Along came the spiders.
Oh I mean friends
Once again here we see a group of what many would probably call good people. They have journeyed to be with their friend in his time of need. Not what many would think of as overtly evil men. They were most likely not murderers or thieves. And once again we see that Satan didn’t use the obviously evil people in the world, to try and bring about the downfall of Job. He uses those close to him, and these friends have no idea of whom they are really working for.
Job 2:11 And Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, and they each one came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had met together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
Job 2:12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and did not know him, they lifted up their voice and wept. And each one tore his robe, and they sprinkled dust upon their heads toward Heaven.
Job 2:13 And they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights. And no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
These three friends did not come to harm their friend. Their intentions were good, and honorable. How many people have heard the expression “the path to hell is paved with good intentions?” These three friends came to comfort their friend in his time of need. Many of us would have, and have done the same. The Scriptures say that as they approached their friend they spotted him from far off, and he was so badly afflicted with these boils that he was unrecognizable. He was so covered that his close friends couldn’t even recognize who he was. And they wept. When they finally arrived next to Job they sat in silence for seven days because his grief was so great. They were so touched by his pain that they were rendered speechless for seven days. Once again its time to transport ourselves into the shoes of these friends. We have just heard that a close friend has lost all he owns, all his family, save his wife, and is afflicted with so many sores that they cover his whole body. So you rush around to make preparations to go and be with your friend. You get everything ready for the journey because you know he needs all the support he can get. Now ask yourselves, what would be going through our minds during this? Would we be only thinking of our friend? Would we be considering what brought this terrible tragedy on? Now allow yourself to come back into our own being. And ask the question, in all that I have been through, in all that my friends, family and those we know have been through, does any of it compare to this?
At this point I am going to resist the temptation to go through the rest of the book of Job. But instead I will over view some of what happens next. I implore all who read this to really spend some quality time studying the rest of Job. It is amazing how many times in the dialogues between Job and his friends we see conversations we have had ourselves.
Right after the lamentations over his very birth in chapter three we see his first friend already start to accuse Job.
Job 4:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
Job 4:2 If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?
Job 4:3 Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands.
Job 4:4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees.
Job 4:5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed.
Job 4:6 Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?
Job 4:7 Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?
Job 4:8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.
Eliphaz begins with reminding Job that he was thought of as a righteous person. He then continues with basically accusing him of sin. He asks the question who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cutoff? He is accusing Job of sinning and bringing on this punishment. This should sound familiar. I do not think that I have personally not been apart of any congregation to where this conversation has not come up at some point. I have seen televangelist make boastful claims constantly over this very issue. There are now people, in the world today, that have the false teachings, that the poor are only poor, because of there inequities. And just as Satan is using Eliphaze here he uses us when making the same claims. There are times when God punishes people for there inequities, but each and every time it is for instruction. It is to teach others. There are warnings, and teachings to prevent it. But to think that all trials and tribulation come from sin is an out right denial of Whom our God tells us He is
Jobs friends each test him continuously. They accuse him of many things. It runs the gambit from accusations of sin and refusal to repent, too not being righteous enough in the first place. They point out just as many prosperity teachers today do that God wants us to be wealthy on this earth and it’s all about our happiness. This is a clever, and perverse falsification of the Truth in Scripture. But as I said earlier it is simply amazing how much of our logic today you will see in these dialogues.
The conclusion
But as for now lets skip to the end and read the conclusion of the dialogues.
Job 42:7 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
Job 42:8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
Job 42:9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.
Job 42:10 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Through everything Job went through, the losses of possession, loss of health, pains beyond imagining, and even his wife and friends accusing and testing him, Job would not turn from God. He did not blame God foolishly, but accepted his Will in his life. He never gave in to the temptations to lie falsely about even his own life. He did not curse God. He worshiped God through everything. How many of us can say we would do the same under the circumstances? How many of us have failed in this while going through much lesser trials? How many are failing at this while going through something now?
So many focus on the fact that at the end of all this Job was given twice as much as he had before. And many of the prosperity teachers today use this exact example in there flawed teachings. Yes Job was given twice as much as he had before. But Job did not live within the Will of God or worship our Father, even in affliction, in expectation of personal or worldly gain. Job kept the Will of God for the sake of the Will of God. And for this he was rewarded. If one is living for worldly gain then the worldly gain will be his reward. We should all shoot for something much higher. Why settle for a life of wealth that does not last and is meaningless in the face of eternity? If we only keep the Will of God for a reward, we have already missed the point
After going through a trial we should not expect wordily rewards as if we deserved payment. That is not how blessing’s work. Many time the reward is in blessings of the Spirit, and these are far more valuable. But most of the time the blessing or reward from the trial is the trial itself!
Using Job as our example, we must realize that this is not some fairy tale, this is the history of a man. Job went through all of this for a purpose. And contrary to popular belief it was not to put Satan in his place. It was to show us that No matter how bad are trials are there is something to be learned. Can you imagine how these events changed the life of Jobs friends? How many people throughout the history of the world have found comfort from the history of Job? Do not let his suffering for our sake go in vain. Does this sound familiar? There was another that suffered for our benefit. There was another that was tried, and tested to show us the way. And his name is Yeshua (Jesus), our Messiah. While on this earth in the flesh, Yeshua went through all the temptations man can face, he lived and taught us the true meaning of what the Will of God is in our lives. He was mistreated, humiliated, tortured, and slain all to show us the Love that our Creator has for us.
As the book of Job was, so were the Gospels recorded through the Holy Spirit to give us a living example of what to do, and how to live in the Will of God. We cannot let their sacrifices and suffering for us go in vain. We must take the time to understand what they meant and why they happened. We must learn and teach others the True Love and Will of God through Yeshua Hamashiach, and in the Holy Spirit
2Co 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.
2Co 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,
2Co 1:4 He comforting us in all our trouble, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in every trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
We are told that God comforts us in all of our troubles so we can comfort those who are in trouble. Our trials give us a testimony to others. We can say with all honesty we know what you are going through, we have been there, and it was Yeshua that pulled us through. Through our afflictions we are strengthened. Imagine yourself as a mountain climber. You start out with just your hands and the will to climb a hill. But as you climb you realize that you can’t do it alone. So you seek help, and through that help you are given the tools needed to climb the hill. Because of this you learn to rely less on yourself, more on God, and you gain more tools. Now not only can you show others how to attain the tools to climb the mountain, you can take on larger, and larger mountains until finally your mountains become mole hills before the Might of God. This is the true purpose of our trials. To equip us for what is ahead, and remind us that we cannot do anything without the Will of God in our lives. Nothing is truly possible without the Love of Yeshua, our Messiah.
Heb 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, having been tempted, He is able to rescue those who are being tempted.
Just as Yeshua, who we are to be disciples of, by overcoming our afflictions we are able to lead others to our deliverer.
Our trials and tribulations are
1. A way to strengthen us for what is coming ahead. They give us the tools we need to overcome temptation and truly live a life within the Will of our Father.
2. Understanding so we can help others. It gives us the tools and the compassion to truly love, understand and help our fellow man.
3. Witnessing tools by showing whom comforts and delivers us and leading others to the same comforter, and deliverer.
4. A way to get many to worship through prayer
5. A way to get many to worship through Thanksgiving.
As we close this journey, let us take this new insight and apply it to our lives. Lets start to look at our trials and tribulations as the blessings they are. Lets seek the knowledge, strength, and understanding they are meant to provide. So as we face these afflictions let us learn to be thankful for all the blessings that God provides. Even the ones we do not at first understand. I pray that as we go forth in our lives, study, and worship that we do so with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the Glory of Yeshua our Messiah Amen
