INTRODUCTION
This Article reveals the true motive of why God orchestrated Job’s trial; why it was 100% for Job’s benefit; and why it was not for God to attract glory to Himself.
In past years, the common religious assumption was that God wanted to prove to the Devil that Job could withstand whatever the Devil had to throw at him. This assumption, positioned Job as a type of trophy for God to display before the Devil and his demons; making God look as if He desired recognition from the Devil to fulfill a self-satisfying bragging right.
These religious assumptions were formed due to a lack of understanding of who God is. God was seen more as a God of Wrath and Judgment than Love and Relationship. Even the Wrath and Judgment of God are activated through His Love.
Job 1:1-6
The book began by presenting Job as a perfect and upright who feared God and eschewed evil. The word “perfect” does not mean that Job was “sinless.” It simply means that Job did everything “by the book” as he understood it. In verse 5, Job is troubled; rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings according to the number of his sons, fearing that they might have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Question… What made Job assume his sons would curse God in their hearts? Didn’t he teach his children the way of the Lord? Wasn’t he a perfect and upright father? Why would Job think such a thing about his sons? Some may assume that Job’s action was simply the act of a cautious father; no big deal, right? But as we will see, these thoughts revealed signs of an ongoing inward problem developing in the heart of Job. That problem was, FEAR! And we know, according to [1 John 4:18], that Fear has torment. It is something that we all have struggled with at some point.
God’s Love And Test
God, in His Lovingkindness; knowing the condition of Job, initiates a solution. In Chapter 1 verses 6-12, God invites Satan into a conversation about Job, already perceiving how Satan will respond; then provides Satan with permission to attack everything Job has but restricts him from touching his body. The Devil can never attack us without God’s permission. Yet, it’s important to note that God will never give such permission to the Devil without it significantly benefiting us, nor will He give such permission to gain recognition for Himself, nor to prove anything to the Devil.
Satan’s First Attack
In (Job 1:13-19) Satan destroys everything Job has, Job ends his day saying, in Chapter 1:21, “Naked came I 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.” Now, imagine within yourself, that you have done everything by the book in obeying God; you then go to the Bank to withdraw, but they tell you all your money is gone; the check your employer gave you is insufficient; your investments are wiped out; you come home only to find out that all your sons and daughters are dead due to a house fire… What would make you say, the Lord gave and has taken away? What type of concept of God would make you express such a thing as if unattached to what has just happened?
In Chapter 1:5, Job rises early; offering burnt sacrifices to God for his sons; fearing that God’s Wrath might come against his sons, due to the possibility of them having cursed God in their hearts. And yet, his first response after losing his family and possessions was, “The Lord gave and the Lord takes.” This reveals that Job, who saw himself as a caring father trying to protect his sons from the wrath of God, at the same time, saw God as a Judge over his children, One who shows mercy at his discretion, giving and taking without explanation; rather than a God of love and compassion.
Job’s Fear Exposed
In Chapter 2, God initiates another conversation with Satan for the benefit of Job; allowing Satan to attack his body but to spare his life.
During this last attack of the Devil, Job confesses what has been going on in his heart all along, saying, in Chapter 3:25. “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” Pressure always has a way of bringing out what is hidden in our hearts.
Job emphasizes his fear by stating it twice in one breath, saying that he feared and was afraid, validating that he had been tormented by thoughts of something like this coming upon him sooner or later.
Did Job see himself as a righteous and upright man? If so, what made him afraid that evil would come upon him? Did he feel guilty for being rich while others around him lived in poverty, dying from severe sicknesses, being overcome by evil murderers; families breaking up, and children dying from senseless battles? Was he afraid life was too good to be true and couldn’t last forever? Whatever the case, Job’s inward fear tormented him until he came face to face with it. No matter how righteous we appear on the outside, we all have something we must overcome on the inside.
Note: In Chapter 3:26, Job states, “ I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” This means Job determined in his heart, not to feel safe, nor to feel at rest, nor to accept peace in his heart by acting as if everything was ok; hoping to prevent trouble from coming as if to buy his way out of it. And yet, trouble came.
But God, who understands the thoughts and intents of the heart; recognizing Job’s fearful state; created a way for Job to break free forever from the torture he was putting himself through.
NOTE: When we understand that God is Love (1 John 4:8), we must consider that everything He does is out of Love regardless of how it looks. He is predictable in that He never contradicts His Word. He is always “LOVE” in everything He does. There is none to intimidate Him! He has no competition. He doesn’t suffer from any low self-esteem syndromes or insecurity issues. And He never attempts to gain Glory for Himself by putting His children through hell!
God Addresses Job
Job enters an antagonizing evaluation period with his closest friends (Job 4– Job 39). During this evaluation period, Job emptied himself of everything in his heart. And, although Job was found more righteous than his friends, a subtle form of self-righteousness was found in Job that only God could address.
And God, who is rich in love; who has no equal and no obligation to explain Himself, yet, humbles Himself and spends two chapters addressing Job in a One-on-one, God-to-man conversation; in which, afterward, Job, recognizing the love and mercies of God, acknowledges this in Chapter 42:1, saying that no thought can be hidden from God. In verse #5, he expresses to God, “I have heard about you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye see You.”
Job’s statement indicates that his ultimate passion and desire was to see God (Job 19:26). Underneath all of Job’s worries and fears was a passion to see God. And God, knowing the continual thoughts and innermost cravings of Job’s heart, orchestrated a plan that positioned Job’s heart to see God for himself.
And Job, in receiving the ultimate desire of his heart; confesses before God, in light of all the tribulations he had endured, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6)
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