JOB’S TRIAL

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 12 January 2013

Hi all,

Some believe that the “oldest” book of the Bible is the Book of Job. Whether or not this is true, I don’t know. As I understand it, this is based on the names of the people and the places from which they came. One thing we can say is that the book is fascinating and thought provoking. Today’s meditation looks at Job’s trial from his viewpoint. The introduction takes a somewhat different view. The connection with the Mafia is entirely my own idea!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 12 January 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Job’s Trial
Why do bad things happen to good people? The inverse is, “Why to good things happen to bad people? Sometimes we know or we can guess. The Mafia is an unwelcome reminder of one way good things happen to bad people. They make you an offer you can’t refuse and then they sit back and enjoy the good things they receive at your expense. This sort of thing goes back to Noah and the flood. It’s the sort of thinking that brought about slavery. Today we still see it reflected in many societies in the way in which men treat their wives and daughters. Reading the story of Job, we are at a huge advantage over the people who participated in what took place. Right at the beginning, we are allowed a little peek at what took place in heaven. The first time I heard about that scenario, I wondered why it was that Satan had access to God, the way the un-fallen angels had. This was my first shock. My immediate reaction was to ask what that dude was doing there. I thought he wasn’t on speaking terms with God. Then, after a few minutes of quiet thought, it occurred to me that God is more than able to “fix” Satan in an instant at any time. So why not allow him to visit? My second shock was when God spoke about Job to Satan. 8 Then the LORD asked Satan, "Have you noticed My servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless--a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil." Job 1:8 NLT It occurred to me that Satan was being “set-up”. The KJV puts God’s question to Satan as, “Hast thou considered my servant Job?” I figured that if Satan intended to make these visits to the throne-room of God, a regular “thing”, then he needed to be reminded Who was in control. Hence God’s question. As God already knew (He knows everything) Satan was very much aware of Job. Reading the Scripture it’s not hard to conclude that Satan had already made a couple of “passes” at Job in an effort to “fix” him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. It hadn’t worked. Satan knew it and God knew that he knew it! Now it would be wrong to say that God is the “God-father of the Heavenly Mafia”. But the difference is subtle. God is able to “fix” anyone and anything. So perhaps Satan saw Him in that way. To express this in Chicago gangland terms, Satan said something like, “Hey Boss, I can’t get near the dude. He’s got a ring of Your troops around him. Just say the word to Noah’s gang and I’ll show you what’s really going on!” I think we should leave off this imaginary dialog at this point. What happened next reads as though the Mafia got to Job, his children, his flocks and herds and his possessions. Overnight they were gone. Then it was time to fix Job with a serious case of boils, scabs and sores which were weeping with pus. All Job could do was sit on an ash heap and try and scrape himself clean with a piece of broken pottery. Then, to add insult to injury, three of Job’s friends came to sit with him and tell him it was his own fault! Were they really his friends, or had they been sent by the the local Mafia? Good question! The end of the book of Job tells us of the power of God and the reward Job received from God for his faithfulness. There’s only one thing left that really makes me feel nervous. The next time Satan pops in for a visit, I don’t want the Lord to say to him, “Have you noticed my servant Jim?” What if it’s your name? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			3 I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery. 4 Lying in bed, I think, 'When will it be morning?' But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn. Job 7:3-4 NLT 11 A Message concerning Edom: A voice calls to me from the Seir mountains in Edom, "Night watchman! How long till daybreak? How long will this night last?" 12 The night watchman calls back, "Morning's coming, But for now it's still night. If you ask me again, I'll give the same answer." Isaiah 21:11-12 MSG . 37 "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. Heb 10:37 NLT 3 The God of Israel spoke to me, Israel's Rock-Mountain said, "Whoever governs fairly and well, who rules in the Fear-of-God, 4 Is like first light at daybreak without a cloud in the sky, Like green grass carpeting earth, glistening under fresh rain." 2 Samuel 23:3-4 MSG 2 My Father's house has many rooms. If that were not true, would I have told you that I'm going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. Then I will bring you into my presence so that you will be where I am. John 14:2-3 GW 27 "I'm leaving you peace. I'm giving you my peace. I don't give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don't be troubled or cowardly. 28 You heard me tell you, 'I'm going away, but I'm coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. John 14:27-28 GW 31 "LORD, may all of your enemies be destroyed. But may those who love you be like the morning sun. May they be like the sun when it shines the brightest." So the land was at peace for 40 years. Judges 5:31 NIrV 5 All of you are children of the light. You are children of the day. We don't belong to the night. We don't belong to the darkness. 1 Thess. 5:5 NIrV 25 Its gates will never be shut, because there will be no night there. Rev 21:25 NIrV	Perhaps it was depression? I cannot say for sure. We think Job needed comforting. He couldn’t find a cure, For what he had experienced, since great calamity, Had almost overwhelmed him and touched his sanity. There are not many people who suffered like this man. Who would ever think that it was part of Father’s plan? Nobody had told him, it was Satan on the loose, Who had been the author of such terrible abuse! Sitting on an ash heap while his sores were weeping pus. What would we have done if it had touched just one of us? But he didn’t know that he was going through a test And when it was over, by the Lord he would be blessed. Weary nights of misery! Lying in his bed. “When will it be morning?’ was spinning through his head. “What is the solution?” became his silent cry. Mrs Job suggested He should curse the Lord and die. But he wouldn’t do it. He knew that God was good. And he wouldn’t curse God though his Mrs thought he should. We all look for reasons. “O Lord, what have I done? Have I sinned so badly I have “lost it” with Your Son? Can I be forgiven? The unpardonable sin? Am I under judgement? What is this mess I’m in? Lord, You seem so distant! Do You see and hear? Do You know it seems to me my end is drawing near? Lord You are so merciful. Please may I have a taste, Of Your flowing bounty. If I’ve been disgraced, Show me what is needed so that I can repent; And know that in my doing so, your anger will relent. Lord I want to serve you. You are my heart’s desire. Your love is inspirational; it fills my heart with fire. But sitting on this ash heap is driving me insane. All my hope feels futile; am I seeking You in vain?” Those who know the story know what was taking place. Satan had permission, to get Job to disgrace, Himself by doing something, to spoil his reputation, As someone who was righteous in the Lord God’s estimation. Job just sat and argued with his three unhelpful friends. And we know for certain that at the very end, Job was vindicated and his fortune was restored. Just to demonstrate that he was favoured by the Lord. Do not be surprised at this. That’s how it will work out. When you love the Master. There isn’t any doubt, That if you’ve been faithful and pass through every test. In the end it’s certain that the Lord will see you blessed. Jim Strickland Written 12th January 2013