The Book of Job
Here is an outline of the concluding chapters of the Book of Job
God now speaks, face to face, with Job
Job 38-39, Job 40: 1-2, 6-24, Job 41
Job responds to God
Job 40: 3-5, Job 42: 1-6
God chastises Job’s 3 friends
Job 42: 7-9
God restores Job’s health, wealth and family
Job 42: 10-16
When God speaks to Job face to face, God does not explain to Job the reason He allowed suffering into his Life
From our study in the Book of Job we learn 5 reasons God allows suffering into our Life
1/ Like Job, God allows suffering into our Life to test our faith
God draws the devil’s attention to Job
Job 1: 8 Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”
The devil claims that Job only fears God because God has blesses him
Job 1: 9-11, Job 2: 4-5
God allows the devil to bring suffering into Job’s Life to ‘test’ Job’s faith in God
Job 1: 12, ‘test him’ Job 2: 6
Job suffered the loss of his children, his wealth and his health (Job 1-2), he suffered the contempt of his wife (Job 2: 9) and the false accusations of his 3 friends who blamed him for bringing this suffering upon himself and his family (Job 4-31)
Under incredible pressure, Job’s faith weakens and he begins his long complaint against God that he is ‘innocent of sin and God is at fault’ for bringing this suffering into his Life (Job 6: 5)
Through all of this, the loss of God’s blessings in his Life, and the failure of his faith – Job did not curse God, as the devil said he would.
Q. Did Job pass the ‘test’?
A. Yes!
The devil was wrong, God was right and was glorified through Job’s suffering
So, what about you?
How will you respond when suffering comes into your Life?
Usually, when suffering comes into our Life we think “Oh no, I better tell God about this, He obviously knows nothing about it”!
We then blame the devil and ask God to take the pain away, now!
We complain, “I’m a Christian, I am entitled to God’s blessing!”
Dear Friends, we need to remember that there is a suffering that comes into our Life that ‘pleases God’
1 Peter 4: 19 ‘So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you’.
Is your faith in God’s blessings, or is your faith in God alone, in the absence of any blessing?
James 1:12 ‘God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him’.
revdotdavid 