Job - An Accounting of Man and Man's Lack of Faith
Pastor Jerry Wilhite,
author
Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible. It was written either during the period of Genesis 5 or 14.
I met Jesus in 1973 and as so many on fire for God I wanted to preach and started with the ministry in which I grew up, the Methodist Church. By 1977 I was ready to become a Reverend but left due to the politics that were involved. One of the problems I have had over time has been the controversy over such things as baptism of water: Is it water or is it spirit? We are to be dunked or sprinkled at birth or later.
In the late 1980s I thought that denominations were divided over little things, not salvation in general, until I looked deeper and saw that even salvation had been perverted. I wanted to know why. So I started studying the history of the church from the first century till present and was shocked to find that what we call church is actually religion.
Imagine two men reading the same book and walking away with different meanings. Over time these differences divide them, their families, friends and associates into two groups. Both say they have the truth and the other does not, until one day they both meet the author of the book and learn that they are both wrong. Most of you should understand the two men is mankind, the book is the Bible and the author is God.
One day I came across what many have taught as truth: that God does test us. and those who teach it base it on one verse in Job.
Job 1
8. 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?
From reading the above you can perceive that God tests us, but when you read what the Literal translation says you find it is not true. The above verse is correct as it is written, but it is just not read correctly, because it was translated in 1612 AD and English has changed so much since then that we no longer get the meaning.
8.
|0559| And said
|3068| Yahweh
|0000| to
|7854| Satan,
|7760| Have you set
|3824| your heart
|5650| on My servant
|0347| Job?
|3588| For
|0369| not is {any}
|0000| like him
|0776| in the earth,
|0376| a man
|8535| perfect
|3477| and upright,
|3373| revering
|0430| God
|5186| and turning away
|7451| from evil.
So if God did not test Job, and instead it was really Satan, what is Job really about? Job is a book to help mankind understand the truth about God (truth, light, good) and Satan (lie, dark, evil).
Job starts out a very prosperous man and it is after Satan convinces God to remove His hedge of protection that Job looses everything. Satan tells God that Job will in time, due to his hardships, curse God, and no longer will be the righteous man as God sees him. But God knows Job will stay true and allows Satan to test Job.
Job loses his children, all of his possessions, his wife turns on him and tells him to just curse God and die, and he is inflicted with sickness. His friends even turn on him and blame him for his condition.
Mankind has four areas that effect us the most: loss of a child or loved one; health issues; debt; lack of possessions or social standing; and relationships. All of these are shown in the afflictions put upon Job by Satan. In Job we are shown how we allow Satan in and are then destroyed.
Job 3
25. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
We either have fear, which is Satan's form of faith, or we have faith. When we allow fear to come in faith leaves, and Satan then has a way in.
Job 1
21. And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.''
22. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
The first thing that started Job's downward spiral was a lack of knowledge of God. He stated "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away." If you do not know the truth about Job 1:8 then this would appear to be correct. Many use this verse to explain what they can not explain due to their lack of knowledge (not worldly knowledge but spiritual knowledge) that it was not God who took anything away from Job, it was Satan.
Hosea 4
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest (read Rev 1:6 about how you are a priest) to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Due to this lack of knowledge, Job started thinking it was God that was causing his problems. And over the next 35 or so chapters we read how Job goes from not blaming God to feeling sorry for himself, wishing he never had been born. And his friends, who represent the religion, are there to blame some great sin he did to cause this.
Yes, Job opened the door to allow Satan in and remove God by fearing but he did not commit some act of sin in the way that was eluded to by the friends.Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzit, who is the son of one of the friends, waits till they have all had their say out of respect for their age. He starts off by stating that the wisdom of this world is not wise at all. That in years one would be expected to be wise but is not.
Job 32
7. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.
8. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
And then explains how it is not God and how Job and his three friends are wrong.
Finally, in Job 38 God answers and spends two chapters asking Job where he was when God had planned the entire universe and, since he has such great knowledge, explain how God did all he did. And where was Job when God created man, etc.
For nine months God to Job feel sorry for himself, and listen to his friends (religion) where in he should have told them to either shut up or leave. But he continued to allow them to sow their unbelief into him. All Job had to do was to ask God, and if Job had done this early on he would not have suffered for nine months.
After God talks to Job in Job 38-19 Job finally repents and then God forgives him. The three friends which represent the religion had to make a sacrifice and they had to have Job's blessing on it for God to accept it. Then all that Job lost was returned to him three times over again.
Job 1
9. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10. Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
Now we know how Satan got God to allow Satan to test Job.
Job 1
Job's lack of knowledge is shown here when he in considers any of this to be of God directly.
Job 2
9. Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!''
10. But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?'' In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Job's wife, which represents relationships, even turns on him and wishes he would curse God and die.
Job 2
11. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.
Job's three friends which represent religion, the lack of the law to save, and the world and its lies.
Job 2
12. And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven.
13. So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
The first thing they do is fast for seven days, but apparently they did not use the time well to seek God about his situation because he believed God was the cause of it. Even still, he could have asked God why and learned the truth and not suffered as long as he did.
We enter this life from the womb of a woman and then we grow and all we know and learn is taught us of the world: religion; law; and Satan. We never seek God for any knowledge because, as with Job, we think we have it all through the Bible and the world,
never realizing that the Bible is the beginning of knowledge not the end all of knowledge.
Instead of having the hedge of protection that comes from God we choose the world and all it has to offer.
We are like the Jews in Exodus. As soon as Moses is gone longer than expected they turned to idols and to wanting to turn back to Egypt instead of having faith in God.
We fear, due to a lack of knowledge, and allow Satan in and then when we lose something or someone or get sick we blame God. Even though it appears in truth to be Satan it was us that did it to ourselves due to a lack of faith and knowledge and allowing fear and doubt in.
The Book of Job also shows God is patient (even though we are not) to wait on us to repent and ask for His help, that when we repent and have faith in God things will get better.
2 Corinthians 10
5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
All knowledge, thoughts, and imaginations come from this world unless we seek it of God. And until we do we are kicked around like a ship at sea in a storm to be thrown back and forth.
Jesus showed in His life here that what we know of this world is a lie or, at best, nothing in comparison to the truth.
Jesus showed the laws of physics, gravity, and all we believe are not accurate.
Jesus told us and showed us and still we do not believe. We believe what we are taught by this world even though we know this world is in Satan’s control and is a lie and not truth. We believe what we hear the most, that most agree on, and what we see..
I am sure most of you understand that if we talk about a few what is left is most, because a few is not many at all if the remaining would be most.
Matthew 7
13. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Most (many) are on the path to destruction, but we still believe the most and not the few or God. Most are misled by man, the few are led by God.
Matthew 7
20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Then Jesus tells us that they will be know by their fruit. Then He lists all kinds of works they do that would appear to all that they are of God. But Jesus states they are workers of iniquity and tells them to depart. What is missing is a relationship between them and Him. He stated I never knew you, of course He knew of them, they just never took the time to know Him so He could know them.
The world, even the church/religion, keeps us so busy in a fast pace life where patience is not expected so we do not have the time to learn the truth.
I have spent twelve years now listening to and writing what God says and I still only know a tiny part of what I can know or that He knows. Faith can only grow from a relationship with God. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, in John 1:14 we learn the word became flesh and is Jesus. So faith comes by hearing, and understanding by Jesus of God.
Believe it or not, you can have a one-on-one relationship with God. It is your choice. But remember if you get caught up in the world and suffer as Job did do not blame God, or even Satan, but yourself because you now know better.
Revelation 3
20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
For those who did not get it about Job.
Mankind, as long as they are protected and nothing goes wrong, spends their time in the world and of the world not seeking God. When things go bad they may seek God but for the most part they will blame God. But if they repent and listen and follow they will have all they lost back and more.
Religion and law bring little to the table, but grace brings all and then some to the table.
What we should learn when we read Job.
Job is a story of mankind, when man believes in God, totally believes without doubt that is faith, where faith is fear is not. But man fears more than man believes so fear becomes mankind faith.
No matter what God does, has done or will do mankind fears more than believes and suffers.
Where as like with Job if he had of earlier on sought God and repented of his fear and turned away from listening to his friends (religion) he would not have suffered as long. The same can be said for mankind, we can spend our life in fear or faith, we are responsible for our outcome and we can not blame God. And here is where Job reflects on the individual and how we should and should not live and if we choose fear we have no one to blame but ourselves.