(Numbers 11:11) “Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?”
This must be part of a Christian’s life. Why? I often question this myself; surely life should be carefree and happy-go-lucky. This is a dream or rather a fairly tale that was never intended for the Christian.
“Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith.
There was a great man or old who fear God, shunned evil and was blameless. What a commendation. Even this man was selected by God himself to prove to Satan and the angels that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. His name was Job and as a man he went about his daily business always putting the Lord first. I know that I should walk in His footsteps but I most definitely lack, and I do not follow his example in areas of my life as I should. This must change and by God’s grace I will alter.
The lesson is twofold, firstly let us look at his example and what we can learn from him and secondly how God tests us to try our faith.
(Matthew 6:9-10)... "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We can see in this text that the Lord requires us to honour and bless Him and to also endeavour to live a life on earth as if we were with Him in heaven. This is a very difficult concept to fathom and to actuate. Nevertheless it is required of us.
With that in mind, let us look to arguably our greatest example after the Lord Jesus.
(Job 1:1) “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”
The Lord gave him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. He feared for his children souls as they liked to “party it up.” For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." This Job did continually.
We can see he had a heart for God and a concern for His children. This was the pattern to his life, a rich man, but he most definitely had his priorities in order.
Now, something else was happening in the unseen world, it looked something like this; now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 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." 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?"
Satan’s reply is very interesting, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job was oblivious to what had just taken place in heaven, but it was game on. He never knew what was coming; “Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” The question that would soon be answered was Job’s faith worth anything? It will be exactly the same for all of God’s children to some degree as our faith must be experienced.
“Gilt is afraid of the fire, but gold is not. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, “Though he slays me, yet will I trust in him,” is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts his servants to glorify himself, for he is greatly glorified in the graces of his people, which are his own handiwork.” C.H.Spurgeon
How will we ever know the music to a guitar if we never tough the strings? Or what an olive goes through to produce it fine oil?
The story of Job is detailed and has lots to teach. Time will not permit but suffice to summarize...
In one day this is what Job faced; “The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you." Imagine, we cannot even begin to image with any real understanding, but it is his reaction that is absolutely astounding.
Then 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."
All came against him, his wife, his friends but never his God, God was busy refining him as he refines us. He was humbled by the great Jehovah, he also learnt much through his great trail and in the end we see the heart of God for His people.
“And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land there were no women as beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.”
Wherever dearly beloved you may find yourself, I will leave you with this scripture;
Now let us not overlook how God received the glory through Job trail, Satan challenged him to a duel in front of many if not all the angels. It is our great God and King that triumphed as He always will.
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