“5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. 6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. 7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. 10 O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart” (Psalm 36:5-10).

     I wanted to read this particular Psalm before we look at the trials of a man named Job. The reason I wanted to read this Psalm is that it establishes a theology of God’s love. Unless we understand Who God is, we will be constantly making unfair and inaccurate accusations against Him. We may never fully understand what God is doing in the difficulties of our lives, but we can know that God is good and that whatever God is doing, He is working good in the lives of His children.

“26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:26-28).

     When we read the account of Job’s trials, we can only imagine some of the thoughts that must have gone through his mind. In one day, a string of tragic events took Job’s wealth, servants, sons, and daughters from him. Job was a devoted man of faith. He understood that nothing that happened to him happened without God’s permission. Yet, at the conclusion of that day, we find Job involved in prayer and worship.

“20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:20-22).

     This account is certainly remarkable considering what had just taken place in Job’s life. Most people would not fault Job if he had complained against the Lord a little or if he had questioned God’s care for him. What happened to Job would fall into the category of one of those days when we do not feel loved of God. Yet in it all Job returns a blessing to God. “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

     Job’s theology (understanding of Who God is and His workings in the realm of eternal things) provided Job a perspective of reality in this life that few people ever acquire. It was Job’s theology that led to the victory against Satan’s accusation against the integrity of all mankind. God chose Job because Job was a man theologically prepared to win in a spiritual battle that transcended the mundane material things of this world. The battle was not about oxen, sheep or even children. The battle Job was to fight involved the simple matter of faith. Satan’s accusation was, if God does not bless mankind, they will not still trust Him and bring praises to His Name? That was Satan’s accusation against mankind.

“9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face” (Job 1:9-11).

     Nevertheless, Job did not curse God. Job was knocked down (“Job arose,” 1:20), but he was not knocked out. Instead of cursing God, he falls to the ground in prayer and worship, praising the Name of God. God’s Name reveals Who God is. Job did what God said he would do. His faith won the victory. Even though Job may not have felt loved, he knew his God and knew His God loved him regardless of the circumstances of the events of his life. However, the test of Job’s faith was not over.
We would ask ourselves, how much more could one man be expected to take before his faith falters. Certainly, this trial goes far beyond what any human being should be asked to endure.

“There hath no temptation {testing or adversity} taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted {tested} above that ye are able; but will with the temptation {testing or adversity} also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

     We look at this trial as if Job’s life is an isolated instance in the human predicament. We look at Job’s trials and say to ourselves that no one should have to endure such extreme trials. The reality is that this kind of struggle is happening repeatedly every day all over the world. It is all an issue of faith. It is an issue of the kind of faith that takes us beyond our ability to trust God with our lives even in overwhelming difficulties. Faith that truly knows God, and Who He is, will always rise victorious against Satan’s onslaught of accusations and the difficult trials of life because that kind of faith sees beyond all of life’s difficulties to grasp on to eternity.
It is ignorance of God that opens the door for defeat in a person’s life. We see only the end results of the struggle. We do not see the inner struggles of Job’s heart and mind. We do not want to add words to what God reveals about these events, but God does not reveal to us the questions that must have been going through Job’s mind. Those inner questions were part of the struggle of faith Job was going through. These questions are not what is important. We all have those questions. What is important is that those questions do not formulate into accusations against God. The conclusions Job came to in the answer to those questions is what is important.

      After Job’s second round with Satan, his health is destroyed and his wife’s faith falls in a crumbled heap as Job sits in a pile of ashes. “Curse God and die” she says (Job 2:9). Even in this sad state Job’s proclamation of faith bursts forth like sunshine after a storm.

“But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10).

     In all the struggles and trials of life, believers must understand that God’s purposes are far beyond our ability to understand. God has chosen to join Himself to the human predicament. He is not obligated to do so. He does so because He loves mankind. In fact, God loves us so much He was willing to become one of us in order for us to be saved from condemnation.

“5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

     Paul is telling us in Philippians 2:5 that we need to change the way we think about the difficulties and trials of this life. Whatever happiness we find in this life is much, much more then anything we deserve. We are part of a condemned creation that began over 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. This life is nothing more then a very short span of time that God gives us to discover Who He is and what we need to do to be saved. 

     Satan’s purpose is to make life as miserable as possible so that man will blame his predicaments on God and reject God’s love and redemption. The book of Job details the struggle of the human predicament that happens over and over again in the lives of every human being on earth. The struggle is not about if God loves us. The struggle is about if we love God and can trust Him with this short little span of time that we call life until we move into eternity. That is Satan’s accusation against everyone. Satan says we will not love God and praise Him unless He blesses us.

     Happiness is not one of God’s guaranteed benefits in life. In fact, God guarantees suffering. Enduring faithfully through suffering is the attribute that which should give true happiness in this life.

“10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:10-11).

     Yet, the sufferings of this world cannot compare to the blessings of eternity. We struggle with the issues of trials because our vision of the future cannot see beyond the moment we are presently living in let alone beyond death.

“17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:17-18).

     The greatest testimony of faith to the reality of one’s belief in God is to worship and praise Him through suffering and trials. The world may deny the existence of an invisible God, but it cannot deny the kind of faith that goes through extreme difficulties and cries out to the world:

“25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27).

     God never asks us to do anything He is not willing to do. No one who has ever lived in this world has ever suffered more then the Lord Jesus Christ. He took our sin upon Himself.

“3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:3-11).

     God loves us! There is no question about that. His question to us is, “Can we trust Him with our lives?”