2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Malachi 3:6 says, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
So, we also come across John 3: 16 which says, “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And we know that Jesus is a Godsend.
So, if God loves the world so much, and we can presume via Malachi 3:6 that God never changes, we can conclude that God loved the world as much in the time of Job that He had when Jesus made his appearance. So, why did God take Job, whom He supposedly loved like He loved all others who worshipped him, and subject him to the things He did?
Can we say that God was testing Job? It appears from reading the Book of Job that God didn’t intend to test Job, at least not at first anyway. But as we were created to think, we wonder why, if God so loved the world, He handed Job over to Satan when Job was as upright and righteous as anyone, if not more so? Doesn’t God only hand over to Satan those who have gone against Him? And why did God, almighty as he is, have to prove to Satan his enemy and lowlife, that one of His children who love Him are doing so out of their own free will and not because they fear Him? If the Scriptures are for learning and all that, what is it that would should take away from the Book of Job?
The Book of Job is an illustration of earthly existentialism, but in it, Job is used to affirm that God is the creator who created all things, and God does not look to destroy for the sake of destroying things. Yet God lets Satan take away Job’s family, his health and his wealth, ironically to eventually inform Job that God, contrary to what Job may think of Him in his misery, is still the creator He always was. It is only when Job realizes that God is a creator and always will be, that God restores to Job at least some of what he lost. God gives Job twice the wealth Job had before, and He gives him a new family. But his old family was taken from him. Job could have rightfully asked God why He had forsaken him.
Does Job, anywhere in his Book, ask God why He had forsaken him? It appears that, in line with Proverbs 3:5 he has accepted what God allowed to happen to him and his only question seems to involve what he had done to deserve what he was going through.
Now, we can say that Job never lost his first family, for if they were righteous as well then Job would meet up with them in God’s House. And the same scenario has repeated itself time and time again since Job, that we lose family members, but we are assured that we will meet up with them some day in God’s House. And when we have been judged to be righteous, then like Jesus our souls are resurrected and brought up to the House of the Lord where we will dwell forever. And undoubtedly, Job, whom God in Job’s Book has determined to be righteous, is up there now, dwelling in the House of the Lord.
We are all potential Job’s, not in the sense that God would aim to prove our righteousness to Satan, but that bad things happen to us on earth from time to time. For no apparent reason we may lose our jobs, our health, some family members that we love, even though we’ve strived for righteousness. We may ask ourselves, ‘Where is the “good” that Romans 8:28 speaks of, in that?’ Ah, but we also have Proverbs 3:5, telling us to trust in whatever God does. And Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has plans for us all, for a future and a hope.
In a sense, God has shown through the Book of Job what a righteous person truly is. Job fulfilled the commandment God gave to Adam and Ever to be fruitful, and he fulfilled the Law of loving God with all his heart, soul in mind and acting out of that love instead of out of fear, and Job loved others as he loved himself. And Job continued to love God despite what Satan did to him. Such is a truly righteous person, and in fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:16-17, such is the righteousness we all should strive for. And Jesus has shown us the way, the truth and the life toward that. And James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
So, we also come across John 3: 16 which says, “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And we know that Jesus is a Godsend.
So, if God loves the world so much, and we can presume via Malachi 3:6 that God never changes, we can conclude that God loved the world as much in the time of Job that He had when Jesus made his appearance. So, why did God take Job, whom He supposedly loved like He loved all others who worshipped him, and subject him to the things He did?
Can we say that God was testing Job? It appears from reading the Book of Job that God didn’t intend to test Job, at least not at first anyway. But as we were created to think, we wonder why, if God so loved the world, He handed Job over to Satan when Job was as upright and righteous as anyone, if not more so? Doesn’t God only hand over to Satan those who have gone against Him? And why did God, almighty as he is, have to prove to Satan his enemy and lowlife, that one of His children who love Him are doing so out of their own free will and not because they fear Him? If the Scriptures are for learning and all that, what is it that would should take away from the Book of Job?
The Book of Job is an illustration of earthly existentialism, but in it, Job is used to affirm that God is the creator who created all things, and God does not look to destroy for the sake of destroying things. Yet God lets Satan take away Job’s family, his health and his wealth, ironically to eventually inform Job that God, contrary to what Job may think of Him in his misery, is still the creator He always was. It is only when Job realizes that God is a creator and always will be, that God restores to Job at least some of what he lost. God gives Job twice the wealth Job had before, and He gives him a new family. But his old family was taken from him. Job could have rightfully asked God why He had forsaken him.
Does Job, anywhere in his Book, ask God why He had forsaken him? It appears that, in line with Proverbs 3:5 he has accepted what God allowed to happen to him and his only question seems to involve what he had done to deserve what he was going through.
Now, we can say that Job never lost his first family, for if they were righteous as well then Job would meet up with them in God’s House. And the same scenario has repeated itself time and time again since Job, that we lose family members, but we are assured that we will meet up with them some day in God’s House. And when we have been judged to be righteous, then like Jesus our souls are resurrected and brought up to the House of the Lord where we will dwell forever. And undoubtedly, Job, whom God in Job’s Book has determined to be righteous, is up there now, dwelling in the House of the Lord.
We are all potential Job’s, not in the sense that God would aim to prove our righteousness to Satan, but that bad things happen to us on earth from time to time. For no apparent reason we may lose our jobs, our health, some family members that we love, even though we’ve strived for righteousness. We may ask ourselves, ‘Where is the “good” that Romans 8:28 speaks of, in that?’ Ah, but we also have Proverbs 3:5, telling us to trust in whatever God does. And Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has plans for us all, for a future and a hope.
In a sense, God has shown through the Book of Job what a righteous person truly is. Job fulfilled the commandment God gave to Adam and Ever to be fruitful, and he fulfilled the Law of loving God with all his heart, soul in mind and acting out of that love instead of out of fear, and Job loved others as he loved himself. And Job continued to love God despite what Satan did to him. Such is a truly righteous person, and in fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:16-17, such is the righteousness we all should strive for. And Jesus has shown us the way, the truth and the life toward that. And James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
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