Holman Old Testament Commentary Volume 10 - Job

Steven J. Lawson, Max Anders

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2005
• ISBN:
  9781433674341
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

One in a series of twenty Old Testament verse-by-verse commentary books edited by Max Anders. Includes discussion starters, teaching plan, and more. Great for lay teachers and pastors alike.

Job 1

When All Hell Breaks Loose

“The grace of God exempts no one from trouble.”

J. C. Ryle

I. INTRODUCTION

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Tallest Tree in the Forest

The 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National Golf Course, just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, proved to be memorable, but not just for the game of golf. On what began as a peaceful and calm day for the first round of the tournament, a bank of gray clouds gathered swiftly overhead. Turbulent skies blackened, and swirling banks of electricity collected. Lightning struck a few miles away. Forty thousand spectators scrambled for shelter.

Gathering under a bent willow tree near the eleventh tee, a group of spectators huddled together to keep from being drenched. An official asked them to find cover elsewhere. A few people dispersed and a few stayed, as lightning struck a tree behind the tenth green, splitting its trunk in half. Then a minute later a lightning bolt struck the tall willow tree. A dozen bodies toppled to the earth like bowling pins. Six men got up. Six lay dazed on the ground. One died with his hands in his pockets. The lightning had struck its target—the tallest tree in the area.

This certainly describes Job, a man who stood tallest in his day for God. Like this towering willow tree, Job was deeply rooted in his faith in God; and when the highly charged storm of adversity hit, Job was the lightning rod who drew the fire. Tragedy came not because there was anything wrong in his life but, to the contrary, because everything was right. He was the most righteous man on the earth, and thus he was marked to suffer.

The same is true for every believer who walks with God, whether they are towering sequoias or tender saplings. Every Christian will undergo divinely appointed times of suffering. No one escapes this world unscathed. Such suffering does not occur because there is anything wrong about a person's life. To the contrary, adversity often comes because everything is right about one's life. A believer may be marked to suffer because he or she stands tallest for God. One who is deeply rooted and grounded in Christ should never be surprised when such times of adversity come. Like Job, a person of great faith will suffer by divine appointment for the sake of righteousness.

In the first chapter of Job, we are introduced to the main character, Job. We are told who he was, where he lived, where his faith was, and how successful he was. But we also discover the origin of the storm that struck his life.

II. COMMENTARY

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When All Hell Breaks Loose

MAIN IDEA: Tragedy unexpectedly strikes the life of Job, the strongest believer, not in the form of chastening discipline but as an opportunity to worship God for who he is.

Job's Character (1:1–5)

SUPPORTING IDEA: Job's strong faith in God is validated with a truly transformed life.

1:1. Job lived in the land of Uz, a large territory east of the Jordan River, southeast of the Dead Sea, near modern-day Jordan. His faith in God grew strong, since he was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. The word “blameless” does not mean sinless but that he was beyond reproach in his personal character and conduct. No one could justly charge him with moral failure. Moreover, he was upright in his actions, literally, “straight,” without deviating from God's holy standards. Job also feared God. He was filled with holy awe, reverence, and respect for God. He took God seriously, careful to live in a God-honoring manner. And Job shunned evil, resisting worldly temptation.

1:2. In addition, Job had seven sons and three daughters. Seven and three are ideal numbers, signifying completeness, signs of God's abundant favor. Job's sons and daughters loved one another. They met regularly to enjoy one another's company (Job 1:4,13,18–19). Job was greatly blessed as a father.

1:3. Further, Job was a very successful businessman, possessing much livestock and many servants. His vast herds and numerous servants were ancient measures of wealth. His seven thousand sheep provided him luxurious clothing and ample food; his three thousand camels gave him transportation; his five hundred yoke of oxen helped his servants plow the ground and provided more food; his five hundred donkeys kept him supplied with more offspring; and his large numbers of servants worked his sizable estate. Job was both godly and wealthy, a rare combination. Because of his wealth, Job's reputation was known far and wide. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

1:4. Job's seven sons would gather together at least seven times a year, probably on each son's birthday. Job was blessed with a close-knit family, the result of God's rich blessing. Surely Job's personal integrity earned him credibility with his children. His faith made an impact on their lives.

1:5. After these family gatherings, Job would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of his children. He was deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare of his children. So he offered burnt offerings to God, dedicating each child to God in recognition of God's ownership of their lives. Rather than holding his family with a clenched fist, Job offered them to God with an open hand.

Job's Conspirators (1:6–12)

SUPPORTING IDEA: By God's initiative, Satan requests and is granted permission by God to test Job's faith by taking all he owns.

1:6. The scene suddenly shifts to heaven, providing a rare insight into the unseen world above. One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD. This implies that this day was like any other day. The sons of God were the angelic hosts (Job 38:7; Gen. 6:2) who were reporting to the Lord by coming before the divine throne. These ministering spirits had been away, serving the Lord, and they returned for further orders. In the midst of this gathering, Satan also came with them. Once the highest archangel, Satan had been banished from heaven for his rebellion against God. Yet, mysteriously, he still could approach God's throne in heaven. So Satan joined them, once again, on this occasion.

1:7. The LORD asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” The omniscient God knew where Satan had been, as well as what he had been doing. This question was intended to elicit a confession from this fallen angel. Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” This was the devil's main activity, wreaking havoc on the earth as a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Never idle, Satan is always on the prowl as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), blinding minds (2 Cor. 4:4), stealing God's Word (Matt. 13:19), opposing God's work (1 Thess. 2:18), sowing tares (Matt. 13:37–40), tempting God's people (1 Cor. 7:5), attacking God's Word (Gen. 3:1), spreading false doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3), persecuting God's church (Rev. 2:10), and deceiving the nations (Rev. 16:14).

1:8. The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” God knew the evil that Satan had been instigating on the earth. He praised the name of Job, his most trusted servant, knowing that Job would remain faithful to him if attacked by Satan. Job's involvement in this contest was certainly not due to any personal sin because God added, “There is no one on earth like him.” Job was the most righteous man on the earth. God's estimation of him was: “He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (cp. Job 1:1).

1:9. With shrewd cunning, “the accuser” replied, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” In this cunning response, Satan accused God of “buying” Job's worship. Job, Satan insisted, worshipped God for what prosperity he could gain from him, not for who God is.

1:10. Satan went on to say, “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?” Satan had already been trying to attack Job, but he could not touch him. This inability was due to a protective hedge of divine care built around him that prevented Satan's advances from harming him.

1:11. “But stretch out your hand,” the devil challenged God, “and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” If God were to allow Satan to remove Job's many material blessings, the devil insisted, this so-called worshipper would withdraw his praise and curse the Lord.

1:12. Under the purview of his divine sovereignty, God granted Satan permission to attack Job's life. But Satan's attack could only go so far. God stipulated, But on the man himself do not lay a finger. The devil was given free access to remove Job's possessions and lo...