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Though the Lord removes the hedge of his protection

09 June 2020 AnneT Blog, Job An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

Job Sees The Light - Third in a series

Job 2:1-3 Hover over this Bible passage, and see its similarity to Job 1:6-8. However, in Job 2:3, the Lord makes plain that he was in fact the One who destroyed Job without cause.

Christians can trust God’s permissive will, because all things work together for good… Rom 8:28. The key to God’s description of Job is that he is his servant. He is one of God’s own, chosen in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (Eph 1:4)

Job 2:4-6 Satan was infuriated. In his rage, he doubled the ante: God let's see if you can claim this man's heart after you make him ill and unattractive. Of course he is willing to hang onto his faith as long as he has his looks and health; he'd even exchange his children's lives in return for his own (Skin for skin). But strike his flesh and bones and then we'll see if he still maintains his integrity.

As before, he is accusing Job of shallowness and a faith based on wanting blessings, not the one who blesses. And once again, he is accusing God for protecting Job and thereby insuring his faith.

Isn’t it interesting that Satan cannot accuse Job without also accusing God? God’s relationship with his own is so close that the curses of one must fall on the other. It is this relationship that ensures the servant’s ultimate innocence and deliverance, for God has said, “How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.” (Isa. 48:11) The honor and glory of God will never be blackened, therefore those who are his must reflect his glory and be brought to victory.

Job 2:7 Must the Lord remove his hedge from around Job to prove his delight in him is justified? No, God is not constrained to prove anything to anyone, but again, he has chosen to allow Satan to destroy Job knowing that persecution will do him good. God has not swallowed Satan’s bait, but he has gone fishing for Job’s heart.

Job 2:8-10 Even though a ruined man, Job was a good husband by New Testament standards. He was kind to her in her weak state, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Pet 3:7)

Job 2:11-13 Here are three men, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, whose names mean, respectively, God is dispenser, Son of contention, and Rough and hairy.* They have come, a trinity, with the best of intentions, but do their names betray what they will accomplish?

*Young's Analytical Concordance

You have an adversary

01 June 2020 AnneT Blog, Job An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

Job Sees The Light - Second in a series

Job 1:2-3 Hover over this Bible passage to read how blessed Job was.

Job 1:4-5 Job saw himself as righteous— He stood before the Lord in the place of his children to make atonement for them.

Job 1:6-7 The Lord knew that Satan, his son who turned from righteousness, had been surveying Job and his possessions, and begrudging him for his privileges. Perhaps Job reminded the Adversary of the riches and honor he had enjoyed before his fall.

Job 1:8 The Lord saw Job as perfect and upright, as one who feared God and turned from evil. But Job was blind to God’s immense glory and did not fathom the depth of his wisdom, mercy, power, love and sovereignty. We discover this in the book’s final chapter as Job confesses:

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6)

Mission accomplished! As we will see in this blog series, the Lord, by taking his son, Job, through a severe and inscrutable trial, brought him to a new birth. And since the journey began when Job was self-deceived, it was an especially laborious and painful task. The self-assured man is practically unbendable.

We can only hope the Lord will do the same for us, realizing it is the nature of man to be foolish, self-absorbed, prideful, short-sighted, and never aware of the magnitude of distance between the creature and the Creator.

The Trial Begins

Job 1:9-11 The Accuser challenges the Lord of Hosts. He would like for Job to be tested. Much could be written about this passage and the prospect of Satan demanding to sift God’s children, but for now we will only point out that God is not the accuser. Though He sees all our shortcomings, he never accuses us about them, but only gently brings them to our minds.

Job 1:12 God grants permission to Satan to decimate Job.

Job 1:13 Satan chose the birthday of the oldest son to begin his rampage (Job 1:4). "That son is the first sign of his father's strength." (Deut 21:17) That day symbolized Job's blessedness and hope for the future. One of Satan's goals in attacking us as well, is to make us feel cut off from our future hope and doubtful about our claim to it.

Job 1:14-15 His destruction of Job’s possessions and family begins with the creatures that help to manage his ranch and their overseers. Satan uses neighboring tribes to do his work. This deflects the blame from himself and his minions.

Job 1:16-17 Next the sheep so needed for food and raiment and the camels for their services in travel and their overseers are killed. "Fire from heaven" is blamed. Satan wants man to blame the Lord for his losses.

Job 1:18-19 Finally, Job’s children are destroyed by a tornado or twister, on the day of the oldest son’s birthday. Satan can control the weather if the Lord allows.

Job 1:20-22 Despite everything, Job does not question nor blame the Lord.

Job: In a class with Noah and Daniel

16 May 2020 AnneT Job An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

Job Sees The Light - First in a series

Hover over the Scripture references to read the verses under discussion

The Book of Job is a steep climb and broad crossing from wonder at the inscrutable trials of a godly man— to the Lord’s complete deliverance of him from spiritual darkness.

In this blog series we will travel verse by verse or by passages with Job and his friends, up the rocky face of God’s permissive will and across endless miles of mental darkness to the glorious new birth that was the appointed end.

Job 1:1

The meaning of his name

Scholars have concluded that the name, Job, could mean “hated” or “turn,” connoting repentance, or “where is my father?” or that it bears no literary significance.

Where he lived

Job lived in Uz, perhaps so named for a great-grandson of Noah. Noah’s middle son. Shem had five sons: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. (Gen 10:22) Aram fathered Uz. (Gen 10:23)

AN ASIDE: Arphaxad was the grandfather of Eber who was the progenitor of the Hebrews: Eber > Peleg > Reu > Serug > Nahor > Terah > Abram. So maybe Job and Abraham were distant cousins.

Historians say the land of Uz may have been in Bashan, or east of the Sea of Galilee or on the edge of the Arabian desert.

When did he live?

Some reasons for viewing Job among the ancients include:

According to rabbinical tradition he lived in Abraham’s times. Some view him as Melchizedek to whom Abraham tithed.

There is no reference in Job to the book of the law, nor of the levitical institutions, priesthood and sacrifices. Sacrifices are mentioned in the beginning and the end of the book. But no priest is indicated. It is the primitive way of approaching God by a sacrifice.

Nothing is said of the history of Israel, nor is there a quotation from the writings of the prophets.

We move evidently in this book in a time before the law was given and before Abraham’s seed constituted a nation. (Arno Gaebelein)

He lived while God was known by the name of God Almighty more than by the name of Jehovah for he is called Shaddai--the Almighty, more than thirty times in this book.

He lived while divine knowledge was conveyed, not by writing, but by tradition for to that appeals are here made, xxi. 29 xv. 18 v. 1. And we have therefore reason to think that he lived before Moses, because here is no mention at all of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, or the giving of the law. (Matthew Henry)

Was he a real or fictional man in Scripture?

Real. Scripture says “this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.” (Job 1:3)

Job is cited in the book of James as an “example.” James wrote, Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11)

Would James have instructed the brothers in long suffering or any vital trait based on a fiction? Would he have classed Job among God’s prophets (Jas 5:10) if he were merely a book character? Would he have said that these brothers had seen what the Lord finally brought about if God actually did nothing?

Ezekiel, too, mentions Job and classes him with Noah and Daniel. (Ez 14:14-20) That is something to ponder: The saints will be preserved. (Ps 41:2, Psa79:11, Psa 86:2, Psa 121:7, 2Ti 4:18 et al)