Sunday Morning Service (Job 1)

Job 1

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“A Day Like No Other” •  1.3.21  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

Text

• Job 1:1 : "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." : And just like that, we are brought into the book of Job. The scripture identifies Job as a man from the land of "Uz." This inclusion indicates an early date for Job's story.

- There are three men who are named "Job" or "Jobab" in the book of Genesis. When you compile all of the clues within the text, the early date seems to be the most reasonable.

- Many of the lands of the Bible were named after the men that settled in them. There was a person named "Uz" listed in the "Table of Nations."

- Noah's first son was Shem and Shem's fifth son was Aram. Aram's firstborn was Uz. (Genesis 10:21,22) Uz was Noah's Great Grandson.

- It is more than likely that Uz had a direct relationship with Noah, who lived to be 950 years old, quite long enough to get to know his kin.

- That is the line that gave birth to the man who founded this land of Uz. It's location is not readily known, but is later associated with the land of Edom in Lamentations 4:21.

- The important thing to understand is that this is a land with connection to Noah, through Shem and thus, the godly line of the Messiah. This is where Job lived.

- What we are about to study took place before there was a Jewish race! Terah and Abram, the progenitors of the Jewish nation, will not be around for hundreds of years.

- What we are about to read took place before the law and indeed, before the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 15, or the "covenant of circumcision" in Genesis 17.

- It all took place in this land of Uz and the book centers around this man named "Job." His name is famous in the world for reasons that one would not wish to be famous for.

- His name is synonymous with suffering and pain. When one examines the Hebrew meaning, they discover that Job's name actually means "Hated!"

- According to BLB's lexicon, the word refers to what seems to be true because of what seems to have happened to the man, namely that he is persecuted.

- This is quite odd given the author's next statement regarding Job's character. Every person in this room should wish to have this kind of resume!

- Whoever is writing this book reveals their immense respect for Job. "That man" was blameless and upright. Job was whole, a completely devoted person. The KJV says, "perfect."

- The Bible never uses that term to promote a belief in sinless perfection, which is impossible.

  - The sense is better understood of an artist stepping back from their creation and saying with with satisfaction, "it is perfect!"

- It's everything that the artist intends it to be and cannot be improved upon. This was Job.

- He was living as God intended him to live, perfect toward God and upright toward men. The word conveys being "straight" as opposed to "crooked" or "perverse."

- If you were to have business dealings with this man, you would find that he was as straight as an arrow. Why was this the case? He feared God. He lived his life before a single audience.

- This issued naturally in his attitude toward evil. He shunned evil! He turned aside or away from evil! It was repugnant to him, not because it wasn't attractive. Sin is pleasurable.

- For a man like Job, the issue isn't the sin, but the greater desire not to displease the Lord!

- May we have the grace to know something of that experience! The author turns our attention to Job's family and business life. Verse 2.

• Job 1:2,3 : " And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East." : Job's family was certainly large by today's standards, but standard by their standard!

- The catch is that Job had only one wife. He was monogamous. There wasn't a law explicitly forbidding polygamy. There didn't need to be.

- Job knew that God blessed monogamous, heterosexual, legal coupling exclusively.

- Job and his single female wife had ten children and Job's livelihood supplied them all with a wonderful bounty. If you count this correctly, there are 11,000 animals. One yoke is filled by two.

- This is another nod to the age of this book, as livestock is the measure of wealth, not currency. With these many animals, it's no wonder that Job's estate was very large!

- The space and the requisite stable hands required to manage this is overwhelming! It is no wonder that he is called the greatest of all the people of the East.

- The NLT says it in a way that is a bit more clear to us: "He was the richest person in that entire area." He was rich in character, in family and possessions. He was also rich in godliness. V.4.

• Job 1:4,5 : "And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, 'It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' Thus Job did regularly." : Job's family was closeknit, each intent upon celebrating each other's birthdays. Note the details.

- Each of Job's sons held these feasts in their own houses. These men were successful right along with their Father. As such, these celebrations wouldn't be simple affairs.

- They took "days" to complete! The picture is of a happy, fulfilled and functional family.

- As any parent will tell you, this is what you long to see from your children but this isn't the point. The author shares this portrait for the sake of Job's response to his children's activities.

- After they had finished their feast, the text says that he sent for each of them and purified them.The ESV uses the term, "consecrate." This is priestly language.

- His purpose was to set them back in order, to remind them of their holy service to the Lord. They had served their own interests for that time. Afterward, it was back to serving God with their life.

- With each child, there was a burnt offering, offered early on the morning of their being set apart. The presence of a "burnt offering" in this part of scripture is intriquing.

- As I mentioned earlier, Job's story took place before there was a Jewish law or system of sacrifices. Yet, here is Job offering the burnt offering that is later codified in Leviticus 1.

- The burnt offering was a symbol of consecration. The offerer was communicating that he belonged wholly to the Lord.

- In lieu of a priesthood, holy men who loved God acted as priests on behalf of their children. Job was especially careful and consistent in this way.

- Job did this with regularity! The NET reads that "this was Job's customary practice."

- It's interesting, as we build this character profile, that Job was a rich man, who did not neglect his family, nor his spiritual duty to God or his family. Everything was held in balance.

- Additionally, given the first verse of this book, he built his wealth and there wasn't a single person on Earth that would have accused him of doing it on their backs!

- Nobody, according to the words "blameless and upright," would have leveled a charge of wrongdoing against him. If you believe that you can't "have it all" without compromise, look closely!

- Job was equal parts successful as a businessman and godly and the leader of his family! That is good for us to notice, but it's inclusion still points to another purpose.

- This kind of man could not be blamed for anything that is about to transpire. His poor business decisions have not collapsed upon him. His secret sins have not found him out.

- What Job is about to experience cannot be attributed to what he "deserved." Verse 6.

• Job 1:6-8 : "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.' Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?'" : Our author moves us from Earth to the halls of heaven. This first phrase in verse 6 really caught my attention. "Now there was a day."

- Everything in Job's life, whether in business or family, was going along wonderfully. There wasn't a hiccup in the operation. Things could hardly be better. Uninterrupted success.

- But then, there was a day! Who would ever have thought a gathering of angelic beings would have anything to do with it!

- "Ben Elohim," the "sons of God" designation is reserved, almost always, for angelic beings. There are times when the same phrase means something else. As usual, context decides.

- When we are speaking about occasions upon the Earth, there might be a question. When the Lord God is present, we are talking about angelic beings and not necessarily just "good" angels.

- On this particular day, these beings came to present themselves before the Lord. Even these powerful, sometimes wicked beings have to report to the Lord regarding their activities.

- That doesn't trouble us at all. The troubling fact is found in the following phrase: "And Satan also came among them." The opponent. The adversary.

- Among liberal theologians, it has been popular to consider this being to be a neutral angel with a specific role because of a definite article before the name or title.

- In other words, this is just an angel asking a question about the way that God runs the universe. He is merely performing a function by posing this question.

- When one looks at how this proceeds, the actions can only be attributed to one person and that is the Satan we have all come to know and hate!

- The Lord, not surprised by his presence, inquires about his whereabouts. In typical fashion, Satan only offers a part of the truth. "I've just been walking around." Peter offers us the whole truth.

• I Peter 5:8 : "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." : There is no other reason for Satan to be doing what he is doing. He is looking and intent upon destruction!

- The Lord Jesus tells us that the thief, the enemy, Satan, has come to "steal, kill and destroy" but that He had come to give life and that more abundantly! (John 10:10)

- It's at this moment that Job's life changes and he might not know of it until his death! God asks this enemy if he has ever considered his servant Job. This word is loaded.

- It speaks of setting one's heart upon. The military would have used it to refer to recon.

- "Have you ever directed your thoughts and agency toward my servant Job?" Notice the regard that God has for this man. He acknowledges Job as being "His servant."

- We have often seen men praising God, but here, we have an instance of God praising man!

- Like a proud Father, He says of Job that he is unique upon the planet. There isn't another like him! God repeats and confirms that Job is what verse 1 said about him. Satan isn't impressed. V.9.

• Job 1:9-12 : " 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.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.'" : Satan acknowledges that Job fears God, but according to him, it's not for the reasons that God thinks!

- In the mind of Satan, Job fears God as payment for all that God has done for him. Isn't it interesting that one of the predominant false theologies on Earth plays right into this?

  - Prosperity theology preaches that if you worship the Lord, you'll be blessed materially. Satan approves that message! And don't think that he hasn't seen how God has worked for Job.

- Satan knows of the protective fence that surrounds him, his property and all of his possessions. "You have him fenced in on every side!" The enemy has done his homework.

- He acknowledges God's blessing on Job's work and his riches, but if he allowed all of that to go away, Job would leave his reverence of God to the side!

- Job would not just not fear or love the Lord. According to Satan, he would curse Him!

- Satan cannot understand human beings who fear God simply because of their relationship to him! There has to be a catch and he thinks that he's found it.

- Here is the moment that most of us cringe at: The Lord gives Satan permission to have free reign over all of his possessions, but limits him from touching him personally.

- God opens the fence and gives Satan the opportunity to test his theory and it didn't take Satan long to wreak his havoc. We're going to read for a stretch, so get comfortable. Verse 13.

• Job 1:13-19 : " Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; and a messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!'" : The passage has swung from "heaven on earth" to "hell in heaven," to "hell on earth!" There had been a day in heaven and now there is a day on Earth.

- In our experience, nothing prepares us for certain "days" and there aren't many days like this!

- There are four separate episodes which occur simultaneously. The news arrives and before Job has a chance to breathe, a new messenger brings another evil bit of news.

- According to verse 13, this all happened on the date of their oldest son's birthday. While they were assembled there, Job was remote, either on his way or preparing his usual sacrifice.

- Either way, his life is about to change in an unimaginable way. When one thinks about what he was doing right before any of this happened, it really cannot have been difficult.

- It's doubtless that the activity brought a smile to his face and joy to his heart, all of which began to erode as he watched the first person run toward him.

- A messenger, the same word that can be translated "angel," came and with very little breath, explained that the beasts of burden that he had come to rely upon had been stolen.

- The Sabeans belonged to a rival nation to Israel eventually, many scholars believe them to be the Edomites. Isaiah and Ezekiel mention them as being men of great stature.

- At Job's time in history, they are hostile raiders from a distant land. They took Job's oxen and donkeys and then killed all of his servants save the one that was able to escape to tell him.

- Notice the rapid development: "While he was still speaking." Job doesn't have a moment to process the financial loss of his oxen and donkeys or the emotional loss of his men.

- Right as he is close to responding, a second messenger delivers a second blow. Job's sheep and shepherds were all consumed in a single moment.

- The messenger informs him that it was the result of the fire of God which fell from heaven.

- The man's comment may be a bit of an interpretation or even a euphemism. Most believe that this was a wildfire caused by a lightning strike.

- The messenger calling it the fire of God was a bit of a stretch, but the stretch was intended to plant a seed in the heart of Job. "God did this to you."

- The second episode is barely reported when the third messenger appears with another crushing report, this one involving Job's camels. Camels were ancient F-150's!

- The Chaldeans, an early name of the tribe which eventually became the country known as the Babylonians, raided his camel stables and murdered his servants, save the one messenger.

- In a matter of moments, all of Job's business ventures are gone. Everything that he had built his and his family's life upon was gone all in the space of a few seconds.

- Be careful what you put your trust in. Be careful where your Kingdom is built! Anything that is rooted to this planet is necessarily transitory! In a moment of time, Job is left "jobless!"

- But that isn't the worst of it! In the mind of Satan, that wicked, twisted foe of ours, he saves his very "best" for last!

- As Job stands in complete shock, the final messenger makes it to him with the worst news a Father could hear. Job's oldest son's birthday celebration came to an awful end.

- A great wind came through and toppled the house that all of his children were in. Everyone within the house was killed. This wasn't the Sabeans or Chaldeans. This wasn't speculative.

- The wind was surely God's department! There are no secondary causes to blame. Job's family consists of his wife, his fortune, the clothes on his back & his staff, reduced to 4 servants.

- The enemy has taken everything that Job had and left his most cruel mark for the last by taking his children. We can't begin to comprehend, but now Satan gets to watch.

- In fact, I'd suggest that the entire realm of the heavenly hosts got to watch. What would Job do? Would he prove Satan's case or would he prove his loyalty to God. Verse 20.

• Job 1:20-22 : "Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." : Job had taken a seat at some point to catch his breath. When he was able to stand, he tore his robe which symbolized a torn heart, and shaved his head.

- For men of this time, hair, especially grey hair, spoke of dignity, wisdom and position. When Job shaved it, it's as if he was agreeing that he'd been brought to nothing.

- These were very normal cultural expressions of mourning that Job was experiencing.

- He didn't act as if nothing had happened, nor did he talk himself through a barrage of cliches.

- He accepted what had happened as reality and allowed his heart to embrace the pain and suffering of a person who has endured loss. It is no mark of spirituality to do otherwise!

- Christians may not mourn like the world without hope, but we mourn nonetheless!

- Satan is loving what he is seeing. This is exactly what he wanted to produce! Every angel is watching and then Job fell to the ground! This is the moment of truth!

- His first reaction will tell the story. It will prove the case. But it is soon apparent that Job did not fall in emotional collapse, but with intention to offer God worship!

- If we could see the scene in heaven, we'd see Satan's smile soon turn into a sneer!

- This might be the greatest worship session that God ever received from Job! It's wonderful to worship the Lord when everything goes right. It's a rare compound to receive when all is wrong!

- Job's worship is based upon an incredibly grounded perspective in life. Job has lost everything that any other natural man could value. But he is not simply a natural man.

- Job is a spiritual man who realizes that he came into this world naked, with nothing to offer.

- No matter how nice his funeral arrangements would be, he would return to where he came from! He had seen many successful men live their lives and this is what each is reduced to.

- No matter how hard he, or another man worked, their success was found in these simple words: "The Lord gave!" Our lives, our talents and gifts are themselves gifts from the Lord!

- Because He is the Lord, He is free to give them and take them away. Job reveals that he had a light touch upon the things and even the people of this planet.

- He was simply a steward of what God had given him to enjoy. They were here today and gone in just about the same time, Job never knowing how long he would have to enjoy each gift.

- Job was never under the impression that he deserved these gifts or that they would exist in his life forever. They could be gone in an instant.

- Instead of cursing God for taking away the gifts that He had given, Job blessed the Name of the Lord for having given great gifts in the first place!

- This outcome was never in doubt. Satan gave his best, but the Lord gave His best as well!

- Job didn't stand because he was especially spiritual. He stood because no man is spiritual without God's empowering! Make no mistake: We wouldn't be able to stand without Him!

- But neither should you make the other mistake, to think that He would ever let us fall!

- "Blessed be the Name of the Lord!" God's reputation was firmly intact with this man and the author confirms that Job made it through this test without falling short or charging God with wrong.

- Lesser men would use this occasion for those exact actions. "Might as well sin. Look at what purity has gotten me!" Not Job! He didn't sin or charge God with wrong. The word speaks of vanity.

- God had not been capricious. He had not done this for a foolish or vain reason.

- He didn't understand. He didn't have to. Even if he had, it would not have helped and if it makes anyone feel any better, Job won't get any answers either!

- God's people are called to live by faith. We have enough information for our faith to be reasonable, but never information enough to replace it!

- It's an eternal decree: The just shall live by faith! Job, on his worst day, did not lose his belief in God's purity and holiness.

Conclusion
- We are just cracking this book open, but if I were to leave you with anything today, it would be this: If everything you have can be taken from you in a few minutes, you have nothing!

- Satan proved that a true man of God only needs Christ to have everything! Everything else is merely a gift to steward, to hold, to make use of for the Kingdom of God.

- Do you love the gift or do you love the Giver? Is your treasure Him or what He gives you? As we begin this book and this year, let us examine our hearts and make sure we have the right answer!