Believers, the Wisdom is
shouting for you from the book of Job, before the end comes upon you like a thief!
The Messiah warns us many times to not fall
asleep but to make sure we stay awake so that the end will not come upon us by
surprise.
Indeed, the end will take place during a period of darkness pushing most of the
mankind to face a complete loss of orientation. At that time, people will not be
able to find their way because of the great confusion; they will act
indiscriminately and cause their loss.
A long time ago, Job lived a similar experience as the one we begin to live.
He was abandoned by the Lord, yet by his firm attitude, he stayed on the right but
very narrow track that leads to the eternal life. The following text is given
to throw some new light on his unique experience.
A man faithful to Elohim
Well before the Apostles John and Paul, Job has left us a wonderful testimony about
the right definition of a true believer in Elohim.
Job was indeed a man who believed in and feared Elohim
by shunning evil:
" 1 There was a man in the land of Uz,
whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who
feared Elohim and shunned evil."
(Job 1: 1)
This attitude of Job has attracted many blessings of Elohim
to such an extent that he became the most famous person of his time in the
East!
" 2 And seven sons and
three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven
thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred
female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the
greatest of all the people of the East. "(Job
1: 2-3)
Delivered suddenly to Satan without any warning.
Yehoah, who nevertheless loves Job, will deliver him without any warning to the
power of Satan to show how Satan is powerless against a man steeped in the fear
of Elohim:
"12 And
Yehoah said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not
lay a hand on his person.”So Satan went out from the
presence of Yehoah.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and
drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; 14 and a messenger
came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside
them, 15 when the Sabeans[c] raided them and took them away—indeed
they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have
escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another
also came and said, “The fire of Elohim fell from heaven and burned up the sheep
and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another
also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and
took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I
alone have escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another
also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in
their oldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from
across[d] the wilderness and struck the four
corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I
alone have escaped to tell you!”(Job 1: 12-19)
First, Job is losing not only all his wealth but also his beloved children.
But look how he will stand strong against this adversity and how his behaviour
will be outstanding while facing this extremely dramatic period of time in his
life:
" 20 Then Job arose, tore
his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21
And he said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I
return there.
Yawheh gave,
and Yehoah has taken away; Blessed be the name of Yehoah.”
22 In all this Job
did not sin nor charge Elohim with wrong." (Job 1:
20-22)
This should remind us of the teaching of Paul in his Epistle to the
Philippians:
" Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who,
being in the form of Elohim, did not consider it robbery to be equal with Elohim, 7
but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a
man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the
death of the cross. 9 Therefore Elohim also has highly exalted Him and
given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of
those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Elohim the Father." (Philippians
2: 5-11)
Indeed, as Job did not rebel, nor had the slightest feeling of bitterness after
the first wave of painful trials that fell upon him, in
the same way, Jesus our Messiah has also agreed to be delivered to the power of
Satan. Just like Job, Jesus the Messiah during his trial has also found refuge
in the Word of Elohim:
" 1 Then Jesus was led up
by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And
when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You
are the Son of Elohim, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written,
‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of Elohim.’”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy
city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If
You are the Son of Elohim, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again,
‘You shall not tempt the Lord your Elohim.’”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an
exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,
Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your Elohim,
and Him only you shall serve.’”
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold,
angels came and ministered to Him."
(Matthew 4: 1-11)
But the sufferings of Job are far from their end because Satan will receive the
permission to hit
harder and this time in his flesh:
" And Yehoah said to
Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” 7 So Satan
went out from the presence of Yehoah, and struck Job with painful boils from
the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for
himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of
the ashes." (Job 2: 6-8)
Job will not be influenced by his wife.
Despite the darkness Job is facing and the sufferings he is enduring, unlike
Adam, Job snapped back his wife, when she was trying to push him to speak
against the Lord:
" 9 Then his wife said
to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse Elohim
and die! 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish
women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from Elohim, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. " (Job 2:
9-10)
If it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me!
Like the Messiah, Job will ask to be freed from the terrible pain he is
suffering and he will ask to die. He will also regret being born:
"1After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his
birth. 2 And Job spoke, and said: 3 “May the day
perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, ‘A male child
is conceived.’ 4 May that day be darkness;
May Elohim above not seek it, Nor
the light shine upon it. 5 May darkness and the shadow of death
claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it. 6
As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year, May it not come
into the number of the months. 7 Oh, may
that night be barren! May no joyful shout come into it! 8 May those
curse it who curse the day, Those who are ready to
arouse Leviathan. 9 May the stars of its morning be dark; May it
look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day; 10 Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not die at birth? Why did I
not perish when I came from the womb? 12 Why did the knees receive
me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? " (Job 3: 1-12)
" “My soul
loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the
bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say to Elohim,
‘Do not condemn me; Show me why You contend with me. 3
Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, That You should despise
the work of Your hands,
And smile on the counsel of the wicked? 4 Do You
have eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as man sees? 5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man, 6 That You should seek
for my iniquity And search out my sin, 7 Although You know that I am
not wicked,
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand? 8 ‘Your hands
have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet
You would destroy me.
9 Remember, I pray, that You have made me
like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? 10
Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me
like cheese, 11 Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me together
with bones and sinews? 12 You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit." (Job 10: 1-12)
Job, in the midst of his terrible suffering, had the same kind of desire as
the one Jesus had shortly before his sacrifice:
" 36 Then Jesus came with
them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go
and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply
distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is
exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39 He went a little
farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it
is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You
will.”" (Matthew 26: 36-39)
So-called "Friends" to discourage!
Job, at the summit of his discouragement must also deal with his
"friends" who instead of trying to console him and speaking to him
gently, they will often make him feel guilty . Here
are few of the answers given by Job to his so-called friends:
" 1 Then Job answered and said: 2 “No
doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with
you! 3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to
you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these? 4 “I am one
mocked by his friends, Who called on Elohim, and He
answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.” (Job 12: 1-4)
“1
Then Job answered and said: 2 “I have heard many such things;
Miserable comforters are you all! 3 Shall words of
wind have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer? 4 I also
could speak as you do,
If your soul were in my soul’s place. I could heap up words
against you,
And shake my head at you; 5 But I would strengthen
you with my mouth,
And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief. 6 “Though
I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain
silent, how am I eased?”(Job 16: 1-6)
“ 1
Then Job answered and said: 2 “How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words? 3 These ten times
you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you
have wronged me. 4 And if indeed I have
erred, My error remains with me.” (Job 19: 1-4)
Jesus at the critical time of his arrest caused by the denunciation made by
his disciple Judas is left alone as all his disciples without exception have
fled away from him:
“ 43 And immediately,
while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a
great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the
scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal,
saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.” 45
As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him,
“Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him
and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and
struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 Then
Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber,
with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you
in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But
the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then they all
forsook Him and fled.” (Mark 14: 43-50)
Wisdom, the key that opens all the doors on your way to Life.
In response to all this, Job knows what his place is and how to remain in
it with a great humility, even though he was considered the greatest one of all the East. He shows his admiration for Elohim:
"
1 Then Job answered and said:2 “Truly I know it is so, But how can
a man be righteous before Elohim? 3 If one
wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
4 Elohim is wise
in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and
prospered?
5 He removes the mountains, and they do not know When
He overturns them in His anger; 6 He shakes the earth out of its
place, And its pillars tremble;
7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He
seals off the stars;
8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on
the waves of the sea;
9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And
the chambers of the south;
10 He does great things past finding out, Yes,
wonders without number.
11 If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves
past, I do not perceive Him; 12 If He takes away, who can hinder
Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ 13
Elohim will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the prou]
lie prostrate beneath Him. 14 “How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him? 15 For
though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I
would beg mercy of my Judge. 16 If I called and He answered me, I
would not believe that He was listening to my voice.”
(Job 9: 1-16)
Job also knows that finding and acquiring wisdom is the most important task
for man in general and for himself in particular:
“12 But where can wisdom be found?And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the
living. 14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It
is not with me.’ 15 It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. 16 It
cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. 17 Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor
can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be
made of coral or quartz,
For the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia
cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. 20 “From where then does wisdom come? And where
is the place of understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all
living, And concealed from the birds of the air. 22
Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our
ears.’ 23 Elohim understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 For He looks to the
ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, 25
To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. 26
When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, 27 Then
He saw wisdom and declared it;
He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28 And to man He said, ‘Behold,
the fear of the Yehoah, that is wisdom, And to depart
from evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:
12-28)
If you want to learn more about wisdom, that wealth often unknown to man, go
and read a meditation about it on this website. Wisdom existed before the creation
and the LORD is ready to offer it to anyone who will ask for it. Read what
wisdom says of itself:
“22
Yehoah possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before
His works of old. 23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. 24 When
there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before
the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was
brought forth; 26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the
fields, Or the primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When
He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He established the
clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29 When
He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His
command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 Then I
was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing
always before Him, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my
delight was with the sons of men."(Proverbs 8: 22-31)
No one can pretend not to have heard wisdom or not having crossed its path:
" 1 Does not wisdom cry out, And
understanding lift up her voice? 2 She takes her stand on the
top of the high hill, Beside the way, where
the paths meet.3 She cries out by the gates, at the
entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors: 4 “To
you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. 5 O
you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding
heart. 6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7
For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing
crooked or perverse is in them. 9 They are all plain to him who
understands, And right to those who find knowledge. 10
Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice
gold;
11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the
things one may desire cannot be compared with her. 12 “I, wisdom,
dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. 13 The
fear of Yehoah is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance
and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.”(Proverbs
8: 1-13)
The message of Job for our time!
Are we ready to follow Job’s illuminating behaviour,
ready to lose everything at any time, given that all that we have came as a gift from Elohim. Elohim
can give and take away whenever He wants and we must remain wise like Job.
Even if suffering reaches us, let us turn ourselves to the light and not
towards the darkness where humanity is being plunged today:
" 17 For Elohim did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved 18 “He who believes
in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of Elohim. 19 And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds
should be exposed. 21 But he who does
the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they
have been done in Elohim.”
(John 3: 17-21)