seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Job 1:13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house,19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.[c]
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
a. Job 1:21 Or will return there
This is from enduringword.com.
Now there was a day: Given greater allowance to afflict Job, Satan maximized his work against the man of God by bringing the catastrophe to Job in the span of a few hours. In that limited time Job lost his oxen, his servants, his sheep, his camels, and his sons and daughters.
This shows us that Satan was focused on maximizing his advantage. If he were allowed to attack Job, he would do it in the most effective way possible, all the way up to what God would allow. Therefore, any foothold we give to Satan is dangerous. We should expect that he will maximize any advantage given to him.
When his sons and daughters were eating and drinking shows us the great cruelty of Satan. “Satan is here revealed in startling light. His malice is seen in the choice of time. He strikes in the midst of festivity.” (Morgan)
The catastrophe came upon Job’s sons and daughters as they were feasting in their oldest brother’s house. We know from Job 1:4-5
that Job would specifically sacrifice for his sons and daughters on these days; yet these prayers-in-action of Job on behalf of his children did not prevent the catastrophe. This made the crisis all the more mysterious and problematic for Job.
that Job would specifically sacrifice for his sons and daughters on these days; yet these prayers-in-action of Job on behalf of his children did not prevent the catastrophe. This made the crisis all the more mysterious and problematic for Job.Job's sons and daughters worried Job.... they partied..... if it were today.... that would be drinking and drugging..... They weren't perfect..... Job did a lot of sacrificing animals for them.... if it were today.... Job would have had a prayer list in his pocket with their names smudged from wear.
The author goes on..... same commentary..... enduringword.com.
In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong: This demonstrates that Job did not sin or wrongly blame God when he said, “the LORD has taken away.” He was right to understand that God was ultimately behind all things, even if the immediate responsibility for an event was not God’s.
We are impressed with Job’s perspective on material things. He truly understood what Jesus said: One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses(Luke 12:15). There are few in the world today who would endure the loss of such a fortune with such godliness and patient endurance.
We are impressed with Job’s unshaken commitment to God, and his enduring love for God. Satan’s accusation – that if blessings were taken from Job, he would curse God – was proved to be a lie, and we might say that God was justifiably proud of His servant Job.
In this first round of spiritual warfare, Satan was singularly unsuccessful in shaking Job from his standing in faith. Job successfully battled against spiritual attack and fulfilled the exhortation that would come many hundreds of years later from the Apostle Paul: that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:13).
· Job made his stand against fear and did not give in to panic.
· Job made his stand against make-believe pretending and appropriately mourned.
· Job made his stand against pride and humbled himself before God.
· Job made his stand against self and decided to worship God.
· Job made his stand against a time-bound mindset and chose to think in terms of eternity.
· Job made his stand against unbelief and did not give in to vain questionings of God.
· Job made his stand against despair and saw the hand of God, even in catastrophe.
· Job made his stand against anger and did not blame God.
This wonderful triumph of faith did not come from Job acting alone, but only as Job reacted to these disasters filled with and connected to God. We are not told that the Spirit of God filled Job to react this way and say these things, but we know it to be true. Satan was acting; but so was God in heaven. “He saith to himself, ‘If Satan shall do much, I will do more; if he takes away much, I will give more; if he tempts the man to curse, I will fill him so full of love to me that he shall bless me. I will help him; I will strengthen him; yea, I will uphold him with the right hand of my righteousness.’” (Spurgeon)
Though we can say that God strengthened Job, there was no evident comfort from God; nor would there be for a long time. “Thirty-six chapters of agonizing soul-searching will elapse before the Lord so much as lifts a finger to begin comforting Job in these devastating losses.” (Mason)
“In this Satan was utterly disappointed; he found a man who loved his God more than his earthly portion… He had been so often successful in this kind of temptation, that he made no doubt that he should succeed again.” (Clarke)
Overload..... Job had to be on overload. First troops from southern Arabia took his oxen and donkeys..... then some kind of meteor shower took out his sheep and servants..... and then raiding parties from southern Iraq made off with his camels.... and the cherry on top..... looks like a tornado took out his kids. Now look.... the Sabeans and the Chaldeans.... that's stuff I can definitely hang on satan. The meteor show and the tornado type events.... those look like God's handwork. I read in Revelations, though, that angels held back the wind.... satan may not have been acting alone. Now.... here's the drift..... one of the reasons people give me for not loving God is loss..... if God is so good... then why does evil happen to good people?
Evil happens to everyone.... when it happens to good people.... they handle it the best way they can.....
Evil happens to everyone..... when it happens to bad people.... they handle it the best way they can....
Some pray.... some shake their fist....
Bad things happen to everyone..... how they handle it.... that's on them.
