Job Loses Everything

As some of you might already know if you read the email newsletter, today we are beginning a new study. We are staying in the Old Testament, and we will be looking at the book of Job. So, feel free to begin turning there in your Bibles.

Job is near the middle of your Bible, and it’s he first poetic book. After it comes Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Job is a longer book; it’s been divided into 42 chapters.

Most people who have heard of the book of Job are familiar with what happens in the first couple chapters and in the last couple chapters. If you only know 4 out of 42 chapters, then that means you know less than 10% of the book. Hopefully, this series helps fix that, at least a little bit.

The opening and closing of the book is narrative; it’s a story. The bulk of the book, though, is poetic dialogue. Job is like the Twelve Angry Men of the Old Testament. The original film version of Twelve Angry Men came out in 1957, and apart from the opening and closing sequences, the whole movie takes place in one room. It’s twelve jurors discussing a case.

That’s what the book of Job is like. It’s a series of conversations between Job and 3 other men, and then a fourth man steps in, and then God Himself speaks as well.

The topic of discussion is how the reality of God connects to the suffering of a man claiming to be innocent. For Job, this is not a theoretical discussion, like asking, “How can a good God allow suffering in the world?” For Job, this is personal. This is painful. He suffers tremendous loss, and his heart cries out for relief and for answers.

None of us is immune from suffering. Some of you have gone through very significant personal trials; some are still going through that. This past weekend we had a funeral for a young man who died at 29. We’ve lost children days before or even the day of their birth. Some of you have lost family members to cancer. Those kinds of tragedies have a distinct kind of pain. Job’s story is intended to help us prepare for and go through times like that.

To begin, I’m going to read the opening chapters—Job 1 and 2. Again, this is the narrative portion of the story. It’s not poetic yet. This is the introduction which sets the background to Job’s difficulty and his discussions. After I read it, I’m not going to dig very deep into the text itself, but I am going to use it to set the stage, not just for the story, but theologically, for the lessons that this book will bring to us.

So, follow along as I read all of chapter 1, and most of chapter 2.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. [2] There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. [3] He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. [4] His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. [5] And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate 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 children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

[6] Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

[7] The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

[8] And 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, who fears God and turns away from evil?” [9] Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? [10] Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. [11] But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

[12] And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

[13] Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, [14] and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, [15] and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

[16] While he was yet speaking, there came another 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.”

[17] While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

[18] While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, [19] and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

[20] Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. [21] And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

[22] In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

At the outset of the book, we have some foundational truths that we should keep in mind as we get ready to study this book. I am intending to work through the book much faster than I have through other books. So, to cover 42 chapters, we might take about 2 or 3 months. In all that time, here are some important elements we want to keep in mind.

The first element is Job’s righteousness. Job’s righteousness.

It’s clear from the first verse that Job is an exemplary man. If all we had about Job’s life was the opening verse, still he would be an impressive an extraordinary man. The end of verse 1 says he was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

That’s a convicting and challenging verse. Would others say the same thing about you? Would you say that about yourself? “I fear God, and I turn away from evil.”

Job is a man completely devoted to God. If something presented itself to him that would dishonor God, he turned away. He was a man of integrity.

Job’s concern for righteousness and spiritual purity wasn’t just for himself; it also included his children. He was concerned about their spiritual state as well. Verses 4 and 5 say that his sons and daughters would have parties, and Job would continually pray for God to forgive them if they had sinned.

This story likely takes place after the flood but before Moses. That means that there was no recorded system of sacrifices. This would be closer to what we see with Cain and Abel and Noah and Abraham. God accepts sacrifices, but He hasn’t laid out some codified system for it. Israel, as a nation, probably didn’t even exist when this was taking place. This story likely takes place before or around the time of Abraham.

The Bible hadn’t even begun to be written, but Job had enough knowledge to worship God properly. More than that, the knowledge translated into obedience and faithfulness. Job was a righteous man.

Job’s righteousness is even something God Himself points out in verse 8—There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil. The righteousness of Job is a critical element as the story begins.

A second important element of the story is Job’s riches. Job’s riches. Verse 2 says he has seven sons and three daughters. Verse 3 tells us—He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

Job is righteous, and Job is rich. He is blameless, and he is blessed. He is wise, and he is wealthy. Before tragedy strikes, Job was a man everyone else wanted to be like.

This helps remind us that righteousness and riches are not mutually exclusive. It’s not a sin to be wealthy. There is a greater responsibility that comes with greater wealth, and maybe a greater temptation to trust in yourself, but the riches themselves are not wrong. Job is righteous, and Job is rich.

A third element of the story is God’s rival. God’s rival. We’re talking about Satan who attacks and accuses.

The Bible makes it clear that Satan is not a mythical figure. He is a real person, and he has an agenda to oppose the plan of God and the people of God.

In the New Testament, 1 Peter 5 says—Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Every single one of us is open to an attack. It doesn’t matter how blessed or protected you might think you are. Satan wants to attack you. He wants to attack all of God’s people.

Revelation 12:10 says Satan is “the accuser of our brothers…who accuses them day and night before our God.” This is exactly what Satan is trying to with Job.

A group of angels—known here as the “sons of God”—present themselves in God’s presence. And Satan, who is himself an angel, comes in with them. We find that he’s been busy on the earth seeking to disrupt God’s plans and attack God’s people.

Those attacks can have physical and external manifestations, but Satan’s goal is always spiritual. It’s a spiritual attack, ultimately. Look at verses 9-11. This is what Satan says to God—Does Job fear God for no reason? [10] Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. [11] But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.

Satan is attacking Job’s faith, Job’s devotion, Job’s loyalty. And in doing that, he's also attacking God’s glory. He’s saying, “God, this is all so superficial. Job only loves you because You’ve been good to him. You’ve protected and provided for him. Take that away, and Job will betray You. Do you think Job really loves You simply for who You are? Do You think there’s more to it than that?”

Set against Satan’s accusatory attack, we have a fourth major element in the story. We have Job’s righteousness, Job’s riches, God’s rival, and now God’s reign. God’s reign. I’m talking about God’s authority over everything. He rules over everything. This is God’s sovereignty.

Behind all that is about to take place, we need to recognize that God is in charge and in control of everything. God is the King.

Satan is the one who came with the accusation, but God is the one who pointed out Job in the first place in verse 8. He said to Satan, “Have you considered Job?” God brought Job into the conversation. You have to deal with that in your own understanding of God.

Does that mean that everything that’s about to happen is because of God? Yes, in the ultimate sense. That’s what this story demonstrates. God is sovereign over everything.

We see the sovereignty of God also in verse 12. God says to Satan—Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. God sets limits on what Satan can do. Satan cannot do anything outside of what God permits.

God is not the one who will personally afflict Job, but God has allowed Satan to do it. Ignoring the personal cost that will come, God’s response makes sense. He is going to prove Satan wrong.

Imagine an arrogant, stubborn, 6-year-old boy adamantly insisting that he can beat his 17-year-old brother in the 100-yard dash. They could race to settle it, but the older brother doesn’t just want to win; he wants to prove how wrong the little guy is. He wants there to be no doubt. So, he says, “Okay, I’m gonna wear my heavy, steel-toe work boots and a puffy winter jacket. And I’m going to give you a 5 second head start. And then we’ll see if you’re right.” The older brother stacks the odds against himself so that the little brother is proven absolutely false.

This is kind of how God responds. He is going to showcase Job’s righteousness and His own glory. Despite what Satan says, the faith of God’s people is real, and God is worthy of all worship. God is not concerned about Satan’s accusations because He is sovereign. Satan will be an instrument in God’s hand. God is in total control. God rules.

Now, Job doesn’t know any of this. This is all background information that he doesn’t have access to. We know, but Job doesn’t. In literature, this is known as dramatic irony. The audience knows, but the characters don’t.

And that’s set’s the stage for the most obvious element of the story. Element number 5 is Job’s ruin. Job's ruin. This is Job’s suffering.

This is from verses 13-19. One after another, four men run to deliver a devastating message to Job. Attacks came from foreign armies. Lightning struck. And a whirlwind struck as well. As a result, in just one day, Job loses his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his camels, his servants, and even his sons and daughters. All he has left are the four messengers who came to tell him.

I cannot begin to imagine the devastation of that day. Satan holds nothing back within the limits God had given him. He takes everything. Words like “pain” and “suffering” and “anguish” don’t even come close to what Job experiences.

The story takes us immediately to the final introductory element of the story, and that is element number 6—Job’s response. Job’s response.

Verse 20—Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

Tearing your clothes and shaving your beard were cultural expressions of grief. He is absolutely devastated. This is agony. And yet, he places his head on the ground in worship.

I’m not sure how strongly you’ve heard this message, but there is a lie that says that if you truly worship God, if you are a righteous person, you don’t need to worry about difficulty and pain. That’s a lie. It’s also a lie that negative emotions like sorrow and grief are incompatible with genuine worship. We have various psalms that would contradict that as well. You can worship, and should, worship God in every stage of life, no matter how difficult.

Here is Job’s prayer from verse 21—Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. “I came into this world with nothing, and I will take nothing with me. God gave me what I had, and God has taken it back."

What an amazing expression of faith! Would any of us respond in the same way on the day of tragedy?

Job recognizes the sovereignty of God. He doesn’t know what we know. He doesn’t know that this is part of God showcasing His glory among angelic beings, and yet, he humbly and sorrowfully accepts what has taken place. He says, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” He says, “Praise and glory and honor to my sovereign God.”

Job’s response to his suffering is an expression and a validation of his righteousness. God has been proven right. Job is a man of genuine and deep faith. Verse 22 says—In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

That right there could have been the prologue to the story. But it isn’t. We see the very same elements driven even deeper as we come to chapter 2.

God points out Job’s righteousness again in verse 3—He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason. But Satan isn’t convinced.

Satan says (verse 4)—Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. [5] But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” [6] And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

Then, in addition to all that Job lost, he is struck with painful sores all over his body. He sits in the ash heap, the city dump, and he’s using broken pieces of pottery to scrape himself.

Then, his own wife, echoing Satan’s desires, says to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” Job has nowhere to turn for relief. He has nothing left, not even his own health, not even his own wife.

Verse 10 is his response to his wife—“You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

The Hebrew word for evil can point to wickedness, but it can also be used for ruin or calamity. Job again recognizes the sovereignty of God, and he humbly and faithfully submits, even as his own wife opposes him.

So now, what is Job supposed to do? He praises God, but practically speaking, what comes next? Is there anywhere he can turn for relief and for comfort? What is he supposed to make of all that’s taken place? And what lessons are there for us in the worst possible situations we might face in this life?

That’s not a simple or immediate answer. But that’s the theme of Job. We’re going to be going on a journey. It’s not going to be a simple one, but I trust it will be a fruitful one, both for the pains we are in now, and for the pains that are to come. How is it that the suffering of an innocent man can showcase the glory of God?

As New Testament believers, we have to embrace this reality. Even if we don’t fully understand it, God can, and will, be glorified in the suffering of His righteous people. God can, and will, be glorified in the suffering of His righteous people. There are things happening even, in the spiritual realm, that we won’t know about. But God is doing something for His glory. God uses the suffering of His people for His glory.

The greatest testament to that reality is the life and death of the only Man who was perfectly righteous. God ordained that Jesus Christ would suffer and die because that would accomplish the eternal plan of paying for price for sinners. Jesus was faithful, perfectly entrusting Himself to the Father, who would also be faithful to all His promises. God will use pain, even severe pain, to accomplish His purposes.

And even if we don’t have all the answers, we can trust God as well because is sovereign and wise and merciful and gracious. Even the attacks from Satan will fulfill His perfect purposes.

I’m going to close our time in prayer, but as I do that, I’d like us to be aware that there are always people among us going through very painful situations. Some of them you know about, and some of them you don’t. But I’d like to give us an opportunity to lift others up in prayer or to be lifted up in prayer.

There’s no obligation here, but if you’re going through an especially difficult time right now, whatever kind of sphere it’s in, and if you’re comfortable having 1 or 2 people lay their hand on your shoulder, in just a moment, I’m going to ask you to raise your hand.

And when that happens, let’s have 1 or 2 people walk over and lay their hand on those people as we pray together. You don’t need to have a conversation. You don’t need to explain all that’s going on right now. But we want to pray for you.

So, if you’d like one or two people to place their hand on you in prayer because of a difficult time, would you raise your hand right now?

And now, would some others of you go and just place one hand on them as we pray. Go right now, and we’ll pray and then sing together.