I’ve heard assorted teachers & preachers talk about Job.
Can you believe that some of them actually sound like they are still picking on Job?
It’s true. God called Job a perfect upright man that feared God. People picked on Job after calamity and strife came his way and they still pick on him today.
I was reading a commentary that sounded like they have found something new to pick on Job for. In the commentary it was basically pointed out that Job talked about himself too much. Job was being accused of talking about himself too much and not centering his mind on God.
I had to chuckle not because it’s really funny to see Job being blamed for something he did wrong again. I chuckled because it does seem as though we are all too picky sometimes in general.
I’ve been guilty of picking on others too much. I’m sorry for every time I’ve been that way and sorry realizing I’m apt to do it in the future.
Job acted very typical in some ways. He tried to defend himself as he was struggling with the way his comforters/friends greeted him after so many tragedies hit him. No one likes to have friends accuse you of doing something wrong when you did all you could to do what was right. A lot of people vent their woes and problems when they feel there is nothing more they can do other than talk about what they’ve been through.
We are told to magnify the Lord at all times. We are to keep our minds stayed on God. These things will actually help us when we are going through our struggles. I believe getting our eyes on God during the most difficult times is crucial to our survival.
I want to point out that King David, the one after God’s own heart, wrote many verses telling of how sad he felt or how the troubles of his heart were enlarged. The book of Lamentations is aptly titled since it speaks of so much sorrow. Job is not the only one that spoke of times of sorrow in the Bible.
I am one that is going to do my best to try to remember that Job was a man that feared God. He hurt when disastrous events and circumstances came his way. His emotions were attacked and his body was attacked. His friends attacked him with their words telling him he must have done something wrong.
God did not quickly come to Job’s aid and God did not swiftly defend Job. May it be that there will be Biblical scholars once again encouraging God’s people to have the patience of Job.
Job did not sin against God even when all those terrible things were allowed to come upon him. God defended Job. Even though Job is no longer walking this earth I pray I can defend his name.
God inspired men to write the Bible. God inspired them to write the sad things written as well as the happy things. God loves a just and balanced scale. I keep praying I will learn to live a just and balanced life.
I’m glad God didn’t tell men to only write the good and positive things for us to read or we wouldn’t have anything or anyone to relate to. If we read that life was always cheerful for believers we would be so disappointed. We’d be disappointed because we would start wondering what is wrong with us or what happened to our relationship with God when things do go wrong.
If we read the Bible stories seeing that Joseph was thrown into jail even though he had done no wrong we recall that even good people suffer at the hands of evil doers and at the hands of those that don’t always believe the truth when it’s shared. We will discover that babies were slaughtered because of an evil King’s jealousy and desire for power. We will see that God did allow the devil to attack a man named Job yet Job did not sin against God.
This portion of writing about Job is especially meant to uplift the name of God for not allowing Job to be tempted beyond that which he was able to endure. It is to give God glory for letting us receive an example of how a man can bless God and praise God even when trials come his way. It’s also for declaring that I’m glad God allowed Job to have a form of speaking about his woes when there really wasn’t much else Job could do about all that happened to him.
I am also very happy that God blessed Job after all Job’s sufferings. There are some people that suffered to the point of death even though they were following the Lord. Job was one that had a happy ending and much restoration in his life.
Job’s happy ending is kind of like a precursor for all of us to think about. We may or may not have the same type of happy endings Job had while we reside on earth. We, Christians, will still have eternal life and everlasting joy in heaven. We are told by Jesus that there are many mansions being prepared for those who believe. Eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God has prepared for them that wait upon Him.
I like happy endings.