What Job Learned!

Reflection: “All is well that ends well”, we often quip today.  And after 42 long chapters of Job, we are hoping for a favorable ending for this poor soul.  We have seen Job lose everything except his own life, and even friends who did a pretty lousy job at consoling him.  Job took a shot of trying to understand God’s purposes were in his trial, and had the audacity to challenge God and wonder aloud and in prayer what God was doing. 

And then, as we said a few days before, “Be careful what you wish for!”  Job had an encounter with the living God, who revealed to Job a bit of what it is like to be God. Job saw a glimpse of the glory of God and the magnitude of God’s ordering all things in the heavens and earth.   In this book of Job, we get a rare glimpse of why bad things happen to good people.  And just like the question is not a simple one, so the answer is not necessarily simple either.  At the end of the day, in chapter 42, here is Job’s learning, his “kairos” so to speak. (we use the word ‘kairos’, a Greek word for the opportune time to what God is doing on earth as His Kingdom comes to bear!)

2 “I know that you can do all things;

    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,

    things too wonderful for me to know.

4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;

    I will question you,

    and you shall answer me.’

5 My ears had heard of you

    but now my eyes have seen you.

Let’s boil down Job’s learning/kairos in the midst of his extreme trials and how this might apply to us today!

1.)    Job learned that God is sovereign and omnipotent, meaning God can do all things and nothing is outside of His realm of influence or His ultimate plan.

2.)    Job met God face to face and in an encounter with the one, holy God he realized that God is much bigger than his problems. God can work all things together for good according to His purpose even if that purpose seems confusing or obtuse to us in our limited knowledge. 

3.)    In the face of trials and calamity, God calls us to draw near to Him through His Son Jesus, who also experienced suffering and knows what we go through.  As we draw near to God, although we won’t always understand why things happen, we can experience a peace that passes all understanding knowing that God cares for us.

4.)    As brothers and sister in Christ, when we face trials the best thing we can do for each other is not try to explain what is happening, but walk through these trials with each other. We can know our presence is a reminder of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit, as we encourage each other and bear each others burdens.   

We may not have gone through what Job did, but we can all expect to have challenges and trials, as we live out our Christian lives. Hopefully these principles found in God’s Word will help you to stand up in the time of trial like God’s servant Job did!  In the end Job had everything restored and more.  Paul in Corinthians gives this perspective on our trials, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Psalm 59:1-9

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;

    be my fortress against those who are attacking me.

2 Deliver me from evildoers

    and save me from those who are after my blood.

3 See how they lie in wait for me!

    Fierce men conspire against me

    for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.

4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.

    Arise to help me; look on my plight!

5 You, Lord God Almighty,

    you who are the God of Israel,

rouse yourself to punish all the nations;

    show no mercy to wicked traitors.

6 They return at evening,

    snarling like dogs,

    and prowl about the city.

7 See what they spew from their mouths—

    the words from their lips are sharp as swords,

    and they think, “Who can hear us?”

8 But you laugh at them, Lord;

    you scoff at all those nations.

9 You are my strength, I watch for you;

    you, God, are my fortress,

Job 42

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

2 “I know that you can do all things;

    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,

    things too wonderful for me to know.

4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;

    I will question you,

    and you shall answer me.’

5 My ears had heard of you

    but now my eyes have seen you.

6 Therefore I despise myself

    and repent in dust and ashes.”

Epilogue

7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[a] and a gold ring.

12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

1 Corinthians 11:17-30

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

You shall meditate on the book of the law day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. Joshua 1:8

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

Happy are those who follow God’s commandments, who obey him with all their heart! Help us, Lord, to live righteous lives. Teach us the Father’s will that we may please him. We ask this in your sacred name. Amen.