Bruce Collins, Evangelist

The personal website of Bruce Collins

Personal Lessons from Job

 

 

Job 1:8 Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

 

There is only one really perfect man and that is the God-man Christ Jesus.  But if a man can be blameless and upright, that was Job.  Yet, Job suffered.  Why?  Because he could be trusted with a trial and because Satan didn’t believe anyone worshipped God just because God is God.  In the Satanic mind, there has to be something in it for the worshipper.  Power, riches, prestige, or something has to be the motive for worship.  This was not the case with Job even though outwardly it looked like he worshipped God because God had blessed him. 

 

His Friends

They were sure they were wise.  While they had no specific charges to make against Job they KNEW that he must have sinned for God to strike his wealth, his family and his health.  In their minds, there was no other explanation.  Their attitude was, “Remember now, whoever perished being innocent (Job 4:7)?”  There was just one problem.  THEY WERE WRONG!

 

His friends start out with general accusations; but before they are done, they make specific accusations which they cannot prove.  See Job 22. 

 

What is the lesson here?  We should not assume that people in trouble are being judged by God for their sin.  Often the good are tested and their faith is strengthened by the test while the wicked are allowed to prosper in this day of grace.  As Christians we all get our exercise by jumping to conclusions–conclusions that are often wrong. 

 

Elihu

Elihu seems to come out of nowhere. Being younger than the others he has listened to their wisdom before speaking.  Elihu has more wisdom than the older men but even he cannot really explain why Job is suffering.  But he does recognize that the other friends have made accusations that they cannot support.  He also recognizes that Job has become self-righteous in his defense of his innocence.  He sees Job justifying himself rather than God (see Job 32:2).

 

What is the lesson here?  Age should be respected.  But age does not always mean that a person is wise.  Only the Spirit of God using the Word of God can make us truly wise.  Many times older people present themselves as having spiritual understanding when in fact they are using experience and logic and tradition to explain God and his purposes.  We certainly need to pray for discernment when we are being taught things that make natural sense but do not always make Biblical sense.

 

Job

While Job was not suffering for his sin, he did become self-righteous in his defense of his innocence.  We need to remember that there is a spirit world that is interested in the affairs of earth.  Satan and his minions want to resist all that glorifies God.  There are obedient angels looking on that need to see a people that love that Lord and are willing to be faithful even when life seems unfair. 

 

What is the lesson?  It is easy to be right and at the same time be wrong.  We may be right in our relationship with God and right in our understanding of truth while being wrong in our attitudes.  Pride tripped up Satan and can trip up Christians. 

 

The Solution

Job needed a fresh encounter with the Lord.  In Job 42:5-6, Job says, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

 

What is the lesson here?  We who are saved all need to get a fresh vision of Calvary.  It will keep us humble, and it will keep us from feeling that God has not been fair. 

 

I notice that Job’s blessings were restored when he prayed for the friends who had so misjudged him.  I personally might have found that hard to do.  But the lesson is that they were well-meaning and they did come as his friends.  Now he could and should do something for them.  By praying for them, it would seem he forgave them.

 

Bruce Collins

 

Meditation for the week of July 12, 2015

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