Today for Father’s Day I would like to take a look at a Bible Character that we don’t usually associate with fatherhood. We will take a look this morning at JOB. When we think of Job, we think of TRIALS. We study JOB to learn how to overcome our trials.
But there is another lesson that we learn from JOB. Job is an example of a godly father that courageously led his family.
The opening of the book of Job gives us important information concerning his character and his example as a father. IN Job 1:1 we read “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1, NIV84)
We will focus on the character traits of Job as a courageous man who feared God and Shunned evil.
Then in Job 1:5 we read about Job’s example with his children. “When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.” (Job 1:5, NIV84). Here we will examine Job’s example as a man who prayed for his children. These three examples are good things for fathers to remember this Father’s Day.
Job’s Courage as a Man who Feared God
The FEAR of GOD is a Theme throughout the entire book. Job’s fear of God is frequently mentioned.
1. The author of the book states in his opening commentary that JOB FEARED GOD. Job 1:1 “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1, NIV84)
2. God states that JOB FEARED GOD. Job 1:8 “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”” (Job 1:8, NIV84)
3. Satan challenges JOB’S FEAR of GOE. Job 1:9 This is the source of Satan’s accusation. ““Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.” (Job 1:9, NIV84)
4. God repeats his analysis of Job in the second conflict with Satan in the throne room of heaven. Job 2:3 “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”” (Job 2:3, NIV84)
5. Eliphaz (one of the friends that attempt to comfort Job) states that JOB FEARS GOD. Job 4:6 “Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?” (Job 4:6, ESV)
6. In the climax of the accusations that the friends cast against Job, Eliphaz questions whether JOB FEARS GOD. Job 16:2. This is the most direct attack against Job’s character. Eliphaz says, “you do not fear God. “But you are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God.” (Job 15:4, ESV)
Notice Job’s strong reaction to Eliphaz’s comment. Job 16:2 ““I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all.” (Job 16:2, ESV)
What does it mean that Job “feared God?”
There is a broader meaning of the word “fear” than we normally use in English. In the Bible, the Fear of God corresponds to a person who conducts his or her life in reverent awe and acknowledgment of God.
JOB treasures his FEAR of GOD. In his final defense before his friends, Job talks about the way that he has tried to live his life. He does so with a series of scenarios that describe the things that would indeed make him worthy of God’s punishment, if God were in fact punishing him for sin. In this lengthy section of chapter 31, Job describes his life and the way that he lived in the fear of God.
Job 31:1. Job was a man that practiced Sexual purity. ““I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” (Job 31:1, NIV84)
Job 31:5. Job was a man of Honesty. ““If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit—” (Job 31:5, NIV84)
Job 31:9. Job was a man of Integrity - his inner life was whole. ““If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,” (Job 31:9, NIV84)
Job 31:13. Job was a man of Humility - he was approachable and admitted wrongs. ““If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me,” (Job 31:13, NIV84)
Job 31:16. Job was a man of Generosity. ““If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,” (Job 31:16, NIV84)
Job 31:24. Job was a man of Modesty. He was not enamored with pleasures and possessions. He put his trust in God not money. ““If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’” (Job 31:24, NIV84)
Job 31:29. Job was a man of Self-control. He guarded his tongue and did not gloat over the troubles of those who were his enemies.
Job 31:28. Job was a man who kept his promises. Job 31:38-40.
Job stood tall in Uz by virtue of his character and integrity. He feared God and that fear of God caused him to live a live of good character.
The second description given in the introduction to the book is that
Job was a Man who SHUNNED EVIL
Now here is an interesting thought. Where is the “land of Uz?” No one knows for sure. It’s not the “land of Oz!” But is almost as mysterious. One thing is for certain, it held little resemblance to any place you or I have visited in our lives. We can be certain that by every standard that we can compare, it was a primitive place. There was No internet.
No i-phones. No rock and roll music. No automobiles. No trans-gender cross-dressers. No rated R movies.
Many of the common sources of temptation that we associate with evil and temptation were not there.
I mention this because we sometimes think that the reason that we (and our children) sin is because there are so many sources of temptation available. Yes, it is true that the world offers many temptations that did not exist in simpler times. But Job understood that sin was bound up in his heart and the hearts of his children.
Job turned away from Evil in BOTH of its FORMS: the evil that confronts us from the WORLD, and the evil that confronts us from WITHIN.
Our ENVIRONMENT is not the cause of evil. Job understood that evil rests in our HEARTS. Even before the giving of the Law in Exodus 20, the Old Testament reveals that our hearts of easily given toward sin.
“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5, NIV84)
And throughout the Bible, we learn that sin is bound in our hearts. “God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:2–3, NIV84). “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ ” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:11–19, NIV84)
Job CONFRONTED this evil in the hearts of his children! He challenged them by his own personal godliness, and I believe that he also gently urged them to walk with God.
Young people constantly hear their parents warn them about the evil from the WORLD (don’t hang out with that person, don’t watch that TV show, etc). They need to learn that loving God requires that they see that evil is WITHIN and must be recognized and repented.
The final observation regarding Job’s fatherhood is that
Job’s Courage as a Man who Prayed for His Children.
“When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.” (Job 1:5, NIV84)
Job “had them purified.” Job 1:4-5 tells us that Job made routine sacrifices for his children. In this way, he took full responsibility and functioned as the “priest” for his family. The end of verse 5 tells us that “this was his regular custom.” On a routine basis, Job is constantly before his children demonstrating to them the importance of fearing God and turning away from evil. Robert Alden writes in the New American Commentary, “It was Job’s way of reminding his children to do what they were doing in moderation, a gentle, parental nudge in the direction of holy living.” Robert L. Alden, vol. 11, Job, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 52.
Job is an one fo the best examples in the Scripture of a godly father. His story is included to instruct us concerning the reason for suffering. But in the middle of the story is a picture of a man who feared God, shunned evil and prayed for his children. On this Fathers Day I encourage each of us to follow his example.
