Saturday, January 26, 2013

JOB, HIS WIFE, 3FRIENDS, A HOLY MAN, AND GOD ALMIGHTY!!!

It has been growing in me for a while to blog about this particular book of the Holy Word. Lately I have been having this nudge or prompting to do so. Usually when I get that type of nudge it is The Glorious Holy Spirit urging me to do so. This title is named such because as you know these people played a vital part in Job's life and especially at a time when all hell broke loose in his life. I deliberately left the accuser out of my title, although it was his desire to reek this havoc in Job's life and with permission twice from GOD, was granted this desire. Right here I will say that it is ALWAYS the accuser's desire to reek havoc in all our lives, although we sometimes blame GOD when in fact the blame is not at all given to the guilty one. So the accuser had the nerve and seemingly right to  come to a meeting of the Heavenly Host, (he use to be an angel in the Heavens) and made a request. God having created Job, knowing what he was made of and the depth of Job's committment and love for GOD, suggested him to the accuser.  The accuser was all to ready and set to prove GOD wrong, eagerly and with the go - ahead from on HIGH, to test Job.  The destroyer started with property and possessions first and Job , being a very wealthy, blessed, hard working man lost everything.11,000 herds of sheep, camels, oxens, female donkeys, servants to tend it all, all destroyed, stolen, killed, gone. This all happened within moments of eachother in the same day. What the?  If that wasn't enough, the precious  adult children Job had, 10 in all were all killed.  Job was beside himself with grief and tore his clothing and fell to the ground in deep anguish and pain and worshipped God saying "naked I came from the womb, naked I shall leave. The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away, Blessed be the name of the LORD".(Job1:21) He was in deep pain that is undescribable, and his only reaching out point came to the GOD he lived his life believing in. To loose your precious child has to be a heartache that can never be healed, only comforted with time and GOD's help. It will always hurt until the day we can see them again in that Glorious place.1Thess.4:13-18. So this was not all the accuser wanted, he went back and asked for the health of Job.  He afflicted him with horrible boils,scabs on Job's skin that  Job would scrape his flesh with shards of pottery to try and relief himself of the pain.  In comes the wife, who by the way suffered these loses as well, and instead of comfort, compassion,tears, sorrow, anything like sympathy at all, she states.... "curse GOD and die."Job 2:9. The GNT says she  said "you are as FAITHFUL as ever, aren't you? ...The NIRV is even better stating she says, "....speak evil things against him and die". What a wife? She doesn't seem to be the helpmeet(Gen.2 :18)  she was created to be (I'm just saying) at this sad, sorrow filled time. No wonder we hear nothing else from her. She strikes me as the fair- weather- wife. Job however is not moved by her words, and corrects her calling her a "foolish"  woman. "Shall we accept only  good from the LORD and never anything bad?" I myself have asked this question in my life many times and I have Hebrews 13:5-6 to help me know. This scripture was ingrained already inside Job!!Glory to GOD!!! So the testing of Job was complete and now to live with it.  In comes his 3 friends to come and share this anguish with him. They approached and saw the deep hurt and barely recognized Job and could only sit with him in silence. Right here I will say that to have friend(s) to comfort you when you are going through something horrific as this was, is of itself a blessing. I am grateful to those that GOD  allows into my existance when all hell breaks loose. He knows what I need at those times and HE makes sure HE hears my cries to HIM (Jeremiah 33:3).Thank you Jesus!!! Sometimes you have to weather a storm. Job had to endure and weather this one. His friends did one and only one good thing for Job. That was to sit with him in silence for 7 days. After that came the accusations and blaming Job and the kind of talk that you just don't want to hear nor need at such a time. He was already as low as one could be and to have them blame him for this catastaphe in his life was unnecessary. Or was it? Their talk help Job see things clearer. He knew that the GOD he worshipped, loved and had faith in was good and that nothing could change that perspective in his mind no matter what he went through. His statement to his wife proved that. The friends wanted him to own the possibility that he sinned so awful that GOD would do this to him. I don't think he would have had a problem with that if he felt that his GOD was unforgiving and vengeful. He didn't feel that way at all, why else would he sacrfice to GOD for his children if he didn't believe GOD would accept the sacrifice. Job 1:4-5. He knew the meaning behind the sacrifice to his GOD.The friends felt they had to explain why this was happening to Job and they were wrong completely. They should have remained silent, in my opinion. Job questions everything from his conception, the day that he was born, his existance in the womb, why he made it through to be born and everything but his GOD!!   I can understand some of his feeling, cause I know GOD has a purpose for me, Jeremiah 29:11, but when hell breaks loose, I start questioning everything also. Trust and faith are vital in this stage no matter what it looks like, I tell myself and let GOD's Holy Word back that up. It can be difficult, then HIS ministering angels are sent, to help me get back on track. Thank you Jesus!!!  After all this , comes the Holy man or minister to talk to Job and his 3 friends about the sovereignty and justice of GOD ALMIGHTY. He made a few good points, but he too missed the mark.  So after he and Job talk awhile , GOD comes and challenges Job. GOD ask Job where he was when the foundations of this earth were laid? Think about that for a minute. That is everything from how wide, deep, day, night,boundries, stars movement, galaxies, sources of such things as light, where does the night go when day comes, why the sea stays put, frost, dew, rain, snow,lightning strikes, heart intuition, mind instinct. GLORY TO GOD ALMIGHTY!!! Jeremiah 32:17.  He doesn't stop there, but HE in this 2-way conversation with Job want him to answer if he can. GOD ALMIGHTY continues to declare HIS awesome powerfulness as HE talks of HIS creation and the need to depend on HIM for its existance. When GOD had completed HIS talk and challenges to Job, he had to repent and sit in dust and ashes in humble attrition to the GOD he so depended on for lifeblood and breath, taking back all he had said previously. Job was probably glad to hear from GOD, I am guessing that, the scriptures don't say that. If it were me, I would. So GOD was finished speaking with Job, and HE told the 3 friends that HE was angry with each of them for not speaking accurately about HIM to Job at this difficult time, as Job spoke. HE required them to offer a burnt offering and Job's prayer and because of Job's prayer, GOD ALMIGHTY told them HE would not deal with them as they deserved. GLORY!!! GOD restored Job's fortune and gave him twice as much as before. HE called Job his servant still and it was because of that status with GOD, that these 3 friends were spared. Job never lost his position with THE MOST HIGH, through all that he went through, cause he let his heart guide him through, not the wife, 3 friends, or the holy man, all who seemed well meaning , but didn't speak for GOD. Job 42. I would like to believe that they learned something about GOD that they didn't know before and it was Job's test that brought that out for them. The scriptures don't say that, it is this authors thoughts and hopes that are revealed in that statement. Sometimes when we go through things,we stay away from people for some reason or another, but the great thing about the book of Job is that  the 3 friends, the holy man, thought enough to go to Job in his hour of anguish. Their  intent initally was a good one. GOD looks at the heart of the matter, and works within that. Much can be said about this book in the HOLY WORD, this is my attempt at looking at it from a place, I can somewhat relate too. Isn't that why we have the WORD? To help guide us as we live down here. Be blessed as you read this powerful book in the BIBLE. Jesus is LORD!!! Job, Revelation1:3. Jesus, The sweetest name I know!!!!