Jump Start # 3658
Job 1:8 “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the face of the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’”
This fall I have been teaching the book of Job in several places that have invited me to speak. Job is a unique, fascinating and complex dive into the mental, emotional and spiritual insides of a man that is hurting. Job is one of the oldest, if not the oldest books of the Bible. Job is not about suffering. If it were, what a huge failure the book becomes. Job doesn’t know why he is suffering. We do. Job is not told what to do when suffering. We know. Job has no comfort. His friends are worthless. His wife gives up. And, God is mostly silent through the majority of the book. The book gives us little help for suffering.
What Job is about is faith. Satan got it when he asked, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Does Job trust God because God is God? What if all the blessings were taken away? What if Job could not sing, “I’m happy today, O, I’m happy today”? In other words, has God bought Job’s faith?
And, of course, we cannot look at that and wonder about ourselves? Is this true of us? What if life slapped me in the face? What if there was little to smile about? Is God worthy to be worshipped and praised because He is God or does He have to entice my faith by sending goodies my way. Do I like God because He is God, or do I like God because He’s been good to me? Suffering happens to be the test tube in which this experiment was to take place.
I’ve heard people say, “My life is like Job.” No, it’s not. It’s not even close. You have an amazing fellowship of brethren worldwide. Job didn’t. He didn’t have his friends, his wife or a church to pray for him. You have the entire N.T. Job didn’t. You have a resurrected Savior. Job didn’t know about that. You have the book of Revelation that tells the end of the story and the defeat of Satan. Job didn’t. You even have the book of Job. Job didn’t have that. So, while your life may be hard, it’s so much better than Job.
Our verse today, the word of God, His description of Job to Satan. This reminds us that Job wasn’t randomly drawn from a list of names. God picked Job out. Job was not only one of the best, he was the best. The words, “no one like him on the earth,” uniquely shows how faithful, dedicated and special Job was. If God had a trophy case, Job would have been front and center in that display.
God didn’t present someone struggling in their faith. God didn’t choose a weak believer. Like the story of the big, bad wolf, Satan would just huff and puff and that weak believer would have fallen over. No, God chose the best. And, Satan hit him hard. All fastballs, right down the middle.
Now, some thoughts:
First, I wonder if God looks over the planet today and says “there is no one like him on the face of the earth”? I tend to doubt that. Across this land in so many congregations, there are blameless and upright men serving as shepherds of God’s flock. Godly men and women assemble every Sunday to praise and exalt the God that they love dearly. Great sacrifices are being made to help people walk righteously. Daily blogs, podcasts and deep studies in God’s word are broadcast throughout the world. I am honored to know some of the most amazing preachers of our times. Men who will not bend or compromise. Men who passionately speak with love and conviction. Men who walk closely with the Lord.
No one else like him on the earth…I’m thankful that the army of God is so massive, with living examples among us.
Second, the disciples of Jesus got into arguments about which one was the greatest among them. The very idea that they were discussing this shows that none of them were the greatest. When we start thinking, “I’m better than you,” we best just stop talking. We are heading down a road that the Lord doesn’t want us to go down. That step into pride, like stepping into mud, is hard to get out of and it will just stain our insides.
Did Job know that there was no one like him on the earth? I doubt it. Did he know that God saw him that way? I doubt it. He just lived and walked with the Lord every day. He was doing what he was supposed to do. Everyone should have been just like him. He excelled.
Third, both the Lord and Satan took note of Job. God thought Job would do well. Satan believed he could crush Job’s faith. And, the Lord and Satan take notice of you. God is helping you. Satan wants to trip you. God is forgiving. Satan wants to focus upon your failures. And, in the end, our choices, our faith, determines who we will be with.
No one like him on the earth. Can you imagine meeting Job in Heaven? Can you imagine Job asking you, “Tell me your story.” We know Job’s. We might feel intimidated. We might want to walk away. But, we’d run into Noah. Then, Timothy. Then, Shadrach. Then, Rahab. Then, Abraham. Then, Paul. And, we might think, what are we doing here? We may feel out of place. But, the Lord will tell you that you are here because He invited you. He wants you here. And, your story doesn’t matter much. It’s HIS story that opened the door for us. And, it is HIS story that made all the difference.
No one like him on the earth. Not really Job’s story, but it is the Lord’s story. Immanuel, God among us. Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word.
Roger