At one point, Job said something brilliant and prophetic! (Although not the first book to appear in the Bible, it is one of the first books written if not the first book.) Job believed in redemption through the Lord, because one day the Lord would come to earth in victory. And after Job's death, he would see God's glory in heaven. One day, everyone will stand before God in judgment. There is no fear of punishment if one is redeemed, but if one is not, there will be eternal punishment...
(Job 19:25-29) “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; 27 Whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me! 28 “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’ And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’ 29 “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, so that you may know there is judgment.”
After even more chapters and chapters of the men's opinions, God speaks! In His challenge to Job, we see that as God talks about how He created everything, we can see that at the VERY beginning, all sons of God were angels. Before some of them decided to rebel against God, they all sang together and all had joy...
(Job 38:1-7) Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! 4 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, 5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? 6 On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
God created everything, and gave angels and mankind free will. But no matter what our choice is - or how much we question God - everything is God's, and He doesn't owe anyone anything. He doesn't even owe us explanations!...
(Job 41:11) “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine."
Clearly, Job had a heart for God, as he demonstrated by humbling himself before the Lord...
(Job 42:1-6) Then Job answered the Lord and said, 2 “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” 4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ 5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; 6 therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.”
God now addresses Job's opinionated friends...
(Job 42:7-9) It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job.
Job was rewarded after he obeyed God's command to pray for his friends. Notice that God gave back everything to Job - times two! Even Job's children! He had ten more children, and he would still see the other ten children again in heaven...
(Job 42:10-16) The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. 11 Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12 The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man and full of days.
From this we see:
- angels must have been one of the very first things God created
- morning star is another term used for "angel"
- sons of God is another term used for "angelic beings" (this includes demons, as well)
- when God created the angels, they all experienced joy (until some of them made their decision to rebel against God, becoming demons)
- angels can sing
Personal experience: I've written about this before, so I will keep it brief, but speak about it from another angle.
Our daughter was supposed to have died soon after birth. While she was still in the womb, I could sense there was something wrong and I became very impatient. I will admit - sinfully impatient - because I would complain and lash out in anger, even over the silliest things.
I just wanted the baby OUT OF ME!!! But that's all I would grumble about. Deep down, I knew that she'd get better help if she were out of me and in the hands of the doctors. But it wasn't until after she was born and the doctors told us that she WOULD die - that I finally put the baby in God's hands! It was THEN that I experienced God's amazing peace.
Why didn't I do that sooner??? Anyway, I had finally "given" her to the Lord - admitting to God that she was all His and His all along - but I would very much like to have her stay with me on earth, if that was in His will.
I would have survived in God's strength had He allowed her to die (also realizing that I would see her in heaven some day for all eternity), but of course I was ecstatic that He allowed her to live, and gave me the honor to raise her!
I have experienced this peace so many times. Like when I start to worry about my husband's safety as he travels - I give my husband to the Lord. When I start to worry about our kids' well-being - I give them to the Lord. When I start to worry about the house and our personal things - I give those to the Lord. It sure beats fretting over people and things - especially because all the fretting in the world will not do anything!
Ha! I just had an epiphany! Why worry about my health and my weight and my aches and pains... why not give my own body to the Lord!!! Doing that right now!!!
Today's takeaway: everything on this earth is God's, but He is so very generous! He WANTS to share it all with us! It may not be when or how we want it, but we need to realize that we do not have the ultimate say over people and things. God is in control and has a much bigger plan and purpose!
Questioning God or worrying about things isn't going to change anything. But changing our attitude towards things and giving them to God and trusting God - will produce a better outcome for us and those around us.
The only thing we control is our own free will and the choices that we make. Our purpose is to live as we should in God's will - loving God and loving people (without trying to control them)...
(Matthew 7:7-12) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
(James 1:17-27) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
(Proverbs 19:21) Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.
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