03.08.2021
IBC Admin
“Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job 1:20–22
This week we will start a new sermon series, “Lessons from the Life of Job.” Job who was an upright and righteous man undergoes a series of horrific trials that brings unspeakable suffering in his life. He loses everything. He suffers the misery of war, is financially devastated, a natural disaster takes the lives of his children and his wife abandons him.
Unbeknownst to Job, the source of his misery is Satan himself. Satan accuses Job in heaven of only being a worshipper of God because of a Sig Pro Quo arrangement with God. Job only worships and fears God because of what he gets out of God, not for who God is. And so God allows Satan to test Job and through the test we see Job’s strong faith and his struggle with weakness.
This week we will look the first two responses of Job after losing everything. They first response was to surrender in worship. After losing all of his wealth and children, we read in Job 1:21-22, “Job fell on the ground and worshipped and said, ‘naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I return, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
This response is only possible if we are convinced of God’s character as He has revealed Himself to be. If God is good and all knowing, then I can rest in Him in my suffering. Instead of grumbling and complaint, I can seek the Lord and discover the lessons only God can give through suffering.
The second response was to surrender in trust. After Job’s wife tells him, to “curse God and die,” Job responds, “‘shall we receive good from God and not evil.’ In all of this Job did not sin.” Here we see two very different responses to suffering. Job’s wife became bitter with the loss of her children and wealth, while Job worshipped and trusted God.
How are you responding to the disappointments and trials and pain in your own life? Are you turning from God or learning to worship and discover His presence in your life. Are you trusting God or like Job’s wife becoming embittered with Him? How you respond very reveals the fabric of your faith and heart.