Job 1:13-22; 2:1-10

For the sake of time and space, I ask that you read the text verses so that you can follow what I am saying, and it will have a greater impact upon you and benefit you.  In considering the trials of Job it is important that we realize that none of us are exempt from trials.  Job’s name means persecuted.

In a unique manner Job’s trials makes him the prototype of Jesus.  Every upright man will have his Eden to enjoy, his Isaac to sacrifice, and his wilderness to go through.  There will be a time of testing.  It is through much tribulation that we enter into the Kingdom of God’s greater fullness and power.  We do well to remember that no affliction, for the present, seems joyous, but grievous.  Nevertheless, afterward, it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

I must ask, “Was there ever a man more taught through his experiences than Job?”  With that statement, I ask that we take a journey through the trials of Job and see if we can clean anything beneficial.

First, we need to look at the Purpose of Job’s Trials.  There is a two-fold cross purpose at the center of Job’s experience.  One is divine and the other satanic.  Satan challenged God in Job 1:9-11 – “Does Job fear God for nothing?”  He charged that God had built a hedge around Job and blessed him, therefore if God took away or allowed Job’s possessions to be taken away, Job would curse God.

The devil did not believe and does not believe that any mortal man will remain true to God in the face of adversity.  He values material possessions so highly and believes that we do that he cannot fathom any man losing everything and remaining true to God.  Even if Job staggered at his test, Jesus did not.  Jesus said that He had nowhere to lay his head and the Bible tells us He was a man of sorrows.  Yet, He remained totally faithful and committed to the Father and God’s purposes.

The reality is Job was totally unconscious of his being used in this fashion.  He viewed it as a severe test and one undeserved.  The devil knows that he must strip man of his faith if he is to be able to defeat man.  Job remained true to God in the face of the loss of everything.

Second, we need to consider the nature of Job’s Trials.  This is about as bad as one can imagine.  He lost property, which is bad enough, but he also lost his children, all of them at one time.  There were no half measures in Job’s trials, they were the full brunt of a satanic attack.  He lost 7 thousand sheep, 3 thousand camels, and 5 hundred oxen. The richest man in the East had suddenly become bankrupt. 

He lost his family; seven sons and three daughters were taken from him on the same day and at the same time.  Then he lost his health. (Job 2:7).  Covered with boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.

Job lost his position in the community.  He went from being the most respected in the East to a loathsome individual to be pitied.  Then to make matters worse, he lost all empathy and sympathy of those around him.  His wife told him to curse God and die.  That must have been a bitter pill in the heart and mind of Job.  Yet, he maintained his integrity and confidence in God.

Thirdly, we must consider the Effect of Job’s Trials.  The immediate result was he was stripped naked of every earthly possession.  Every earthly comfort had been taken from him very quickly.  He fell to the ground and worshipped God saying, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

It is amazing, but Job saw God in his suffering.  He said, “What shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”  Job’s theology was a bit skewed in that statement, but the overriding declaration is – that God is to be trusted and we must remain grateful. 

Job realized what we need to realize is that there is a life that does not consist of the things we possess.  Life is more than food or clothing.  It is more than money or fame.  It is more than status.  It is found in the declaration of Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added…”  Complete surrender to God and complete Trust is required if we are to learn from life’s trials and move into that place of Abundant Life Jesus came to bring.

Therefore, no matter what happens, let’s hold to our confidence in God and maintain our trust in Him.  He will never leave us nor forsake us, and He will never fail.

God bless you as you go through this day in Him!