INTRODUCTION # 31
1. Open your bible to Job 1:20&ff.
2. In our two previous lessons from the book of Job we have learned about the great moral character of Job.
3. We have learned of Satan’s plan to try and get Job to curse God. Satan was responsible for Job losing all of his livestock and servants and Job’s ten children.
4. We have learned of Satan having the opportunity to use the forces of nature, such as God’s lightning and God’s wind, in bringing destruction on Job and possibly on other people on occasions.
5. In this lesson we will observe Job’s patience and faithfulness to God and the report that Satan brings more suffering upon Job.
DISCUSSION
I. FIRST, JOB 1:20-22 REPORTS JOB’S GREAT EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE.
1. Let’s read Job 1:20-22, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said: “ Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
2. What we have just read begins to give us a picture of the patience of Job. The Greek term for “patience” [is hupomeno]. It is made up of two words: hupo—under; meno—to abide.
(1) This word describes one who is patient in the sense that the individual is able to persevere even under a great weight of tribulation.
(2) This kind of patience is the kind of endurance that perseveres, not merely with dogged determination,
but with confident hope, even though we do not fully comprehend the situation perfectly; we place our full trust in God, and rest with the confidence that he will provide the proper resolution, in time and/or in eternity. Such a one does not blame God for his hardships, but has confidence that all will be well.
3. In Job 1:20a, Job arose and rent his mantle or “tore his robe” (NKJV). The expression “arose” does not necessarily imply that the individual was in a sitting or reclining position, but that he began to take some kind of action.
4. Job “rent his mantle” or “tore his robe” is referring to the upper or outer garment.
5. Job “shaved his head”. “This was a common way of expressing great sorrow. Sometimes it was done by formally cutting off the hair of the head; sometimes by plucking it violently out by the roots,
and sometimes also the beard was plucked out, or cut off.
6. Job fell upon the ground, possibly prostrating or stretching himself out before the Lord. This was a common practice among people of Bible times. Through such a posture they showed humility and their devotion to God.
Another similar example is of Joshua, in a time of great trouble. Joshua and other leaders of the Israelites fell upon the ground before the Lord: "And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads" (Josh. 7:6).
7. Back to Job 1:20e, “Job worshipped God”. Job knew that, despite the awful losses which had so suddenly fallen upon him, that God was just and merciful; he was the only source of strength and hope Job had; and despite the fact that the Lord had permitted these devastations to come upon him, he was still worthy of praise and worship.
8. In Job 1:21, Job stated that he had entered this world, naked and destitute of any material possessions. He knew that he would depart this world, taking nothing with him. 1 Tim. 6:7 teaches the same truth. "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out".
(1) Material possessions can only benefit us in this world; they cannot exist in heaven—heaven is the home of the soul, not of the physical body.
(2) In 1 Cor. 15:50 we read "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption".
9. His reference to returning to his mother’s womb is not to be taken as a literal statement. He entered this world through his mother’s womb, but he could not return to the same.
(1) In John 3:1-5 Nicodemus asked the Lord if the new birth meant that he should enter his mother’s womb and be born again. But Christ was speaking of a different kind of birth altogether. Job’s statement means that, as he entered the world without possessions, so he would leave the world without possessions.
(2) In Genesis 2:7 we read: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
(3) In Ecclesiastes 12:7 we read: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
10. Again, from Job 1:21b, Job in an expression that demonstrates Job’s patience made the statement: “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
(1) Job, the same as every person, entered the world without any worldly wealth.
(2) Job stated the fact that God gave him what he could call his own and that since God gave it, God had the right and power to take it away.
(3) Job respected God so much that Job was not going to complain or criticize God.
(4) Job did not blame the Sabeans or the Chaldeans; he did not blame God for allowing the fire to destroy his sheep or the storm which destroyed his children.
(5) Apparently Job did not understand the involvement of Satan in these tragedies.
11. From Job 1:22, we learn that Job as a spiritual giant and a man of great patience did not sin and did not make any foolish charges against God. “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong”. (or KJV “foolishly”)
12. Job did not take out his anger on his wife or others.
13. Job understood that God permitted this tragedy to occur, and that he must have had good reason.
14. Job, instead of cursing God, as Satan predicted, Job praised God’s name the more.
II. SECOND, JOB 2:1-13 REPORTS THAT SATAN APPEARED A SECOND TIME TO GOD. THIS TIME SATAN GAINED PERMISSION TO AFFLICT THE BODY OF JOB.
1. Let’s read Job 2:1-3, “ 1 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 to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” 3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”
2. In verses four & five Satan is going to make a false accusation against Job when he says, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.”
(1) Satan is accusing Job of being willing to give up his livestock, his servants and his children because Job did not love them very much.
(2) Satan, on the other hands reasons that Job does love his own life and when his own skin begins to feel the pain, then, Job will curse God!
(3) Let’s read verses 4&5, “4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
3. In verse six God shows that He knows that Job will not become unfaithful, so He gives Satan permission to afflict Job’s body. Let’s read verse six, “6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
4. In verses 7&8 Satan smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. Job’s condition: His entire body was affected (vs. 7); He had intense itching (vs. 8). For the next moment or two listen as I quickly read a few other verses that describe the terrible condition that Job was in.
His flesh attracted worms and became crusty and hard (Job 7:5 KJV) My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.
He had bad breath (Job 19:17 KJV) My breath is strange to my wife, though I entreated for the children's sake of mine own body.
He lost weight (Job 19:20 KJV) My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
He had fever and chills (Job 21:6 KJV) Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.
He experienced aching bones (Job 30:17 KJV) My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
He had diarrhea (Job 30:27 KJV) My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
Job 30:28-31, ‘………………………………..”
His scabs puss and turned darker in color (Job 30:30 KJV) My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
(1) Let’s go back to Job chapter two and read Job 2:7&8, “7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
(2) Verse 8 says, “And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself a potsherd – a broken piece of pottery. The ashes were sometimes used as an expression of his grief and suffering. Job may have set in them because they may have brought a soothing feeling to what was itching so severely. The broken piece of pottery was used to scrape the sores and relieve the extreme itching.
5. Verses 9&10 reveal why that Job’s wife’s life may have been spared. Satan may have known that her being alive would help him turn Job against God quicker than if her life had been taken when all the children died.
(1) Let’s read verses 9&10, “9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
(2) Job’s reply, again shows his stalwart patience.
(3) Job faced the greatest of all human trials: the loss of his material goods, his children had been taken from him violently, he had suffered the sudden loss of his health, and was stricken with an awful,
loathsome, and painful disease, and finally he was burdened with the discouragement his wife offered.
He still had the rejection and accusations of his friends to face. Through it all, he maintained his integrity.
Too many people are only in relationships for what they can get out of them. Fair-weather friends. Spouses who only listened to the "richer" in "for richer or poorer," the "health" in "sickness and in health,"and the "better" in "for better or worse."
6. Are we to be this way with God and being guilty of saying something like: "I'll stick around as long as I'm being blessed God, but as soon as things get difficult, I'm outta here." Members of the church, we should never have such an attitude.
7. You might think that with the financial loss of Job, losing all ten children, the physical affliction, and the total lack of spousal support, Job had it as bad as it could possibly be.
(1) Not true, for something is going to make things even worse.
(2) In Job 2:10 Job makes reference to the wicked and profane women of that age; he does not say that his wife was one of them, but he does accuse her of speaking like one them.
(3) Job’s remarks imply that his wife was a good woman, and had always been thought to be so; but now she was not speaking like herself, and one of her profession, but like the fleshly minded and foolish women of their day.
(4) In Job 2:10 Job asked his wife the question, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”
(5) Job suggests that he and his wife had received many good things from the Lord, many temporal good things, as appears from (Job 1:2,3).
(6) God had given them food and raiment, wherewith it became them to be content; they had had a comfortable family of children until this time.
(7) Job is reasoning that common sense should expect to receive evil things, or things of adversity, since God teaches that life will have some bad times. Life is not always fair!
8. In Job 2:10c, again we read, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips”.
(1) Job did not sin in what he said to his wife, it was all right and good. Also, Job did not sin relating to his affliction. He had not uttered one impatient, murmuring, and repining word toward the hand of God.
(2) The tongue, though an unruly member, and under such adversity would be tempted to speak unadvisedly, was bridled and restrained by Job from uttering anything indecent and unbecoming.
9. Verses 11-13 reveal the severity of Job’s pain and suffering by the effect that it had upon the three friends that came to see Job.
(1) Let’s read Job 2:11-13, 11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. 12 And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.”
(2) We can’t see and will not ever see Job with our physical eyes, but hopefully the picture these bible verses have presented to us will help us to follow the example of Job and be patient and faithful to God even during the worst of adversities.
(3) Let Job’s example of patience help us to never murmur and complain. I know many times things are extremely hard and difficult, but let’s always remember that God will help us made it through the worst of problems.
CONCLUSION
1. Job’s suffering gives us a little glimpse of what hell will be like. Hell will be much worse that what Job went through. Also, hell will never end.
2. God has a plan of salvation that will allow us to miss hell and all kinds of suffering after this life is over.
3. God’s Son, Jesus, says in Mark 16:16, “16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
4. If you are a Christian and need prayers for any reason, please come as we stand and sing.
Acknowledgments for a lot of thoughts in the development of all the sermons on the book of James are to go to:
(1) Bob Winton CD Commentary on Matthew 27:50-54. 464 Ridgewood Drive Manchester, Tennessee 37355. If interested in CD covering many O. T. & N.T. books call (866) 753-8456.
(2) Miscellaneous commentaries by numerous others.
