When All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2

Job 2:1–10 ESV

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Prayer

Last week we saw that “Even when all hell breaks loose, trusting Christ allows us to kiss the wave that throws us against the Rock of Ages.”

Our suffering is meant to point us back to the Christ who has ultimately suffered for us under God’s wrath.

How He took on our sin and has given us His righteousness.

Even when all hell breaks loose,

we can trust God’s plans and purposes in all things.

Scene III

“God Grants Satan to Harm Job”

Job 2:1–2 ESV

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

These first two verses are identical to the situation we talked about last time.

Last week, we saw a picture of God being the Sovereign ONE ruling everything but doing so Governmentally over the creation.

Sovereignly ruling even over His enemies.

Yet Governmentally permitting even evil to happen.

We saw how God is completely in charge and nothing escapes His plans.

Everything we have ever experienced or ever will experience has passed through God’s Sovereign Hand.

This even includes over Satan’s activity.

Job 2:3 ESV

And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”

The Lord’s again holds up and clearly says that Job is His servant.

That there is NONE like him on the earth, he is blameless, upright, fears God, and turns away from evil.

Job has in no way turned or “sold out” his integrity.

The Lord goes on to describe what Job has done, he has held fast to his integrity.

He has held fast to his integrity despite Satan’s activity.

Satan’s Desire

“Job’s Destruction”

Job 2:3 (ESV)

He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”

We should note something here: Satan has no interest in “testing” Job.

Satan’s interest here is in destroying Job.

He does not desire to simple “test” him.

He wants him gone.

The Lord is pointing to the fact that the testing of Job has actually strengthened his integrity.

God is pointing to the fact that since Job has not caved in, that it is without grounds that Satan tempted him to begin with.

Application

This means something for us here that we had better recognize.

Evil never wants to just harm us.

Luke 22:31–32 ESV

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

It may seem on the surface that Satan would just like to harm us, but it desires to destroy us.

Does Satan still attack Christians today?

Like we saw from 1 John, the answer is yes.

Don’t Be Surprised

“Destruction as an End”

What this means for us is that every ideology which is contrary to Christ is seeking this same thing for us.

It may seem tame, but it is truly seeking to destroy us.

I once heard the story of a young girl who was posing for a photoshoot was doing so in front of a lion.

She would pose for her photo shoot often in front of the lion and never had a second thought about it.

Until one day it turned on her and attacked her.

Obviously we look at this and we roll our eyes because we see a young girl lying on a 400 pound beast.

The unfortunate thing is that is what we often do with different ideologies or

As one author said, “Expect it, detect it, and reject it”

So we are naive to think that Satan no longer attacks believers.

But we also need to place Satan’s attacks in the rightful place.

Defeated but Prowling

“Shelter in the Son”

Unlike in the story of Job, Satan does not have the kind of place he did in this story.

When we think of the cross of Jesus Christ, we need to also have a cosmic element in view.

To have a cosmic element means that Jesus not only dealt with our sin.

But He also destroyed the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8 (ESV)

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Hebrews 2:14–15 ESV

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

The defeat was over our sin, but it was also over the devil.

Christ destroyed the works of the devil.

Which is why the writers of the New Testament can say, Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This means that Jesus has destroyed the ONE who accused us before God night and day.

Revelation 12:7–12 ESV

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Listen to what Satan’s response to the Lord is...

Job 2:4–5 ESV

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”

Satan’s charge is again two fold...

Satan’s Accuses Job

“Your Skin In Place of Mine!”

Satan’s response to the Lord is that “Skin for skin” which is basically an expression which means that all that matters is “self preservation”

Job—The Wisdom of the Cross

“the skin of others—the outer skin of my possessions and family—will be sacrificed if I can keep my own skin, my own life and health.”

He is again saying that Job only worship’s God to get good health from him.

He only worships God because he isn’t sick himself.

Satan’s Accuses God

“You’re Still Not Worthy”

Again, he is saying something to God like this...

“Job doesn’t really love you, he only worships you because you have spared his life!”

“If you harmed Job, he would no longer worship you!”

Job 2:6 ESV

And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

Divine Permission

“Passing Through His Hand”

God also acknowledges that Satan is the cause for Job's destruction.

Though the Lord gave permission, the Lord is NEVER charged with evil or destruction.

The permission here is given from God to Satan.

Before this moment, Satan had no ability to touch Job.

He could touch everything that Job had but he couldn’t touch his body.

He could touch everything that Job loved but he couldn’t touch him.

This is critically important because again we see that everything must pass through God’s hand.

Everything we have ever experienced has passed through the Sovereign hands of our creator.

With Constraints

“Only This Far”

Not only will he give permission, but there are limits to the permission.

The limits here is he can touch him but he cannot kill him.

He can harm him but to a point.

The scene now shifts again from the “presidential cabinet” of sorts to back on earth.

Before we move on, I want us to consider something…

A possible lie we could believe then is...

“God didn’t have anything to do with this awful situation.”

“God was completely uninvolved with this terrible scenario.”

The reason these lies are so destructive is it usurps how the world actually is.

We think that God is good and kind, which is right,

and that He would never have anything to do with this evil incident.

When we do this, we then give Satan all the responsibility and think he somehow acted outside of God’s plan.

This very subtilely begins to erode our trust that God somehow was out for a walk when Satan attacked this person.

The truth we need to see here is though that God’s plans and purposes are always accomplished.

Even when all hell breaks loose, we can trust God’s plans and purposes in all things.

This means that whatever comes our way, we can trust God’s sovereign plan.

We can trust that He rules the entire universe.

His perfect plans and purposes are ALWAYS accomplished.

This even includes evil.

Let me give you another example.

Take the life of Joseph

He was the youngest of his fathers sons, and his brothers sold him into slavery.

His whole life went from prison, to unjustly charged with a crime, and then back to a place within Pharaohs house.

Genesis 50:20 ESV

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Joseph couldn’t have dreamed the purposes God had in mind, but what he did do was confidently trust that God was in control.

Even when he did not know what was happening in his life, he knew WHO was in control of it all.

So Satan proceeds to harm Job from head to toe....

Scene IV

“Job Sits in Dust and Ashes”

Job 2:7 ESV

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

We see again that God allows or gives permission to Job to touch his body.

From the soles of his feet, those little places between your toes.

All the way to the top of your head, the places it’s impossible to reach.

Job 2:8 ESV

And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

Here is Job, sitting on a pile of ashes and scraping his body because of the sores.

Where there was once a great man from the land

there now sits a man who is sitting on a throne of ashes scraping himself because of the sickness.

Job who once sat on a great throne of comfort, joy, and blessing.

Now with weeping and mourning sits on a throne of ashes of despair and heartache.

This throne of ashes is where the prosecution will soon begin.

And the prosecution begins with those who are closest to him.

I want you to notice a reality within the story...

Same Situation, Two Responses

“Mr. & Mrs. Job”

Both Job and his wife have experienced the same things.

Their same children died.

Their same possessions were taken.

Worse yet, Job is sick.

But notice their different responses.

Mrs. Job

“Response of Unbelief”

Job 2:9 ESV

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

His wife, the person who would be closest to him.

The person who should be his greatest source of comfort and joy is now telling him to “Curse God and die”

Now if you’re married you know how it feels when you and your spouse are opposed to you.

I’m NOT talking about disagreeing about where to eat.

I’m talking about a disagreeing about whether you should abandon the faith.

It is a very disorienting feeling.

To have the person who has been closest to him now to be telling him he should abandon God and just die.

Satan’s Mouthpiece

“The Devil’s Assistant”

Little did she know, Job’s wife was functioning in this moment as Satan’s mouthpiece.

Without any knowledge of it, she was acting as John Calvin has said, “Satans’ tool”

She is asking Job to do what Satan has been trying to get him to do.

She was imploring Job to curse God and die, basically inviting God’s judgment upon him.

Application

“The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins”

This means that the same experience for one person drives them to deeper dependence, while the other to deeper unbelief.

Mrs. Job experienced a terrible reality, and what came out of her heart was unbelief and hatred.

What came out of her was a hatred toward God for taking what she desired.

Now notice the difference between her response and his.

Mr. Job

“Response of Faith”

Job 2:10 ESV

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

The difference is striking.

Mrs. Job response is one of hatred.

Job’s response is one of faith.

Even while sitting upon his ash heap throne, he kindly reminds her,

Job 2:10 (ESV)

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.

Notice that Job does not even call her a fool.

He says she speaks as one who is from their number.

Psalm 14:1 ESV

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.

Even to his wife, Job responds with loving kindness.

He doesn’t even call her a “fool”

He is saying that what she is telling him to do would be the suggestion of a “fool”

She has spoken rashly and quickly, as if she were one of the “foolish people”

Job does not even accuse her of being one of these enemies.

He says that she is speaking as one of them.

What Job then says of God is profound...

Left Hand vs. Right

Job 2:10 (ESV)

Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”

The two words here, “good” and “evil” can be best understood as...

“good benefits people because it produces, promotes and protects life;

that which is evil brings calamity and disaster, it harms, pains, or destroys life.” NET Bible

The first round of affliction has taken away all the gifts from God

The second round has taken away his health

Job’s answer to his wife is basically

“We have received God’s blessing, won’t we also receive his disaster”

“Both the good and disaster are brought into our lives from our Sovereign God”

Notice something with this: Job was not trying to seek to find the answers for his suffering.

Often times when something terrible happens as Christians we want to try and find all the purposes that God has behind it.

Basically we need to avoid trying to interpret providence.

We need to stop trying to draw moral conclusions from physical things around us.

Liberals point to Florida and make it about Global Warming.

Conservatives point to California and make it about their immoral living.

But Job’s response is basically, both GOOD and BAD are occasions for blessing.

Both GOOD and DISASTER are occasions for worship.

Exemplary

“Holding Fast Your Integrity”

Job: An Introduction and Commentary iii. Job’s Second Reaction (2:9, 10)

It is easier to lower your view of God than to raise your faith to such a height.

We will often try to find every other reason for the suffering.

Trust that it is by Design

Job is trusting that what is happening to him is by design.

Both the good and the bad.

The beautiful and the ugly.

The Journal of Biblical Counseling: Volume 24, Number 2, Spring 2006 1. You Will Waste Your Cancer If You Do Not Believe It Is Designed for You by God

What God permits, He permits for a reason. And that reason is His design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, He can stop it or not. If He does not, He has a purpose. Since He is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate.

Trust that it is a Gift from God

Job 2:10 (ESV)

Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”

Notice too that Job is viewing his calamity as a gift.

The Prosperity Gospel

The prosperity gospel acts as though it knows that God only wants financial benefit.

Whereas the true gospel recognizes that both good and evil are instruments of God’s purposes.

Both positive and negative things all serve to advance His purposes.

The author’s response to this is..

Job 2:10 (ESV)

In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

The author goes to great pains to show us that Job in no way has sinned or charged God with any wrong-doing.

There is NO sin on job’s lips.

This is not to make us think that Job was sinning within his heart.

Rather, we are seeing that Job has passed the test.

Job—The Wisdom of the Cross Scene 4: Earth (Job 2:7b–10)

Job’s piety results from Job’s heart conviction that God is the author of everything, the Creator who is worthy of all his worship in the bad times as well as the good.

Prophetic

“The One Who Held Fast”

In this passage we see a great man, find himself sitting on a throne of ashes.

And this passage is prophetic because there would be a great man.

A man named Jesus of Nazareth who would sit on another throne.

Not a throne of ashes

But a throne of the cross.

Colossians 2:14–15 ESV

by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Even when all hell breaks loose, we can trust God’s plans and purposes in all things.