"The Edge Of In The Hedge”

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.