We're going to be in the book of Job this morning, chapter one. And before we get started, I would once again ask that you go to the Lord in prayer with me. Our Father in heaven, we simply ask That for the things that you would have us to know, that you would give us those things. That we'd be appreciative, grateful, thankful that we have your word. That you have made a way for us to understand our God. We ask for blessing upon our time. In Christ's name we pray, amen. So Job chapter one. Many of us are familiar with the book of Job, the scriptural telling of a man who is wise and wealthy, who then has everything taken away from him. There are many chapters of dialogue with Job and his friends searching for answers. And with Job questioning the reasoning of God, God gives an answer and God restores Job. What comes to mind when we think of Job? Why does God allow suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? I want to make a comment here about being familiar with stories. I would think that we all have some favorite stories, stories we like to hear told. I'm a fan of watching some favorite movies over and over again. Some of us enjoy rereading books or maybe watching reruns of old television shows that we grew up with. Even though we know how they end, there is a comfort in the familiar. And when we know just how everything is going to turn out. And I say that so that I can say that we must be careful about treating the scriptures like just old familiar stories, like television reruns. Often when I've had a conversation with someone about the scriptures and mentioned the book of Job, the person I'm speaking with is quick to respond with something like, how good it was for God to restore Job. both his health and his wealth. Job 42.10 reads, and the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. We want to jump to the happy ending and put a nice little bow on things. But I ask of you today to let us slow down and consider what is happening in these verses. as Job was living through them. Starting in verse one, 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. There were born to 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, greatest of all the people in the East. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would sin and consecrate them. And he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually. Although the actual author of the book of Job is unknown, it can be inferred that it cannot be Job. Job would not have known about the conversations between the Lord and Satan that appear in upcoming verses. It was probably an Israelite, since he refers to God by the covenant name Yahweh. And the author must have been a prophet. How else would he have been able to know about the secret things of God? Verse one, there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. The land of Uz was outside of the borders of Israel, to the east and the south, in or near the land of Edom. We know this from Lamentations 4.21. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Calvin ties the fact that since Job was from the land of Uz, that would make him most likely an Edomite of the lineage of Esau, and that Job lived in a time when God's church was not yet established. Job could be considered one of God's remnant, outside of the covenant, among the pagans, yet he served and worshiped the one true God. Also of note from Calvin, now we cannot determine when Job lived unless we understand that he belonged to a very ancient time. Some Jews have even thought that Moses was the author of the book and had given this picture to the people so that the children who were descended from Abraham's race might know that God had privileged others who were not of that lineage and so that they might be ashamed if they were not walking in innocence in the fear of God. God has always intended that the wicked and unbelievers would be without excuse. And for that reason, he intended that there would always be a few people who would follow what he had made known to the ancient fathers. Such was Job. As scripture tells us, and the present story gives a clear picture of how he served God in innocence and lived among men in complete uprightness. Here in verse one, we see it stated that Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. This is later reinforced in verse eight, where God himself describes Job as blameless and upright. But what does this mean? Blameless can mean a whole, a complete, morally innocent, having integrity. And upright can mean straight and level. loyal, and correct. Two other words we could use here are perfect and righteous. And we must understand that this would not mean perfectly righteous. This does not mean sinless. There is no sinless perfection that Job could have obtained or earned, and neither can any of us. There is only one who has been and is perfectly righteous and sinless, and that is the God-man, Jesus Christ. Job here is a genuine believer. and we can see that his faith is counted to him as righteousness. What types of things marked Job's life where God himself would describe him as blameless and upright, perfect and righteous? Let's look at the next part of the verse. It leads us to an answer to this very question. Continuing in verse one, one who feared God and turned away from evil. What does it mean to fear God? For the believer, to fear God is to give respect, obedience, submission, and worship to Him because He is worthy. To fear God refers to giving reverence and awe, reverence for the Holy One of Israel, God the Father, who spoke the world and all of creation into existence from nothing. Job's life must have been marked by this reverence, this holy fear. He served and worshiped God both outwardly and inwardly. He believed in the moral law giver. Even though he couldn't yet be familiar with the 10 commandments that would be given to Moses on Sinai, he understood the concept of what we would know as the summary of the moral law. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. These must be the marks of a man that God would call blameless and upright. The Lord your God does not change, and this moral law is for us today as well. Both the believer and the unbeliever are held accountable. And Job was seen as one who was doing what he could out of respect and out of love for the God that he knew exist. Job feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to 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. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with him. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually. Verse 3 says, this man was the greatest of all the people in the East. Job apparently was a smart and successful businessman. With this many sheep and camels and oxen and donkeys, he must have been heavily involved with local communities in agriculture and in trade. Think of how a factory comes to a town and how the community grows around it, and how everyone who lives in the area is somehow connected with the people who work there. how other people depend on those workers to come to them for their needs, clothing, groceries, restaurants, goods and supplies. Job's collection of cattle and beasts must have played a large role in how the people around him were able to survive and thrive and live in their community. And Job must have been a good father. It is plain from the text that Job loved his family and understood that he had a responsibility to pray for them, to consecrate them, to offer sacrifices of burnt offerings to God for them. What does it mean to consecrate? To prepare, to sanctify, to bless, to be set apart, to be in transition towards some degree of holiness, to become holy. Old Testament priests were consecrated. They were washed and dressed in priestly garments, symbolizing how they could not come to God as they were. Sacrifices were made on their behalf in order that they may be set apart to do holy work. Job did not have these rituals as the sons of Aaron would have had, but true worship has always been worship that is from a true heart. Job must have been a good father. What do we see here in the text? He would consecrate his children. He would make sure they were washed. He would make sure they were clean, both physically and spiritually. Job would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings from his flocks. Job would take an animal without spot or blemish, according to the number of them all. Job had seven sons and three daughters. The scripture says his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day. Job's children were at least young adults. Do you think that some had wives and husbands and children of their own? Would Job have been concerned for all of them? The text only mentions Job's children. But we can be sure that a blameless and upright man would have had a conscience in these matters that would lead him to consider the extended family and make burnt offerings according to the number of them all. Can you consider the spectacle of Job rising early in the morning and pulling from his flocks enough animals for sacrifices for the burnt offerings for his 10 children? From the Preaching the Word Commentary on Job written by Christopher Ashe, later in the history of Israel, a burnt offering would be the most expensive form of sacrifice in which the whole sacrificial animal is consumed. It pictures the hot anger of God burning up the animal in the place of the worshiper, whose sins would have made them liable to be burned up in the presence of God. We can imagine Job doing this for them one at a time. This one is for you. And he lights the fire and the animal is consumed. And the son or daughter watches the Holocaust and thinks, That is what would have happened to me if there had not been a sacrifice. And then the next one, this one is for you. And so on until all the children were covered by sacrifice. For Job said, it may be that my children have sinned, Mothers, fathers, what is the example that we see here set by Job? What is the example that we see here that a person who would want to be considered by God as upright and blameless, how should that person express their love and affection for those of whom they have been given charge? Let us consider our expected sacrifice of prayer for those whom we are responsible for. It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. What we see here in the text is an example of family worship. This is an example that we should all follow. Let me encourage you that if you are leading your family in worship, then you are doing a thing that is pleasing to God. We see Job here as a priest in his home, leading his children in worship, fearing for their souls, fearing where a life without knowing God may lead them. Job rises early and pleads for the salvation of his children. And we should do the same. Let us not just pray for our families, let us pray with our families. We have the scriptures so that we may know more about our Heavenly Father. Let us read them and let us read them together with our families in our homes, offering prayers and praises to God. And this spiritual responsibility to our families doesn't stop there. We are to show them the way. We are to lead by example. We are to live godly and holy lives. We can't neglect these duties. We can't think that the church will handle it a day or two a week. Deuteronomy 6 read, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. How did Job know how to sacrifice? We noted earlier from Calvin how God intended that there would always be a few people who would follow what he had made known to the ancient fathers. What could Job have known about sacrifice through the word of mouth passed down from the ancient fathers? How about the story of Adam and Eve? About the fall of man that exiled them from the garden, and how God made for them garments of skin to cover their shame, a sacrifice to clothe them. Or how Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions, and Abel's sacrifice was considered as more acceptable. God instituted sacrifices from the beginning. And before the institutions of the law and the church, God still had a remnant who would have continued in the things that God had commanded. Reading from verse six. Now there was a day when the sons of God 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. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 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. Here in the text, Satan answers the Lord that he was going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. It reminds me of the verse from 1 Peter, 1 Peter 5, be sober minded, be watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. seeking someone to devour. And Peter had a firsthand understanding of the weight of this warning. It was Christ who warned Peter in Luke 22. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. So we see We have this imagery of Satan going to and fro on the earth. And we also see this similar imagery of the Lord's servant being discussed by Satan and the Lord. We have this term, sons of God. Sons of God is used often in scripture with different meanings. Usually it references a holy host or an assembly of divine beings, a divine council governed, of course, by God. And why was Satan there? I think the smart answer is to say, I don't know. I like to think of it how the president can use a constitutional authority to call a session of Congress. Here you have a two-party system. two groups of people at odds with one another with differing opinions and beliefs and worldviews who must come together when they are summoned by the one who has authority. In this situation, we see the sons of God came together, a group of beings greater than man, but lesser than God. If God has called Satan to be there, as much as he may not want to, Satan is still under the command and control of God's sovereign reign, rule, and authority. To state the matter simply, if God had wished for Satan not to be present, then he would not have been able to be there. I don't believe that God offered up Job. We see in the text, have you considered my servant, Job? I read this in the manner of when Christ could read the hearts of the Pharisees. For instance, in Matthew 12, it states, knowing their thoughts, he, that is Christ, said to them, knowing their thoughts, Christ knew what they were thinking. And when God says, have you considered my servant Job, it's as if God knows Satan's thoughts and that Satan wants access to Job. He knows that Job is upright and blameless, and he wants nothing more than to turn Job against the Lord and have him curse God to his face, similar to when Christ spoke about Simon Peter, that Satan had demanded him so that he may sift him like wheat. from verse eight. 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? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 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. Satan's accusation to God is the only reason Job has been faithful to you is because of this hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side. God has blessed the work of Job's hands and has caused his possessions to increase. Satan's accusation is that Job has stumbled into a prosperity gospel. Job's actions as a blameless and upright man can only come from the fact that he stands to gain material compensation. Good works in trade for health and wealth. This is a common tactic of Satan. Scripture tells us how Satan tempted the Lord Jesus. The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, all these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. We are often warned about creating a God of our own thoughts, a God who is all loving or all merciful, dismissing his anger for sin, dismissing his demands of justice. But be careful that you do not come to God for the temporary things of this world, such as health and wealth. If so, you are participating in covetousness, which is idolatry, Colossians 3.5. Verse 11 reads, but stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face. And verse 12, and the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. What's important to see here is that Satan can do nothing. Satan can in no way oppose God except by divine permission. God will allow the testing of Job, and it is God who has set the limits on what Satan can do. Starting in verse 13. Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them. And the Sabians 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. Job loses everything here. Job loses what it has taken him a lifetime to build. His retirement is gone. His 401k has been wiped out. Generational wealth has been affected for himself, for his family, and the families of his servants. Again, I want to remind us to be careful about being familiar with stories. We know all these things happened to Job, but what do these things mean for other people who are here involved? the Sabians and the Chaldeans. Think about them. These are people groups. These are cultures. These people are the products of centuries of families and friendships, wellness and illness, joys and trials, mothers and fathers who raised their children to carry on their way of life. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage. Scripture says of Pharaoh, but for this purpose, I have raised you up to show you my power so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. These peoples were raised up for this purpose on this day. And the servants, how many servants would have been necessary for 11,000 beasts? These servants, again, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, families and friends, people of the community. We spoke earlier about how when a factory comes to a town and the community grows around it, and how everyone and everything connected with business is affected by the success of that factory. Now, keeping that in mind, what happens when that factory shuts down? That is what has just happened, happened with all of Job's belongings being wiped out in a matter of hours. Unemployment, disparity, poverty, the local businesses closed, the town dies. We have seen cities and towns that have gone through this as we travel. Even though this is the book of Job, and we are focusing on what tragedies have come to him We are doing a great disservice to the scriptures if we ignore the implications of all of this and how it makes these tragedies that much greater. And the sons and daughters. No one wants to think about losing their child, a son or a daughter. Job lost all 10 of his children and all at once. This tragedy upon tragedy is coming at Job like a man who is being slammed by waves in the ocean. As soon as he can stand and gasp for air, he is hit again. As the servant who is spared arrives and tells Job of the terrible news, the text reads, while he was yet speaking, there came another. While he was yet speaking, there came another. while he was yet speaking, the shock that must have come with that. No one can guess what that must feel like. And for all to be capped off with the loss of his children. Verse 19 tells us, 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 ask you, who is in control of the weather? If there was still a question as to who is sovereign, Verse 16 tells us, the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them. At least one commentator wrote that this fire from heaven may have been lightning and may have been used of Satan. He also states that perhaps Satan put into the servant's mind to use the phrase fire of God in order to make Joe believe that God was against him and become his enemy. But when I think about tragic weather events in our world that we call acts of God that often bring death and destruction, I find it hard to believe that those events are out of the sovereign control of God. We must be careful not to attribute evil to God. Our confession reads, God hath decreed in himself from all eternity by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely and unchangeably all things whatsoever comes to pass. Yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein. Why does God allow suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? The book of Job is here for this. It's here so that we may have a guide in helping us to think through and to try to understand the world around us. when these questions come to us in our lives. We can see it is not for nothing. Verse 20, then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground, 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. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job fell to the ground and worshiped. I think for many of us, it is wishful thinking to believe that we could do what Job did. that during the most devastating types of life events that anyone would ever go through, that we would have the ability, that we could even have the mindset to fall to the ground and to worship God. So, more than 10 years ago now, I was a volunteer firefighter. And when I was on the department, when we would go out to a fire, you get to a house fire, a structure fire, and you had to put on an air tank. So you get out, you're in bunker gear, you throw this air tank backpack on, hook up to your mask, make sure everything's tucked in. You go in two and two, right? Two are out, two go in. So you look at your buddy, turn your air tank on. He's breathing, you're breathing. Let's go work. Get the hose. Go behind the structure, get in place. Now, the air tank is designed for about 30 minutes of air, working air. But you have to be calm. You have to control your breathing. I wasn't a very calm person. You know, you're getting there, and there's this anticipation. There's this, if it's nighttime, there's a glow. at the fire, you're just, adrenaline's kicking. And 30 minutes of working air, no, I would, 10, 11 minutes, my alarm's going off. And that meant it's time to turn around and go out. So, you know, your partner hears, you both get out of there, the other next two go in, and you go, you know, fill your tanks back up, get ready for your next go around. I needed to get better at that, so I would go to the department and fill up the tanks, and I would put paper in the mask so you couldn't see and crawl around the floor. Or I would go outside and crawl up the rack that we use to dry the hoses on, crawl up it, crawl underneath it, just doing working things, trying to control my breathing, because you don't get better at something unless you practice it. And I mention that because in a situation of great panic, of fear and tragedy, in these situations, you don't suddenly adapt and overcome. You don't become a superhuman and rise to the occasion. Going there and working at it, I may have squeezed another minute or two out of practice. I was never going to get to 30 minutes working pressure. working there. But movies and television will make you think that you will rise to the occasion. This great adrenaline rush is supposed to happen. Everything is supposed to click and make sense. And you're supposed to rise to the occasion and do all the right things. But that's not what we learned at the fire department. We were taught that what will happen is that you will fall. to the most basic part of your training that you're capable of, that is what you're going to be able to accomplish and not much more. And I tell that story so that we can look back here at what the scripture says that Job did. He fell to the ground and he worshiped. The lesson we need to learn here is that if we are not in God's word, if we are not studying and understanding the truths, the doctrines of God, the providence of God, the decrees of God, why do bad things happen to good people? If we don't try to understand these things now, then when tragedy comes to us, when that day comes, we're not going to look to God to fall to the ground and to worship. Satan says to God, stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you in your face. Satan would like nothing more than to see us curse God in that type of situation. The book of Job is useful. It's useful to us as we consider this question, why do bad things happen to good people? We can see the examples of Job's suffering in this book. We can see this is not a short book, 42 chapters, most of it dialogue, of a man dealing with grief and struggling to understand why God has allowed it. If you'll turn to 2 Corinthians 12, I want you to see this. 2 Corinthians 12, reading from verse 7. So to keep me from becoming conceited, Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, and the scripture says, a messenger of Satan to harass me. But God said, my grace is sufficient for you. Paul knows that it was the will of God and for the purposes of God that he would suffer this thorn in his flesh. Where do we see Christ in Job? Job was a type of mediator, a priest in his own home. We know about where the sacrifice is pointed, about the substitution of penalties due for sin. It was to pay the penalties of sin on our behalf that Christ allowed himself to be nailed to the cross. It was evil and the evil intentions of men and Satan that seemed to make sure Christ was put upon that tree. but it was the decree of God that it would happen for the purposes of good, for the good of his people. For the unbeliever, trials and afflictions can harden their heart. Why would I want to worship a God that would allow this type of suffering to happen? But for the believer, we can have a sense of comfort and understanding knowing that none of these things can happen unless it is by divine permission of our Heavenly Father for our good, for His glory. The things that Job went through are for our good. We have it in God's holy revelation to us for all of God's people to read and to come to terms with. And we know that Job is in heaven with our Lord and Savior now. And for 10,000s upon 10,000s of years, he will praise, he will praise his name. And that these things that have happened to him were a momentary affliction, preparing him for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the book of Job. We know that there are questions that arise. There are things in this world that we don't understand. But what we need to know is that our God is sovereign. He is good. He is holy. He is just. He keeps his promises. It is difficult to say with the psalmist, it is good that I am afflicted. But we need to prepare ourselves for the opportunities to turn to God when things come our way and to bless his name and to worship him even more. We pray these things in the name of Christ Jesus, your son. Amen.