"Is Job's God YOUR God?"

Day #5: Daily Bible Reading Plan - January 2nd 

Scripture Reading:  Job 1-2 ...

God is not whoever you and I determine we want Him to be or whoever we imagine Him to be.  God is who He is!  Throughout the book of Job you will find people with particular views of God.  The key "players" in this real-life drama are introduced in the first two chapters:  God, angels, Satan, Job, his wife and Job's three friends.  Many people read this account of Job and and focus on Job, but while we learn some lessons about suffering and encouragement through the trials Job faced (James 5:11), the main point of the entire book is to reveal Job's God ... first to Job! ... and to his friends and to all who have read his story through the centuries since.

Job believed in God, worshiped God and served God, so why does God allow Satan to torment Job?  Those who know God's character understand Job's initial response:  "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (1:21).  He had just lost his children and the bulk of his possessions, yet He trusted the God He worshiped.  "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing" (1:22).

We could get into the discussion about the cause of evil, but again, those who know the God who reveals Himself in His Word know that God cannot do evil.  Satan did what God allowed him to do because Satan wanted to cause Job harm and to prove his accusation that Job only worshiped God because God blessed Him (1:10-11).  But God knew Job, and it was God's desire to reveal His glory and power and compassion and mercy TO Job and THROUGH Job.

Job's wife, on the other hand, apparently did NOT know God.  "Curse God and die!" (2:9), was her advice.  Yet, Job displayed both his knowledge of God and his faith in God when once again he responded, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (2:10).  And again it is said of Job, "In all this, Job did not sin in what he said" (2:10).  Already, God was using Job to testify to God's character.  God does what is right - always!  Trusting God is never foolish; it is always the right thing to do.

But now come Job's three friends:  Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.  These men thought they knew God ... but they didn't, and what follows will display their ignorance for all to see - an ignorance shared by many today who claim to know God.  We'll pick it up here next week, but ask yourself this day:  "Is Job's God YOUR God?"  Do you know Him?  Do you trust Him?  Will you serve Him?  He IS worthy!

"O Lord, my God, I believe Your Word and I know You are a God of compassion and mercy to those who call upon You.  You never forsake those who trust in You.  Father in heaven, give me grace to trust You and to worship you in my present and future circumstances, through faith in Jesus, today, tomorrow and forever.  Amen"