The LORD Gave and The LORD Has Taken Away
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July 22, 2012 |
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 "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.'" (Job 1:20-21)
A rough diamond looks like just a stone, but after a skillful jeweler's workmanship it is turned into a precious gemstone that shines brightly and it is loved by many people. Like the rough diamond, a man loved by God can become a precious worker after their rough traits are cut away, cleaned and polished through refinement. In the Bible, what kind of refining trials did Job go through to discover and cast away the evil that was deep in his nature to become a man of blessing?
1. The reason God allowed the testing of Job
Job 1:1 introduces Job like this, "That man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." Job, as the greatest of all the men of the east, helped the poor and orphans and did many good deeds. But why did Job, who was blameless and upright and did only good, have to go through such severe trials?
Job was a man of the Old Testament Time. He was perfect in outward actions, but he still had evil deep in his nature. God knew that he would become a child of spirit and get blessed more greatly if he cast away the evil that was deep in his nature. That's why He allowed for the test of Job.
One day, Satan said to God that Job served Him because He had given him great blessings. Satan brought accusation against Job saying that Job's blamelessness should be tested through the removal of God-given blessings. God allowed for the test just as Satan had spoken, and then God told Satan 'not to put forth its hands on him.' In other words, at the point, God stopped the trials that would cause harm to him. (Job 1:12)
Here, what we should know is that it's not God, but Satan who brings tests to men when they commit sins or do something wrong. That's why James 1:13 tells us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."
2. Job didn't blame God even after he lost all his possessions and his children
Eventually, a great affliction came to Job. In a moment he lost all he had except for his own body and his children. But Job didn't blame God. He rather said as in Job 1:21, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Next, Satan brought to him another test that threatened his life. Job was smitten with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he scraped himself with his fingers and it became so serious that he took a piece of a shattered clay pot to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. But he didn't blame God.
Let alone comforting Job, his wife said to him, "Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9) But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10) In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
But Job spoke as he did because he didn't understand the truth yet. God, who is the Truth itself, doesn't allow calamity to come upon us without reason. When someone is punished, there must be a reason. When we obey God's Word, blessings will be received. But when we continue to disobey, it will be adversity we will receive instead. Job knew well about God who blessed him, but he misunderstood Him thinking God indiscriminately brought adversity upon people for no reason. As a result, he couldn't find his faults.
Since Job misunderstood God like this, he regarded God as a dictator of sorts. If he had realized why he had to be put under such adversity, he would have turned away from it. But he couldn't discover it in himself. Consequently, he couldn't help but to be put under the testing.
3. Job revealed the evil deep in his nature when his life was threatened
As he was continually placed in desperate situations, Job finally began to reveal his evil that was hidden deep in his nature. He cursed the day of his birth and his circumstances. He also blamed God when his life was threatened.
In Job 27:2, he said, "As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul." He asked why God brought to him such adversity saying he was righteous and honest and feared God in truth.
If Job had believed in God completely and confessed "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away," he wouldn't have complained and blamed God. He would have just given everything as well as his life out of a thankful heart for the grace of salvation given to him.
However, we must not think that Job complained just like an ordinary person who bursts out in anger. Even though he complained and blamed God, he did so only in extreme desperation, that is, in extreme anxiety and hopelessness. It's a totally different story from that of those who have hard-feelings and get furious due to minor problems.
4. After casting away the evil that was deep in nature, Job became a man of blessing
In Job Chapter 38, God began saying to Job, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" To Job who knew God as knowledge and had never met God from the heart, God worked through His voice.
Job had blamed God through many of the words he'd spoken. But, he became speechless when he heard God's voice. Job had even said, "I desire to argue with God" and he also told God to appear to him if He existed. So, at this point Job was too ashamed to ask for God's forgiveness.
Eventually, Job so thoroughly repented that he thought himself to be righteous. He then acted like he knew everything out of arrogance. From the bottom of his heart he said, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)
Through such trials, Job eventually discovered the evil in his nature, got rid of it, and achieve a good heart that God wants. He came to have a heart that can say to God, "Let Your will be done" even if God wanted his life. He came to love God with his heart and showed actions of love.
As God's blessing, in the end Job's possessions were increased twofold. He was also blessed to have seven sons and three daughters. Moreover, in all the land no women were found so fair as Job's daughters. In this way Job not only came to have faith that was like pure gold, but he also received all kinds of blessings including fame, authority, finance, children, and good health.
Dear brothers and sisters, many people wrongfully interpreted the Book of Job saying, "Just endure all trials and adversity. Then, you will receive blessings." But blessings don't come just because you endure trials. You need to figure out why the trials came and find the walls of sin you built against God. When you do, you should repent of your sins thoroughly. Job had been considered to be blameless and upright, yet he was able to become a man of blessing when he discovered evil deep in his nature, repented before God, and got rid of it.
Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that by casting away every form of evil and becoming sanctified, you will receive God's love and blessing as men of spirit.
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