Thoughts for another day

June 4, 2013.

Today's verse: Job 1:8 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 feareth God, and escheweth evil? (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

It’s rather rare in the Bible that the Lord God makes such a wonderful statement about people and Job is one of them.  The Book of Job is indeed a mystery as to the reason why it happened as it did.  Why did it happen that God got into a wager with satan over Job, a righteous man from the land of Uz, obviously not a Jewish territory, though we’re told that Job did follow the prescriptions the Jews were to follow.  A wager which He, being omniscient, knew He would win. 

There’re many theories propounded by scholars and academicians as well as men of God as to why it happened the way it did, and each looks primarily at the suffering of Job to be central to the reason for the Book of Job; thereby to give courage and hope to all those who suffer and this of course is good.  While the Book of Job is probably the best treatise on unmerited suffering, assuming of course that bearing abhorrence to society would merit suffering, which Job didn’t bear; I believe we miss the point, that is God’s belief in Job and Job’s fidelity to Him.  Look at God’s statement, ‘Have you considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil’, what a thing of pride for a man that God can say this about him!

You know, there’s something different about servants of God: they’re meant to suffer for God and while doing it are also to keep themselves in good spirits.  Sometimes in their pain, they may in their moments of solitude with God, look at Him accusingly, abetted by their human weakness, but before others they’re reconciled to the suffering and many even praise God for it and stay steadfast in their devotion to Him.  Believe me it’s difficult to stay steadfast in God when trouble hammers but when that happens, it’s time to look up to the hills from whence our help comes and when we’re able to do that, some day God will say, ‘Look at my servant….see how, though I sent him trouble, he unflinchingly believes in me!