Christ’s Ambassador

The trials of Job were permitted and supervised by God as a call to service.

Job himself wasn’t in the know but Satan accused God of bribing Job for loyalty. Satan insinuated that God’s design of man was faulty and if man suffered, he would curse God.

Should God have ignored Satan? No. Other intelligent spiritual beings were watching. Again, we who study the Bible today have been greatly influenced by Job’s story. It was in God’s wisdom to allow Job to prove his integrity through fiery trials such that Satan’s lies would be seen by everyone, in heaven and on earth.

Job’s friends were very knowledgeable. They were experts in Theology and religious doctrines. They were wise with age and apt to teach. But, all the same, they were not given to know the depth of Job’s trials. They poked their undiscerning noses in highly spiritual matters and incurred the wrath of God.

What then could we learn from this story?

• Satan, though an enemy, cannot do anything to man without the permission of God.
• Satan is still useful to God as an examiner of man. It would not take God a second to flip Satan into blazes but he keeps him around though his fate is already sealed.
• We must be careful what we say about believers undergoing trials. Jesus expressly warned us to refrain from judging anyone. We know so little to sit as judge. In actual fact, it might be a better service if we just sit quietly and pray with our friends undergoing trials rather than say things that are not correct.
• Trials could be permitted in believers’ lives as service to God. We have the privilege to know that Job was a righteous man and God was so proud of him as to recommend him for such examination.
• Trial is not enough evidence that one has derailed from faith, in actual fact, it could be a prove that one is a threat to the kingdom of Satan.
• Trial shall not be taken as an excuse for any believer to go into sin. Job did not have all the Spiritual resources available to us today and yet he did not sin and neither did he charge God wrongly.

I wish to conclude that it is not enough to know theology and church doctrines. Job’s friends, the Pharisees and Sadducees were experts in that but it did not help them. This is eternal life, says Jesus, knowledge of God and of Christ who he sent. Job got his victory and restoration through his deep knowledge of God, so it is with us today.

“Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1John 5:4,5