothing wrong. Even God described Job as perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:1).
After Job lost everything three of his so-called friends came to counsel and comfort him. These friends were no comfort. They spent days telling him that it was his fault or his children’s fault. Job or his children must have sinned and made God mad. Basically they accused him over and over again while Job pleaded his innocence. They almost convinced Job that God was the one trying to kill him when it was actually Satan. The following statements by Job are still used in some religious circles to erroneously and dangerously attribute Satan’s work to God.
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. (Job 1:21)
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him (Job 13:15).
As you go through the Book of Job, which reads like a novel, you will see that Job gets to a point that he wishes he was never born. He gets to the point that he does not want to live anymore. He is almost on the brink of suicide. I want you to remember that Satan could not kill Job but also remember that the very character and goal of Satan is to kill, steal, and destroy. So, what would be the next best thing for Satan? It would be to convince Job to commit suicide!!! He is a really slick devil.
This entire book rolls back the curtain on Satan and exposes his tactics. He will use every dirty trick and filthy lie under the sun to reach his goal. He is the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). He is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). He will attack your loved ones, your possessions, and your finances. He will even use your close friends to convince you that God has abandoned you and there is no hope.
These so-called religious friends almost convinced Job to give up but he never did and in the end God spoke and when He spoke it was not good for the three friends that were counseling Job. God told them they had not spoken right things about Him and that they needed to go to Job and offer up a burnt offering and have Job pray for them (Job 42:7-8).
Here are some of the critical points we all need to get from the Book of Job. God is not trying to kill us but Satan is and he will use anything he can to destroy the relationship you and I have with God. Next, God’s permission for Satan to attack Job is not a standard operating procedure for God like some religions teach. It was a one-time event to let us see the warring tactics of our enemy. God and Satan are not up in Heaven somewhere planning and preparing on who and how they will attack the next person. That is not the God I serve!!!
God is love and He loves His kids. He is light and there is no darkness in Him. He tempts no man and He is not a man that He should lie. His entire Word is meant for our instruction to show us the way. We just need to read His Word and rightly divide it. When we see Jesus, we see His Word in the flesh. We see God’s heart through His son. Do not let Satan convince you through his lies that God the Father is something other than what you see in Jesus!!!
