The Portrait of a Blameless Life

This morning we're beginning our summer sermon series in the book of Job.

If we had 15 months, let alone the 15 weeks we have this summer, it wouldn't be sufficient

! time to cover the book of Job exhaustively. John Calvin preached 159 sermons through the book of Job.

But our hope is to look at key landing points throughout the book that will hopefully help

us understand and get a general view of the main messages and themes in Job and how they apply

to our lives. Now when you think about Job, you most likely think of suffering, immense suffering

and loss. And if you've read Job, most likely it's because your yearly Bible reading plan took you

there. Or maybe you were searching for a specific verse and Google took you there.

Or possibly you or someone you loved was going through great suffering and you were looking for

comfort and for answers. Now if you fall into that last category, I hope you did find both

comfort and answers. If you did, you might question the series title, Suffering and the Silence of God.

However, if you didn't find the comfort or the answers that you were longing for, maybe you're

fully behind the concept of God's silence during our suffering. Now just objectively speaking,

God is silent through the majority of the book of Job, more than 80% of it. And as we begin to work our way

through this very long, often repetitive feeling, 42 chapters, it might be easy to find yourself anxious

to get on with it. Longing for God to break the silence, to show up, to speak comfort, to give answers.

And yet, at the same time, wishing Job's friends would stop. Stop talking, stop trying to give some

encouragement, stop accusing, stop arguing that they would just be silent. I think those feelings are

one of the goals of the author. Because subjectively speaking, if you've gone through intense suffering and

loss, I'm sure you know firsthand how slow it can seem, how long every day seems to take. In the moments,

the days, the weeks, the months, possibly even the years, that it seems like God is silent.

Well, at the same time, all those around you are probably saying more than they should about things

they might not fully understand. But I hope this summer that you'll begin to see that even when God is

silent, it's an expression of his immense love. And it's a precious invitation, an invitation to draw

closer, to know and experience him in a more intimate, deep way. Now, even though we're not going to

look at Job in depth, if you'd like to dig deeper in your own personal study of Job, there is a

commentary that I would recommend. It's Job, the Wisdom of the Cross by Christopher Ashe. And there's a

QR code on the screen or in your listening guide that will take you to a link for the books. But

there's also a link to a free online summary of the commentary as well, if that would be of use to you.

Now, the book of Job, it's an incredible work of literature. Aside from chapters 1, 2, and 42,

the majority of Job, about 95% of it, is written in exquisite Hebrew poetry.

It's possibly the oldest book written in the Bible, and many people believe Moses may have edited it

for inclusion in the Hebrew scriptures. Its unique composition has led some modern scholars to suggest

that the book of Job is completely fictional. That in some sense, it's an extremely well-written

ancient parable. However, we see in both the Old and the New Testament clear references to Job as a

historical figure. In Ezekiel 14, verses 12 through 14, Ezekiel writing says,

Ezekiel 14:12–14

And the word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly,

and I stretch out my hand against it, and break its supply of bread, and send famine upon it,

and cut off from it man and beast. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it,

they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.

And then James, in chapter 5, verses 10 and 11, writes,

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Behold, we consider those blessed who remain steadfast. You've heard of the steadfastness of Job,

and you've seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

So I think we have every reason to see the book of Job as capturing historical events,

but in a powerful and creative way that's designed to speak to the heart and not just the head.

Which is also why you'll find it included with other books of the Bible that we call wisdom literature,

Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.

Now, the book of Job begins with its own introduction.

And so if you would turn with me to Job chapter 1,

Job 1 · chapter mention

if you're using a Bible from the seat around you, you can find it on page 417.

Page 417.

And we'll begin in chapter 1, verse 1.

The first thing we're going to see is that there was a man.

There was a man.

And we need to consider four things about this man.

The first is who he was.

Who he was.

His identity.

If you'll follow along in chapter 1, verse 1, it says,

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.

Now, we don't know the exact location of Uz.

Probably in the land of Edom, which is east of the promised land,

because of Lamentations 421, which reads,

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz.

Now, on this map, which is also in your listening guide,

you'll see that that places Uz to the east of what would eventually become Israel.

But also notice, it places it just to the west of Ur.

And if you remember, Ur is where Abram, who would become Abraham,

was called by God to leave and follow him in faith.

But also notice, it puts it in the same general vicinity of Midian.

And many years, of course, after Job,

we'll find that Moses spends 40 years in Midian,

in the same general area as a shepherd,

before he leads the Israelites out of Egypt.

Now, when we look at Job, just based on the length of Job's life,

as well as the fact that in the book of Job,

there's not really any reference to the law,

that the way that Job himself offers sacrifices,

that gives us some indication,

most likely Job lived during the time of the patriarchs,

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, in that general time.

So not only do we see who he was,

but we also need to consider what he was,

what he was, his righteousness.

Verse 1 continues,

And that man was blameless and upright,

one who feared God and turned away from evil.

We need to look at those four things,

starting with being blameless.

And this is important because this is a key point in the book of Job,

that as suffering and tragedy hit,

we will see Job's friends time and time again

and tell him it must be because of his sin.

And Job will consistently proclaim his blamelessness,

that he doesn't deserve what's happened.

Now, as it goes on and on and back and forth,

you might find yourself tempted to think,

maybe Job is guilty of something.

Maybe he doesn't know,

or maybe he's deceiving himself.

But there must be something there.

And Job's friends will continue telling him,

it's a sin that he needs to confess.

But maybe, maybe you'll decide for yourself

that it's just Job needs to grow.

It's to help him mature in his faith,

help him to become more, more faithful in some way.

But isn't that how we tend to view most suffering?

We see it either as a result of our sin

or discipline of our sin,

or we think suffering's been sent to help

some deficiency in our spiritual lives,

to help us grow in Christ-likeness.

But we have to remember,

in the book of Job,

Job is really blameless.

What happens is not because of sin,

and it's not because of the immaturity of his faith in any way.

There must be a third option.

A third option for why suffering happens.

And I think Eric Ortlund summarizes it really well

when he says,

sometimes God allows pain and loss

that have nothing to do with sin in our lives

and are not meant to teach us anything.

Rather, our loss and bewilderment

become an avenue by which God gives himself to us

more than he ever could have before

when we were at ease.

When God puts us into a position

where we must hold on to our relationship with God

for God's sake only,

in which we stand to gain nothing but God,

we start to receive him more fully than we ever had.

Now, thinking about Job's blamelessness,

maybe it will help you,

as it did me,

to recognize that blameless

is not the same as sinless.

Now, of course,

I know that only one man

has ever been truly sinless.

That's Jesus.

But I think in the past,

I've kind of seen Job as like second place.

You know, like not sinless.

He probably had a bad thought once

or, you know, lost his temper once,

probably with his kids, right?

That he was almost sinless.

But the truth is,

that's not the picture that we get in Job at all.

Job himself admits his sin

numerous places in the book of Job.

Here's just one example.

Job 14, verses 16 and 17.

Job 14:16

Job says,

For then you would number my steps.

You would not keep watch over my sin.

My transgression would be sealed up in a bag.

And you would cover over my iniquity.

You see, Job's blamelessness

paints this picture of a man

who honestly acknowledges his sin.

Who has offered sacrifices in faith

to atone for them

and believes in faith.

He's forgiven.

And then lives differently

because he is forgiven.

So this term blameless,

it really communicates this genuineness,

this authenticity in Job's relationship to God.

Now, let me just ask you something.

Has there been a time in your life

where you said to yourself,

I really wish that I could be blameless?

That whatever has happened,

whatever has gone on,

that it could be wiped away,

that it could be clean.

And the truth is,

no matter what you've done,

no matter how big your pride,

your selfishness,

your evil,

your wickedness is,

you can be blameless today in Jesus.

If you would follow along with me,

Colossians chapter 1,

Colossians 1:19–23

verses 19 through 23,

it reads,

For in him,

that's Jesus,

in him all the fullness of God

was pleased to dwell,

and through him to reconcile to himself

all things,

whether on earth or in heaven,

making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you,

who once were alienated

and hostile in mind,

doing evil deeds,

he has now reconciled

in his body of flesh

by his death,

in order to present you

holy and blameless

and above reproach before him,

if indeed you continue in the faith,

stable and steadfast,

not shifting from the hope

of the gospel that you heard.

You see,

you can be blameless today,

but your blameless

is a little different than Job's,

but similar.

It involves honestly acknowledging your sin,

accepting in faith Christ's death

as the sacrifice that atones for your sin

and giving your life to him,

believing in faith

that you are forgiven in Christ,

and then living differently

because you are forgiven

and have new life in Christ.

So you can be blameless today.

And if you'd like to know more

about how you can have

that kind of relationship with Jesus,

please don't leave today

without talking to me

or to someone around you

so that we can make sure

that you have a relationship with Christ.

So Job is blameless,

but he's also upright.

Now, the word blameless

talks about his condition

or his relationship with God,

but the word upright

talks about his relationship

and how he treats others.

You see, Job dealt with others

with moral integrity.

He was honest, respectful,

honoring,

and consistently so.

He's the kind of friend

or family member

or boss or business associate

that we all want to have

and hopefully that we all want to be.

And we'll see his uprightness

laid out in vivid detail

when we get to chapter 31.

But not only is he blameless and upright,

but he's one who feared God.

Job was truly humble.

He lived with an awareness

of his place

before a holy and a sovereign God.

I think Charles Bridges

in his commentary on Proverbs

has my favorite definition

of this fear of the Lord.

He writes,

But what is this fear of the Lord?

It is that affectionate reverence

by which the child of God

bends himself humbly and carefully

to his father's law.

His wrath so bitter

and his love so sweet

that hence springs

an earnest desire to please him.

And because of the danger

of coming short

from our own weakness

and temptations,

there's a holy fear,

an anxious care,

a watchfulness

that we might not sin against him.

So Job feared God,

but you should ask yourself

a question at this point,

and that is,

how does Job know God?

How does Job know God?

Because if Job was living

during the time of the patriarchs,

that's long before

any of the scriptures

we have were written.

It's a long time

before Moses began

under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit

to capture,

to write,

to organize

the beginning books

of the Hebrew scriptures,

what we call the Pentateuch,

the books of Genesis,

Exodus,

Leviticus,

Numbers,

and Deuteronomy.

So how does Job,

or really any of the patriarchs,

how do they know

anything about God?

Now, it's worth asking

that question

so we can take just a moment

to appreciate God

and how from the beginning,

from the time of creation,

God's been working

at revealing himself

to mankind

and sovereignly working

to make sure

the things he reveals

about himself,

those things are passed on.

And so today,

as a result,

we're blessed

to have his written word.

We can see several places

in scripture

that emphasize

the importance

of passing on this knowledge

of who God is

and what he's done.

Here's two examples.

Genesis 18, 19.

God speaking of Abraham says,

For I have chosen him

that he may command

his children

and his household after him

to keep the way of the Lord

by doing righteousness

and justice

so that the Lord

may bring to Abraham

what he has promised him.

So one of the reasons

God calls Abraham

is to pass on

this knowledge

of who God is,

of what God has done

and how to live rightly

before him.

We also see

when Moses is calling

the Israelites

to treasure

and to obey God's law.

In Deuteronomy 4, 9,

he says,

Only take care.

Keep your soul diligently,

lest you forget

the things your eyes have seen,

lest they depart

from your heart

all the days of your life.

Make them known

to your children

and to your children's children.

You see,

from the beginning,

God's been at work

to reveal himself to us

and to be sure

that that knowledge

is captured

and passed on

until it's finally written down

in its entirety for us.

And with that said,

just take a minute

and consider this chart.

You can see it up here,

but it's also

in your listening guide

if it's easier to see.

Just four things to consider.

Okay, the first is,

look at Adam and Methuselah.

Adam and Methuselah,

their lives

overlapped 243 years.

There are 243 years

that Methuselah

could have sat down

with Adam

and heard directly from him

about everything

that had happened

from the beginning.

But then notice,

Methuselah and Noah,

Noah is Methuselah's grandson,

their lives overlap

600 years.

But Methuselah and Shem,

his great-grandson,

their lives overlap

98 years,

a lifetime for us.

Can you imagine them

working on the ark together

and Methuselah telling Shem,

yeah, this is what I heard,

this is what I know,

this is what's important.

But then notice Shem.

Shem lives 600 years,

and I'll just tell you,

I hadn't realized

until this particular time

that Shem outlives Abraham

by 35 years.

And that Shem is alive

the first 110 years

of Isaac's life.

So again,

just to consider that

at the time that Job lived,

that most likely

it's possible

these stories of creation,

of a holy God walking

with Adam and Eve

in the garden,

of their rebellion against him,

and the fall of humanity

into sin

and separation from God,

the need for sacrifices

to atone for sin,

even about the worldwide flood,

all of those things

could have been heard

in as little as

three degrees of separation.

Now, just to put it

in other words,

let's say you lived

at the time of Job.

Well, at that point,

Adam could have told Methuselah,

and Methuselah could have told Shem,

and Shem could have told you.

Now, did that happen?

We don't know.

The Bible doesn't tell us.

We know that it was possible,

but the main thing

to recognize

is that the source

of information about God

is not as far removed

as we tend to think it is.

But whatever the number

of degrees of separation,

Job knew about God,

and what he knew about God

had grown into

this affectionate reverence

by which Job had learned

to bend himself

humbly and carefully

to God's law.

which also means

Job turned away from evil.

Now, again,

Job's not sinless,

but when he sins,

he's repentant.

You know,

we often talk about repentance

and give it the definition

of turning away from sin.

And that's exactly

the picture we have here.

This paints a picture

of a man whose character

is marked by daily repentance,

a habitual turning away

from evil in his thoughts,

his words,

his deeds.

So we see Job's godliness

as Christopher Ash puts it,

Job is a real believer,

genuine in his integrity,

upright in his relationships,

pious in his worship,

impenitent in his behavior.

His life was marked

by what we would call

repentance and faith,

which are still the marks

of the believer today

as they have always been.

Now,

we also need to consider

what he had,

what he had,

his greatness.

Follow along

in verses 2 and 3.

It says,

there were born to him

seven sons and three daughters.

He possessed 7,000 sheep,

3,000 camel,

500 yoke of oxen,

and 500 female donkeys,

and very many servants,

so that this man

was the greatest

of all the people

of the East.

Now,

the first thing we see

is his family

having seven sons,

three daughters,

ten children.

All of those numbers

in Hebrew

are reflective

of good,

ideal things.

And we'll see momentarily

the relationship

they had

with one another.

Job has a wonderful family

that he's been blessed with.

We also see

his prosperity.

You see,

Job's a farmer.

He's not a nomad.

He has a house.

He doesn't live in a tent.

His extended family

have houses.

And then these massive herds,

sheep for food and clothing,

and camels for desert transport,

oxen for plowing,

and donkeys for local transport

of all of this produce

with a vast staff of servants

that make it all happen.

Just immense prosperity.

But not just prosperity.

We also find out later

that Job had this influence

that is worth noting.

When he describes it

in Job 29,

Job 29:7–10

verses 7 through 10,

he describes it this way.

When I went out

to the gate of the city,

when I prepared my seat

in the square,

the young men saw me

and withdrew,

and the aged rose and stood.

The princes refrained

from talking

and laid their hand

on their mouth.

The voice of the nobles

was hushed,

and their tongues

stuck to the roof

of their mouth.

It's this description

of influence,

of respect,

of standing

in his community.

So just speaking

of his prosperity

and his influence,

it's probably not

an unreasonable comparison

to say Job was

the Elon Musk

of his time.

And so it's really,

it's no surprise

that the summary statement

given is

that he is the greatest

of all the people

of the East.

Now, the last thing

we need to consider

is what he valued.

What he valued.

His intercession.

Follow along

in verses 4 and 5.

It says,

Job with his sons

used to go

and hold a feast

in the house

of each one

on his day.

And they would send

and invite their three sisters

to eat and drink

with them.

And when the days

of the feast

had run their course,

Job would send

and consecrate them.

And he would rise

early in the morning

and offer burnt offerings

according to the number

of them all.

For Job said,

it may be

that my children

have sinned

and cursed God

in their hearts.

Thus, Job did continually.

Now, a few things

to notice.

One, notice that Job's

relationship with God

is intimate.

It's authentic.

It's inward.

It's spiritual.

But it doesn't end there.

Job doesn't view

his relationship with God

as merely a personal thing.

He has a heart

that desires

to see others

in right relationship

with God as well.

We see that concern

first presented here

about his family,

his concern and commitment

to lead them

into right relationship

with God.

It's because he recognizes

the wickedness

of the human heart.

And that although Job

undoubtedly

has taught his children

what is right

and how to live rightly

before God,

nonetheless,

he knows

they might have sinned

and turned away

from God

in their hearts.

So Job would summon them

and he would lead

each of them

in offering sacrifices

to make things right

with God.

Francis Anderson

in his commentary

on Job

says,

Job's own act

of intercession

in offering burnt offerings

to restore

the holiness

of his children

shows a belief

in the power

of a mediator

that will lead

to his desire

later on

that someone

should do the same

for him.

See, this wasn't

a one-time thing

for Job.

He did this continually.

It was a lifelong

practice

such that even

as adults,

Job's children

knew what to expect.

They knew their father

would summon them.

They knew that he

would lead them

to right worship

and right relationship

with God.

But Job's concern

for others

doesn't end

with just his children.

We'll see in Job 2

Job 2:9

verses 9 and 10

how he seeks

to shepherd his wife

and guide her thinking.

In Job 13

7 through 10

we'll see

he's concerned

for his three friends'

views about God.

In chapter 27

verse 11

he expresses

his desire

to teach his friends

about God's ways.

And then finally

in chapter 42

verse 9

at the end

we'll see Job pray

for his friends

that their relationship

with God

would be restored.

So we see

this man Job

a godly man

who's blessed

with both

prosperity

and influence

that cares not only

about his own

relationship with God

and living rightly

before him

but also cares

about others'

relationship with God.

We see

this picture

of the world

being the way

we want the world

to be.

A world

where the righteous

are blessed

with prosperity

and influence

and they use it

for God's glory.

But yet

even in this

perfect picture

there's just

this subtle awareness

that people

may act

like they love

and serve God

but in their hearts

turn away from him

cursing him

wishing him gone

or dead.

Christopher Ashe

summarizes it

this way.

He says

there's something

dark

in human hearts

and Job

knows it.

Job knows

that by nature

we do not

honor God

as God

or give thanks

to him.

Only sacrifice

can cover

such sin

in the heart.

and we know

that it's only

Jesus' sacrifice

that can truly

atone

for such sin

and change

sinful hearts.

So there was a man.

But that's not all.

We also need to see

there was a day.

There was a day.

And if we're honest

the ripples

of that particular day

wouldn't stop

at just changing

Job's life

forever

but they continue

down through time

impacting

even us today.

So just briefly

we need to consider

four things

about that day.

The first is

who was there?

Who was there?

The sons of God.

Look at verses

six and seven.

It says

now there was a day

when the sons of God

came to present

themselves

before the Lord

and Satan

also came among them.

The Lord said

to Satan

from where

have you come?

Satan answered

the Lord

and said

from going

to and fro

on the earth

and from walking

up and down

on it.

So on this

fateful day

we start

by being privy

to seeing

into the heavenly

throne room.

We see God

and the word

used here

is really

God's proper name

Yahweh.

We see Yahweh

in the place

of absolute

authority.

And we see

these sons of God

come

to present

themselves

before Yahweh

and give

a report.

Now

this term

sons of God

indicates

created beings

that we can

describe as

superhuman

or maybe

supernatural

is better.

We see this term

used throughout

the Old Testament

but here's just

a few examples

from Psalms.

Psalms 29

Psalms 29:1

verse 1

says

ascribe to the Lord

O heavenly beings

O sons of God

ascribe to the Lord

glory and strength.

Psalm 82

1

God has taken

his place

in the divine

council

among the sons

of God

in the midst

of the gods

he holds judgment.

In Psalm 89

Psalms 89:6

verses 6 and 7

for who in the skies

can be compared

to the Lord

who among the heavenly

beings

among the sons

of God

is like the Lord

a God greatly

to be feared

in the council

of the holy ones

and awesome above all

who are around him.

So these sons of God

are supernatural

beings

but then notice

that one of these

supernatural beings

is highlighted

for us

the Satan.

Now I say

the Satan

because there's

a definite article

here in the Hebrew

which is why

if you look

at whatever translation

you have

it's quite likely

that there's a footnote

that says

it could be

translated

as the accuser

or the adversary

which is what

Satan means

well this has led

to much discussion

and an abundance

of writing

about whether

or not

this

the Satan

is the same

Satan

that's talked about

more explicitly

in the New Testament.

Now time constraints

keep us from delving

into this

in any detail

but let's just

look briefly

at Revelation.

Revelation chapter 12

Revelation 12:9–11

verses 9

through 11

it reads

and the great dragon

was thrown down

that ancient serpent

who is called

the devil

and Satan

the deceiver

of the whole world

he was thrown down

to the earth

and his angels

were thrown down

with him

and I heard a loud

voice in heaven

saying

now the salvation

and the power

and the kingdom

of our God

and the authority

of his Christ

have come

for the accuser

of our brothers

has been thrown down

who accuses them

day and night

before our God

and they have conquered him

by the blood

of the Lamb

and by the word

of their testimony

for they loved

not their lives

even unto death.

So what I can tell you

what we can see

for sure

about the Satan

and Job

is that he's doing

the very same thing

we see him described

as doing in Revelation

he's accusing

the brothers

now in my opinion

that makes it

definitely reasonable

and I would say likely

to think that

it's the same

supernatural being

talked about

as Satan

in the New Testament.

Now I know

the topic of angels

and demons

always piques

everybody's interest

and most likely

you have a lot

of other questions

that you'd like answered

from these verses

and I am not

going to answer them

because I don't want

us to be distracted

from the main point.

You see the main point

of this brief glimpse

into heaven

is to make it

abundantly clear

that Yahweh

is the sovereign God

who is in absolute

control of all things.

He's the supreme

and sovereign creator.

All of creation

lies under

his absolute authority.

Our God has no rivals.

He has no competitors.

And there's no one

that can thwart

his holy will.

Yet,

we also see

that in his sovereignty

he chooses

to govern

the world

as Christopher

Ash aptly

puts it

by the means

of and through

the agency

of a multiplicity

of supernatural powers

some of whom

are evil.

That is to say

the sons of God

represent powers

that are greater

than human powers

and yet are less

than God's power.

They include

among their number

the Satan

and his lying

and evil spirits.

So we see

who was there.

We also need to see

what was asked.

What was asked.

The invitation.

Look at verse 8.

It reads,

And the Lord said to Satan,

Have you considered

my servant Job

that there's none

like him on the earth?

A blameless

and upright man

who fears God

and turns away

from evil?

Now, the first thing

to make note of

is the word considered.

That word really

literally means

have you set

your heart upon?

And so God

basically invites

Satan

to set his heart

upon Job.

But notice

the two words

God uses

to speak of Job

my servant.

You see,

this term

makes clear

Job's intimate

relationship with God.

It communicates

Job's honor

and dignity

that Job

is indeed

living

in a covenant

relationship

with God.

It's a term

we find used

40 times

of Moses.

Here's just one example

from Numbers chapter 12.

Numbers 12 · chapter mention

God speaking

says,

Hear my words.

If there is a prophet

among you,

I, the Lord,

make myself known

to him in a vision.

I speak with him

in a dream,

but not so

with my servant Moses.

He is faithful

in all my house.

When I speak,

with him I speak

mouth to mouth

clearly and not

in riddles.

And he beholds

the form of the Lord.

Why then were you

not afraid to speak

against my servant Moses?

It's an intimate title.

It's a title used

of some of the patriarchs.

It's a title used

of a number

of the prophets.

And it really

communicates here

a powerful

intimate relationship

between God

and Job.

So God invites

Satan

to consider

or to set

his heart

upon Job.

But we need

to be sure

we don't overlook

what was confirmed.

What was confirmed

and that's Job's

righteousness.

Right?

God himself

states,

There is none

like Job

on the earth.

A blameless

and upright man

who fears God

and turns

away from evil.

God himself

affirms

that Job

is this kind

of man.

But also notice

Satan doesn't

argue with God.

There's no pushback.

Satan's like,

What?

Job?

That guy ain't

blameless?

Let me tell you

some things.

Right?

There's no argument.

As a matter of fact,

we're going to see

just momentarily

that Satan

goes on

to acknowledge

Job

does indeed

fear God

and turn away

from evil.

Which brings us

to the final point.

We need to consider

what's the accusation?

What's the accusation?

And it's that

God is unjust.

God is unjust.

Look at

verses 9-11.

It says,

Then Satan

answered the Lord

and said,

Does Job

fear God

for no reason?

Have you not

put a hedge

around him

and his house

and all that he has

on every side?

You've blessed

the work of his hands

and his possessions

have increased

in the land.

But stretch out

your hand

and touch

all that he has

and he will curse

you to your face.

Now,

there's several

important observations.

One,

again,

notice,

Job does indeed

fear God.

Satan is willing

to concede that.

And also notice,

Satan has

set his heart

on Job.

Right?

It appears

that all of the

previous times

he has attempted

to mess with Job

or his stuff,

he's been thwarted

by God's protection.

That there's a shield

around him

and all of his things.

Also notice

that all of Job's

greatness,

his prosperity,

his influence,

his family,

all of that

is really from God.

It's not that Job's

a self-made man.

It's that God

has been the source

of all of these

blessings

in Job's life.

But then also,

think about

Satan's accusations.

He says,

does Job fear God

for nothing?

You could translate that.

Job's righteousness

is not genuine.

He's just serving

himself.

It's just about

what he gets.

Then he says,

you've blessed him

on every side.

And the accusation

is,

you're buying him off.

You're bribing him.

You're paying him

to love you.

Then take it all away

and he'll curse you.

Your system

doesn't work.

It produces hypocrites,

not worshipers.

So we see Job's

godliness is challenged

as being superficial

or selfish,

that it's only sustained

by God's divine protection

and blessing.

But even more than that,

worse than that,

God's character

is maligned.

He's accused

of bribing Job

into devotion,

paying him off,

making it easy.

And so here we have

the central questions

raised.

Is God worthy

of love

for who he is

apart from his blessings?

Will a person

remain faithful

even without receiving

any benefits?

You see,

Satan's basically

questioning God's policy

of rewarding the righteous.

He says,

it's flawed.

God,

you got this wrong.

You're corrupting

true virtue.

You're making it impossible

for there to be

true righteousness

because you're introducing

these ulterior motives.

And eventually,

we'll see Job

question God's policy

of letting the righteous

suffer,

saying that it's not just,

it's undeserved.

And really,

through the book of Job,

we'll see Satan

and Job

and Job's friends

all in one way

or another

eventually question

or challenge

God's wisdom

in how he rules

and runs

his creation.

So,

on that day,

we see who was there,

what was asked,

what was confirmed

and the accusations

that were made.

Now,

as we work our way

through Job,

we'll consider

both the process

and the purpose

of suffering.

But this morning,

this morning,

let's end our time

considering,

asking ourselves

the same basic question

that Satan

is asking God.

Why is Job

pursuing a relationship

with God?

And let's make it

more personal.

Why are we,

why are you

pursuing a relationship

with God?

Is it,

is it because God

is worthy

of your love,

your devotion,

and your worship

in and of himself?

Or,

is it because of

what you're getting

or what you hope

to get from him?

Let me ask you

this week

to ponder,

to consider,

what if you lost

everything good

in your life?

What if it happened today?

What if you lost

every blessing,

your money,

your source

of financial support,

your home,

your closest,

most precious relationships,

your health?

I mean,

just everything good

in your life.

What if you lost it today?

Would you still love,

obey,

and worship God?

But,

but let's up the ante

because it's hard

for us as followers

of Christ

to,

to really consider this

because of all the blessings

that we receive

in Jesus.

But,

but imagine if it was possible

and in Christ

it's not possible,

but imagine if it was possible.

What if you lost heaven?

What if you found out today

without a doubt

that,

that when you die

it's just over?

There's no heaven.

Or,

or maybe worse,

what if you found out today

you would spend eternity

in hell?

Would you still love,

obey,

and worship God?

You see,

we have to ask

these questions

because it's,

it's the very question

being asked

of Job

here.

Which leads us

to verse 12,

the last verse.

It says,

then the Lord said

to Satan,

behold,

all that he has

is in your hand.

Only against him

do not stretch out

your hand.

So Satan went out

from the presence

of the Lord.

And so we have this

final verse

in our passage today

and it sets

the foreboding tone

for what's to come

next week.

Let's pray.

Father,

we come to you

this morning

thankful for your

grace and your glory.

Father,

confessing that

that those of us

that love you

and follow you,

we want to

be able to say

that we love you

in and of yourself

for you are worthy.

But Father,

we know our hearts

are deceptive.

So we ask

that by your spirit

you would search us,

that you would show us

what it is

in our hearts

that truly drives us

to pursue you,

that it might be refined,

that it might be

for our love

for Christ,

for who he is,

first and foremost

in all things,

that he would be lifted up

in our hearts

and minds,

that our devotion

would be pure,

that we would be equipped

to face whatever comes

knowing that

if we have Jesus,

we have all that we need.

It's in Jesus' name

we pray.

Amen.

Thank you, guys.

Have a good day.