Reading the Bible through with me? Then grab your pen and journal and read Job 1-3. As sure as God has a plan, so does the Devil. His plan is always to discredit and undermine God. He often strikes at God by going after His children. Now the story of Job offers us some insight into a world that is invisible to us as it was to Job. There are things that go on in the spiritual realm that are beyond our comprehension. Yahweh God challenges Satan regarding His servant, Job.
Many notable scholars believe Job was the first book of the Bible ever written. Job might have been a contemporary of Abram. The Law had not been given. Yet, Job loved, respected, and obeyed God. God pointed him out to Satan, but Satan questioned Job's motive. God gave Satan permission to "sift" Job through the pain of loss. God allowed it, knowing how job would respond. The story plays out in the first two chapters and the rest of the book is about Job's attempt to make sense of his suffering. Suffering can happen because of sin. It can also happen for purification as God prunes away those things in our lives that affect our fruitfulness. It can also be providential as it redirects our course in life or our focus. But when suffering afflicts His children, God always has a greater purpose.
Job had no idea what was going on in the heavenly halls. But as the pressure mounted, he wept, and mourned, and cried out to God. In his abundant grief, he never sinned or blamed God. (Job 1:22).
The crucial or telic purpose of Job is to remind is that NO MATTER WHAT is going on in our lives, we can and must trust God. For the true follower of Jesus, it is not a matter of loving God because of something. It is a matter of loving, trusting, and obeying God NO MATTER WHAT. He always knows. Nothing ever catches Him by surprise. He can always be trusted! In every storm of life, He is faithful to those who trust and obey. In the storms of life, are you faithful to Him?
