Job: The Attack

Most people say that the theme of Job is the age-old question, “Why does a loving and righteous God permit the godly to suffer?”

But if that is NOT the theme of the book, the question is never answered!

We want to know WHY the righteous suffer. But Job rather tells us “How do the righteous suffer?”

Job does not tell us why we suffer, he shows us how to react to suffering.

In just a few days, Job lost his business, his wealth, his family (except for his wife), and his health.

Why should this happen?

The main lesson in Job is this:

God is completely sovereign in His dealings with His people and will never permit anything to come to the life of an obedient Christian that is not for his good and God’s glory.

God does not have to explain His ways to us.

It is enough for us to know that He cares and that He never makes a mistake.

We do not live by explanations; we live by promises.

The Book of Job shows us how the righteous should suffer.

When trials come, we should not ask, “How can I get out of this?” but “Lord, what can I get out of this?”

Lets get started and focus our attention to what was probably in what we would know as northern Arabia.

The greatest man in all the east lived there; his name was Job.

See how great he was.

I. Job’s Prosperity

Job 1:1–5 BSB

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East. 4 Job’s sons would take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

In every way, Job was a rich man.

He was rich in character, for he was “perfect and upright.”

He was not sinless, but he was sincere and obedient before the Lord. He feared God, not with a terror but with a humble trust, and he separated himself from evil.

He was also rich in his family, having seven sons and three daughters. Large families (especially many sons) were greatly desired in the East.

Job was rich in possessions, “a very great household.”

His livestock numbered in the thousands.

Certainly God had blessed Job, and Job was not hesitant to praise God for all He had done.

Job’s Adversity

Satan’s first accusation and attack

Job 1:6–19 BSB

6 One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.” 9 Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.” 12 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 One day, while Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came and reported to Job: “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The fire of God fell from heaven. It burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 18 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

In heaven and on earth Satan accuses the saints before God.

Thank God for our Advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ the Savior.

1 John 2:1–2 BSB

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Unknown to Job, God and Satan discussed his case.

Had Job known about this conversation, he would have had no room for doubt or concern.

His pain would still remain but not his perplexity and confusion.

He would have known that God was using him as a weapon to refute Satan’s lies.

But he did not know what was happening in the councils of heaven; therefore, he had to take his trials by faith.

Satan admitted that he had been going up and down the earth, and God pointed to Job as “Exhibit A” of what a godly man ought to be.

But immediately Satan accused Job of being a hypocrite.

“The only reason Job is obedient is because he is so rich. Take away his wealth and he will curse you to your face!”

Satan is not equal to God either in wisdom or in power.

Satan is not all-powerful, for he is but a created being limited in power.

Satan is not everywhere-present; he is limited to one place at one time.

And Satan is not all-knowing; for had he known how this contest would turn out, he would never have entered it.

Satan holds this world in his lap.

1 John 5:19 BSB

19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

But “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4 BSB

4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

How did Job respond?

He mourned for the dead and worshiped God.

Job 1:21 BSB

21 saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Pure Faith on Display!!

Satan’s second accusation and attack.

Job 2:1–10 BSB

1 On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him. 2 “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” 3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” 4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.” 6 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes. 9 Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Think of how the angels in heaven praised God as they saw Job remain faithful.

What a rebuke to Satan!

“Still he holds fast to his integrity,” God reminded Satan (2:3).

But Satan had another lie on his tongue:

“Let me touch his body and give him pain, and you will see how faithful he is.”

His wife could not bear to see him suffer, and in a moment of unbelief, she suggested he curse God and let God kill him.

III. Job’s Perplexity (3)

Job 3.

Do not misunderstand this chapter; Job did not curse God as Satan predicted he would do or as his wife suggested he do.

What Job did curse was his birthday; he wished he had never been born.

He felt he would have been better off to have died at birth than to live and endure such grief.

“Surely I was born for something better than this!” Job is saying.

He was perplexed; he did not know the purpose of God in this suffering.

Does suffering accomplish anything?

When we yield to God, yes, it does.

Suffering works for us, not against us.

Job 3:25–26 BSB

25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me. 26 I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”

Verses 25–26 indicate that Job had often thought about trials and feared he might have to face them.

He was a prosperous man, and he wondered what he would do if he lost his wealth and health.

He was not living in carnal security or false peace, for his faith was in the Lord and not in his possessions.

“Yet trouble came!”

Until we have “sat where he sat,” let us not be too hard on Job.

In the midst of prosperity, it is easy to trust God, but when we lose everything and our pain is so intense we want to die, exercising faith is another matter.

Please remember that Job did not curse God; nowhere in the book does Job deny the Lord or question His holiness or His power.

In fact, God’s justice was Job’s real problem: how could such a holy God permit such awful calamity?

Please note in chapter 3 that Job asks “Why?” five times.

Job 3:11–12 BSB

11 Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb? 12 Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?

job 3 23

Job 3:23 BSB

23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Job could have endured the pain and grief had he only understood why God was permitting it.

“Why?” is an easy question to ask, but it is not always a question that God immediately answers.

Job should have realized that God was in control, that these events were part of a loving plan, and that one day God would make His purposes known.

Conclusion:

When you become perplexed over the trials of life, remember that God is still on the throne.

Job 23:10 BSB

10 Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Job was going through the furnace. But when one of God’s children is in the furnace, God is there with him.

Isaiah 43:1–2 BSB

1 Now this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

James 5:11 BSB

11 See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.