Alright, well, we're going to go, obviously taking a break from our series in Colossians, an unplanned and unexpected break, but nevertheless a break in that message series. So we're going to actually take a look at the book of Job, Job chapter 1 this morning. So if you want to get your Bibles out and flip open to that, we'll begin reading there in just a minute. Has anyone else besides me noticed that at times life can be a bit difficult? We go to work one day and maybe we're informed that due to cutbacks and various other reasons that our job has been eliminated. So thank you for all of your hard work and commitment through the years, but we've— we don't have a need for you anymore. A number of you are teachers and have gone through some difficult times in the, in the school districts around here. There's been cutbacks and layoffs, so you'd be familiar with the challenges there. There are some of you who have jobs but are struggling to make ends meet on the salaries that you get right now. Perhaps you are among the many, many people who had worked and saved diligently through the years to plan for your future, for your retirement, and saw that all evaporate in the difficult times we've had in the last 3 to 5 years. Others of you I know have struggled with severe pain in your bodies, and there's no treatment that seems to help. Cancer came unexpectedly to two families in the end of last year. There are a number of you who, who struggle with diabetes and, and live with the daily effects of that disease. Some of you lost loved ones recently to death, some after illness, a long illness, or some unexpectedly. There have been pregnancies that have ended in miscarriage. For others, the trials of life may be relational. Husband and wives not getting along, children who are rebelling against their parents and against the Lord. Some of you work hard, very, very hard, and never seem to get ahead. At the same time though, as we're struggling, we look around and we see others who are getting to keep their jobs, not only keeping their jobs but getting promotions and raises. We see families taking vacations. And the only thing we can hope for is a day off once in a while. Perhaps a luxury is just taking the family out to McDonald's or stopping by QT and getting a breakfast sandwich on the way to church. We want and we try to hold back the tears as family after family welcomes a new child, but it doesn't happen for us. We wonder why does that couple have such a great marriage and kids who love the Lord when our home seems chaotic? And out of control. I take care of myself, I watch what I eat, I get plenty of exercise and lots of rest, yet I suffer with chronic pain and weariness. Life is not only difficult, it just seems at times unfair. It's not fair, we ask, or we complain. Why do I have to suffer when so many around me don't? Sooner or later, that day of suffering is going to come to each of us, if it hasn't already. If you're not in it now, it will.
John Piper, speaking about being prepared for the day of calamity, he writes this, he says, "Be prepared in mind and heart not to curse God in the day of your calamity, but even more, that instead of cursing, we might worship God and bless Him as our free and sovereign Father, no matter how intense the grief or deep the pain He brings into our life."
This morning I want to take a look at a man whose life and story we don't often read about. That's the story of Job. At first glimpse, there doesn't seem to be anything extremely remarkable about Job. He wasn't a king. He didn't lead an army. He didn't lead a nation of people out of slavery. He wasn't a war hero. He didn't build an ark. He didn't slay giants or lions. Job was kind of a boring guy in some ways. If you're looking for excitement and outwardly amazing actions, Job is not the one to look at. But what is written about this man, what's written about Job, the suffering that he endured, and the words that the writer of this book inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote, what they wrote about Job are incredibly valuable, incredibly insightful. Job was in many ways an incredible man. So Job is also an important figure to all of us who suffer because Job's sufferings are similar to the many trials and tribulations that we face. So in many ways, the life of Job looks like a normal, typical life that many of us experience. He gets married, he has children, he runs the family business. Job gets up in the morning like all of us do, shaves, showers, spends some time reading in God's Word, spends time praying for his family, has a cup of coffee, has a nice hearty breakfast, checks the latest news perhaps and the weather forecast, and then heads off to work. From that perspective, Job is a guy that we can easily relate to.
So let's open up. We're going to read, we're going to go through all of chapter 1 today and a little bit into chapter 2. We're not going to read it all to begin with. We'll just kind of work our way through it. So open it up to Job chapter 1, beginning in verse 1. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him 7 sons and 3 daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. And very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all in the people of the East.
Quite an impressive resume. Job was blameless, he was upright, he feared God, and he turned away from evil. Job isn't described to us as a perfect man, but he was a man of his word, a man of integrity who dealt fairly with those around him, with his friends, and with those he came in contact through his business dealings. Job was a man who was respected and a man who God held in high honor. Job was a wealthy man. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke—that would be 1,000 oxen—500 female donkeys, and a lot of servants. And one author I read while I was preparing for this suggested that Job might have even been in the trucking business, or the ancient trucking business. Caravans of camels were often used back then to transport goods from city to city in ancient times. And the teams of oxen— sorry, so these camels he had might have been what we could refer to as a trucking business, hauling freight around the ancient Near East. And he had lots of oxen to plow his fields, to raise grain on, to raise food, and then there were an awful lot of servants that could manage his business.
Job was also a man who was concerned for his family. So let's continue in verse 4. "His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day. They would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all." For Job said, 'It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' Thus Job did continually. So Job was a father that was concerned about the spiritual well-being of his family. At the end of one of the family feasts, we see Job offering sacrifices on behalf of his children. And while we read nothing sinful in the description about his kids, Job was concerned that they might have sinned or thought wrongly of God in their hearts during their feasts, so Job, being a godly father, would offer burnt offerings on their behalf. Francis Anderson writes this about Job's parenting skills. He said, "We need not suppose that they spent all of their time," speaking of his children, "roistering and did not work. There is no hint of drunkenness or license or laziness. Job expresses no anxiety on this score." although he is aware of the danger that they might slip into profanity. These delightful family gatherings are part of the atmosphere of well-being that begins the story. They are a mark of good fortune, or rather, of God's blessing. The finishing touch to this happy scene is the godly parent making doubly sure that all is well.
6 · The pastor reads Job 1:6-8, shifting the narrative scene from earth to heaven
So we continue in verse 6, we see the scene changes and now we find ourselves in God's presence. So picking up in verse 6, now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'From where have you come?' Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth? A blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.
7 · The pastor highlights God's initiative in the dialogue with Satan, emphasizing that God voluntarily showcases Job as a 'trophy' of divine delight
There was a certain day, it says, we are told, the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord, and in that mix of individuals was Satan. Then God puts on display a trophy that He delights in very much. He says to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on the earth." a blameless man, an upright man, a man who fears God and turns away from evil. So God asked Satan if he has ever noticed his servant Job with a very glowing and loving description. Job may have been the greatest of all the people in the East, but God refers to him in the most marvelous ways. He says, "My servant." God gives himself this very impressive description of his servant Job as a blameless and upright man who not only fears God, but a man who turns away from evil. So this is quite a report of an individual coming from God.
8 · The pastor uses a Piper analogy to make the divine-demonic dialogue vivid and memorable
John Piper describes this interaction between Job and Satan this way. He says that it's a bit like a jewelry store owner owning up, opening up his shop one morning and finding a thief in the shop. The store owner then asks this thief, "What are you doing here?" "Oh, just looking around," the thief replies. The store owner then asks, "Did you notice the fine diamonds that we have on display in the front window?" This is what God is doing with Satan, pointing out one of His finest servants, Job.
9 · The pastor reads Satan's challenge from Job 1:9-11, articulating Satan's counter-interpretation of Job's piety: Job only fears God because God has blessed him
Satan, though, is not overly impressed, and he challenges God's evaluation of Job, continuing in verse 9. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.'
10 · The pastor expounds Satan's accusation, making explicit the underlying theological challenge: Job's worship is transactional, not relational
Satan is not impressed with Job. He suggests that Job is not such a great specimen of reverence for God. He argues that Job only fears God in order to get rich. "Of course he fears you," argue Satan, "considering all that you have done for him, blessing him, giving him increase and protection. Who wouldn't fear you under those circumstances? Of course Job fears you. It's been a very lucrative path for him to follow." Job only fears God because you have blessed him. Satan continues, "Take away his protection, take away his family, take away his possessions, and we will see what your servant is really made of. Take away all that he has and he will curse you to your face. It's not you he loves, it's all the stuff that you've given him." Satan is not only challenging God's evaluation of Job, he's challenging the very worth of God himself. Job doesn't really love you for who you are. Job only loves you because of what you've done for him. Take it away and you will find that your servant will curse you.
11 · The pastor pauses to address an implicit objection: Why does God need to prove anything to Satan? He clarifies that God doesn't need to prove His case, but chose to do so for His own glory and to vindicate His worth through Job's response
Now, you know what? God doesn't have to prove anything to anyone, least of all to Satan. God simply could have simply told Satan, get lost. I don't need to prove to you or anybody else. I know the heart of my servant Job, and that's good enough for me. He could have said that, but this time God chose to get an open victory over Satan for His own glory. God wanted to prove to Satan in the heart of Job, Job more highly esteemed God than any possession or family member. So God accepts the challenge and gives all that Job has into the hands of Satan.
12 · The pastor reads God's granting of permission to Satan in Job 1:12, noting the boundary set: Job's possessions and family are given over to Satan, but Job's life is protected
Verse 12, "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your hand.'" 'Only against him do not stretch out your hand.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
13 · The pastor sets the scene for the catastrophe by emphasizing the ordinariness of the day
Satan leaves God at this point and prepares his attack on Job's property and his children. And verse 13 begins, 'Now there was a day— there was a day when Job's sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house.' There was a day, probably like many other days before it, Job got up that morning, went through his normal routine, and off to the office. It was a day when his children had gathered for one of their frequent family reunions. The sun was shining, the oxen working in the fields, the sheep were grazing, the donkeys were feeding, and the servants were all busy tending to their responsibilities. It was just a normal day. It would appear to be another normal day. Everything was going as it should.
14 · The pastor reads the cascade of disasters in Job 1:14-19, letting the text's rapid-fire structure convey the overwhelming onslaught
And then it happened. There's an urgent knock on the office door. Verse 14, "And there came a messenger to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them. The Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.'" While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you. While he was yet speaking, there came another. The Chaldeans formed 3 groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you about them. And while he was yet speaking, There came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
15 · The pastor pauses the narrative to name the totality of the loss and restate the theological question at stake
In just a few short minutes, perhaps an hour or two, four servants come on the heels of the one before them, and Job's world is turned upside down. All of his possessions are gone, all of his children are dead, and all but 4 of his servants are dead. We're about to find out what is really in the heart of Job concerning God. We're about to find out whether or not Job feared God simply because of what God had blessed him with. We're about to find out if Job loved and revered God for who God was. Or because of all that God had done for him.
16 · The pastor creates a vivid imaginative scene of the cosmic audience watching Job's response
So we are watching, God is watching, Satan is watching. We maybe watch a little bit nervously and with amazement. God is watching confidently, and Satan watches smugly. I can imagine Satan sitting there with his companions, watching closely as their plan unfolds. Servant after servant comes in with bad news on top of bad news. The last servant enters the room. Satan and his companions are sitting on the edge of their chairs. They got their popcorn in their hand, a soda in the other. They're enjoying this show. Everything is going just as they planned and plotted. This is it. All that Job has is gone. All of his children are gone. Surely, surely Job will curse God now. They watch Job stand up in verse 20. They lean forward in their chairs as he tears his robe, he shaves his head, and he falls to the ground. Satan believes that victory is at hand. He is now on the edge of his seat as Job opens his mouth.
17 · The pastor reads and expounds Job's climactic response in Job 1:21, highlighting the worship that emerges from total loss
Verse 21: And he said, referring to Job, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job speaks and Satan is proved wrong. There's cursing, alright, going on. I can imagine there's lots of cursing going on right now, but it's not from the mouth of Job. Satan is probably the only one cursing God at this point in time. Despite all that God had allowed to happen to Job, Job still worships his God. Satan and his adversaries are sitting there, they watch, their mouths open. Despite all that has happened, all that has taken place, his family dead, his servants dead, all of his possessions gone, Job responds to all of this adversity with worship and adoration of God. There's no blame, there's no bitterness, There's no cursing. There's only worship coming from Job. What rolls off the lips of Job is a wonderful declaration of God's sovereignty in his life. "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return." Job was well aware that he came into the world with nothing, that he would leave with nothing, that everything he possessed in between those two points in time were God's. "And the Lord takes away," he said, Job blessed God for all that He had given to Job during his life, and Job blessed God for choosing to take it away. Job's reverence and worship of God is not a trivial matter here. Rather, it's of supreme importance for us. Job's worship is based on the value of God for who God is in Himself. The revelation of this truth is so important for all who are watching this story unfold. For Satan and for us, that God was willing to subject His prized servant to an extreme amount of suffering, grief, and loss in order to make it known. There's nothing wrong with owning a comfortable home. There's nothing wrong with driving a nice car. There's nothing wrong with having a closet full of clothing, sofas to sit on, dining room tables to sit around, kitchens full of equipment and food, plates to eat off, lawn tools. There's nothing wrong with having good health. And access to medical and dental experts. There's nothing wrong with taking a vacation now and then. There's nothing wrong with having any of these things. The danger, though, comes when our possessions own us and when we make idols out of them—our family, our health. For Job, it was never about his possessions. Job's possessions didn't own him. Charles Swindoll says this about Job's response To the tragedy, he says, without realizing it, Job is saying, "In your face, Lucifer. I never set my affections on those things in the first place." And when it came to the kids, I've understood from the day we had our first child until we had our last, they're all God's. He is the one who gave them, and He is the one who has the right to take them, take them all whenever He wants them all back. That's why Job can sincerely say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."
18 · The pastor reads the narrator's verdict on Job's response ('In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong') and pivots immediately to application
Then we read these words of commentary from the author, verse 22: "In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." Encourage us this morning, let's never steal or rob from God His praise, no matter how dark or difficult the trial may be or our suffering may be. Psalm 113:3 says, "From the rising of the sun to its setting, The name of the Lord is to be praised. But you don't know the constant pain and the headaches that I suffer from. Yes, but praise God anyways. I've lost my job. Yes, you have, but praise God. I've lost a family member to death. Yes, but God is to be praised. You don't know the struggles I have with my children or my spouse. But praise God in the midst of that. You don't know the illnesses, the disease, the cancer. Yes, but God is to be praised in the midst of that. You could go on and on. Put yourself in whatever situation or trial or struggle that you're facing. So you fill in the details with yourself in that statement. And whatever it is, God is to be praised in the middle of it.
19 · The pastor applies the doctrine of God's sovereignty to the congregation's speech in trials
So let's allow the grace of God to be sufficient in these trials and allow that to carry us through them. Acknowledging God's sovereignty in our lives and ownership of what we have, it gives us the freedom to speak the truth in difficult times. We are all comfortable and at ease talking about and acknowledging God when things are going good for us. But sometimes it's a bit more difficult for us to speak comfortably about God when He takes things away from us. Job was able to make some bold, confident statements in the midst of his trials. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away." And the author was kind enough to include a bit of commentary for us. "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." The author wants us to know, he wanted us to know, that what Job said was not sinful or wrong.
20 · The pastor transitions to Job 2 and reads the opening dialogue between God and Satan, noting the repetition from chapter 1 but also noting Satan's conspicuous silence about Job
Chapter 2 begins, we once again find ourselves back in the presence of the Lord. Once again Satan is there. And again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro in the earth." and from walking up and down on it.' Sound familiar? Same kind of dialogue we saw back in chapter 1. I find it interesting though in this dialogue that when questioned, Satan makes no reference to what had just happened with Job. It's almost like he wanted to forget about it since it hadn't quite turned out the way he had anticipated or hoped for. Job had not cursed God as Satan had hoped for. But God remembers the previous dialogue and brings it up with Satan in verse 3.
21 · The pastor reads Job 2:3 and highlights God's renewed commendation of Job
The Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth—a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." God once again refers lovingly to Job as "my servant." He points out that Job holds fast to his integrity. All of this despite what Satan had done to incite God to destroy him for no reason.
22 · The pastor reads Satan's second challenge (Job 2:4-6) and explains Satan's reasoning: Job gave up possessions and family to save his life, but physical suffering will break him
Verse 4, "Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.'" And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life." Of course Job didn't curse you. Any man would easily give up all that he owns in order to save his life. Job had shown that God is of more value and worth than his possessions and his family. But what about his health? He still has his health. Touch his body, his bone, his flesh, then we will see Job curse you to your face. Is Satan's argument. Once again, God could have simply told Satan to get lost and to leave. God knew Job's heart. Job didn't have to prove himself again to God, but in order to show that he alone was Job's treasure, God gives his servant into the hand of Satan. But he sets the boundary: his life. But other than that, Satan, he's yours.
23 · The pastor steps out of exposition to address the congregation's likely emotional and intellectual discomfort with God's permission for Job's suffering
How does that make you feel when we read that and think about that? We hear God's words to Satan. What goes through our minds when we hear this interaction? Are we tempted to think, "How can God do that? Why would God do that? It doesn't make sense. It doesn't seem very fair." Now put your name in that situation and in that story. Looking at this dialogue between God and Satan, Looking at this agreement that God has struck up with him and ask those questions again. Does it seem fair? It doesn't seem fair. What goes on in our mind when we consider that? There's a level of mystery when it comes to God's sovereignty in our lives. We don't always understand it. Keep in mind that Job was not privy to these discussions that were taking place in heaven. He had no idea what was being discussed between God and Satan, what agreements were coming together between the two of them. We have the privilege, though, of being able to read this story and have insight into that discussion.
24 · The pastor makes an explicit theological claim about God's exhaustive sovereignty over all events and brings in Romans 8:28 as supporting authority
The sovereignty of God is mysterious. It's mysterious to us at times, but do we really believe and understand that everything, everything that happens to us is planned and determined by God himself? Do we really believe what it says in Romans 8:28? "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good."
25 · The pastor shares a Spurgeon quotation found in the life of the congregation (on someone's refrigerator), grounding the theological claim in the lived piety of the church
I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon that I saw hanging on the refrigerator of one of the families in the church here. It says, "Remember this: had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, Divine love would have put you there.
26 · The pastor applies the Spurgeon quotation and the Romans 8:28 claim to the congregation's lived experience, acknowledging the gap between intellectual assent and practical trust
It's easy to read that, but it's hard to live that out at times. Do we draw comfort that God is in control and working out all things? All things, it tells us, all things are being worked out for our good. Or do we wonder if God cares or even remembers us in the midst of our sufferings?
27 · The pastor reads the onset of Job's physical affliction (Job 2:7-8) and fills in the narrative gaps with imaginative detail
Back to the story, verse 7 of chapter 2. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with his loathsome sores from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. We're not given any timeline here. We don't know how long the first interaction took place to the second one. Could have been a matter of days, a few weeks perhaps. Job wakes up one morning not feeling so good. His muscles ache. He's feeling feverish. He notices a few sores beginning to break out on his arms. Throughout the day, the sores spread, and by evening, his entire body from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head is broken out terrible sores.
28 · The pastor intensifies the description of Job's suffering by contrasting it with trivial ailments (poison ivy) and citing textual details from later in Job (his friends didn't recognize him, maggots in the sores)
This is not just some kind of regular rash. He didn't get into a patch of poison ivy. These are big, open, oozing, bleeding, itching sores. They were disfiguring sores. If you read on a little bit further, you'll find out his friends who were about to come, it says they didn't even recognize him. The sores would scab over and then they'd reopen. There were worms or maggots growing in them.
29 · The pastor cites additional symptoms from later chapters in Job (discolored skin, fever) to build a comprehensive medical profile of Job's suffering
If you look at chapter 7, verse 5, His skin was discolored and he had a fever. Chapter 30, verse 30. This was no simple test that Job was facing.
30 · The pastor brings in a Study Bible note to make a profound theological point: God's sparing Job's life is not kindness in the conventional sense but part of the test itself
The ESV Study Bible includes this comment about this passage. It says, "The sparing of Job's life is not a mercy and not merely a concession necessary to the test. It is integral to the test. The most difficult of life's sorrows are sometimes found when even the mercy of death is denied.
31 · The pastor signals a shift in the narrative to the introduction of Job's wife
This was the ultimate test of faith. And now a new character is about to enter the story. That's Job's wife.
32 · The pastor steps outside the narrative to defend Job's wife from easy condemnation
While not explicitly involved up to this point, she too has lost everything. Before we read her words about what she speaks to her husband, I want to remind us of a few things that we need to keep in mind as we listen to her words. She too had lost all of her children. Children that she had borne, that she had birthed, that she had raised, that she loved and enjoyed having around. She too had lost all of her wealth. The possessions that were destroyed or taken away were her source of income as well. And just recently she was the wife of the greatest man in the East. Now she's the wife of a man sitting alone in an ash heap who's broken, who's jobless, and covered with sores. So I'm no way approving of what she's about to say, and I'm certainly not condoning her words or her actions, but just want to keep in mind that she too has suffered. So put yourself in her place for a moment and listen to her words.
33 · The pastor reads Job's wife's challenge from Job 2:9
Job 2:9, then his wife said to him, do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and dying?
34 · The pastor interprets the wife's question as an attack on Job's integrity — the very quality God commended
The question here is a rhetorical question calling into doubt the very thing that God finds commendable about Job—his integrity. God commends Job to Satan because of his integrity, and now his wife is questioning the wisdom of that position. Once again, Satan and his minions are on the edge of their seats. Victory surely is near. Everything Job had is gone. He is suffering now in his body, barely alive. And then his wife comes and is questioning him on the wisdom of his integrity. Job's wife comes and suggests the very thing that Satan had been hoping for: that Job would curse God and die. Satan must have believed that certainly this was about to seal the deal.
35 · The pastor reads Job's response to his wife (Job 2:10), capturing both the rebuke ('you speak as one of the foolish women') and the theological claim ('Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?')
Job opens his mouth again and begins to speak in Job 2:10. But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all of this Job did not sin with his lips.
36 · The pastor reimagines Job's tone in responding to his wife, rejecting a harsh, gruff reading in favor of a firm but tender one
When I read this many times in the past, I've often imagined or wondered what kind of tone of voice Job was using when he spoke to his wife, how he went about responding to her. For a long time, I pictured Job as being harsh and gruff with his wife at this point, perhaps yelling at her, "You foolish, crazy, stupid woman!" But as I studied this passage and meditated on Job and looked at his character and the way he dealt with these issues, I think that's wrong. That's not what was in Job's character. I think he was a kind, honest and godly, loving, caring man. I believe he would have been firm with his wife in his response and his rebuke to her, but I can see him at this moment taking her hand, looking into her frightened, fearful, and tearful eyes, pulling her close, and softly uttering his words to her: "Honey, you speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God?" And shall we not receive evil?
37 · The pastor extracts a theological and pastoral principle from Job's response: faithful leadership in suffering means pointing others back to God
This is a man who's leading his wife and leading her well as he points her back to God in the most trying of times, in the most difficult of circumstances. Here's a man who's caring for his wife, who's leading her and pointing her back to God.
38 · The pastor names the universal temptation in suffering: to question God's character and to appeal to our own merit as grounds for exemption from suffering
So in the midst of trials and suffering, we are all tempted just like Job's wife to respond in the same way. What kind of God do we serve? Isn't He supposed to be a kind and loving, gentle God? How can He do this to me? How could He allow this to happen to me? I've served Him, I've given to the poor, I read my Bible, I work hard, I worship Him, I go to church every week, I pray, I lead my family in devotions. It's all I, I, I, I.
39 · The pastor expounds Job's theology of suffering as grounded in God's sovereignty and the Creator-creature distinction
Job's theology, however, In this trial, it's rock solid. God is sovereign. How can we receive from God good from God and not evil? Doesn't God have the right to send us good and evil, is what Job's saying. He's the Creator, we are the created. He's the Master, we're the servants. He is the Shepherd, we are the sheep. Job's response reflects a proper understanding of who he is and most importantly, who God is. Job comforts his wife by telling her that we serve a God who has the right to do whatever He wants and is under no obligation to explain it to us or to ask our permission. "Sweetie, let's not go where your statements are heading."
40 · The pastor moves to a polemic against the prosperity gospel and the cultural expectation of comfort
All of this should and often does make us feel uncomfortable. We live in one of the wealthiest societies that has ever existed. Many, if not most of us, have come to expect a certain level of comfort, of health, of relationships, children who behave well. You can flip on the TV and you can watch any number of pastors or preachers who get up and promote what they call, refer to as the prosperity gospel. God wants you to be a millionaire. He wants you to have a huge house, a new car. If you would just believe and have faith. Don't have all of that? Then you just don't believe and just don't have enough faith. But think about what those statements are saying. Do we really believe that all we should receive from God is good things? Good things as we define them? Doesn't that make God our servant? If I need something, all I have to do is rub my Bible 3 times, ring a bell, snap my fingers, and God will just come running? Is that the kind of God that we serve? Is that the kind of God that we want to serve? Job's response is, "No, that's not the kind of God I serve. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not also receive evil?"
41 · The pastor transitions to application, distilling the sermon's theology into practical exhortations
It's a far more difficult thing to bless the name of the Lord for what He takes away from us than from what He gives us. I don't know how thankful Job was for these trials, but I do know that these trials brought out two wonderful expressions of thankfulness in Job. God is worthy of praise and worthy of worship when He gives and when He takes away. Just in case we aren't comfortable with all this kind of talk, in case we think of this as an easy— isn't that heresy? Job, how can you think that? Or even worse, how can you say that? The writer gives these words to us: "In all of this Job did not sin." So how do we take this passage? How do we apply it to our lives? Just a few suggestions for us. The first one: when suffering comes our way, let us join with Job and affirm with all of our hearts the absolute sovereignty of God. Let's say with the psalmist, "Our God is in the heavens. He does whatever He pleases." There are trials that we do not feel we deserve, but we must nevertheless endure. We need to accept this in the mystery of God's will. We can't fully explain it. We need to accept the trials permitted by God and keep in mind that nothing, and absolutely nothing, comes our way that has not first passed through the mind of God. God remains in control in the midst of our trials. He has the right to allow trials that we don't fully understand. We can say with Daniel, "He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth." And let us say with Job, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away." Let us make the absolute sovereignty of God the rock in which we build our lives and our church. 1 Peter 4:19 says, "Let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator."
42 · The pastor's second application targets the temptation to sin in suffering
We need to resist the temptation to sin in the midst of suffering. If the grace of God prevents our suffering from causing us to sin, then Satan is defeated. Satan doesn't really care that much, I don't think, about taking away stuff or causing us pain or causing us suffering. There's no victory for him in that. Satan did not care what Job suffered or what we suffer. His hope, Satan's hope, is to make us sin or to curse God, to become discouraged, to doubt God's goodness, to lose our faith and hope and our confidence in God. If we foil him in these attempts, then Satan is defeated and God is glorified. Charles Spurgeon writes again, "If you do not sin while under the stress of heavy trouble, God will be honored. He is not so much glorified by preserving you from trouble as He is by upholding you in trouble." Do you want God to be glorified in our lives, in your life? Then allow the grace of God, allow the work of the Holy Spirit who points us to the Son, points us to the cross. Allow God to uphold us in the midst of our sufferings.
43 · The pastor's third application introduces God's purpose in suffering and brings in James 1:2-4 as supporting authority
Secondly, when suffering comes our way, let us be aware that God has purpose in that suffering. James 1:2-4 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
44 · The pastor expounds James 1:2-4 by explaining how joy in trials is possible: not by ignoring the pain but by focusing on God's sanctifying purpose
So let me ask you this morning, do you find joy in the face of trials and suffering? Experiencing times of trials and suffering isn't easy, but James tells us that we should find joy in these times. Why does he say that? In order to understand what James is communicating and trying to instruct us on, we have to look read the full passage. Finding joy in the midst of a trial is not easy, and it's impossible if we only look at the first half of this passage. If all we read is, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds," and we stop there, we miss the entire point that James is trying to make. Why do trials come our way? He tells us in the second half of that passage, he says, because trials produce steadfastness, and the full effect of steadfastness is that we will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So if we make the work that God is doing in our hearts in the midst of our trial our focus, not the circumstances of our trial, that's where we can find joy in the midst of trials and suffering. God is working in us through these times, and having God at work in our lives is something that we should be thankful for and something we can be joyful about.
45 · The pastor signals the next major application point: steadfastness in integrity and worship, modeled by Job
Third, when suffering comes our way, let us join with Job and remain steadfast in our integrity and unwavering worship of God.
46 · The pastor brings in James 5:11 as biblical commentary on Job's example
James 5:11 is one of the few mentions of Job outside of the book of Job. James writes, "Behold, we consider those blessed who remain steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord." There's that word steadfastness again that I made in the previous point. James in chapter 1 tells us that the trials we face produce steadfastness.
47 · The pastor defines 'integrity' and links it to 'steadfastness' and to the goal of being 'whole or complete' from James 1
In God's second encounter with Satan, remember that God commended Job for maintaining his integrity. What is the definition of integrity? It's the steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code and the quality of conduct of being whole or complete. Being whole or complete, that's what James had just described to us back early in chapter 2. And he's told us that was the purpose of the trials that we face. Wouldn't it be great if we could hear God say about us what He said about Job? Have you considered my servants Stephen and Sarah? See how they maintain their integrity. Have you considered my servant Susan? See how she maintains her integrity. Have you seen my servant Randy? See how he maintains his integrity. Have you seen my servant Craig? See how he maintains his integrity. Put your name there, put your trial there.
48 · The pastor issues a direct challenge to the congregation: Can you maintain integrity, worship, and thankfulness in your trials? The rhetorical question presses for self-examination and commitment
Can we be thankful to God, worship Him, and be steadfast in our integrity during our own trials and suffering? And can we thank God for what He is doing in us through them.
49 · The pastor summarizes Job's example: his worship was constant regardless of circumstances
Job was a man who worshiped and offered sacrifices when he had it all. And when it was all gone, Job was still a man of worship. The situation had changed, the circumstances were different, but what didn't change was Job's steadfast devotion and worship of his God. Job was steadfast in his integrity throughout it. God himself testified to that. As the suffering unfolds in Job's life, he never deviates from his values, he never deviates in his faith in God, and he never charges God with wrong. May that be the same thing that could be said of us.
50 · The pastor signals the final application point, preparing to address the emotional dimension of suffering
And finally, when suffering comes our way, let us join with Job and let our tears flow freely.
51 · The pastor reads Job 1:20 and interprets Job's mourning rituals (tearing his robe, shaving his head, falling on his face) as expressions of genuine grief
Chapter 1, verse 20 says, Job arose He rent his robe and shaved his head and fell upon his face. So the sobs of mourning, the sobs of grief and pain, those are not signs of unbelief.
52 · The pastor rejects a superficial, emotionally detached response to suffering
Job knew nothing of a flippant, stoic, insensitive, superficial, praise-God-anyhow response in his suffering.
53 · The pastor closes with a Piper quotation that encapsulates the sermon's final move: worship is magnificent precisely when it emerges from grief, not when it replaces grief
Let me close with this quote from John Piper: The magnificence of his worship is because it was in grief, not because it replaced grief. Let your tears flow freely when your calamity comes, and let the rest of us weep with those who weep. Let's pray.