Soul Food Sunday – Job, the man who was blessed through suffering

The oldest book in the Bible is arguably the book of Job. I love the story of Job because it gives us a rich view of what goes on behind the scenes of suffering. People often say, ‘Why does God allow these terrible things to happen on the earth?’ Job had terrible things happen to him, but this book gives us a glimpse into why terrible things happen to ‘good’ people.

There is more to this world than the physical. The first two chapters of Job tells us that Satan has a role in what happens on this earth. Satan is the leader of all fallen angels. He was not always that. The Bible doesn’t talk a whole lot about Satan’s origin but it does refer to him as evil. He hates humanity and wants to destroy every human on this earth. He is the author of all that is false and evil on this earth. One need only listen to the daily news to know that there is something very wrong with our planet.

For those who belong to the Father, the things that Satan is permitted to do are done for testing and refining faith. There is a cosmic battle that is for certain. We don’t know for sure what happened when Satan rebelled against God, but we do know that he did, and he wants to take down anyone and anything that he can with him. He is opposed to everything God is about. Why did God create Satan and then man when he foreknew all this would happen? Because he wanted to have created beings that he could share real fellowship with. He didn’t want robots to hang out with. He wanted a created being who could choose Him. He wanted people to trust Him and believe that He is good through there own free will. Satan was created pure, but he decided he wanted to be like God. That’s why he was cast down and for some reason a process was put in place that has to run its course in order to purge this place of the foulness that Satan has brought upon it. We don’t have all the answers because God wants us to trust Him. We don’t need to know all the answers. We just need to know He is good. He wants us to believe He is good and that His mercy endures forever. Satan wants to make us believe that God is not good and that He is the one causing all the bad stuff. That is not true. Read the book of Job and he will tell you that it’s not true.

One day the ‘angels’ came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. (Job 1:6)

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied, “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hands and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” 

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:8-12)

At this point Satan goes about wreaking havoc on everything Job owns: his livestock is killed, his servants are killed, his sons and daughters are killed.

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

In all this, JOB DID NOT SIN BY CHARGING GOD WITH WRONGDOING. (Job 1:20-22)

Wow, Job really knew his God!