5- When the days of their feasting were over, Job would send [for them] and consecrate them, rising early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job did this at all [such] times.
6- Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them.
7- The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it.”
8- The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”
9- Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
10- Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land.
11- But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
12- Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand on the man himself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
Job 1:5-12 (AMP)
“An extraordinary conversation took place between two beings, God and Satan. When called to account for his doings, the evil one boasted that he had gone to and fro throughout the earth, insinuating that he had met with no hindrance to his will, and found no one to oppose his freely moving and acting at his own pleasure. He had marched everywhere like a king in his own dominions, unhindered and unchallenged. When the great God reminded him that there was at least one place among men where he had no foothold, and where his power was unrecognized, namely, in the heart of Job; that there was one man who stood like an impregnable castle, garrisoned by integrity, and held with perfect loyalty as the possession of the King of Heaven” (from: Satan Considering The Saints— C.H.Spurgeon)
From the very first instant God created the world, certain principles were put in place. When He created Adam and Eve, He created first the garden of Eden. It is their Hedge, their sanctuary, their safe abode. When they’re inside that garden no one can harm them, but they should guard it. The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and WATCH over it. Genesis 2:15 NLT)
He gave Adam and Eve the dominion and care, and watch over it, meaning “somebody or someone” can enter that Garden or wall of protection which otherwise will be known in this preaching as “the Hedge”
1- THE EDGE OF IN THE HEDGE IS:
* Being Children of God.
Righteousness is defined as "the quality of being morally correct and justifiable." According to wikipedia; It is a state or condition of: resembling or displaying the nature of moral, good, correct, true, factual, excellent, just, virtuous, natural, morally upright, correct for situations, balanced, and honorable being or being in such a state. In the Old Testament, righteousness is attributed only to few men in the Bible, True and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. And Job was one of the few men in the Old Covenant who chose to have a relationship with God. No one forced or coerced him into serving the Lord; he wanted to. We should recognize that God wants much more than a one-time encounter. His desire is to share in our lives on a daily basis. The Bible declares that God places a high value on our relationship with Him. He has provided His love to mankind in hopes that we would respond with a reciprocating love for Him. For us, it is the peace of knowing we have a “friend in high places.” However, God also seeks us out. He loves us first and best. God knows who loves Him and who does not. Job loved God and God knew he did. In fact, Job’s good choices and lifestyle stood out from the rest of mankind and brought him special favor and attention from the Lord. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “...not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”– Philippians 3:9. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory! but in the NewTestament, the coming of Jesus made all believers in Jesus the righteousness of God.
2- THE EDGE OF THE HEDGE IS:
* Being Considered
“Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job?”
to come to judge or classify
1- What we see in Satan is one entirely committed to the downfall of mankind created in God’s image.
What we must grasp here is that Satan is acting as the prosecuting attorney for the people of God. He’s trying and considering the case that they are not really committed to God so much as the things God has given them. His argument before God is that men only love god because He is good to them, protects them, and gives them things in abundance.
Satan would always consider all negative things in our life. He who had seen the glory of God can not believe that we, as God’s favorite creation would love God inspite of our sinfulness, though we can not grasp the depth and breath of God’s love, we still thirst for God! Ohhh, Jesus, Oh Jesus! Thank You for your Holy Spirit in us. Satan can not understand such things why.
2- People considers Job with... 9¶Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. ( Job2 ) Man easily look at man and judges him accordingly as to his religiosity, that things happening to him is a curse from God! God can not do such a thing.... He gave up Jesus for us. Jesus gave up His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is patient toward us... we are His Temple.
3- God considers Job with high respect. ““Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”
4- How Job considered himself:
v.5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. ( Job 1 )
v.10 But he said unto her (his wife), 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. (Job 2 ).
The edge of someone in the edge is one of utter humility, just like Jesus... into your hands i commit my spirit!
3- THE EDGE OFTHE HEDGE IS:
* Being Challenged
“God always tests us and allow us to be challenge to bring out the best, while Satan tempts us to bring out the worst.”
Satan’s response was to sarcastically accuse God of protecting and favoring Job. Satan declared that Job’s righteousness was conditional, indicating that Job served God only because he was spoiled with wealth and good health. However, God had such confidence in Job as a man of integrity that He allowed Satan to test him.
Just like David in times of testing.... his response was written in 1Samuel30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God
How about you?
How do you consider yourself?
Matthew 6: 26 “Behold (and consider) the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. ARE YOU NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THEY?”
God’s consideration of you and me is the same.... He is our Father in Jesus’name!
Satan’s consideration of us also remains constant! We must understand that Satan has access to the throne of God. He is not cast out of heaven. He is cast out of the throne room of God, but he has access to God, and he does something before God. He accuses us. He has an army - one third of the angels evidently. He has access to the earth, but he will be confined to the earth. Until then, Satan is busy doing a lot of things, but he is busy accusing the brethren day and night.
( Revelations 12:7-12 )
He will forever accuse us until the Lord Jesus comes.... Maranatha Lord!
So? Welcome the Challenge. It is the hallmark of God’s consideration to us. Living inside the Hedge is our Edge. It is God’s will for us. It is 1Corinthians 10:13’s No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. But whoever has doubts is condemned, because it is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23).
Come inside the Hedge now.
We have the edge of In the Hedge!
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