Sermon Tone Analysis

Has anyone spent any time reading the book of Job recently?

It is a fascinating narrative to say the least.

We are going to walk through a good chunk of the story today, but for anyone here who might not be familiar with the story, I will give you the cliff notes at the beginning.

Job is a faithful God-fearing man, who has great wealth, and a large family.

At a meeting of Heavenly council, to which Satan has come before, God asks Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, who is blameless and upright?

Satan contends, Job would not be blameless or upright if God had not blessed him so, allow me me to interfere, and he will curse you.

Satan first takes everything from Job, his wealth, his estate, and even his sons and daughters.

Job still praises God.

Satan is allowed by God to afflict Job’s body with painful boils, head to toe, but is not allowed to take his life.

Job’s wife contends Job is to proud, suggesting, Curse God and Die.

Job does not sin with his lips.

Thus begins 10’s of chapters of Job with his three friends talking.

Their topics, range from, why this ordeal is happening, what is the solution, and Job maintaining his innocence to deserve such an ordeal.

As we dig into the story, I hope to answer some important questions?

Is Job blameless until the end?

Why does God allow Satan to torture Job?

Is Job Blameless until the end?

What is the biggest lesson that Job learns?

Before we go, further lets take a moment to pray.

A question many who see suffering taking place or who are experiencing personal suffering have often, is why does God allow suffering?

Why does he allow pain.

If he loves this world so much, why all the suffering?

While I was in seminary, my friend Michael called me one morning asking me if I could meet him at a local breakfast place.

Michael was in a bad place.

The night before, he had just had to put down his best friend, his boxer dog Laila.

I got there and then sat across from my openly weeping friend.

Laila wasn’t just a dog to Michael, she had been with him during his greatest hills and valley’s.

When he had given his heart to the Lord and had had friends, and jobs leave him.

Laila had been with him.

Laila had a degenerative disease, where she wasn’t able to stand well, and hardly be able to walk, she could no longer make it outside to the poddy.

Her disease had come quickly and worsened terribly in a matter of just a couple weeks.

Now sitting across from me in this restaraunt, Michael asked questions, if I am this sad at losing my dog, how does God look on and see all the sadness and pain in the world, and not do anything?

I remember thinking… He does!

He does step in.

But rather than answer impulsively, the way I am prone to do, I chose to not answer.

Answering that question while someone in the midst of suffering, just begs another question, why does God step in here, and allow suffering and calamity there?

The truth was I didn’t have a good answer, so I chose not answer.

As I have visited with my friend Pastor Mark Heisy over the course of the last several weeks, I have done exactly with Eulita and Mark have asked me not to do, which is ask God why? Mark’s battle against lymphoma cancer has been both courageous and difficult to say the least.

So many of us who are close to him have asked God, why does a man of such great faith, love, and generous spirit go through things like cancer?

But isn’t that the human rationale we make?

Good people don’t deserve suffering, maybe its okay if bad people do?

I want to come back to that towards the end, but for now, know that will come up again as we get into the story of Job.

If you have your bibles with you will you turn with me to possibly the earliest written book in scripture, Job chapter 1 verse 6.

This celestial meeting taking place is a divine council meeting of sorts.

God is meeting with angelic leaders.

Understanding from prophets of both OT and NT that Satan was once part of this council as the highest of angelic beings, it is a wonder as to why he as presented himself at all.

The name Satan literally means accuser, and that is what his purpose.

He was entering on the grounds of prosecution.

Maybe there attempting to gloat that the sinfulness of humanity.

God acknowledges Satan’s presence, and knows his motive.

He asks, “Have you considered my servant Job? describing him as one whom there is no one like him on Earth, blameless, and upright.

His best attribute is that he fears God, and turns away from evil.

Naming Job to Satan stirs his anger.

Of course he is aware of Job, the seemingly untouchable.

It is here Satan begins his accusation of God being unjust.

You place a hedge around him!

If he would suffer, he would curse you to your face, like all the others.

God allows Satan take everything from him.

His riches and wealth, and even his family.

Satan’s accusation is an interesting one, that God has placed a hedge around Job.

He accuses God of not allowing Job to experience great trial or temptation, and that he is richly blessed, therefore of course he is faithful.

I think most of us have read that and probably assume Satan’s premise at least is correct, and that God has been blessing and protecting Job up until this moment.

God admits nothing to Satan.

Context suggests Job is a blessed man, but has he been untouchable as Satan accuses, I don’t know that that is certain.

God does bring to Satan’s knowledge that Job’s possessions are now in his hands, only him, his physical body is not to be touched.

This is troubling to many: As I was reading several commentaries of Job, I came across one online, where it had a comments section.

I read an interesting comment from someone anonymous.

“Plain and simple Job is tied to the torture rack of suffering as a pawn in a cosmic debate between God and Satan.

The white elephant in the book of Job therefore is the injustice involved in allowing a righteous man to experience excruciating torture and suffering totally undeserved.

The book of Job is a very disturbing book in that it presents a deity who is quite willing to allow undeserved suffering to serve some supposed higher cosmic purpose.”

-anonymous quote

Anyone here ever had a similar thought?

Is that how it works?

I know I have wondered.

Plain and simple Job is tied to the torture rack of suffering as a pawn in a cosmic debate between God and Satan.

The white elephant in the book of Job therefore is the injustice involved in allowing a righteous man to experience excruciating torture and suffering totally undeserved.

The book of Job is a very disturbing book in that it present a deity who is quite willing to allow undeserved suffering to serve some supposed higher cosmic purpose.

And it happened.

Found in Job has successive messengers of his servants talking about raiders coming and taking his livestock and killing his other servants, and another servant talking of fire coming down and consuming his sheep and other servants, and then another servant comes with news his camels have been raided and more servants killed.

And next the worst news.

Another servant came saying, his sons and daughters had been at a party of sorts, and suddenly a great wind came up out of the wilderness, and challenged the integrity of the home they were all in, and it fell on them killing them all.

It does not appear, the Satan held back by any stretch of the imagination.

Life’s work destroyed, wealth and possessions gone, and children gone.

A crushing blow to even the strongest and most faithful, but notice Job’s response in verse 20.

Satan again comes accusing at another divine council, where the Lord again asks, knowing the reason for Satan’s arrival.

“Have you considered my servant Job?” blameless, upright, and turns from evil.

This time he draws Satan’s attention to the remaining integrity of Job.

He says, you incited me to destroy him without reason.

My version says without reason, others using a stronger word, “in vain.”

God’s measure to Satan is not just about Job, its about humanity.

He is telling his former high angel, you do what you do in vain.

Mrs. White comments on the character of Satan, in this example.

Satan delights in war; for it excites the worst passions of the soul, and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood.

It is his object to incite the nations to war against one another; for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.

White, E. G. (1958).

The Faith I Live By (p.

328).

Review and Herald Publishing Association.

The devil only delights in disruption and distraction.

He will stop at nothing destroy what is precious to God.

This response that his efforts are in vain, infuriates Satan!