Job 1:1-22 42:12, 13
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.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
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.
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.
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.
20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
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.
22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
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.
If you have ever read Job I think it gives a clear answer to why bad things happen to good people. Job not only lost everything that he had but also lost all of his children too. You can see what type of father Job was, 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. Job was so concerned about his children's spiritual well being that he continually sanctified them and offered burnt offerings for them. I can only imagine the pain and anguish he must have felt when they were taken away from him but even though they were taken away he did the correct thing and didn't accuse or blame the Lord.
Atheists and agnostics love to use this book in defense of their non belief. "How could your God do this? He must be a heartless monster to allow Satan to kill his kids. How could you believe in a God who would allow this"? I could go on and on but I won't.
I have to admit that this is a hard book to understand. Why would God allow Satan to afflict a blameless man? I saw a pretty good explanation written by a fellow apologist named Matt Slick:
When the Bible says that Job was blameless, it does not mean that he was absolutely sinless. It means that he was a God-fearing man who sought to do what was right before the Lord. Job's awareness of his own sins is acknowledged by the fact that he sacrificed animals to the Lord as atonement for his sins in chapter 1. As the story goes, the "sons of God", angels, presented themselves before God. Satan was there and a conversation ensued about Job's goodness. Satan challenges God by stating that Job will denounce God if afflicted. God gives permission to Satan to afflict Job. Of course, Job doesn't denounce God. So, the question is why would God allow Satan to do this? The reason is so that God may be vindicated at His word and so that we might understand that trials and tribulations will come to those who are godly. In the former, we see the righteousness of God After all, none are righteous before God (Rom. 3:10-12). In the latter we see the perfection of Job's faith (James 1:2-4).
I really like this explanation and it gets to the heart of the issue. We as humans have a hard time understanding why trials and tribulations come to the Godly. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in our own godliness that we forget who that godliness is supposed to be exalting. It becomes more about us than giving glory to God. Not to say that is why Job was tested, but I can see how it would apply.
I recently watched a movie called "Perfect Stranger". The female main character asked Jesus if it was God's will that her parents got divorced. Jesus said that sometimes the Lord has to use hard situations to get peoples attention. The divorce so hurt her father that it led him to Christ. And the divorce hurt her so much that she was now having a conversation with Jesus. I'm not sure how Biblical this is but it makes sense to me.
Job was a great father and even though he lost everything; even his children, he did not sin by cursing God.
I wonder if we would have the same faith.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Been away for a while
I apologize to all my readers (all two of you) but I have been quite distracted for a while. To give you an update I have been working on a study of non-christian cults and it has been exhausting.
I won't get into a lengthy description yet because I want to finish my series on fathers in the Bible.
I won't get into a lengthy description yet because I want to finish my series on fathers in the Bible.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Great Fathers of the Bible: Abraham
Genesis 22:1-18
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am . 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Wow! What a powerful experience of making a hard choice. Abraham knew that he had to obey God even if it cost him his son. In the Bible it doesn't even seem like Abraham had any second thoughts about it. As a father myself I know I would have been agonizing over this choice with every step that brought me closer to that mountain top. Would I have walked a little slower, delaying the inevitable? Personally I don't know if I could have made the same choice that Abraham did. What does this say about Abraham as a father? Does his example prove that he had no feelings for Isaac? God Himself disproves this when he says in verse 2 "Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thy lovest".
God knew that Abraham loved his son. God knew how hard this choice was going to be for Abraham. Was God wrong for putting Abraham in this situation? Opinions may vary but for me it is an emphatic no.
If you look at what happens after God saves Isaac you will see how much God loved Abraham, who was His faithful servant, and how much He loves us.
If you look at verse 18 "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; BECAUSE thou hast obeyed my voice", you can see God's eventual plan for the reconciliation of mankind to Him. Jesus is that blessing to the earth.
What would have happened if Abraham had not obeyed? Would we have missed out on the blessing of Jesus? Would God have decided that we were not worth the trouble to send His Son to us? Hard questions indeed when you take into account that no one stayed the hands of the Romans when Christ was crucified. No one quieted the voices of the Jews and the Pharisees when they called for Barabbas to be spared instead of Christ.
Two different fathers, two hard choices, and the earth has been blessed because of both.
God in Heaven, as a Father you made the toughest choice of all. You sent your Son to die for us, even for those who deny you and mock you by saying you don't exist. I pray that you will move in their hearts and reveal yourself to them in ways that they can no longer deny you. I pray that you will strengthen my resolve as a father, so that when I have to make tough choices I will make my choices according to your will and your everlasting love. It's your name I praise, the everlasting name of Jesus. Amen
M
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am . 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Wow! What a powerful experience of making a hard choice. Abraham knew that he had to obey God even if it cost him his son. In the Bible it doesn't even seem like Abraham had any second thoughts about it. As a father myself I know I would have been agonizing over this choice with every step that brought me closer to that mountain top. Would I have walked a little slower, delaying the inevitable? Personally I don't know if I could have made the same choice that Abraham did. What does this say about Abraham as a father? Does his example prove that he had no feelings for Isaac? God Himself disproves this when he says in verse 2 "Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thy lovest".
God knew that Abraham loved his son. God knew how hard this choice was going to be for Abraham. Was God wrong for putting Abraham in this situation? Opinions may vary but for me it is an emphatic no.
If you look at what happens after God saves Isaac you will see how much God loved Abraham, who was His faithful servant, and how much He loves us.
If you look at verse 18 "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; BECAUSE thou hast obeyed my voice", you can see God's eventual plan for the reconciliation of mankind to Him. Jesus is that blessing to the earth.
What would have happened if Abraham had not obeyed? Would we have missed out on the blessing of Jesus? Would God have decided that we were not worth the trouble to send His Son to us? Hard questions indeed when you take into account that no one stayed the hands of the Romans when Christ was crucified. No one quieted the voices of the Jews and the Pharisees when they called for Barabbas to be spared instead of Christ.
Two different fathers, two hard choices, and the earth has been blessed because of both.
God in Heaven, as a Father you made the toughest choice of all. You sent your Son to die for us, even for those who deny you and mock you by saying you don't exist. I pray that you will move in their hearts and reveal yourself to them in ways that they can no longer deny you. I pray that you will strengthen my resolve as a father, so that when I have to make tough choices I will make my choices according to your will and your everlasting love. It's your name I praise, the everlasting name of Jesus. Amen
M
Great Fathers of the Bible Intro
I wanted to take the time to reflect on some of the greatest or most misunderstood fathers of the Bible. I will be dealing with a few in particular. Namely Abraham, Job, Father of the Prodigal Son, etc...
There are many misconceptions on how Christian fathers should act concerning their love for their children versus their love of God and Christ. I hear many agnostics and atheists who argue that God is not a very loving person simply because he has made these Fathers make hard choices. I personally think that when you believe in nothing you are hardly equipped to judge the actions and motives of the Maker of the universe. Obviously none of us are able to judge the actions of the Most High but some (the aforementioned agnostics and atheists) feel they are uniquely equipped to do such a thing. I wonder what it is like to be a god in your own mind...nevermind....I wouldn't damn myself in that way.
Herein lies the question. Are we as mortal Fathers called to have our children make hard choices? If not why then why have them make any kind of decisions at all? Wouldn't it be easier just to make every decision for our children and let them live in a world where there are no consequences for their actions or in-actions? Oh wait...we already have parents like that who coddle their children right into prison or the grave because their children have not learned a basic lesson of life...your choices have consequences!
Do you think that God made a hard choice to let His only begotten Son come to earth to die a horribly painful death...all for the forgiveness of sin? I look at my son and I know that I could not make that choice. What does that say about our Father in Heaven? What does that say about how much He loves us.
Please check back periodically as I explore this topic in more detail.
All Praises to Him and Him alone,
M
There are many misconceptions on how Christian fathers should act concerning their love for their children versus their love of God and Christ. I hear many agnostics and atheists who argue that God is not a very loving person simply because he has made these Fathers make hard choices. I personally think that when you believe in nothing you are hardly equipped to judge the actions and motives of the Maker of the universe. Obviously none of us are able to judge the actions of the Most High but some (the aforementioned agnostics and atheists) feel they are uniquely equipped to do such a thing. I wonder what it is like to be a god in your own mind...nevermind....I wouldn't damn myself in that way.
Herein lies the question. Are we as mortal Fathers called to have our children make hard choices? If not why then why have them make any kind of decisions at all? Wouldn't it be easier just to make every decision for our children and let them live in a world where there are no consequences for their actions or in-actions? Oh wait...we already have parents like that who coddle their children right into prison or the grave because their children have not learned a basic lesson of life...your choices have consequences!
Do you think that God made a hard choice to let His only begotten Son come to earth to die a horribly painful death...all for the forgiveness of sin? I look at my son and I know that I could not make that choice. What does that say about our Father in Heaven? What does that say about how much He loves us.
Please check back periodically as I explore this topic in more detail.
All Praises to Him and Him alone,
M
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