Sincerely Yours, Job (Series Part 3)

by Bro. Elijah E. Abanto
Based on Charles R. Swindoll's message, What Job Teaches Us About Ourselves

Last time we stopped on the principle that it takes great discernment to detect wrong advice from well-meaning people. With all their reasonableness, these people still don't have a divine viewpoint always--only the Bible has. And we also learned that sound theology or doctrine keeps you sound and stable on trying times. Yes, and what theology did Job knew at that time to be stable? He knew and believed this doctrine: We are not here to be happy; we are here for God to be glorified. He believed that we are here to praise and worship God in spite of what happens, knowing that they are all for His glory.

Now here is the fifth principle: Caring and sensitive friends know when to come, how to stay quiet, and what to say (if anything at all!). From this point on we see Job's friends. Consider the following passages:

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. (2:11-13)

People who may know Job's story would raise a brow against these three, but, let's face it, they were really friends of Job! Because in the first place, they visited him. They knew when Job needed them. And without words, they understood his grief, lifted up their voices, wept, and sprinkled dust upon their heads as a sign of sorrow for him. They were friends indeed, and this must have been one of the factors why Job endured the trial at this time.

Remember David and Jonathan? How Jonathan's friendship made David strong to continue in life in spite of opposition? If you read the psalms of David, many are composed in his sorrowful and depressed state, and you could he might be even suicidal. Remembering Jonathan's unwavering friendship must have been one of the factors that helped him till he became the king of Israel.

The next one must be a hard truth, but, unless we firmly cling to God, this principle will truly apply to us. Consider the following passage:

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. (3:1)

Now, there you go: It is easy to be Monday-morning quarterbacks, but then we encounter suffering, and we become weak. See the shift of words? The story didn't end with Job worshiping and praising God for the testing, nor did it end with his words about God's sovereignty--instead, it continues, and we see that Job's strong front was beginning to fade. He "cursed his day"! He cursed the day of his birth! And that frequently happens to us. If we did like Job at first, we must have been saying, The Lord saw my faithfulness to him even in this situation. Maybe He will remove this now. But if that is Job's expectation, it wasn't immediately realized, furthering his grief and peeling off this strong armor against negative thoughts. If our grip in God is not strong enough, we are sure to expect this kind of feeling. Let me show you the next verses:

And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. (vv. 2-6)

This principle might have caused his three friends and Jehu to comment on Job's suffering--and formed chapters 4-41 of the book! At first they are the best of friends to have, but then, they could not keep themselves, so they began to say things--which we know are wrong! We need God to stay strong in these situations of prolonged grief and suffering.

But this is the good thing: Job never cursed God. Job might have cursed "his day," but never do you hear him curse God. He knew that God had a purpose for that. He knew that God had a better plan for his life than what he thought of. So he endured all the loss, the pain, and the accusations of his friends until the final day of his suffering. Last principle: The cultivation of obedient endurance is the crowning mark of maturity. There are two ways man can look at suffering: first he can see it as an intrusion of God in his life, that causes him to outrage and point his accusing finger on God; the second is he can see it as an opportunity given by God to let him show his faithfulness, causing him to endure all the hard things. Let's jump to the last chapter of Job to see where the principle lies:

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (42:1-6)

This is true maturity: you won't deny your mistake; instead you admit them (though we may think, I've endured all this!) and repent. And Job never expected that God would change his circumstances for the good, but what was important was that he understood that he do not need to understand everything--what's important is that God is there, and all that happens never passes without His permission.

Sincerely Yours, Job (Series Part 2)

by Bro. Elijah E. Abanto
Based on Charles R. Swindoll's message, What Job Teaches Us About Ourselves

One of the things that we really don't want to experience is suffering. We would like to die instantly instead of going through a series of loss--of possessions, family, health, and friends. But if there are people who really need to experience that, it is us, the Christians--and that is exactly what happened to Job which we will study today.

Let's read Job 1:6-19:

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. ⁷And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ⁸And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? ⁹Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? ¹⁰Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.¹¹But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.¹²And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

¹³And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:¹⁴And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:¹⁵And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:¹⁹And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

From the Job's good standing in life would Satan come to God for to accuse him. We all know that Satan is our accuser, and even our good intentions he will give a different color before God just to hurt us. And we will read that, that's it, God allowed what happened to Job. First principle: We never know ahead of time what God plans for our lives. We cannot be sure that because we are serving Him blessing will come to us the way we expect it, or we cannot say that punishment will come to those who disobey the way we expect it to be. From out of nowhere Job's life was stormed with different unpleasant events--in just a moment. So from this there's a lesson: Be ready for everything, whether blessing or trial, because we do not know. We do not know.

From Job's reaction we will know the second principle:

²⁰Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,²¹And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ²²In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

A vertical perspective prevents horizontal panic. In all the possible reactions of Job to these successive events, he still managed to worship and praise God. God will probably understand if Job got angry with Him, because He knew what kind were the things that happened, but, here was Job, praising and worshiping God! Why? Because he saw God's perspective, that He makes all things happen as He pleases, whether it be blissful or painful--because He is the Creator of all things, and that he is one of those whom He created.

As we go through the next chapter we can again see Satan hopping to God's presence and giving a new accusation to Job. The result: Job would have a terrible disease, but he would not die. And that was it. And for his wife, it was already enough. She could not keep herself anymore as she saw Job's suffering, so:

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. (v.9)

What a reasonable advise from a loved one, and Job had all the reasons to "curse God"--besides, it was his wife who said that! But look on the next verse:

But he said unto her, 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. (v.10)

Now let's not point a finger on his wife. Anyone who sees this kind of suffering, with all our sinful humanity, have a great tendency to react as she did. But anyone who thinks clearly will know that this advice was wrong--but when you are now in that position, how could you? Third principle: Great discernment is needed to detect wrong advice from well-meaning people. It must be hard for Job to say this to his wife, but because he remained in right thinking, he was able to see her mistake.

Fourth: When things go from bad to worse, sound theology makes you sound and stable. If Job didn't know doctrine, he would not have remained stable at this point of trial. We, as Christians, must be knowledgeable of the Bible and doctrine, because we can hold on to it when the time comes, as Job had.

Sincerely Yours, Job (Series Part I)

by Bro. Elijah E. Abanto

Based on Charles R. Swindoll's sermon, What Job Teaches Us About Ourselves

You're so excited. You're nervously sweating. What would he say to me? you think. In your hands is a personal letter from a Bible character--a personal letter, come to think of it! You can't wait to read that letter.

Imagine that the one who sent you a letter was Job--one of the most exalted characters of the Bible--he writes to you. And in his book he has some lessons to teach us. If we will read the Book of Job, we can see the story of a believer who was struck with great tribulations and what was his reaction to them and also the reactions of the people around him. And from that story are principles that we will learn and apply to our lives--especially by those Christians who are now experiencing suffering and tribulations--in other words, trials.

Let's read the Book of Job 1:1-5:

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And 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.

If we remember Job's story, later on he suffered great trials. Now, from what we have read we see that great trials and suffering come also to the most faithful Christians. Most of us think that Job exceeds us in godliness, and yet he was the one who experienced the greatest tests in the Bible. It teaches us that not only the wicked and disobedient are subject to these kind of suffering. From those verses let's describe Job:

1. Job was "perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." (v. 1) Job's example must be emulated by all of us: no blemish, fears God and avoids evil.

2. Job was richly blessed. (v.2-3) He was blessed with many children; he was blessed with much possessions, which must be the result of his diligence; and he was blessed with wisdom, the reason why he was recognized as the "greatest of the men of the east." Obviously, we can learn from here that God blesses those who genuinely fear him - and also, even the richest person in the world could be a godly person.

3. Job had a perfect family. (vv. 4-5) We cannot deny that the bond between these siblings was firm--they always had the time of coming together and having fellowship. The brothers were probably close to their sisters, which was hard to see in families today--it is rare that brothers and sisters are close to each other. This would not have happened if Job wasn't a good father and husband together with his wife. And he really thinks about the spiritual state of his children--an enough reason for him to sacrifice for the sins of his children, even if those sins were done in their hearts. Have we prayed for each one of our children, thinking not only their physical well-being but also their spiritual health?

Lord, we have witnessed the life of Job. Come to think of it--it's possible! It's possible to live a "perfect, holy" life that fears You! We also learned that You are blessing those who believes in You. May You help us to be concerned, not only for the physical health of our children, but also for their spiritual well-being. Forgive us for our shortcomings in these matters. Help us, Lord. Amen.

Note--This sermon was based (not exactly or entirely) on a recent Insight for Living radio program episode of Chuck Swindoll's ministry. You can help this ministry through requesting some of their great resources, or just donating to their helpful ministry. You can reach them online at http://www.insightworld.org/.