[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during June 2020]
In the book of Job we see what appears to be a verbal arm-wrestling match between God and Satan, with the unfortunate Job caught in the middle. The first chapter sets the scene. Job is a wealthy man, he has a family and large herds of livestock. He is described as being a God-fearing man who is concerned for his children’s spiritual well-being. How often do we pray for those of our households who may have been distracted by the activities of the world?
Then we read of a dialogue between God and Satan during which God points to Job as an example of a righteous man. Satan retorts that Job only worships God because of the benefits he receives so God permits Satan to ‘have a go’ at Job. We are familiar with the story – Job is left with four servants, a nagging wife and the ashes of a campfire. We could learn a lot about faith from Job’s reaction:
“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job ch1 v21
“Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” Job ch2 v10
When we turn to the end of the book we see that Job has passed the test and has received double the livestock that he had lost. He also received more children to replace those killed through Satan’s machinations although, presumably, by the same wife. It has been speculated that he did not receive double the children because, through his intervention, the older ones were already in heaven.
For most of us, the story of Job could have been told in three chapters so what about the other thirty-nine? We could easily skip the ramblings of the three friends and their young sidekick, but hidden amid the presumption and audacity there are words worth pondering over.
In Ezekiel 14 Job is listed, along with Noah and Daniel, as God’s examples of the most righteous men of history whilst in the book of James he is noted for his perseverance. Faith, righteousness and perseverance are essential for a Godly life. Perhaps, like the opal miners of Coober Pedy, we need to dig deeper and work harder to uncover the gems beneath a barren-looking surface.
~~~~~~~~
.
Return to Mid-week Meditations
Jump to Index of Bible Passages
.
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
