Though He Slay Me

In 2003, a Hollywood movie was made, called Bruce Almighty,

In which the protagonist, was complaining about his life

He was ill content with his status of his life, and felt that it was all God’s fault because an invisible supernatural force was keeping him from progressing

In the story line, God has had enough of his grumbling and complaining and appears before the grumbling reporter

The character of God, proceeds to give him a shot, to see if the self involved reporter could do any better at running the fate of the World and those in it.

Basically, God says to him, “Well if you think you could do better, let’s see it.

Then the reporter is for a short time endowed with the powers of God,

To which instead of improving his own life and the lives of the souls that were entrusted to him,

He makes a quick mess of things, and eventually cries out to God that he quits,

He gives up, he concedes that God does it better and it’s best to leave fate in the hands of an all powerful and qualified God.

Not long after that movie was made, a spin off was made, called Evan Almighty.

Same premise, although slightly different.

The Protagonist, Evan, was just elected Congressman, and had big big plans to change the world

But then God interrupts his big plans setting him on a mission to rebuild a an Ark.

Evan, the new Congressman rejects God’s calling and makes a big fool of himself as he desperately tries to run from God’s plan

One of my favorite scenes in all Cinema is in that movie.

The scene in focus is where God shows up to Evan and gives a detailed explanation of what He wants done.

Remember this point, God appears and tells him what He wants done, Never, not once, does he tell Evan, WHY he wants it done.

Anyway, When Evan hears from God what is expected of him, he complains, saying,

“No, I can’t., I don’t have time, I have Plans!”

When God hears that he has plans, the character God, cracks up in an uncontrollable laughter

Like when we hear a funny joke, or witness something very funny,

Trying to repeat what Evan said, but the laughter prevents the words from being repeated.

I love that scene because there is so much philosophical truth in that scene.

I’m sure we have all felt like that a time or two in our lives, AMEN?

Many of us were probably on a trajectory of receiving that big promotion, or getting that raise,

Or getting that house, etc,

When tragedy struck in the form of an unexpected illness, or even the death of a loved one that brought your

forward progress crashing down hard all around you as you struggle now with grief

Or instead of focusing of your big plans, you’re forced to put all of your focus on putting the pieces of a broken life

back together.

We have all been there a time or two, I’m sure.

Or at least, I’m sure that everyone in here or watching, has reflected on their lives, and thought, I wonder where we would be “IF”

Well, it is most common especially within Christendom, to point someone to the book of JOB when one find themselves in turmoil and or suffering

It’s refreshing to here about someone who’s got it worse than you,

Because, no matter what you are going through, or even have gone through,

It would never compare the suffering of our next Biblical Character, JOB

The book of JOB is difficult to date, but is most agreeably written in or around the time of the patriarchs,

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Making this book of JOB the oldest book in the Bible.

I’ve even heard it suggested by some scholars, that it is possible that Noah carried the book of JOB on the ark with him

Thereby being written before the Flood.

But since there are place names, and clans of people specifically identified by names,

It all but guarantees the book had to be written after the flood,

Because the landscape changed and morphed violently during the flood,

Making the certain pinpointing of locations impossible after the flood gave a facelift the surface of the earth

Also, before the flood there were Sethites and Cainites,

Not the peoples mentioned by name in the Book of JOB.

Also, there is no mention of the Abrahamic Covenant, (Meaning that through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the promised redeemer would come,)

Nor is there any mention of a temple of Worship or the promised Land

Some of the locations mentioned in the book of JOB carry names that lead to relatives of Abraham the patriarch who was born about 290 years after the flood

Thats a long time ago.

It is now believed by most serious scholars, after serious analysis that JOB was a real person, and he lived at some point during the second millennium BC. around the time of Abraham.

In this book, we get a peek behind the heavenly curtain so-to-speak, on what went on in the background of JOB’s life.

This happens right at the beginning of the book, as the author narrates to us a scene that unfolded in heaven at the very throne of God.

Job 1:1 (CSB)

1 There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil.

Then in

Job 1:5 (CSB)

5 Whenever a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his children and purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Here we are introduced to our next Biblical Character, Job, who seems to be a righteous fellow,

A God fearer, and a respecter of God’s Holiness.

But then we taken immediately on a trip into a alternate demension.

Into heaven at the throne of God,

Job 1:6–7 (CSB)

6 One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”

“From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it.”

Wait a minute.

What did we just read?

The sons of God? Who are they?

Do we remember who the beney ha'elohim are?

They are the angels or direct creations of God.

(Faithlife, LLC. “Sons of God (Old Testament).” Logos Bible Study, Computer software. Logos Bible Study Factbook. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, August 21, 2024. https://ref.ly/logos4/Factbook?id=ref%3abk.%23SonsOfGod.)

So, in this verse we have a peek at a meeting God had with some of the Sons of God, or Angels,

But, strangely, among this group was Satan, the word Satan in the Hebrew is Accuser,

It is diabolos in the Septuagint greek translation meaning = Adversary.

(Faithlife, LLC. “Satan.” Logos Bible Study, Computer software. Logos Bible Study Factbook. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, August 21, 2024. https://ref.ly/logos4/Factbook?id=ref%3abk.%23Satan.)

Satan was among this group, after all, he is a direct creation of God,

He was a Cherub, like a super angel, He was like, in charge of them, yet he fell when pride was found in his heart.

But here he was, in the presence of God, when they begin discussing the life and character of JOB

Job 1:8–12 (CSB)

8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”

9 Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Haven’t you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything 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 everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12 “Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

I find it interesting to point out that once Satan gets his permission to bring chaos into Job’s life,

He doesn’t say another word.

He splits, and gets right to business.

And Job’s life is changed forever,

All of his plans, his forward progress is detoured, and his life crumbles in the next few passages.

What ever he had planned to build, cancelled, Complete date: to be determined.

What ever he planned to do, cancelled, Complete date: to be determined.

Where ever he planned to go, cancelled, Complete date: to be determined.

What ever he planned on eating, cancelled, Complete date: to be determined.

The Bible tells us that messengers came to JOB telling him that his livestock, children, and all were gone,

One right after another.

This brings to mind, once when Yadi & I were having dinner with a certain couple from a previous church we pastored, that were struggling in life together.

They were having all sorts of JOB kind of problem, I mean right after the one,

Problems kept popping up in their lives.

Yadi & I were counseling them these dark troubled times.

To which, at the point when we were having dinner, after I commented on some of the progress they were making

The man said to me, “I’m just glad that the devil has given me a break”and let us breath”

I told him, you just gave the devil, the cause of your problems, the credit for your progress.

I reminded him, as I do all of you here and watching,

Let’s get this straight right here.

The devil hates you. He hates everything about you.

He would never give you a break so you can breath.

He wants to destroy you, and not only you, but in way that can your downfall can be contagious and bring down those around you too.

The human mind does not have the capacity to fathom or to understand the level of hate the devil has for humans.

It is ridiculous to think otherwise.

Everything good comes from God,

And get this, everything bad comes from the evil of this world, albeit, with God’s permission.

That is the book of JOB

As I said earlier, many believe the Book Of JOB is about “Why innocent people suffer”

When one is suffering, we are pointed to the book of JOB.

But the Book of JOB doesn’t answer that question.

The literary structure of the Book, is divided into three sections.

The beginning,

The middle,

And The End

It is in the middle that the meat of the book is unfolded, with poetic discourses between Job and his friends.

Three of which join JOB in assuming they know the reasons he must be suffering.

Basically, three questions are developed in the middle section of the book.

Is God Just?

Does God operate the universe justly?

How does it explain suffering?

To their surprise, like our protagonist in the previously mentioned Hollywood movies,

God shows up.

But instead of explaining Himself to JOB,

He goes on to ask JOB some questions of His own.

Basically, he asked JOB, “Hey, where were you when I decided to make the earth round?

Where were you when I made the decisions on limitations, and existence of things?

You see, JOB and his friends had made a terrible mistake,

One, unfortunately people are still making today,

To my sadness, It seems to me that this mistake is getting even more popular,

That is thinking, you know how God should be running things.

You believe that since, you are a good person, good things should come to you etc.

And you get angry when good things happen to bad people,

and when bad things happen to good people.

It’s this kind of thinking that so confused JOB and his friends,

What they failed to realize, and what we would all so well to remember is

God is God, and He is control even when we don’t like the way things are going.

And He knows what He’s doing, even thought we do not

God is allowing His plan to play out.

Now, we may not like it,

I’m sure it was no picnic for JOB either,

Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble.

John 16:33 (CSB)

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

So, we must learn to trust God, especially in our troubled times.

And even when we don’t agree with how He is running things in our lives.

After all, it’t not about us, it’s about Jesus, remember?

When you completely and sincerely find that truth and hold to it,

It doesn’t matter what happens in this life,

Job 13:15 (CSB)

15 Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him.

Wow, thats the kind of faith we should focus on instead of wallowing in our despair.

Now, God will not leave us as orphans,

Jesus said He would always be with us, He would never forsake us.

So we should lean on that trust, come what may.

In closing, I believe this lesson was two fold that God allowed to play out in JOB’s suffering.

To show Us, that God doesn’t model your life according the good or bad you do.

Meaning, the rain still falls on the wicked just as well as the righteous.

It about His plan for your life and how your life is planned by Him to influence other lives around you.

2. Also to show the devil, that He can’t use the idea of convincing people that the reason for their blessings is soley because of their being good or bad.

Unfortunately, he still tries to convince us that we could never serve God well or live well for God because of all the evil we’ve already committed against God,

Remember, he is a liar and the accuser.

Do doubt pointing his finger at you right now before God saying, “You see, he can’t be blessed because of what he or she has done!”

No, God doesn’t work that way,

And thank God for that.

Because if God gave to each what we actually deserved, not of us would be spared.

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