Introduction
The time in which Job lived is very uncertain
The date generally received is that Moses wrote the book while among
the Midianites
Moses wrote it about one thousand five hundred and twenty years before
the commencement of the Christian era
But Adam Clarke argues in his Commentary that Job lived after giving of
the Law.
There are references in the book to:
1.
The
rites and ceremonies instituted by Moses.
i. In Job 1:5,
we are informed that he sanctified his children, and offered burnt-offerings
daily to the morning for each of them.
ii. This was a general ordinance of the law, as we may
see in:
Leviticus 9:7 - "Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy
sin-offering and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself and for
the people."
Leviticus 9:22 - "And Aaron lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed
them, and came down from offering the burnt-offering."
Exodus 29:42- "This shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your
generations."
2. The worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as being
the most prevalent and most seductive idolatry, was very expressly forbidden by
the law.
Deuteronomy 4:19 - "Take heed, lest thou lift up thine eyes to heaven; and when
thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven,
shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them."
Job purges himself from this
species of idolatry.
Job 31:26-28 - "If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in
brightness, and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my
hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge; for I should have
denied the God that is above."
3. He clears himself also from adultery in reference
to the law enacted against that sin.
Job 31:9-12 - "If mine heart have been
deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; then let my
wife grind to another: for this is a heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to
be punished by the judges."
See the law against this sin:
Exodus 20:14,17 - "Thou shalt not commit adultery: thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife."
Leviticus 20:10 - "The man that committeth adultery with another man's wife shall
surely be put to death;"
4. The following may be considered an evident allusion to the
passage of the Red Sea, and the destruction of the proud Egyptian king:
Job 26:11,12 - "The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at his
reproof. He divideth the sea with his power; and by his understanding he
smiteth through the proud."
5. These, with several others that might be adduced,
are presumptive proofs that the writer of this book lived after the giving and
establishment of the law, if not much late.
Book Job and the Spiritual War
1.
Book of Job is a story that
unveils the Spiritual Warfare
2.
It says that it is true that
there is a spiritual war between man and Satan
3.
Spiritual War is not like the
worldly war
i. The war takes place in a spiritual realm, while we
fight from this world
ii. Weapons are not worldly
iii. War tactics are not worldly
iv. Our enemy is not a man of flesh and blood
v. Everything is of the spiritual realm
Ephesians 6:12- For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
2Corinthians 10:3 -
6
3 For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ; {imaginations: or, reasonings}
6 And having in a readiness to
revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
THE REAL WAR
The real war is between:
God and Satan
Not between Man and Satan
·
If it was in between Man and
Satan, Satan could have declared war against Job directly
·
Instead he goes to God and
challenges Him
·
Job is a pawn in the war
Job 1:6-12
6
Now there was a day when the sons
of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among
them.
7
And the LORD said unto Satan,
Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and
fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8
And the LORD said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth,
a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9
Then Satan answered the LORD, and
said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and
about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed
the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all
that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all
that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So
Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
WHY MAN?
God fails if Man loses
God succeed if Man wins
Why it is like this?
Man is the creation of God
It is an enterprise of God without a partner
Man is God’s own property
But God was so gracious to give man free will to choose right or wrong
Unwittingly man fell a pray to Satan
Satan subdued Man as a part of
the spiritual war
It was like subduing a
portion of a country by the enemy
Naturally it is a declaration of
war against the right owner
Genesis 3:6 - And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took
of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and
he did eat.
God understood the argument of Adam and Eve that they fell in the trap of
Satan operated through the serpent.
That is the reason why God did not totally destroy Man
Instead He let them live outside Eden promising food and offspring
though not without pain
Before Adam committed the sin:
Genesis 1:29
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in
the which is the fruit of a tree yielding
seed; to you it shall be for meat.
After Adam committed the sin:
Genesis 3: 11 - 13
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of
the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast
done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Genesis 3: 16 – 19
16 Unto the woman he said, I
will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee. {to thy...: or, subject to thy husband}
17 And unto Adam he said,
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the
tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life;
18 Thorns also and thistles
shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou
taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
God did not forsake Man even after he committed sin
The punishment of sin was upon them, but God did not forsake Adam and
Eve.
Israelites and Sin
God’s attitude to Israelites were the same
God brought out Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians.
Israelites were fed regularly with manna from heaven and water from
rocks in the desert.
But they turned against Moses and God more than once
Still God did not forbid manna or water.
They were punished for their sin
But manna and water continued till they reached Canaan.
Garden of Eden
In the Garden of Eden, though Adam and Eve committed sin, God did not
forsake them
God opened a new way to re enter into the bliss of Eden through the
shedding of blood
Symbolically, He killed an animal, shed its blood and covered the
nakedness of Adam and Eve with the blood stained skin of the animal
God is promising a way to the remission of sin
Genesis 3: 21 - Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God
make coats of skins, and clothed them.
God never forsake man for ever - He wants them to turn back to him
God instead of giving up Man to Satan, declares war in between Man and
Satan
God wants Man to fight it out – defeating Satan and regaining the lost
throne
Genesis 3: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel.
WAR DECLARED
God declared the war
War between God and
Satan
It is fight for Man and his dwelling place – the
earth
God declared the enemy
Satan is the enemy
Man is on the other
side
God + Man = War against Satan
Man + Satan = War against God
God declare the place of war
Outside heaven
In the spiritual realm
Reflected on earth –
affects the lives of human being
God controls the war
God interferes
whenever it is necessary
God checks Satan
God chooses and appoint His people for various
positions in the Warfield
All of them are empowered according to their
responsibilities in the war
God fixed the conditions of the
war
i. Man has to fight it out
ii. God:
Chooses His
warriors
Empowers His
warriors
Protects His warriors
Sends aid – His angels
iii. Be protected by the armors as said in Ephesians
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having
your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with
the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints;
iv. Be separate from gentile practices
Exodus 23:23-25
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and
bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the
Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor
serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them,
and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and
he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the
midst of thee.
God declared the end of the enemy
Genesis
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel.
Revelation
19:19-21
19 And I
saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together
to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the
beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone.
21 And the
remnants were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their
flesh.
SATAN ATTACKS
Satan attacks to destroy:
1. Material blessings
Job 1:13-17
13 And
there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating
and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
14 And
there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses
feeding beside them:
15 And
the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea,
they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped
alone to tell thee.
16 While
he was yet speaking, there came
also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned
up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone
to tell thee.
17 While
he was yet speaking, there came
also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the
camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge
of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
2.
Children
Job 1:18-19
18 While
he was yet speaking, there came
also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's
house:
19 And,
behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners
of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am
escaped alone to tell thee.
3.
Physical
body
Job 2:7-8
7 So went
Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from
the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he
took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
4. Darkens our knowledge about God
Job 38:2 Who is this
that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
"Who is this who keeps darkening my counsel
without knowing what he's talking about? (International Slandered Version –
ISV)
Counsel – advice / purpose
5. Takes away hope
Job 2:9 Then said his
wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
PROTECTED PEOPLE
After all that happened in the Garden of Eden, there are people
specially protected by God
Cain, though was a sinner had a limited protection from God
Genesis 4: 13 - 15
13 And Cain said unto the LORD,
My punishment is greater than I can bear. {My...: or, Mine iniquity is greater
than that it may be forgiven}
14 Behold, thou hast driven me
out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and
I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass,
that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him,
Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him
should kill him.
JOB
Job was a different person who resisted Satan in his life
He remained faithful to God
He sacrificed for the remission of sins
He kept himself from the worship of idols, the sun, moon and stars
He lived a holy life
Job 1:1 - There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name
was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and
eschewed evil.
Job 1:8 - And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou
considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect
and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
So God gave him a special protection covering everything that belonged
to him
Satan could do nothing to him
Job 1: 9 & 10
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for
nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and
about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands,
and his substance is increased in the land. {substance: or, cattle}
It is God’s hedge around Job
The hedge of God around him is a mark that Job and everything belongs
to him, belongs to God
Boundary and Hedge
What we do as soon as we get a property of our own, or anything as our
own?
If we can write our name on it, we write our name and address declaring
to the whole world that it belong to us
We write our name on books, because it may be easily carried away by
others
As soon as we buy a piece of land, we put the boundary line, compound
wall and fix a name plate on the gate that declares that the property within
this boundary belongs to us.
Whatever is there, whether it is useful or not, good or bad, rich or
poor belongs to its owner
Only the owner has the authority to keep it or mend it or remove it
And the owner has an authority to keep it or mend it or remove it.
So a boundary
declares ownership
Boundary is
separateness
Boundary is protection
Boundary is special
care
Isaiah 5: 1, 2
1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his
vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: {a very...:
Heb. the horn of the son of oil}
2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted
it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made
a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it
brought forth wild grapes. {fenced: or, made a wall about} {made: Heb. hewed}
The War begins
Satan goes to God and challenges Him on the faithfulness of Job
God takes up the challenge
The war begins
The real war takes place in the spiritual realm
What happen on earth are only the effects of it
Job was afflicted by Satan
He lost all his wealth, his sons and daughters
His physical body was afflicted
Wealth (Land)
Children
Health
Job did not understood what was going on in his life
He was trying to analyze and reason about the cause of his affliction
He could not understand the mystery of the spiritual war
Job 1: 20 & 21
20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell
down upon the ground, and worshipped, {mantle: or, robe}
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I
return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the
name of the LORD.
Job 2:9 &10
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine
integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women
speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not
receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Man can never comprehend the mystery of the Spiritual Warfare
So we often ask the question:
WHY GOD? WHY ME?
Still he stood firm in his faith
Job’s friends also were trying in their ignorance to explain the
mystery of the war.
Do not try to explain the sufferings of others so easily
There are many things that human wisdom does not understand
Job’s friends were reasoning with the help of theology available at the
time
They thought that the theology they knew is the last word
They used it as the canon to judge people
But they failed miserably
Job 38:1, 2
1 Then the LORD answered Job out
of the whirlwind, and said,
2 Who is this that darkeneth
counsel by words without knowledge?
And God was angry towards them.
Job 42: 7, 8
7 And it was so, that after the
LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My
wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not
spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
8 Therefore take unto you now
seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for
yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him
will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not
spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
Satan lost the war & Job blessed
Satan lost the war
No more is said of the defeated enemy
Job came out victorious
The story goes on even after the declaration of the end of the war to
tell us about the victorious person
He is more blessed
Job 42:10-17
10 And the
LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11 Then
came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that
had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house:
and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had
brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an
earring of gold.
12 So the
LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen
thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a
thousand she asses.
13 He had
also seven sons and three daughters.
14 And he
called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and
the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
15 And in
all the land were no women found so fair
as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their
brethren.
16 After
this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons'
sons, even four generations.
17 So Job died, being old and full of days.
________________________________
Professor
Jacob Abraham
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motivational positive thoughts please visit
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