6-15-14. Job 2:1-13. Holding Fast To Our Integrity In God –my devotional

Job 2:1-13                                                                                                   6-15-14

Key Verse: 2:3                                                                                          Kevin E. Jesmer

“3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” (ESV)

Dear Lord heavenly Father, thank for Father’s Day. Thank you for sending fathers into our lives, to love us, teach us, discipline us and show us the way. We are truly grateful for everything our fathers do for us. Though they may have their own faults at times, we love and honor them and know that they too are living by the grace of God, just as we are. You, Lord are our heavenly Father. You love us with a perfect father’s love. We want to rest in that love and security that you provide. We look to you as our inspiration and our example to grow in fatherhood. Help us to reflect your fatherly character and love to our own kids and to others around us. Those who do not have a father, may they turn to you, Lord, and be guided by their Father in heaven. Grant me your Father’s wisdom and guidance through this passage.  I pray in the name of the one who loves us with a father’s love…Jesus Christ.

Part 1: Keep The Faith, Even When Suffering (1-10)

Verses 1-10, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And 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.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. 9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

God recognized Job’s life as a man of God. Satan tried to crush Job and accuse him before God, but it was clear that Job maintained his integrity…even though Satan had incited God to ruin him without any reason. God recognized this victory in Job’s life. Our God sees and recognizes each and every one of our struggles in life. He sees our victories and our “overcoming” moments in life. We may suffer in this life, but God will reward us, in this life and in the next.

But Satan was not finished. He challenged God to permit him to strike his flesh. Satan afflicted Job with painful sores. Wow! Life in this life is not easy for so many people. I have a cushy life compared to most people in this world. I feel like I am living in a Christian resort here in DeKalb, with its parks, and quiet streets and everything within two miles. I have my health and family. The only thing I am missing is a multigenerational compound on 40 acres of land. I cannot image the suffering that Job was going through, especially with the loss of his health. That is enough to make anyone despair of life itself. It would make most people blame God.

I don’t really blame Job’s wife. Job’s wife thought that he should blame God. When Job sat in the ashes, scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery, his wife urged him to curse God and die. She was not as spiritually strong as Job. Maybe she was going through caregiver fatigue. After all, she had to hear him moaning and she saw the sores and she had to clean the laundry. It must have grossed her out. She might have even felt that their family was being cursed by God. Her neighbors could have felt the same way and not offered a helping hand, even ostracizing the family. Mrs Job had enough. She wanted it all to end and so she urged her husband to curse God and die. She needed to draw near to the Lord to find strength in him.

There are times when we reach the end of our rope and pray that it may all end. It is these moments that are prime opportunities to meet God very personally. There is a saying, “You don’t know how much you need Jesus until Jesus is all you got.” Both Job and his wife are discovering how much they need Jesus. There is another saying, “It is always darkest before the dawn.” In our darkest moments, we need to know that we are on the verge of a breakthrough in Christ.

Job maintained his faith and spiritual leadership in the family, even in the darkest of times. Job stood strong as a man of God. He wouldn’t even venture where his wife was leading him. He tried to speak spiritual sense into her by saying: “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” Job acknowledged God’s sovereignty and waited on God. In this way he continued to lead his family spiritually. He kept the both of them seeking the Lord. He did all of this even in the midst of extreme suffering.

There are times when we need to be strong, spiritually, even when we are suffering. We may be called to it. But we need to know that even when the going gets tough, there is God with us. The Bible says that we will not be tempted beyond what we could bear. God will surely bring us through.  1 Corinthians 10:13 reads, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (NIV) Jesus promised to be with us, even unto the end of the age.

Part 2: Respond To Those Who Suffering (11-13)

In Job 2:11-13, we can learn how to be good friends to someone who is suffering a lot. Look at Job 2, verses 11-13, “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” (ESV)

We can see how we might respond when visiting someone who is suffering. These three, Job’s friends, came to comfort him. When they saw his agony, they were speechless. They prayed to the God of heaven for Job. They tore their robes, put dust on their heads and sat with him in silence for seven days. That means a week off of work and away from home. That can get really expensive. They spent time with Job and tried to share his agony. We don’t know what to do, but even though we may not have the right words, we get credit for showing up.

I learn here that this is what I could do as friend who seeks to encourage. It is not easy to encourage someone who is suffering. It is not easy to make the time in our busy schedule. How often do we visit someone in the hospital? How often do we make it to a funeral? How often do we visit someone who is sick at home, or call someone who has had a recent cancer diagnosis? Can we take a person out for coffee who has just failed an exam or just lost a job, or broken up with their significant other? Most people can not be bothered. But I think that friends find a way.

Jesus is like this. Jesus is always with us. He is with us when we are suffering. But he does not constantly lecture us. He does not push us to do anything. Many times Jesus sits and listens and comforts and gently counsels our hearts by his Holy Spirit. Though I have failed at this in the past, I hope I could be that kind of friend who finds a way to show the love of God to those who are suffering.

Prayer: Lord, you help me to keep my integrity of heart in times of duress. I trust in you. I hold onto you. I need you…Jesus my savior.

One Word: Don’t crumble under Satan’s assault…find strength in the Lord.