- Puzzle:
Why did God test Job - Why did He give
Job over to Satan?
- Statement: We can say with
surety that everything God created was good.
- God created Satan perfect in all his ways and
at some point something happened.
- Saul was God’s
anointed King – but something happened.
- David was a man after
God’s own heart – but something happened.
- Solomon was given
more wisdom than anybody – but something happened.
- Job was a perfect upright
man that reverenced God – DID SOMETHING HAPPEN ?
Ezek 28:15– Satan was perfect in his ways
15 You were perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
KJV
Job 2:3-6 – Job was a perfect and upright man
3 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 fears God, and hates evil?
- Let’s
look at the story of Job.
- Satan had returned to
heaven and was having a discussion with God about Job, inferring that the
only reason Job reverenced God was because he was blessed with so much
stuff.
- God asked Satan “a
rhetorical” question; Have you considered my servant Job ?
- God was just bringing
a point to the surface. He already knew that Satan wanted to “sift Job as wheat” and was just
messing with him by asking the question.
Luke 22:31 –Satan was after Peter too.
31 "Simon, Simon, Satan
has asked to sift you as wheat.
NIV
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Job 2:3-6 – Have you considered my servant Job?
3 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 fears God, and hates evil?
and still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to
destroy him without cause.
4 And Satan answered the
LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his
life.
5 But put forth your hand
now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
- Now here, after this
conversation, God tells Satan that Job “is in his hand”.
- God did not give Job
to Satan - Job was already in Satan’s hand - Satan just didn’t know it.
- God reminded Satan
that he has set limits on the extent of his afflictions toward man.
6 And the LORD said unto
Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; but save his life. KJV
- Behold
he is in your hand.
- NOTICE: Job is already in Satan’s hands. The Question is why.
- Sin in the life of
the believer allows Satan to access our lives.
- Let’s look at a few
scriptures outlining Satan’s schemes to mess with our lives.
2 Cor 2:10-11 – Satan’s schemes
11 in order that Satan
might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. NIV
 |
1 Cor 7:4-5 – Withholding yourself from your spouse
5 Do not deprive each
other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote
yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt
you because of your lack of self-control. NIV
2 Cor 2:9-11 – Un-forgiveness
10 If you forgive anyone,
I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven-if there was anything to forgive-I
have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,
11 in order that Satan
might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. NIV
1 Tim 5:13-14 – Gossip – Busybody -
13 Besides, they get into
the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do
they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they
ought not to. NIV
2 Tim 3:1-4– Boastful – Proud – Abusive – Unforgiving -
slanderous
2 People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of
the good,
4 treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- NIV
1 Tim 3:11 – Malicious speech
11 In the same way, their
wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate
and trustworthy in everything.
NIV
2 Tim 2:15-16 – Empty Chatter
16 Avoid godless chatter, because those
who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. NIV
Titus 2:6-8– Course Speech – Cursing
7 In everything set them
an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity,
seriousness
8 and soundness of
speech that cannot be condemned, NIV
2 Tim 2:23-24 – Quarrelsome - Resentful
24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel;
instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. NIV
Titus 3:1-2 – Lawbreaker
3:1 Remind the people to
be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do
whatever is good,
2 to slander no
one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
NIV
1 Tim 6:3-5 – Envy – Strife – Malicious Talk - Friction
4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He
has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about
words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions
5 and constant friction
between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think
that godliness is a means to financial gain. NIV
Titus 3:9 - Arguments – Quarrels - Controversies
9 But avoid foolish controversies
and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because
these are unprofitable and useless.
NIV
1 Tim 4:14 – Neglecting your gift or calling
14 Do not neglect your
gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of
elders laid their hands on you. NIV
- So, did
Job sin letting Satan “sift him as wheat”? Let’s see; Job was forever offering
sacrifices and praying for his children in case they had sinned against
God.
- They loved to party
and Job feared they would get into sin even if it was only in their heart.
Job 1:4-5 – Party time
4 His sons used to take
turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters
to eat and drink with them.
5 When a period of
feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in
the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps
my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was
Job's regular custom. NIV
- After the
conversation with God, Satan tore up Job’s playhouse.
- Job had moved from
being a concerned parent to a man operating in FEAR which opened the door to the same serpent that tricked
Adam and Eve.
- Satan “sifted Job as
wheat”.
Job 3:25 – Job was operating in fear
25 What I feared
has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. NIV
Phil 4:5-6 – Do not be anxious
6 Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. NIV
Rom 14:22 -23 – Do not doubt
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned ….and
everything that does not come from faith is sin. NIV
James 1:4-8 – Double minded
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to
him.
6 But when he asks, he
must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the
sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not
think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all he does. NIV
1 Chron 21:1-2 – Satan tricked David to disobey God –
Fear/Doubt
21:1 Satan rose up
against Israel Israel
- While the story of
Job teaches us the steadfastness of Job’s devotion to God, it also teaches
us how Satan gets a foothold in our life.
- Both are teachable
moments.
1 Cor 15:33-34- Don’t be ignorant of God
34 Come back to your senses as you ought,
and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God-I say this to
your shame. NIV
13 For he has rescued us
from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son NIV
2 Cor 4:4 – Satan has blinded the unbeliever
4 The god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. NIV
Matt 12:29 – Satan seeks to bind us in sin then steal our goods.
29 "How can anyone
enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties
up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. NIV
LIFE IS FULL
– NOT MUCH TIME FOR GOD
- When our family life
is great; our employment is good; money is good; we are on top of the
world - we have very little need of
God. It’s the valley experiences
that bring us closer to Him.
Pro 30:8
8 Give me neither
poverty nor riches. Give me just
enough to satisfy my needs.
9 If I grow rich, I may
become content without God, and If I am too poor, I may steal and
thus insult God’s Holy name. LB
- So here we are. We place our lives in the hands of God
or Satan by our own actions whether intentional or not. In wisdom or in ignorance. Study to show yourself approved unto
God.
Read it and Do it.
Study to show yourself
approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 KJV
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
A survey of the New
Testament – Gunry
All the Miracles of the
Bible - Herbert Lockyer
Bible Commentary – F. B. Meyer
Compact Bible Dictionary - Zondervan
Complete Bible Handbook – Lawrence
Dake’s annotated Bible - Dake
Halley’s Bible Handbook – H.H. Halley
KJV Bible
Mystery of the Ages – Herbert W. Armstrong
Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest
NIV Bible
The Illustrated Bible
Dictionary – Tyndale
The Layman’s Overview of
the Bible – George W. Knight
Vincent’s Word Studies of
the NT - Mac Donald
What the Bible is all
about – Henrietta C. Mears
What in the World is going
on? – David Jeremiah
Wikipedia encyclopedia
Wycliff Bible Commentary,
The
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