February 25, 2024
Pastor John Hering
Job 1:13-22
Job 1:13-22
One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their oldest brother, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 when the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to death with the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the flocks and the servants and consumed them, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and plundered the camels and took them away. They put the servants to death with the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and were drinking wine in the house of their oldest brother. 19 Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it collapsed on the young people, and they died, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshipped. 21 Then he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin or blame God.
The supper was delicious and you were just finishing up reading the daily meditations when your phone starts to buzz. It’s your Insurance Company. They tell you that they are dropping your insurance because your house and car are in a high disaster zone. As you’re trying to make sense of that call your phone buzzes again. It’s the bank. There was a security breach and all of your accounts have been lost: checking, savings, retirement, it’s all gone. It buzzes again and it’s your boss. He regrets to have to tell you, but you got laid off. You don’t get a chance to put your phone done when the police call. Your family members were in a horrible car wreck and they didn’t survive. About all you could do was fall to your knees.
This would be an extremely bad day. You would be suffering under the cross of living in a sin-broken world. I know the chances of all of these bad things happening at once is very unlikely, but I would imagine you’ve had a day when big and small suffering happen at the same time. These sad events bring us to our knees. Now what? What do I do? Where do I go? Then the devil is right there to ruin your trust in God. At times like this may the Holy Spirit strengthen your faith so
You Know The Good Place To Fall When Suffering
That Drops Us Into Hands That Care
As unlikely as the story I told in the introduction, this was the reality for Job. The description of Job was awesome! We might call Job a top-shelf believer. What follows is the setting when Satan came before the presence of God.
“6 There came a day when the sons of God (here a term for angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came into their midst. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming the earth and walking around on it.” 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and turns away from evil.”
Satan saw this as a prime opportunity to prove to God that Job’s righteousness was actually self-serving and, in the end, Job would curse the Lord. God gave Satan limited power because God is greater than him. God can and often does limit Satan. In this setting we also see a glimpse of the intense battle that takes place behind the curtain in the spiritual realm. Satan is at war with God. Yet since Satan cannot win in a hand-to-hand battle against the Lord, Satan resorts to frustrating God’s creation and driving a wedge between God and man. That’s what he hopes to do by bringing great trouble into Job’s life.
The reading for today starts right after that. Job was a man blessed by the Lord with ten children, seven sons and three daughters who were close to one another, and he was blessed with much wealth, which in that time was determined not by gold but by animals, flocks and herds. But, Satan wasted no time and the bad news came pouring in.
“The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 when the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to death with the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 16 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the flocks and the servants and consumed them, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” 17 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and plundered the camels and took them away. They put the servants to death with the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! 18 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and were drinking wine in the house of their oldest brother. 19 Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it collapsed on the young people, and they died, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
How do you react when horrible tragedy hits your life? Horrible news like this drops us to our knees. You’ve worked on that plan for a long time and it fails. You’ve lost your job. You’re deep in debt, you’ve been struck by poor health. You hear the news of a loved one’s unexpected death. Or just the days when nothing seems to go right and the news is always bad. Are you overwhelmed with grief and sorrow and go into a deep depression? Would you cry out to God in confusion and accusation, “Why?” Would you begin to curse God in anger and hate? I would guess everyone here has at least said, “How can I go on?” A.k.a. Does God even care? In those moments Satan wants you to fall into deep despair and hopeless grief.
Let’s learn from Job’s reaction. “20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshipped. 21 Then he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin or blame God.” I want to quote someone who recently said, “Easy to say. Hard to do!” Job was grieving deeply. But he didn’t grieve without hope. He fell, but he fell to the ground in worship. He cried out to God not with a defeatist attitude, but with a heart that recognized that his life and everything in it was in God’s hands. He didn’t blame God or accuse him of wrongdoing. Instead, Job confessed that everything came from God, and everything can be taken away by God. We are amazed because Job could only see the earthly story and had no idea what was going on in the heavenly story. Job believed The Good Place To Fall When Suffering was Into God’s Hands That Care. For there Job expressed his
Hope Beyond Compare
It would be easy for me to say, “Now, you should be like Job.” That sounds like someone saying, “When your down and out, pull up your bootstraps!” or “Suck it up Buttercup!” But, I want to dig a little deeper with you to a foundation that brings you Hope Beyond Compare. Look beyond the example of Job to the reason that he had the attitude that he did. While it is clear that Job had strong faith in God’s providence, I also think Job had strong faith in the coming Messiah that gave him Hope Beyond Compare. We join Job to look to Jesus who submitted to God’s will perfectly and endured the greatest suffering ever experienced. The writer to the Hebrews said, “” “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne.” (Heb 12:2). Look to Jesus. Jesus lost everything for you. He lost his dignity. He lost his disciples. God the Father even deserted him while hanging on the cross. He was alone on the cross as he bore every shameful sin, wicked act and thought carried out by you on his shoulders. He took the punishment that came with it. He suffered hell. Why? It was God’s saving will so that you could be set free from your terrible days of tragedy and Suffer Under the Cross living in this sin-broken world. Join Job to have Hope Beyond Compare from the tragedies and sorrows of this life in Jesus Christ.
Today is our day of grace to hear the promises of God in Christ so that no matter what cross you may be called on to bear in your life, whatever trouble may come your way or trial of faith confronts you, you can have Hope Beyond Compare that your eternal salvation is secure and that God is faithful. The Apostle Paul expressed that very hope in our second reading.
“1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ….. 3 Not only this, but we also rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, 4 and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope. 5 And hope will not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us”
Romans 5:1,3-5
Today you are able to watch shows on TV that have a number of seasons and episodes. I’m sure you’ve watched a show where the main character is facing danger after danger and you might be wondering how in the world he will ever make it through. But wait. You’re only watching episodes 4 of season 2. There are still three seasons to go to the end of the show! That means no matter how dangerous the situation he isn’t going to die because there’s lots more show to watch! And sure enough, in a dramatic way his life was spared.
May I compare your life to a show on Netflix? Many of you have told me about your life’s challenges and heart-breaking moments. I know that you all are carrying crosses in life. I don’t know what episode you’re in, but I do know, because of Jesus, that after this earthly life ends, the final episode will start in heaven that will never end. Can you relate to this? Rethink the Suffering Under The Cross and believe that no matter what troubles may come your way, and no matter how many times you fall in grief, or guilt, or weakness, the final episode is written in the blood of Jesus and secure because of the empty tomb.
So, what if this week you finish your supper and your phone buzzes from your insurance company, your bank, boss or the police. It might be good news, or it might be news of tragedy. Are you ready to fall? I pray you have learned The Good Place To Fall When Suffering. I hope and pray you fall to your knees in worship like Job. We may never know the “WHY” but we know the “WHO.” It is our God who has the best MPG’s (Massive, Powerful, Glorious). I hope you look ahead to the glories in heaven promised to you in God’s Word. I hope you confess with Job, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.” Then as you rest secure in God’s Hands That Care and Have Hope Beyond Compare as you also confess with Job, “25 As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the end of time he will stand over the dust. 26 Then, even after my skin has been destroyed, nevertheless, in my own flesh I will see God.” (Job 19:25-26). My friends, it’s time to fall to our knees in worship and praise of the Lord. Because there under the cross Jesus picks us up in love and forgiveness. Amen.
