Job 1:8-10
Introduction: If God was to write a biography of you, what would your character be like?
Here in the book of Job, we see the biography of the man Job and there were four things that stuck out concerning his character.
Let us also examine those four things that made God believe in Job so much that He would even challenge Satan to shake the faith of this man.
In examining Job and God's confidence in him, let each of us also consider our character, and let us think about it, does God believe in me?
What characteristics of Job made God have confidence in him?
1. He Was Perfect (vs. 8).
A. This term does not mean that Job was without any sin, for only Jesus was sinless. Remember it was Paul who told us that Jesus was made sin for us, who knew NO sin in II Corinthians 5:21.
B. The term 'perfect' does mean that he was without blemish. Notice that Job made sacrifice each day for himself and his children (vs. 5), just in case either had sinned against God. Thus, this man did not allow sin to fester or grow in his life, and he began each day by asking for God's blessing.
C. We see that Job was one of those outstanding members of his society that everyone looked to for advice, and one from whom each person followed as an example.
D. Lastly, the term 'perfect' meant that Job was obviously spiritually mature, and always growing in his faith. The writer of Hebrews shared with us that God wants us to be growing always in our faith. In Hebrews 6:1, we are told, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection..." As we come to understand, after accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord, we are not only to learn more about Him, but also about living for Him, about our responsibility to teach others of Him, and about His will for our lives. It is clear that Job was such a person when it comes to the understanding of faith during his day. Thus, God saw him as special, unique and capable of using his knowledge of God to uplift others. Notice God says in verse 8, "...there is none like him in the earth..." Isn't it sad that God could not see others of whom He could challenge Satan, only Job?
2. He Was Upright (vs. 8).
A. This means that he was a person whose reputation told everybody that he would follow God's plan.
B. As we continue to read in the book of Job, Job was not only challenged by Satan, but also he was challenged by his own wife. After enduring the calamities in 1:15-19, Job is seen in mourning in 1:20-21. While in this state of mourning, Job's wife comes to him and she says, "...Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." (2:9-10). Job proved to her that his faith in God was genuine. Many people only serve God or praise Him during good times, but when things go wrong, they are quick to deny Him. Job was upright, his character and faith were undaunted even in the face of terrible issues. What an example he proved to be to his family, friends, servants, and even the community in which he lived. Many times I hear people quote the familiar verse from Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose." How many of us understand what this verse is telling us? Many say that it tells us all things are good, but that is not true. Even more sad, because of that misinterpretation of this verse, I have known people to stop serving the Lord when He allowed some bad event happen in their life. Do you like being sick, having an automobile accident, having a limb amputated, seeing a loved one die? These are not good things, they are bad and even tragic. Let us understand as Job told his wife, God uses good times, bad times, and even tragic times to bring about His will. Therefore, to those who love God and are called according to his purpose, all things work together to bring about His will. Serve God in good, bad, and tragic times, He knows what He is doing.
3. He Was One That Feared God (vs. 8).
A. Job was the kind of man who reverenced God and had such a deep respect for Him that he wanted God always to be pleased with him.
B. What about you and me? Do we have such a high regard for God that we respect Him above all others? Do we strive to always please Him and put ourselves in the center of His will? If you can say yes to these questions, you are one that fears God.
C. Paul said that God had concluded that all people had fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:23), and one of the reasons or one of the evidences for this conclusion was found in Romans 3:18, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Today, we are seeing a falling away from our faith, people are allowing this world and its influence to discourage them, and many have listened to liberals who teach that God's sovereignty is just a lie. Remember Paul said in II Thessalonians that one day, preceding the coming of the man of sin, there would be a falling away (II Thessalonians 2:3). The Psalmist in Psalm 36:1, in speaking about man's wickedness and God's steadfastness says, "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." Have you lost respect for God? Have you ceased to listen to Him and allowed worldly influence to lessen your faith?
D. Solomon in all wisdom told us that the fear of God would give us understanding and knowledge about God and ourselves. In Proverbs 1:7, it says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Obviously, Job respected God so much that even while his friends accused him of doing something evil to bring about the wrath of God, Job had the assurance that God was simply teaching him a lesson that would give him a stronger faith and even more reverence for God. At the conclusion of the book of Job in chapter 42, read about the blessings of God upon this man on account of his faith. Literally, Job had more at the conclusion of the book, than he had at the beginning. You just cannot out give God.
4. He Was One That Eschewed Evil (vs. 8).
A. Job made wise choices and avoided sin or evil in every way. Notice that when Satan moved against Job, and accused Job of being hedged about (vs. 10), God said to Satan, Do what you will, Job will never turn against me (vs. 12).
B. Why was God so confident in Job? It was because of Job's track record. He had proved that he was one who did not act hastily, but was one who trusted God fully. Once again, look at our text, God called Job, before Satan, "...my servant" (vs. 8). This title showed Job honor.
C. Paul admonished each of us, in the wake of the coming of Jesus to do a few things. Among those things we should be doing were to witness to all concerning the truth of the scriptures, to treat others with respect, to rejoice in the prospect of His coming, to be in a continual attitude of prayer or communion with God, we should praise God in all things, to live rightly so we will not quench the Holy Spirit, to accept the scriptures and heed them in our own life, to hold fast to those things which have value for the service of God, and to abstain from all appearance of evil (I Thessalonians 5:14-22). Job was certainly a true example for each of us at all times.
D. To sum up 'eschew' it refers to one's choice. Job chose good over evil, God over Satan, to serve God over service unto man. It also means that even if an action would result in evil being done, Job would avoid it. Truly Job was a man who had to be on guard every day with his impulses and his fleshly lusts.
Conclusion: Even when Satan told God that Job's service was just a type of play acting. When Satan used the excuses that Job only served God because he was hedged about, his work was blessed by God, that he had everything he would ever want (vs. 10), notice God removed those excuses (vs. 12, 2:6,). Even after God removed the hedge from Job's life, and even when God allowed Satan to fully attack Job's body, Job still remained faithful. If you and I lost everything due to a series of calamities, would we still praise God? Your answer to this question will either open or close the door to another question, Does God believe in you? Can He? If He cannot, you can change and become better so that God can one day say to Satan, Have you considered my servant _______? He/she is so faithful, you can attack him/her and his/her faith will never be shaken. Don't you want this to be the conclusion of your service? It certainly can be.
