Bible Study Chat 2

Fearnot wrote:

I am so glad you wrote about Job and the celebrating of his children's birthday.
Because somewhere along the line, some bible teacher had suggested that when Job said: "“Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” that Job was sinning.
I never felt comfortable with that idea, but not until you explained that verse, have I been able to know the truth. I don't really remember why the bible teacher thought Job was sinning, but I vaguely think I remember it was because he was doubting God after he had intrusted his children to God.....something like that.
But like you I thought it would be wonderful to pray for my children and grandchildren's sins to be forgiven. Since I have heard Christians can pray for their children to find a Godly mate etc. But to pray for them daily concerning their sins seems even more important.
I am so happy you are starting this today. I was having a bad back-slidding, feeling a heavy depression today. So this was perfect. And as usual, in part, growing old, hurting a lot more lately, the grand kids leaving for 2 weeks etc. all added to the sadness.
This is so uplifting. Thank you!!

 

I'm glad this was helpful for you. That's great!

You know you don't have to accept those kind of days hon. Instead, God tells us to take our thoughts and feelings captive. Our feelings come about because of our thoughts. So we change our thoughts to align with God's, and can then choose to be happy in Him, instead of giving in to ourselves and being depressed. I've had to do that a lot lately too because of Sunny's death, as has Bruce. Not that it's wrong to grieve for something like that, it's not. But it is sinful to wallow in it. Time is way too short to allow that anymore.

I can't imagine where that teacher got that from. I've checked numerous commentaries and there's nothing like that even suggested in any of them.

In the next part of Job, we get to see Satan in action. Job 1:6 —One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. * Here we see that Satan had, and still has access to heaven. Remember that Satan is also called "the accuser" and "the accuser of our brothers" (Rev 12:10). Something to remember is that although we have an "accuser", we also have an advocate, Jesus! Every time Satan accuses us of something before the Lord, even when it's true, Jesus stands there and reminds him that our sin is already paid for and we belong to Him! So whenever our thoughts begin to accuse us, we should do the same thing: remind ourselves that our sin has been paid for, we belong to Him, and there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ!

He tells God that he was roaming around the earth. We see that in other verses as well, such as when we're told he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pe 5:8). Notice too that "he's seeking", he's looking, which again shows us that he doesn't know everything. He can't because he is created just as we are. Only God is omniscient. (another good reason we aren't to pray to angels or so called "saints".)

As we talked about before, Satan is a created being, just as we are. He cannot be in more then one place at a time. But to listen to many Christians, you'd think he could since so many accuse him of harassing them. Satan's not interested in us though. He's going to go for those who might change the world. He tends to leave the rest of us to his followers, the fallen angels, or demons. That's not much consolation, but it's some lol. Generally Satan and his demons aren't going to bother with us unless we somehow invite them to do so. Unless we do that, they're most likely to remain pretty much unaware of us. Unfortunately, many of us have invited them into our lives by becoming involved in the occult at some time. Many more are doing so now and don't even know it because they've changed the names to make what they're doing sound as though it's something "Christian". (like contemplative prayer, etc)

However, even when we've given them an opening into our lives, the Lord in His mercy will still save us from them if we will but ask. He will even firmly close that opening and not allow them access at all if we repent and ask Him to. So there is no reason for anyone to ever feel as though they cannot escape Satan's minions. As you know, I can say this from personal experience, as I know you can as well.

In this case however, God points Job out to Satan and kind of brags about him. Satan then turns around and tells God that the only reason Job is such a godly person is because God's protected him all these years and blessed him so much. Satan suggests to God that if He were to remove His protection and allow Satan to have his way with him, that Job would immediately turn against God. Well, God wasn't going to let that challenge go by without an answer! But, let's look at those verses so you can see them for yourself: Job 1:7–12 —The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” *Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” *“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. *“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. *But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” *The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

By the way, there is no truth in the idea that God was cooperating with Satan in any way in any of this. God has His own reasons for doing things, but we know that He never "cooperates" with Satan in any way. What this shows us though is that Satan can do nothing to anyone without God's permission. God is always in control. He is sovereign. Even if we invite Satan into our lives, he cannot harm us in any way or mess with our lives at all, unless the Lord gives His permission or simply allows it. As we talked about before too, when God does allow it, it's for His reasons, not Satan's. And we can be positive that God's reasons ultimately will work out for His glory and our good. We have no reason to fear Him, because He loves us enough to die for us.

So, here's Job on earth. He doesn't know anything about what's going on in Heaven. He's just living his life as he always has and has no reason to suspect that things are about to change dramatically. The same is often true of us as well. Not that Satan has a bet with God about us, but simply that we often forget that when we're saved, we become soldiers in a battle, not tourists on vacation. The same was true even during the OT times.

What Satan was really saying to God was that no human being would worship Him, unless God made it worth their while. In other words, he was basically saying that God had to pay us to worship Him, because He really wasn't worthy of that worship. So the one reason for all that's about to happen to Job was to put an end to Satan's blasphemy and prove that a person would honor God even if he had no earthly reason to do so. Since we know that everything works out for God's glory and our good, we can know before we even read the rest of this book that this is true of what's going to happen to Job as well. So we can be sure that God didn't allow this to happen just because of Satan's bet, but that He had other very good reasons as well, reasons that would benefit Job if he continued to live his life honoring God. Of course, as we said though, Job wasn't aware of this.

Please notice one other thing about this whole scene so far too. Notice that God did not find anything wrong with Job, only Satan did. Too often we seem to get the idea that God is in Heaven watching us closely with a pad of paper and pen so He can "keep score" and note down every little sin we commit and then "pay us back" for it. As though God was "out to get us" somehow. Kind of like a glorified, adult view of Santa Claus - that we'd better be good - or else! But that's not the case at all. We need to constantly if necessary, remind ourselves, that God loves us! He loves us so much that He died a horrible death for us personally, and not only that, He did that when we still hated Him! So the idea that He's out to get us, doesn't fit with the Truth. The Lord who died for us and who cannot wait to show us around Heaven, is not out to hurt us! In fact, the Truth is, when Satan accuses us, he's really trying to hurt God.

Satan hates us, because he hates God. He wants to hurt God, and what's the best way to hurt any parent? Go after their children. So that's what Satan does. So when we think we're under an attack, instead of wondering if God is out to hurt us, we need to remember that this is all about hurting God because He loves us.

We can't always know why something's been allowed to happen to us. Sometimes we're simply not going to get an answer until we get to Heaven. Just as I don't know why Sunny had to die instead of God healing him again, or why my children were sexually molested when they were little, or why my mother had to die when I was so young, or why I wasn't raised in a Christian home, etc. What I can know, and what we can all know, is that there was a good reason, a reason made based on a deep, abiding love for us that only wants what is for our very best.

The next verses start telling us what Satan does to Job, so we'll look at that next.

 

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