The LORD Gave and The LORD Have Taken Away
Text:
Amplified Bible:
Job 1:21 And said, Naked (without possessions) came I [into this world] from my mother's womb, and naked (without possessions) shall I depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed (praised and magnified in worship) be the name of the Lord!
King James Version Bible:
Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
It is clear that the confession of Job is not right for He look upon GOD as Giver which is absolutely and infinitely correct but on the other hand, just like any human being, he look upon GOD as a Stealer or Taker Away which is not correct infinitely.
The LORD is the Extreme and Giver of all things, for He has given us all things, even His Son.
Romans 8:32 He who did not withhold {or} spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely {and} graciously give us all [other] things?
Romans 8:28 We are assured {and} know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together {and} are [fitting into a plan] for good to {and} for those who love God and are called according to [His] design {and} purpose.
Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace {and} favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
But in Job's case, GOD has not given everything to Job but GOD entrusted to Job all that He has and enjoying. Job has mistaken severely on how he look at GOD and to GOD's face pointed his blaming finger that GOD took it away. What GOD gave is forever and cannot be taken away. That's why we look upon our life, how come we only live for 80 years if we are disobedient, and 120 years if we follow GOD? Because He only has entrusted to us this life, this breath and not given it away, there will come a time when as a faithful steward we will account all things entrusted to us.
Psalms 144:4 Man is like vanity {and} a breath; his days are as a shadow that passes away.
Psalms 39:5 Behold, You have made my days as [short as] handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Truly every man at his best is merely a breath! Selah [pause, and think calmly of that]!
Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten (seventy years)--or even, if by reason of strength, fourscore years (eighty years); yet is their pride [in additional years] only labor and sorrow, for it is soon gone, and we fly away.
Genesis 6:3 Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not forever dwell {and} strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years.
Yes, GOD has entrusted to us everything and someday we will be accountable for all the things, that we have and enjoy right now, we will give GOD the profit.
Matthew 25:14 For it is like a man who was about to take a long journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his property.
Matthew 25:15 To one he gave five talents [probably about $5,000], to another two, to another one--to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Then he departed {and} left the country.
Matthew 25:16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he gained five talents more.
Matthew 25:17 And likewise he who had received the two talents--he also gained two talents more.
Matthew 25:18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
Matthew 25:19 Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
Matthew 25:20 And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents; see, here I have gained five talents more.
Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful {and} trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into {and} share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.
Matthew 25:22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you entrusted two talents to me; here I have gained two talents more.
Matthew 25:23 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful {and} trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into {and} share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.
Matthew 25:24 He who had received one talent also came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a harsh {and} hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you had not winnowed [the grain].
Matthew 25:25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own.
Matthew 25:26 But his master answered him, You wicked {and} lazy {and} idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain] where I have not winnowed?
Matthew 25:27 Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest.
Matthew 25:28 So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
Matthew 25:29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will be furnished richly so that he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.
Matthew 25:30 And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Job's attitude became different that He hold on to his belief that GOD gave Him his children, his wealth and even his very life, but the thing is GOD never gave Job this, GOD entrusted this to Job, as a faithful steward
Job is not alone, let's take a look at the Bible and see the people who have pleased GOD because of their faith and GOD entrusted to them huge amount of blessings and wealth.
1. Eliezer - Genesis 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Eliezer as rich as he is might be included in the richest man in the world list in our days, though he was only a steward or a butler of Abraham, but even though all of his riches, still Abraham called him a steward.
2. Believers of JESUS - Matthew 20:8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
3. A believer - Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
4. A bishop - Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
There's a prevailing word and that word is Steward.
What is a Steward then?
STEWARD, n. [G., a room. The steward was then originally a chamberlain or a butler.]
A steward is not the owner.
ILLUSTRATION:
One day in my visitation, I came across a member's house and I knocked on that door thinking that I can pray and know how well that member is in their house and to my surprise a very angry man met me and told me that I can't come inside and I need to be outside their premises shouting at me at the top of his lungs, so I stayed outside and I told myself I'll just come back. When I return the other day, a very friendly man, greeted me and offered me food and drink to be strong in my visitations. Now I asked the friendly man, and he told me that he's the owner of the property.
You see sometimes as a steward we are meaner and angrier and over-protective than the real owner is, that's GOD who own all things. We thought that by being over-protective of these things entrusted to us, we considered them as our own, a good attitude is to consider them our own so as to protect them and prolong their life. But over protection thinking that it is ours for the taking and it's all ours is not right. So the right attitude to be in if I were Job is that GOD entrusted to us everything and even this life, and even the oxygen that we breath and GOD can end the supply of breath and oxygen when it's high time for us to be accountable to Him.
visit my blog at http://www.Nabaza.com/ and I'm selling domains and web hosting at http://www.NameHost.us
