Job Study: Chapter Three - "Satan vs. Job...Round Two"

Week three of our study we look at Job 2:1-10.  As we disseceted this week, I found myself realizing that there was a 'Mrs. Job'!  I mean she's always been there, but in a seemingly small way, just in the background.  I suppose, as a woman, I saw her in a different light, and felt something for her that caught me off guard.  Perhaps it's because she was a  woman, as am I, so I could catch a little tiny glimpse of how excruciating her pain of loss must have been.  Notice I said 'a little tiny glimpse', as I don't believe anyone could really know the extent of her trials - except 'Mr. Job' of course!

This time I'm just going to go right into the study guide portion, as there is just so much good stuff to glean from it all!  We are shown in this passage that...

Part of Satan's strategy was to hit Job while he was down.  The cruel deceiver had already snatched away all of Job's possessions, leaving him with nothing but his wife, a few friends, and his faith in God.  Now, Satan was about to inflict upon Job the most terrifying and painful trial of all: the loss of his good health.

However the Lord replies to Satan this time saying, "Have you considered my servant Job?  For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil.  An he still hold fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause." (2:2-3).  This declaration from God that Job 'still holds fast his integrity', shows that God is still confident in Job!

This I thought was great insight to some of the horrible 'doctrine' that is being taught out there now days.  In the 'digging deeper' section of this weeks study, we are given;

the term dualism.  Defined in the dictionary as 'a doctrine that the universe is under the dominion of two opposing principles, one of which is good and the other evil.'  While one should never minimize the power of the devil, it is important at the same time to recognize that his power can be exercised only to the extent that God permits it.  This means that pain, illness, death, and even evil are somehow embraced within His sovereign plan.  As difficult as this may be theologically, the alternative is to posit a dualism, a belief in a God of good and a god of evil, the two locked in irresolvable conflict.  This, of course, is an idea completely foreign to God's Word.

If Satan's power equaled that of God, we'd live in constant fear of Satan and his evil forces, and we could never be absolutely certain that God would triumph over Satan in the end.  But thankfully, this isn't the case!  God created Satan to serve Him, and not the other way around.  God possesses greater power than Satan, and He decides and limits Satan's work on earth.  The Almighty always has the final say!

Throughout the book of Job, the underlying accusation from Satan is that only because God had blessed Job did he faithfully serve God.  But even when Job's good health was taken from him and he went from being the prince of Ur to the lowest outcast sitting in a filthy heap at the citys dump, scratching his oozing boils with broken pieces of pottery, Job's integrity remained intact.  (It was picked up on at study, the possibility of the broken pottery Job used to scratch his sores could be a parallel for how his life was...Job was broken pottery.  But still very much in the hands of the Potter!)

I love the response Job gives his wife after she tells him to compromise his integrity and curse God and die (vs 9).  He says, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.  Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (vs 10). 

In essence, Job asks, 'Doesn't God have the right to do what He thinks best?  Isn't He the Potter?  Aren't we the clay?  Isn't He the Shepherd and we the sheep?  Isn't He the Master and we the servants?  Isn't that the way it works?'

Job knew that the clay does not ask the Potter, 'What are you making?'  And he says , in effect, 'No sweetheart.  Let's not do that.  We serve a God who has the right to do whatever He wants and is never obligated to explain it or ask permission.  God is no 'heavenly servant' of ours, waiting for the snap of our fingers.  He is our Master!  He has an extraordianry plan for our lives that is far beyond our comprehension'.  No doubt, Job's reminders helped to broaden his wife's perspective and turn her eyes back toward God.

Now that totally shows Job's character...true ingetrigty!  As I mentioned at the opening of this blog, I came to see 'Mrs. Job' in a way I'd never had before.  It'd be easy for us to quickly judge her for her poor advice to her husband, but we must be reminded just how she had suffered as well.  Honestly now, trying in the slightest, put yourself at the end of this horrible chain of events...

• First - she too had lost ten children
• Second - she too suffered the loss of thier wealth and possessions
• Third - she became the suffering, shamed wife of the most scorned man in the entire town
• Forth - she had lost her companion

...how would we fair in dealing with even one of those tragedies, let alone them all - back to back to back?  Yes, she was 'nabal', (meaning 'spiritually ignorant or nondiscerning') but I would imagine she wouldn't want her husband to be suffering as he was.  Just curse God and die...put yourself out of your misery!  But instead of Job taking her ill advice, he gently reproved her for it, reminding her that God was still in control of his situation!

I'll close with the 'nuggets of wisdom' from this portion of our study;

• First, our lives are full of trials, and we need to remember that there are always more to come.
• Second, our world is fallen, and we need to understand that there are those who love us but will give us wrong advice.
• Third, since our God is sovereign, we must prepare ourselves for both blessing and adversity.

Quite often we want the blessings but we don't like the packages they come in.  But by failing to open them, we can completely miss out on the blessings altogether! 

Life may be unfair and completely unpredictable, but God is svereign.  Sometimes He sends blessings; at others, He allows trials.  But always, He has a purpose too great for us to fathom.

Until next time,
'K'

Job Study - Chapter Two: "Reeling and Recovering From Devastating News"

Well, week two into Job and I'm pretty much left speechless!  The portion of Scripture we focused on last night was chapter 1:13-22 - where Job looses everything!  The highlighted verse was 1:21,

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the LORD." 

I was reminded of the Greek term 'hupomone'.  I was excited when I looked at this word because I first learned it a year and a half ago when I went to hear James McDonald speak on his bus tour!  Since I am a visual learner, I remember clearly in my head, James demonstrating the definition of 'hupomone'; 'to remain under'.  James had a man stand at the front of the platform on the floor while he was standing on the platform with both hands pushing down on the man's shoulders.  It wasn't too difficult at first because there wasn't much pressure applied by James.  As he continued to increase the pressure upon the man, you could see a shifting in his body.  His stance became a bit more firm - like a 'girding up' if you will.  When the pressure of people, your job, or circumstances come at us, it's crucial we 'hupomone' because it's then that the Lord is refining us for our good and His greater glory! 

As Theodore H. Epp wrote the following statement about Job, I suggest we place our own name where Job's is.  As difficult as it is during the time we're in the valley, it's crucial we keep God's perspective... not our own.

Job could never have come forth purified as gold is purified in the fire if he had not had to go through the situation in which he simply had to learn to trust God implicitly.  (bold and italics - mine)

As we walked through the complete and utter devastation Job suffered with the three successive blows, hot on the heels of one another ending with the loss of all his 10 children, we couldn't imagine what he would have felt.  Some words that were expressed during the discussion time last night were; disbelief, shock, anxiety, heart-broken, helpless, and denial...just to name a few.  In all honesty, we could not even begin to imagine in the slightest how Job was impacted, nor how we ourselves would feel when hit with even one of those blows, let alone them all.  We agreed that shock would likely be the initial reaction, as it usually is before anything else can really set in.  It's also important to remember that Job was human, just like us, and would have experienced the feelings and emotions we have in times of receiving unexpected bad news.

This teaches us that Almighty God is SOVEREIGN. God is in complete control. It was mentioned at study last night about God being the potter and us the clay. Then there was a laugh that came about the room when one woman said, 'Just sit on the wheel and let Him spin'!! I thought that was fantastic and so true! You would think we could just sit there and be obedient, but no, we always have to have our hands in there 'helping' God, when in reality the more we try to 'help' the more we muck things up!

The end of verse 20 'then he fell to the ground and worshipped' nearly does me in!  Man!  This whole story is just so hard to fathom in it's own right, but the fact that he worshipped....aye!  You would think he would have lashed out at God for everything that had happened to him, but no, he fell...prostrate (lying face down, as in submission or adoration)...on the ground and worshipped God!  Job's soul was anchored in the Lord, and he was ready for whatever Satan had to throw at him. 

I agree fully with what Chuck wrote here;

To respond with heroic effort and patient endurance when disaster strikes - and it does in every life - we must be prepared beforehand.  When tragedy hits, it's too late to start training ourselves spiritually and emotionally.  Instead, we must pursue the spiritual disciplines now.  When we spend time daily in prayer, worship, and Bible study, we anchor our minds and hearts in God and His Word.  As a result, the Lord will build our faith, increase our knowledge, and raise our level of spiritual maturity so that we're better prepared to face trials when they inevitably come.

We need to get ready!  Just think, without really knowing it we are living our lives every day in preparation for 'such a time as this' - our own 'Job experience'...to whatever degree that may be.  How efficiently are we doing this though?

We also looked at 'fairness' vs 'justice'.    The actual definitions are: 'fairness' - "conforming with the established rules", ie; like a child would state 'It's not fair, she gets three and I only get two'; and 'justice' - "the administering of deserved punishment or reward", ie; "Justice was served in that court case'.    Basically fairness is selfish; justice is looking at the big picture.  There is no righteousness in fairness.  Chuck writes;

Have you ever noticed that the word 'justice' appears many times in the Bible, but the word 'fairness' never appears?  While life may not be fair sometimes, Scripture tells us that God is always just.  When you face difficult struggles, keep in mind that God isn't punishing you or turning His back on you.  In fact, He'll use your trials to draw you into closer fellowship with Himself.

AMEN!!  I'm so glad I'm on that team!

A few other nuggets from Chuck are;

• We never know when we will have to face a crisis that makes us realize how fiercely we depend on God.
• In order to gain a godly perspective on our suffering, we must not only acknowledge God's sovereignty, we also need to understand the difference between God's active will and His permissive will.  His active will actively reaches into our lives to change our circumstances, demonstrating His love, goodness, and mercy toward us.  His permissive will is demonstrated by allowing things to happen as a result of man's willful disobedience brought on by the fall.
• Corrie ten Boom once said, "I've learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!"
• Everything is on loan from God...we only borrow it.  (You've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!)
• We all enter the world as babies with our hands clenched, and we all leave this world with our hands open (on our chest).
• A relationship with God will give you the perspective of Job.
• Because God is sovereign, we know that we can trust His purposes in allowing suffering in our lives.  And because He is our loving heavenly Father, not willing that any should perish, we can trust His heart.  Remember, life may be unfair, but God isn't.  When disaster strikes, He'll be there with open arms.

In closing of this blog, the entire message could be summed up with three words..."HOLD THINGS LOOSELY"!

Until next time,
'K'

Job Study - Chapter One: "Setting The Stage For Disaster"

As I continue to chew on my JOB study from last night, the thought came to my mind, to begin blogging about the study each week.  This way, should you choose, you can walk along through the study with me (minus the homework and the designated 2 hours each Tuesday night), so obviously it would more so be 'nuggets' for you to carry with you through your week.  Don't be fooled though, sometimes those nuggets can keep you chewing for a while!!  (I will still continue to blog the other things the Lord puts on my heart at the time He places them there, but this weekly JOB post will be something I will have to be diligent about following through with!)

I don't claim to be 'well educated in Theology', and I certainly am far from being a 'fountain of knowledge', but simply put: my heart is for the Lord.  As I continue a close, current relationship with Christ,  He reveals fresh revelations to me that allow me to get to know Him better.  Like any relationship...the only way to truly know someone is to spend time investing in your relationship - in a variety of ways.  So why should it be any different in our relationship with Christ Jesus?!
 
What do you say...are you with me on this?!  If so, let's begin!!
(This study is titled "Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance" and prepared by Chuck Swindoll.)

The following is from the introduction my Bible gives about the book of Job.  I thought it fitting to share this with you as we start digging into a deeper understanding of who Job was and how we can learn from the way he lived his life - with complete submission, sold out devotion and unwavering loyalty to the Lord.

"Why me, God?"  Have you ever thought, whispered, or screamed that question?  Have you ever thought that God was against you personally?  At one time or another, everyone does...even people in the Bible.  That is not surprising.  What is surprising is God's answer to their questions. 

Job loved God, and everything was going great in his life.  He had money, land, possessions, and a large, wonderful family.  But one day his world fell apart.  He lost everything...except his life, a bitter wife, and accusing "friends".  As you might imagine, Job asked why.  Why him?  Why now?  The book of Job tells this story, and it gives Gods' reply.  And after God spoke, Job was silent.

Job is a book about success, tragedy, friends, and faith.  As you read Job, allow God to begin changing your ideas about suffering.  Lear to trust God even when you don't understand.

As we begin the study we are reminded that "Job wasn't a perfect man, but that he shunned moral evil and made his spiritual life his first priority...he was blameless and upright."  Now I'm not a huge 'history' person, but I do find certain information like this becoming more fascinating to me as I continue walking out my faith.  So I found it interesting when I learned  that the word 'blameless' from the Hebrew root means 'to be complete'; and the word 'upright' means 'straight' or 'right' in Hebrew!

The highlighted verse for this chapter is 1:8,  The following bullets are just a few of my own 'nuggets' (or discussed by other participants in our study).  I could go into detail about each one, but won't.  Due to the consideration of time for one thing...but also to just let them sit with you to ponder on your own time with God!  So I'll just begin throwing them out there then...

"The LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job?  For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.' "

• The understanding (becoming deeper and deeper as we grow in Him) of God's sovereignty is essential.
• Be aware; don't be afraid.  Be alert; don't be ignorant. (referring to Satan - 1 Peter 5:8)
• The heart attitude that will protect you against Satan's attacks is humble submission.
• 'The closer we are to Christ, the further we are from Satan.'
• Satan accused God of divine favoritism with Job; and he accused Job of being loyal to God only because God had blessed him with possessions...if all was taken away from Job, "he will surely curse You to Your face." (Job 1:11)
• "God doesn't promise us He will pull us away from a testing or trial but that He will give us His grace and power so that we can stand for Him in it".  (Theodore H. Epp)

In each chapter of this interactive study, we are given a section called 'nuggets of wisdom'.  The one's we looked at here in chapter one, I highlighted them all!  Here they are:

From the first twelve verses of the book of Job, we can glean four principles to apply to our lives.  First, we can't see our enemy, but he's real, and he's powerful.  His strategies will play tricks on your mind.  His ultimate goal is to conquer you and bring you down.  He wants to ruin your testimony and destroy your life.  If that means ruining your family relationships, he'll go there.  If that means tempting you sexually, he'll do it.  If it means convincing you to cut a shady business deal, he'll try.  So be on your guard!

Second, we don't deserve trials, yet God permits them.  We don't always understand why, but God allows suffering to happen in this world.  Yet when life's storms threaten to drown us in a sea of despair, we can seek refuge in the  Rock.  The Bible also says that, like a mother hen, God protects us in the shadow of His wings (see Psalm 17:8).  Over time, we learn to recognize that trials have a positive purpose in our lives.  They teach us to depend fully on God.

Third, we don't always understand God's plan, but it is best.  If we understood everything about God's plan, He wouldn't be God.  We must learn to accept both positive and negative situations as a part of life instead of becoming bitter and blaming God.  Nothing touches our lives that has not first passed through the hands of the Lord.  He is fully sovereign, and He loves us.  So when a dark cloud seems to blot out the sun on your life's horizon, remind yourself that your Father created you and desires the best for you as His child.

Fourth, we experience circumstances that we could not anticipate.  Sometimes we think that if we love God, read His Word, and follow His commands, the we'll reap only happiness and blessings from life.  But we're wrong!  Worldly happiness and spiritual joy aren't the same thing.  We're told in Scripture that seeking after worldly happiness is a losing battle (see Ecc. 2:1-2).  But when we place our trust in our heavenly Father, we have peace and a true joy that lasts, no matter our circumstances.  Psalm 126:5 promises us that "Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting."  We're also reminded that "a joyful heart is good medicine"  (Proverbs 17:22).

I'm sure you will agree these four nuggets are very much 'fridge worthy'!  I encourage you to jot them down and place them anywhere you will see them on a regular basis.  We can never be 'too prepared' when it comes to the battle we are in that's 'not of this world'.

As I close chapter one, I'll leave you with the words Chuck ended with in our books: 

Life may be unfair, but God is righteous and loving.  Though our circumstances may appear adverse, they will work together for good.  Romans 8:28 reads, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  That's a solid promise from God's Word!

Until next time,
'K'

Deployed Soldiers...There's No Place Like Home

Happy (belated!) Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! The weather we've been blessed with has been just wonderful! We had our family gathering with the turkey yesterday... then we went for a hike through the trails to the falls by Mom and Dad's. It was beautiful! So much to be thankful for I tell ya...I truly have a life blessed beyond what I could have thought up myself. God is so good!

Sunday afternoon, as I settled into my lazy-boy for some relaxation, I came across a tv program I've seen advertised but haven't tuned into before. As I began to watch it, I was tickled with how perfectly it tied into Pastor's sermon that morning. The sermon was about turning towards our heavenly Father and running into His always waiting arms allowing Him to 'catch us'. In other words, 'Coming Home'... which was the title of the show I had tuned into (on TLC). The concept of the show is capturing surprise reunions of deployed soldiers, well...coming home! Some of the reunions are simple little surprises we see unfold as family members capture their own home movies of the event. While others are more elaborately done (with the help of the show) and recorded for the viewers to spectate the joyful...and tearful!...happenings.

There was one really special 'reunion' that comes to my mind that totally swelled my heart, which I shall share with you now :) A Daddy got to meet his 8 week old daughter and hold her for the first time once he landed! I'm sure any parent could try to put themselves in that position and completely appreciate what these soldiers give up for us. Doesn't that make you feel warm inside?! All the 'little things' we take for granted - daily - are the things that many of these soldiers miss out on, for extended periods of time at that!

I'll admit, I bawled for two hours straight! ( I watched two shows back to back...because one hour of crying just wasn't enough, lol!) Yes...the 'emotional' being that I am just couldn't contain myself, lol! I'm sure it was an accumulation of many things wrapped up all together. For one, imagining what that would be like to welcome home a beloved one who'd been gone on deployment for far too long, and never really knowing they would actually return to my arms. This alone was enough to make my overwhelmed heart leap with joyful tears as I watched the gripping embraces. God bless the family members who stay at home and live with that wonder each day their soldier is gone. May the Lord be your strength.

But as I also mentioned above, how perfectly my afternoon viewing tied in with Pastor's message given earlier that morning! When you stop and look at the things of this world through a different perspective...
Eternity's Perspective!..(lol, ok I know that's lame...but it's true!)...you can see how there's just nothing like 'coming home'! For me, that means no matter where I am, what I'm facing or how I'm feeling, in one split second I can choose to be in my loving Father's embrace!

My prayer is that everyone will one day have that! That ALL will come to know our heavenly Father and turn towards Him...running straight into His arms; covered by His Almighty Sovereign hand! I'll tell ya, there's just no place like it! Imagine your most favorite place to be, then times that by infinity (just humor me here!)...I don't even think that would begin to describe just how totally awesome it feels to be in God's arms. (And to think, that's just while we're here on earth...I'm going to be completely undone when it happens 'for real'!!) Even when there are tears and lack of understanding, there just seems to be a calming peace when I run to Him and rest...knowing He's there - my Jehovah Shammah (the Lord is There/Present).

Do you feel God asking you to 'come home'? Maybe it's been a long time since you have been, or perhaps you have never truly been.  No matter what, He'll always want you to come home! My question for you is, why are you waiting?! Return to Him...daily!

As Dorothy says "There's no place like home"!


Until next time,
'K'