Skip to main content

All Hell Broke Loose! - Job 2

We don't use the word Hell, do we? Maybe we should use it more. I believe that that was what Job saw happening in his life in chapter two of his story. He had lost his health, and you know that you don't have anything if you don't have health. So in chapter two, he lost all of his earthly possessions, including his family. And all of this happened because God called Satan's attention to his sound and faithful servant. Wait? What? 


As mentioned in my last blog post, just because we are God's children does not mean we will not suffer total disaster in life. I know that you have read Job's tale of whoa and have talked about the friends who came to comfort /accuse him. Job could have avoided this whole episode if God had left him alone in his little corner of the world. The Devil hadn't found that corner in his wanderings. 


You may remember that scholars believe that Job walked this terrestrial ball around the time that Abraham did.  He had no Bible nor even direct communication with God, so we might ask, how did he even know about God? Oral tradition was strong in those days, and he must have learned about God via the theological "grape-vine." Whatever the case, we know that he seemed to be doing everything, even before Moses wrote the book. So, why didn't God let the Devil pick on some lousy guy somewhere else? Because he didn't, that's all. 


God never explained why Job suffered, but he does take him to task at the end of this epic poem. He tells Job that he had better buck up and recognize who was in control in no uncertain terms. God, being sovereign doesn't mean all don't feel that sin's effects. God allows sins' consequences to take the stage to help us understand what is vital in this life. That importance is, understanding more and more about our Great God. So, if it looks like all Hell is breaking loose in your life, realize there is a divine purpose behind that trouble. You may never know what that goal is, but you can understand that God is at work to turn your eyes from your infernal situation and toward him.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caught up to Paradise - 2 Corinthians 12

Residing in Michigan for over half my life, I had heard about Paradise. Because Paradise is a small town in the Upper Peninsula, you may have never visited there in your life, but you knew it existed. It was WAY up there next to Tahquamenon Falls and nothing else. Where's Tahquamenon Falls? Next to Paradise and nothing else. It's a long way from home.  Why all of the talk about Paradise? Because Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 12. There was this guy who had been caught up to Paradise. Not in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but into the REAL Paradise. While there, he'd heard things that he was unable to repeat. What on earth was this? Who was this guy? Here's what was going on. Paul defended his position of Apostleship in chapter eleven and gave the Corinthians an idea of what Apostleship looked like in chapter twelve. It came with great wonders, like seeing or instead hearing unimaginable things. But, too, that position came with a terrible cost. God gave Paul a &q
Post a Comment
Read more

What to get God for Christmas

Jesus left perfect surroundings, relationships and glory to be born into squalor. He was homeless before birth. His father was a carpenter in a culture where carpentry was a despised trade. His, mother though young and giving birth to her firstborn, had no attendant nurses, helpers or friends. Rather than a pristine hospital, birth was given in the filthy stench of a stable. Romantic? Hardly. This sacrifice brought a life of hardship. Why? Why this odd story? Obedience. God's gift to humanity was His son. Jesus' gift was obedience to the Father. He paid the greatest price. Not because we are special but because he loves His Father. His gift was the perfect gift. Our Father wants obedience for Christmas and every other day for that matter. In Brazil Christmas is becoming commercialized. A phenomenon familiar for years in the United States tickles a growing economy. There is little time for meditation on God's Gift. There are no chestnuts roasting or Jack Frost nippin
Post a Comment
Read more

Stop Trusting

Isaiah 2:22 says Isaiah 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? The Prophet is saying that we shouldn't put our trust in humankind because they are so finite. They are not like God, who is infinite. People are fickle. They change their minds. They love you and then hate you in moments.  God invites us to trust him completely with everything that we have. He doesn't show himself to us physically or as a spirit. He demands that we have faith. However, he also gives us the faith to trust him.  The universe shouts "Creator!" and yet we often ignore the proclamation. This ignorance does not make God's creation any less a physical demonstration of his grandeur. God's boundless being becomes more amazing in his presence within us. How can the infinite God dwell in the mortals he commands us not to trust?  Jesus said, "with man it is impossible but with God, all things are possible." 
Post a Comment
Read more