There Was A Man Named Job

Introduction

Object Lesson: Reasons for giving. Give the kids something (a treat stickers, etc.) Ask them how they would feel if I told them I was doing it so the other people in the room would think I’m generous.

Illustration: The Middle School dance story

I thought she genuinely was interested in dancing with me, but I found out she wasn’t interested at all. It’s important in a relationship with someone to have mutual trust. Part of that is having the confidence that the person you love is actually interested in you.

God is a person. Not as in a human being, but as in He has will, emotions, desires, etc. He wants to be in a meaningful relationship with us as His children and Him as our Father. What He doesn’t want is people who say they love Him only because they think that they’ll get rich or live long lives if they do it.

This is one of the most often overlooked central themes of the book of Job. If you’ve heard anything about the book of Job it’s probably that it’s a book about why good people sometimes suffer and wicked people sometimes succeed if there’s a good God. While that theme is very present and important to the book, the book opens with a more personal question. Does Job really love God? Or is He just going through the motions to get God’s blessing? Let’s read the first chapter of Job with that question in mind.

Job 1 CSB

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. He had seven sons and three daughters. His estate included seven thousand sheep and goats, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east. His sons used to take turns having banquets at their homes. They would send an invitation to their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 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. One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” “From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it.” 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.” Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 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. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.” “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. One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and reported, “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby, the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported, “God’s fire fell from heaven. It burned the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.

At the start of the book Job is extremely wealthy and seems to have been well protected by God. He is also a righteous man, in other words a man who does what is right. This means we can look at the kind of person that Job is and learn from his example what sort of people we should be. But then we have Satan come on the scene and question Job’s motives. He claims that Job only follows God because God has made Him rich and protected him. So what would happen if you took away all His riches? In that question we find a valuable lesson about the importance of pure motives. God wants us to serve Him because we love Him not because we think we’ll get something out of it. Finally we see that although Job loses everything He proves His loyalty to God by falling to his knees and worshipping God even as he’s overcome by grief.

The Righteousness of Job

Illustration: Are all of you familiar with the “Five Love languages”? It’s this theory that there are five primary ways that people receive love, and that if you want someone in your life to feel loved you should show them love in the way that lines up with their personality. One of these five love languages is “Words of Affirmation.” This means giving someone sincere compliments and positive feedback. Maybe some of you are thinking “that sounds like me.” Now it’s not one of my primary love languages, but I do appreciate a sincere meaningful compliment here and there. I want you to pause for a second and try to think of the most meaningful compliment you ever heard. Why was it meaningful? Was it what was said? Was it who said it? Maybe a little bit of both. Now I want you to imagine the greatest person who could ever compliment you. Surely that would be God, right? Surely receiving a compliment from God Himself would top anything a human being could say to you. Well what if not only you received a compliment from God, but that compliment was the highest words of praise you ever heard?

Let’s be honest, we could all use some positive feedback every now and then, right? A job well done, no pun intended. Sometimes as followers of Jesus we question ourselves and wonder how we’re doing as followers and whether we’re living up to God’s call on our lives. Unless that’s just me? Well let’s take a look at what God says about Job and how his example can inform us what God is looking for in those who follow Him.

For that we’ll first take a look at the first five verses of Job.

Job 1:1–5 CSB

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. He had seven sons and three daughters. His estate included seven thousand sheep and goats, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east. His sons used to take turns having banquets at their homes. They would send an invitation to their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 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.

So we get the impression very quickly that Job is a huge success story. He’s filthy rich by the standards of his time, has a large family (which was also considered wealth at the time) and his children had enough disposible wealth to have regular feasts together. And throughout this he acts as a righteous man, careful to seek God’s forgiveness even just in case his children sinned. Clearly he cares about doing what is right. It is for that reason that verse 1 heaps such high praise on him, a sentiment echoed by God Himself later in this chapter.

Job 1:8 CSB

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.”

Imagine for a moment that God Himself said that sort of thing about you. That there was no one else on earth like you, that you have perfect integrity, and that you fear God and turn away from evil. Fearing God by the way is not just being afraid of God, but having a reverent respect for God and realizing the power and authority He has over your life.

Again, imagine God saying all that about you. That would feel good, surely? I don’t know about you but I am certainly hoping that when I see Jesus face to face I’ll hear the words the master said to the faithful servant in a story Jesus told once. Matthew 25:21

Matthew 25:21 CSB

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’

So what can we do to live up to Job’s example at the start of the book of Job? First, remember that we are saved and given eternal life not by doing enough good, but by accepting Jesus’ good on our behalf in faith. Second, live the kind of life Job lived. Have a reverent fear of God, knowing that He is creator and we are creation and that He has authority over us to tell us the way that we aught to live. Turn away from evil, avoiding it to the best of our ability by leaning on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And raising our children to do the same.

This of course is just the beginning of the book of Job. The reason we’re reading his story is not because of his success at life, but because of the trials that he endured and what they can teach us about suffering in our own lives. So let’s take a look at where things start to go wrong for Job.

Satan’s Accusation

Motives matter, right? I mean, that’s why there’s a difference between manslaughter and murder. The first is the unintentional cause of someone elses death and the second is the intentional cause of someone elses death. Murder carries higher penalties because of this.

The logic behind this is obvious from daily life. There’s a big difference between hitting someone accidentily because you both reached for the same dish at potluck and hitting someone on purpose. Sometimes being able to tell the difference can be difficult for us as human beings because we can’t read each others’ minds.

Satan knows all this, and as the adversary of mankind whose goal is to take us down, this is what he assumes will be Job’s weakness. This is what Satan says in verses 9-12

Job 1:9–12 CSB

Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 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. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.” “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.

So the accusation that Satan levels against Job is that he only serves God because He knows that God rewards those who serve Him. In other words he’s not actually devoted to God, He’s just in it for the money. This is a serious accusation, as Scripture backs up the importance of motive, especially Jesus who frequently called out the Pharisees for doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Matthew 6:1-2

Matthew 6:1–2 CSB

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.

Now this can serve as a very useful reminder for all of us to check our motives, because it does matter. Why are we following Jesus? Is it because our parents did? Is it because we’re lonely and want the community that comes with church? Or is it because we believe the gospel and want to truly follow Him. God knows the difference. Why do we go to church? Is it because we’re in the habit? Is it because of the free food once a month? Or is it because God has called us here? God knows the difference.

Why am I a Pastor? Is it because I need some way to make money and I have a Bible College Degree? Is it so that I can feel important and blab about my ideas to people? Or is it because I want to serve God and teach His Word to other believers? God knows the difference.

Most of us begin following God with mixed motives—but God is patient, and He refines our hearts as we walk with Him. My friends, let’s strive to follow God and serve Him with unmixed motives, what Scripture calls “a pure heart.” Then we will know that we are doing the right thing for the right reason and can know that we would endure this test if it was put to us.

How about Job? What happens when his motives are tested? Let’s take a look at that next.

Job Chooses Worship

Illustration: Recently I’ve been re-reading Lord of the Rings. Those books are amazing. We also recently started rewatching bits and pieces of the movies, and there’s one scene from the book that made it into the movie and it’s one of my favorite quotes of all time. In the movie this takes place while the whole company of heroes are trying to make their way through an underground maze of mines and Gandalf has to stop and think about which direction to go. While they’re waiting Frodo reflects on the terrible situation they are in, how dire the world looks and how unlikely their odds of success are. Let’s pick up the quote there:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

What an insightful quote. Don’t we all wish we could avoid the hard times? The times of trial and suffering? But we are small and limited creatures, we don’t get to decide when we are born. Most of the time we don’t choose when to endure suffering. What we always get to choose is how we react to the circumstances we face.

This ultimately is what the book of Job is all about. It’s not meant to be a theological explanation of why God permits righteous people to suffer. Job in the text of this book never receives an explanation from God about why he went through what he did. No instead the main goal of this book is to demonstrate what it looks like to stay faithful to God even when you suffer. To make the right choice with the time that is given to us. That’s what we see from how Job reacts to this first set of calamities that comes to him. Let’s take a look starting at verse thirteen.

Job 1:13–22 CSB

One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and reported, “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby, the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported, “God’s fire fell from heaven. It burned the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!” Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.

I think we can all agree that Job had a really bad day here. He went from being the richest man in the east to having nearly nothing. Worse, he lost all ten of his children at once. If anyone could have an excuse for losing their cool and being angry at God, surely it’s Job right? But that’s the remarkable thing. What is Job’s reaction? He grieves, but he still worships.

In Job’s culture tearing your clothes and shaving your head were what you do when you were grieving. So it’s not like Job didn’t feel the sting of his terrible loss. He didn’t bury it and soldier on. He truly felt the pain and sorrow of loss. But then he falls to the ground and worships God. What an amazing example to live up to. The attitude behind the statement “the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Notice something important here. Job ascribes to God both the giving and the taking away. Often our instinct when we suffer is to try to absolve God. In these verses we might be tempted to say that it wasn’t God who took away, but Satan. Yet Satan had to ask God’s permission. To add to it God is the one who brought up Job to Satan.

True submission to God is to accept suffering as a part of God’s Will and yet still worship and serve Him. That doesn’t mean that God wants us to suffer. It doesn’t mean that God is the author of evil. It means that if we believe that God is King of the universe and nothing happens without at the very least His permission, than He has at least allowed the suffering that we are going through.

Will we follow Him anyway? Will we trust Him even when He seems to be distant? I recognize that there is a good explanation for God allowing suffering. I can talk about the fact that letting us have free will means letting us cause suffering to ourselves and others. I can talk about the value of suffering and how it helps to make us better disciples. I can talk about how small suffering seems in contrast to eternal happiness after the resurrection. Yet I also recognize that those things often sound hollow to those living through suffering. So before the suffering comes we need to learn to trust God. To know His character and how good He is. Then we the trials come we can do as Job did. Mourn, but worship.

If you are already suffering I encourage you to seek the heart of God in His word and find Him to be loving and standing beside you through your suffering and ready to give you peace and strength through the worst of your trials. God’s words to Moses ring true to us today. Deuteronomy 31:8

Deuteronomy 31:8 CSB

The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Conclusion

I hope that this first look at the book of Job has you excited for what is to come. This book is a huge book full of insights into the trials and tribulations that we face. It’s full of timeless wisdom that God wants us to use to navigate the hard times. This first chapter moves quickly and already teaches us a few important incites. It teaches us by Job’s example that to be the kind of people we should be we need to be pure of heart and serve God with respect and avoid evil at all costs. This first chapter teaches us the importance of serving God for the right reasons. That we should search our hearts and make sure they are pure and truly worship God for who He is and not what He can do for us. Finally we learn the importance of worshipping God even when we suffer, though not without grief and pain.

What this all boils down to is our relationship with God. Job was righteous because He had a healthy relationship with God. Job was accused of using God for gain instead of truly loving Him. Job proved with His first response to suffering that He was loyal to God and trusted Him through it all. So we find here even in the oldest book of the Bible that it’s more than a religion, it’s a relationship. God is not some abstract who wants us to follow ritual steps to be right. He cares about our intent and our love for Him and wants us to serve Him without mixed motives. So if you’re here this morning and you’ve start to feel like being a Christian has become more of a list of chores than a relationship I encourage you to take this as your moment of inspiration to rekindle your relationship with God, or maybe even to discover the love of God for real the first time. Get to know Him as the personal loving God that He is, the one who sent His son to die for us so that we could live with Him forever.

Remember as you go the words of Job. The Lord Gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.