As
any learned reader of the Book of Job can see, God has a deeper purpose in the
suffering of His children than even their personal perfection. If we miss this
point we miss the point of Job completely. Paul's words clue us into this also.
Ephesians
3:10-13 ~"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom
of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly
realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus
our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and
confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings
for you, which are your glory."
This
passages show us that God is unfolding to the angels of light and to the hosts
of darkness
for His "eternal purposes" because of His grace in His dealings with
His redeemed humanity. In Job, Satan challenged the integrity of Job in the
council of heaven thereby putting God's honor is in question. This is
absolutely over the top in terms of questioning God. But it is Jobs very reaction
of steadfast faithfulness to God that actually vindicates and brings the
justice to fruition in this story. What does Job say? "The Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord."
What
does this say to us today? What do our actions mean and how do they reflect on
God's character as we are parts of His Body, the Church. What issues or plans
of a divine and sovereign God depend on out proper Christian responses. How
momentous of a pivot point in history will or would one of our decisions be?
What would've happen had we been Martin Luther or Dietrich Bonheoffer?
The
Book of Job not just theory of suffering, it is the application of if in space
and time. Like Job we are often allowed to be placed directly in the crucible
or pain before being saved from it. We saw the same with Daniel and the Lion's
Den and Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego in the furnace. God does not save them
from the dilemma, He first lets them enter it before acting. We see this in
Christ's Crucifixion too. Christ is not saved from the Resurrection but glory
is clearly gained by it in the aftermath. Bottom-line: God must be trusted. Sometimes
our ministry is suffering and pain and it is that ministry of pain that is
given to us because God loves us, not hates us.
Every
refiner of valuable metals realizes that it is the heat of the flame that
purifies. The heat of the flame can be suffering, trials...and even death on a
Cross.
A
Redeemer
Job's
future had been incomprehensible at first, but with his affliction his faith
grows, and he goes on to say:
Job
19:25-27 "I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will
stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I
will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes —I, and not another. How
my heart yearns within me!"
However
dimly Job himself may have understood these words as I suspect they were not
inspired from within himself. Job sees God as the a Redeemer—not a stranger. We
see Jesus in Job's question, " How shall man be just before God ? " A
question answered only in Jesus who was the only man that could stand before
God just and has also justified us "by His blood " (Romans 5:9).
A
Ransom
Christ
Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all...one more time we see Christ again in
the
words
of Elihu.
Job
33:24 ~ "to be gracious to him and say, 'Spare him from going down to the
pit; I have found a ransom for him'-- then his flesh is renewed like a child's;
it is restored as in the days of his youth.
This
is a prophecy from Elihu and the ransom prophesied by and declare by Paul are
one. "Job had seen his Redeemer as the living One who would vindicate him
in the day of His coming, but at the time of Elihu's vision or prophecy he sees
Him as the ransom. The
"Ransom" who would be gracious to him, and deliver him from going
down into the pit. The next verse gives the result of this ransom. "...his
flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth."
Purification and communion rest firmly in this premise and they both rest
solidly on the ground of
full atonement fulfilled in Jesus. The foreshadow of the Cross rest over all in
the story of Job's sufferings. Even though Job's suffering were because of
Satan's antagonism. The suffering upright man points a rigid straight arrow to
the suffering sinless Man." Although Job was wounded first by the world
system and Satan and secondarily by his friends we must see Jesus all over
this. In the suffering we see strengthening of faith. We also must ask: How
close is all this suffering in Jobs life to the description of the suffering of
Christ. Meanwhile, Job complained and justified himself, Christ on the other
hand remained silent before His captors. The lamb did not bleat when He went
before the shearer and the slaughterhouse. Therein lies a main difference
between Job ad Christ. Job's suffering taught people lessons but saved no one,
Jesus' taught people lessons and saved all would come to Him and believe.
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