What can we learn from the life of Job?
1. Who was Job before God?
“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1.1)
He was a man who pleased God and, as a result, he was prosperous and known as the “greatest man” of all people of the East, as the next verses state. He gave God his entire life and God honoured him with prosperity and salvation.
2. What argument did the devil use for destroying Job’s life, which in turn caused God to allow that to happen?
“So Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. BUT NOW, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.’” (Job 1.9-12)
Satan thought Job feared God because of the benefits that came with his God-fearing way of life. He believed that if God removed all those benefits and rewards, Job would turn against God. He was ready to bet on it!
It’s clear that God doesn’t hurt anyone. He didn’t raise His hand against His servant, but rather allowed satan to do so. Many people believe their suffering comes from God! Well, for sure satan himself has led them to this conclusion because he’s seen people trying to please God for their own selfish benefit, just as they still do today. There are people who come to church looking for benefits. They “obey” God for a while, in the hope that their problem will be solved. Since God knows our past, present and future and has the full knowledge of who we are, He is not fooled by anything, which means that people like these won’t be blessed or receive any benefits at all. So as time goes by and they don’t get the benefits they’re looking for, they give up and leave the church (God).
In the case of Job, he never thought of abandoning God, despite all the hardship he went through. He lived a fearful and blameless life before God. His hardships certainly lasted for less than 6 months.
3. What happened with Job after God honoured him?
The most amazing thing that happened was that he grew in his spiritual life. He saw God from a different angle and it was good for him.
“Then Job answered the LORD and said: ‘I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You […] 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.’” (Job 42.1,2,5,6)
We all grow when we need to grow! Our adversities simply cause us to either grow or be swallowed up by them. That’s what happened to Job: he grew to know God better and improved his relationship with Him. When God saw that satan had been put to shame, He blessed Job with a double portion:
“And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before […] Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” (Job 42.10,12)
God is a REWARDER, and no one can change that!
Bishop Randal Brito