JOB

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Greetings:

I said that I was just going to sit back and enjoy the discussions 
about Job but I just lost the battle against temptation - especially 
since I used the first and second chapters of Job in last night's 
message. To begin, Job was seen as a perfect and upright man who 
feared God and eschewed evil (see 1:1). In 1:8 The Lord used these 
words when speaking to Satan. Even Satan had nothing to say against 
the Lord's testimony except for his "Yeah but...." in verse 9. In 
verse 9, Satan charged Job with serving God for what he could get out 
of it. Satan seemed to be charging Job with serving God because God 
blessed him abundantly. Now this would have been a serious charge if 
it had been true. Satan also told God that it was easy for Job to 
serve God because God had placed a hedge about him and his 
possessions. (1:10) Then Satan suggested to God that if all his 
blessings were to be removed, Job would curse God to His face. So God 
removed the hedge and told Satan that he was free to afflict Job 
subject to the restrictions of 1:12. Then Satan went to work and did 
his best to destroy Job's testimony. To me the most awesome verse of 
Job 1 is verse 20 which states "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, 
and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,". 
After all he had been through, he worshipped. WOW! What an example to 
the Apostolics of 1997! To think that he would worship God even if he 
did not receive one blessing from it is something else. He blessed 
the name of the Lord in his sorrow.  "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged
God foolishly." ( Job 1:22) And did things get better? Not a chance!  
In chapter 2 Satan asked for and received permission from God to 
break down Job's health. Note in verse 2:22 how deep Job's grief was. 
He did not speak for seven days.

Now I do not totally agree with those who condemn Job because, in his 
grief, he spoke at times a bit irrationally. Consider that he was in 
extreme shock, after all. Most of us would agree that he had a right 
to be upset. After all, he had just heard about the death of his 10 
children. Certainly God did not condemn him but, in fact accepted his 
prayer for his three "comforters." (See Job 42: 7-8)

The point I want to bring to you is this: that God is still searching 
for those who will worship Him because they love Him and for no other 
reason - men and women like those mentioned in Hebrews 11. Can we 
learn to be found in Him "that I may know him, and the power 
of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable 
unto his death;"? (Philippians 3:10)

God bless you all as you take up the challenge to love and worship 
Him without any thought of reward or gain but just because we love 
Him who first loved us.

God bless you

Pastor JD