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Hanging On By A Thread (Part 2)

In part one we went through Job 1 in its entirety. We learned about the type of man that Job was (blameless and righteous), he was wealthy, prosperous, and had a large family. Satan asked God if Job could possibly remain faithful to him if God took away everything that he had, because (according to Satan) up until this point, God had only showered Job with blessings, so of course he worshiped God! God gave Satan permission to take everything that Job had, but he was not allowed to lay a single finger on Job. All at once Job lost his livestock, his servants, and all ten of his beloved children. The chapter ends with Job grieving, saying "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)

Chapter 2 immediately places us back in the heavenly courts. We have God, the angels, and once again we have Satan (the Accuser). God asks Satan again where he came from, and once again he says he was walking to and fro, up and down the earth. God brings up Job again, but what he says this time really peaked my interest.

"Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason." (Job 2:3)

A common belief when bad things happen to people is that they must have done something "deserve it." For example, someone has lung cancer after smoking cigarettes their whole lives. While I am not trying to say anyone deserves cancer, the cause in this case is clear; smoking cigarettes. (And yes, I have heard of cancer cases, including lung and oral cancer, where the person with cancer never smoked or worked in the coal mine, so the cause is not always known). I'm guilty of assuming that every bad thing that happens to me is a result of some kind of sin I committed at some point in my life, thus now I must be suffering as a punishment for said sin. However, as the book of Job shows us, this is not always the case. Sometimes bad things happen as a result of free will; a family gets hit by a drunk driver, everyone dies but the drunk driver. Did this happen to the family because of their unspoken sins? Of course not! It was caused by the free will of the person who had too much to drink and then got behind the wheel. Sometimes our free will can harm not only us, but those around us as well.

In this case of Job, however, the disasters happening to him were not a result of any action of his or the free will actions of someone else spilling onto him. Even God is saying as much here; "... He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him with no reason." (Job 2:3). Again, I cannot stress this enough, Job did not do anything to cause what happened to him, and he certainly didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to him. Sometimes things happen and we cannot explain it. In Job’s instance it’s arguably spiritual warfare going on, as Satan caused these particular tragedies. I caution you, Reader, be weary to blame every bad thing on Satan. Sometimes bad things happen due to our own doing or someone else’s, other times it seems to just be “life.” Rarer in that I think is it an actual satanic attack.

What Satan says next I find particularly chilling; “Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives.” (Job 2:4). This can be viewed in so many ways. How much are we willing to give to stay alive? Will we give up our wealth and belongings to live? What about our families? Where is the limit of what we are willing to give up to simply stay afloat? He continues, “But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job 2:5). As someone who suffers from chronic pain for unknown reasons, this statement hit me particularly hard. I have suffered for years at this point. I have undergone many scans, surgeries, and consultations with various specialists, only to receive no answers apart from what I definitely do not have, and being told “sorry, I can’t help you.” This has taken a toll on my faithfulness to God. While I’ve done my best to reframe my mindset and seek the truth of God rather than what I want God to be, I still struggle with this. Being in pain every day, sometimes so severe I have no choice but to go to the hospital, I often find myself questioning God’s intentions for me. Why live if every day hurts? Why keep believing if it’s not making me better? Even so, I keep holding on, but I know that even if I let go, God won’t let go of me. He’s been with me thus far, surely he will be with me forever. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4).

God’s response I find equally chilling; “Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.” (Job 2:6). This has always bothered me, both empathizing with Job and others, and looking at the calamity that has happened in my own life. Is the point of the book of Job to show us that humans are all chess pieces in a grand celestial chess game? Is that life, a celestial game of chess between God and Satan? Did God create us because he wanted “play things?” These are a few of the questions I have been plagued with that some would probably call heretical. To make matters worse I don’t have answers to these questions, but perhaps these won’t be answered until we reach the other side.

It says that Satan struck Job and inflicted him with “loathsome sores…from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” (Job 2:7). Job then scraped himself with a potsherd and sat among the ashes (Job 2:8).

This concludes Part 2. Part 3 coming soon.

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Hanging On By A Thread (Part 1)

Have you ever experienced something in life that was so bad you wanted to completely abandon your faith? I have quite a few times. I’m not ready to give the details of what lead me to that mental space, but I do want you to know, Reader, that you’re not alone in that regard.

I find a lot of comfort reading Job when things get particularly bleak. A lot of times we think bad things happen to us because we did something to deserve it or cause it, and while sometimes this may be the case, this isn’t always true. Job lost everything; he lost his family, his livestock, his house, and his health! All he had left was his life, and even that was hanging on by a thread, contingent on two things, either him taking his own life, or cursing God and dying that way, both which he remarkably refused to do.

In Job Chapter 1, we see that Job is described as a man “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1). This is our first look into the life of Job, and it’s important to note how the story starts, that he did nothing wrong. What the man is about to experience is not a result of anything he has or hasn’t done; in spite of what his friends say, there is no secret evil he committed. However, it’s also not random chaos happening to him. While it wasn’t a punishment from God, it also wasn’t caused by God, but rather allowed by God. Let’s keep reading.

Back in those days a man’s wealth was seen in his possessions, but instead of yachts and mansions, it was livestock and servants! It says that Job had “seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.” (Job 1:3). Even if these numbers are being exaggerated, the point of the matter is, Job was very wealthy and was at the very top of his world. Perhaps a modern example of his wealth would be someone like Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg. I will go so far to say though that that is where their similarities begin and end, because the more we learn about Job, not only was he wealthy, he was righteous and blameless in all that we did. I wouldn’t say the same about Mr. Jeffrey or Mr. Mark.

Another sign of wealth and prosperity was the number of children someone had. To be childless was considered a curse, and it says here that Job had ten children, seven sons and three daughters! (Job 1:2). For Job, though, his children were more than just a possession or a sign of his prosperity; to read the text in its entirety reveals that Job genuinely loved his children. According to verse 4, his sons would hold elaborate feasts in their homes and would "invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them" (Job 1:4). Once the feast days came to an end, verse five says "Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all" (Job 1:5). Job always did this (1:5), because he wanted to make sure his children were redeemed in case they "sinned, and cursed God in their hearts" (Job 1:5). The fact that the Bible makes it a point to mention this about Job's actions is a strong testament to his righteousness, but also his love for his children. As a matter of fact, later on in the book after Job lost everything, he laments his children; "O that I were as in the months of old...When the Almighty was still with me, when my children were around me" (Job 29:2, 5). These details in the text, which are easy to just gloss over at first glance, set Job apart from most people in this time because he clearly loved his kids and was always looking out for their best interest.

It wasn't just the people in his land that saw and respected what a righteous man he was. As a matter of fact, God took note of it too! Verse six changes the scene from earth to heaven. Here we are introduced to God and his angels. It appears that God is essentially "holding court;" "One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the Accuser) also came with them." (Job 1:6). Keep in mind that Satan is also called “the Accuser” in this story. God asks Satan where he came from, to which Satan replies, “from going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” (Job 1:7). God then asks Satan if he took note of Job; “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.” (Job 1:8). This further drives home that Job was a good man who did nothing wrong. This part of the story always bothered me, as well, because it seems like God is unnecessarily challenging Satan, especially when we read Satan’s response. Satan says, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” (Job 1:9, 10). Satan is winding up his reasoning to challenge God. Next he says, “But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job 1:11). Satan is basically saying, “Ok God, I see your Job, you say that he is righteous and good, sure, he is. But don’t you think it’s only because you have blessed him and he is so prosperous? I guarantee you that if you take all his prosperity away, he will not remain faithful to you!” God responds with, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” (Job 1:12).

After gaining God’s permission, Satan returns to the earth to reek havoc on everything Job has. First the Sabeans stole all of the oxen and donkeys and killed all the servants, except for one who was able to escape and tell Job what had happened. Next, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them" (Job 1:16). One man escaped to bring the news to Job, but before he had finished talking another messenger arrived with a worse message; "The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants..." (Job 1:17). Finally a messenger appears with the worst news of all; while Job's children were enjoying a feast at his eldest son's house, "a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are all dead..." (Job 1:19).

After receiving this news, Job began the process of grieving. It says he "tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped." (Job 1:20). This is all he had to say after losing everything; "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21).

"In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:22).

This concludes part 1. Part 2 will be arriving soon!

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Men will never worship God with a sincere heart, or be roused to fear and obey Him with sufficient zeal, until they properly understand how much they are indebted to His mercy.

John Calvin

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“He who carries God in his heart, bears Heaven with him wherever he goes.”

~St. Ignatius of Antioch

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Pray without ceasing on behalf of everyone. For in them there is hope of repentance so that they may attain to God. Permit them, then, to be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting; to their blasphemies return your prayers; in contrast to their error be steadfast in the faith; and for their cruelty display your gentleness.

St. Ignatius

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Teach us to give and not

to count the cost.

(Saint Ignatius)

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Of us Bible Christians it may truthfully be said that we “sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” The separating line between the Church and the world has been all but obliterated.

A.W Tozer

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A.W. Tozer- How does Christianity destroy itself in a generation? By not living in the light, by professing a truth it does not obey.

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When Jesus died on the cross the mercy of God did not become any greater. It could not become any greater, for it was already infinite. We get the odd notion that God is showing mercy because Jesus died. No--Jesus died because God is showing mercy. It was the mercy of God that gave us Calvary, not Calvary that gave us mercy. If God had not been merciful there would have been no incarnation, no babe in the manger, no man on a cross and no open tomb.

- A.W. Tozer

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Arrogance, lack of charity, contempt, self-righteousness, religious snobbery, fault-finding--and all this kept under careful restraint and disguised by a pious smile and synthetic good humor...Deep heart searching and prolonged repentance would be better. We may be better than we think we are, but the likelihood is not overwhelming. Humility is best. A.W. Tozer

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“The only safe place for sheep is by the side of the shepherd, because the devil does not fear sheep; he just fears the shepherd.” —A.W.Tozer

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"Quote Of The Day" October 26, 2023

“The nature of God’s love is unchangeable. Ours may be intense at times and weak at others. But His love is deep, constant, and eternal.” — A.W. Tozer

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