Family cursed down
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It seems obvious your goal was to offer good advice to the individual reaching out for help. However, I think you missed the mark. I’m not picking on you, but I suggest you look at this subject in more depth. An excellent little book on the subject is:
Compassionate Father or Consuming Fire? by Dr Michael Brown.
Your comment regarding Job reflects a common erroneous teaching espoused by too many so-called teachers. The fact is it was the fear of the Lord that drove Job to intercede for his children. He knew God’s righteous standards and therefore offered sacrifices on his children’s behalf.
In Galatians 4:11 Paul said:
“I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.”
This was righteous, loving fear. Fear is an emotion given to us by our Creator.
Revelation 21:8 says:
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
ESV
This is referring to shrinking from faith and the Gospel. In fact, the best definition of bravery is acting when you are fearful to do so. Bravery is not the absence of fear.
You are committing a logical error called confusion of categories. Fear is a singular emotion. There are not different types of fear, there are, however, different objects of fear. If I fear putting my hand on a hot burner I am not sinning. If I fear my child is about to run into the street and therefore possibly hit by a car, it is not a sin. If I fear God more that man, it is not a sin. If I fear man more than God, it is a sin. It is not the emotion; it is the object of the emotion.
Job’s friends fell under judgment from God for their comments to Job which included blaming his troubles on sin. Moreover, it was God who brought up the subject of Job with Satan while calling him righteous. We don’t know why He did that. Nowhere does God tell us why He allowed all this tragedy to befall Job. I don’t like that. However, me not liking it is not an excuse to blame Job. It is necessary to torture the text to wring out your interpretation.
Let me direct your attention to the next chapter in Revelation, specifically verses 22:18 and 19:
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
I would be cautious about adding to Job and Revelation. The book of Job does not say that God called Job righteous because he was sinning in ignorance—you are adding that. Why don’t we just accept God speaking for Himself?
Clearly you didn’t mean to put yourself in the same position as Job’s friends, but it seems to me you may have committed the same sin they did by indicating to this individual that his family’s problems might be due to him letting his “hedge” down. This person is hurting. They don’t need this kind of foolishness, and I consider it to be borderline spiritual abuse.
You said,
“The Lord called Job righteous because the sin Job did by being in fear was something that was done in ignorance at the time. The Lord says in Romans 4:15 where no law is, there is no transgression.”
If God put the hedge around Job when he was sinning in ignorance, that must mean that God informed Job subsequently that he was sinning and then allowed the hedge to be breached. Can you point out where that occurred or are you adding that to the text as well?
Job is one of the most heralded heroes of the faith. Are you actually suggesting that he didn’t understand righteous verse unrighteous fear? Really? Are you sure you want to add this to God’s word? Have you read the whole book of Job? He demonstrates tremendous intellectual capacity. I see no basis to suggest he was ignorant about fear.
None of us want to be so cowardly that we are afraid to evaluate our own doctrine for error. I am certain you committed your error in ignorance, and it was in your heart to try and help. The question now is, will you commit to deeper study on the subject? You should order that book.
All of us want enough control in our lives that we can prevent undeserved disaster. I get it. I wish I could erect a hedge around me and mine to keep out everything that plagues us. We can’t. The book of Job makes that clear. It is no wonder we try to upend what it actually says.
I got it from years of studying the book of Job... you are missing some of the things Job said that are key to understanding what happened to him and you are not looking at the ordeal Job went thru from the whole counsel of God that we have access to today providing us with insight on what happened.
Jesus still says fear is a sin and some of the trouble Paul experiences was due to him being in care, anxious, worry, and fear
Paul carried the stress and worry of the churches he was responsible for which was an open door to satan to slap him around.
2 Corinthians 11:28
Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Jesus speaks of not worrying...
Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life
John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled
Lots of people open the door to the enemy to slap them around because they worry too much which is not trusting God. Paul failed sometimes to keep God's instructions .... (he was not perfect ya know!)
1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Psalms 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Care (found in 2 Corinthians 11:28)
from 3307 (through the idea of distraction); solicitude: KJV -- care.
Careful (found in Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7)
from 3308; to be anxious about: KJV -- (be, have) care(-ful), take thought.
Paul grew in the Lord in his later years to where nobody was slapping him around anymore... the last record we have of Paul in scripture is in the end of the Book of Acts:
Acts 28:30
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
It says Paul lived in his own rented house for 2 years preaching with NO man forbidding him!
Well then... enjoy walking in fear!
That's your erroneous opinion that I have added anything to scripture.... you don't agree fine, but now you've gone to lying!
False... Job was not always walking in fear.
Are you actually claiming it's an unknown mystery as to why the devil had the legal right to attack Job? Really?
Proverbs 26:2
the curse causeless shall not come.
Job very obviously had a time of backsliding and he quit sowing to the Spirit and started sowing to the flesh and reaped corruption (see Gal 6:7,8)... this is what got him in to trouble and it's what cause God's hedge of protection to come down.
It's sad that some thing God was playing games with Job's life and allowed the devil in for no reason whatsoever! Shameful!
Jesus still says fear is a sin and some of the trouble Paul experiences was due to him being in care, anxious, worry, and fear
Paul carried the stress and worry of the churches he was responsible for which was an open door to satan to slap him around.
2 Corinthians 11:28
Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Jesus speaks of not worrying...
Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life
John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled
Lots of people open the door to the enemy to slap them around because they worry too much which is not trusting God. Paul failed sometimes to keep God's instructions .... (he was not perfect ya know!)
1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Psalms 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Care (found in 2 Corinthians 11:28)
from 3307 (through the idea of distraction); solicitude: KJV -- care.
Careful (found in Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7)
from 3308; to be anxious about: KJV -- (be, have) care(-ful), take thought.
Paul grew in the Lord in his later years to where nobody was slapping him around anymore... the last record we have of Paul in scripture is in the end of the Book of Acts:
Acts 28:30
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
It says Paul lived in his own rented house for 2 years preaching with NO man forbidding him!
Well then... enjoy walking in fear!
That's your erroneous opinion that I have added anything to scripture.... you don't agree fine, but now you've gone to lying!
False... Job was not always walking in fear.
Are you actually claiming it's an unknown mystery as to why the devil had the legal right to attack Job? Really?
Proverbs 26:2
the curse causeless shall not come.
Job very obviously had a time of backsliding and he quit sowing to the Spirit and started sowing to the flesh and reaped corruption (see Gal 6:7,8)... this is what got him in to trouble and it's what cause God's hedge of protection to come down.
It's sad that some thing God was playing games with Job's life and allowed the devil in for no reason whatsoever! Shameful!
To anyone else interested, I do recommend Dr. Brown's book,
Compassionate Father or Consuming Fire?
It's a rather small book but debunks the "fear allowed the hedge of protection to fail" argument, and does so from a scholarly perspective. Someone gave me an old paperback copy many years ago when only used copies were available. I am so glad to see it's available again in Kindle and hardcopy. It is an important resource book to help arm vulnerable new believers from the nonsense.
Compassionate Father or Consuming Fire?
It's a rather small book but debunks the "fear allowed the hedge of protection to fail" argument, and does so from a scholarly perspective. Someone gave me an old paperback copy many years ago when only used copies were available. I am so glad to see it's available again in Kindle and hardcopy. It is an important resource book to help arm vulnerable new believers from the nonsense.
