Job 1

 Job 1

There is no doubt that Job is the most enigmatic book of the Bible. In almost every way, it seems to beg more questions than it specifically answers. It is a lot like life in that way. And like life, it is beautiful, distressing, challenging, and ultimately pointing toward God. We cannot answer all the questions this book raises, but we can learn from it certain principles.

From the first chapter, there are two principles that will work well in our lives. First, piety and wealth are not certain protections from natural calamity. Job was a man of remarkably sincere character. The description is not of sinlessness but of unadulterated morals; he was not “faking it." He was a good man through and through. His wealth was remarkable. The description of his livestock tells us he was a sort of multinational corporation of his day. The sheep and oxen speak of agribusiness; the donkey and camels tell us of both short- and long-haul carriers along the trade routes. To say he had many employees, or slaves, might be an understatement. How many people did it require to handle, manage, and care for 11,000 head of stock? But all that piety and wealth did not provide protection for the loss of everything he had except a cranky wife and ‘know it all’ friends.

There is another lesson for us, and it comes from the presence of Satan and his dialogue with God. The existence of this conversation brings to mind many unanswerable questions, but it points to a key principle behind it all. Perhaps this analogy will help. Satan is stacking blocks like a toddler on a nursery floor. God is building a mansion. The complex schemes of the enemy of humanity may at time seem powerful, complex, and overwhelming, but they are inconsequential compared to what God is doing in the same moment and indeed by the same events. Satan knows his cause is lost, but in hate he acts against us. Those very acts God will use for our ultimate benefit.

“God, in the midst of the enemies' schemes, accomplish Your purposes in me. AMEN."