Satans Assignment

Text:    Job 2:1-6 “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3 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? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.”

1 Peter 5:8

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Subject: Satan’s Assignment

Introduction:

·       Job’s:

·       Prestige

1.    His faith – verse 1 “There was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz; he was blameless, a man of complete integrity, who feared God and stayed away from evil.”

2.    His fortune – he owned 7,000 sheep, and 3,000 camels, 500 team of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and he employed many servants. He was in fact the richest person in that entire area.

3.    His family – he had seven sons and three daughters., he suffered two waves of trials:

In the first wave he experienced four tragedies in one day:

·       The Sabeans steal all his oxen and donkeys and kill servants.

·       Fire falls from heaven and burn up the sheep and the shepherds.

·       The Chaldeans carry off all his camels and kill more servants.

·       Finally, a mighty wind blows the house down, killing his seven sons and his three daughters.  

·       In second wave of his trial, Job is covered with boils from head to foot.

·       And we find that all of his trials are the result of two confrontations between God and Satan.   

·       Pain 

1.    His pain discloses the record of his trials.

·       His Pity

1.    but in his pity, he is confronted by three of his friends:

2.    Who they are: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

3.    What they do: They sit down with him on the ground for one week, without saying a word.

But we have tagged for a topic and sighted for a text the first verses of chapter two:

Friends interview:

Eliphaz

Job: I wish I had never been born

Job: I wish I had been still born

Job: Why is life given to those in despair?

Eliphaz: you should practice what you preach

Eliphaz: the Lord would never let the innocent perish, in other words, “You did something.”

Eliphaz: and my revelation came in a night vision

Eliphaz: humans beings cannot be trusted; we are here in the morning and gone in the evening.

Eliphaz: only the godless are born to grief

Eliphaz: you need to present your case to God.

Eliphaz: don’t despise God’s discipline

Satan is on assignment and God has two questions for him:

§  Where did you come from? and

§  Have you considered my servant, Job?

§  Here in this scripture, we have the first mention, historically speaking, of the arch –enemy and God and man, called by his name.

§  Job was the son of Issachar, who was the son of Jacob, but ultimately, he was the servant of God.

§  Satan has an assignment but the believer has an assignment also.

§  Theologians call It the great commission

§  Matthew 28:19

Matt 28:19-20

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

1 Peter 4:12-16

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.