Job 1&2

How much greater are the thoughts and ways of God, they are beyond finding out! How He condescended to reveal Himself to man! How He condescended to become man and to die for man!

How could an ant understand a man? He cannot. We, of course did not make ants, and have no fluency in their language, but if we did, could the ant understand our motives and powers? I don't think so...Better analogy, could the stone understand us?

In Job, chapters one and two, God reveals something of heavenly activity that so much reveals my own motives and limitations, which I project upon God wrongly. When I look at these chapters, I see Satan baiting God, and God falling for it. I see the bully taunting and the weakling falling for the trap and doing what the bully wanted all along. I am looking through my own eyes.

Forgive me, Father, for I am but a worm, and do not understand you fully. Thank you for revealing more than this of you so that, although we will not know You fully until we are in Your presense, we can understand enough to trust in your goodness, your strength and your all-sufficiency even when we don't quite understand what you're on about. I know that while Satan meant it for evil, you meant it for good. I know that you ordained this test for your servant, Job, and that it was you who sustained him through it. I know that You allowed and received Satan in your throne room and indeed even invited -no, you must have summoned him- knowing what he would ask.

You made the vessel, Job. You created him for your purpose and glory. He was what you made him and was sustained by the faith that you created in him. It was hard for him, like going through a fire.

I, and others, sometimes think of the children and the servants who were killed for the pleasure of Satan and the proving of Job. We worms struggle with this, seeing only the life lived on this soil. Some of us think that it is a sign of your weakness, or just a cruel streak.

Forgive me, Father, for I am but a worm, and do not understand you fully. Thank you for revealing more than this of you so that, we can understand enough to trust in your goodness, your strength and your perfect will. I can understand from what You have revealed, if my feeble mind can remember, that while you made the vessel Job, you also made his children and servants. They were none of them without sin, and Job even made atonement for them, realizing that they probably did sin in their revelry. These vessels cannot say to the Potter, why have you made me thus, and why has my usefulness ended, for surely I was soon to become great; you didn't give me a chance to become the lovely vase I was meaning to be? You have revealed that you know the number of our days, even before one of them has come to be. For a vessel such as Job, that would be more than comforting (is there an English word for this?), but for other vessels made for more common purposes, this would be alarming and such a vessel would fill up with resentment.

Job 1:21
I have always heard the saying, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away."

I think that what Job recognized was that it is the Lord's to give, and the Lord's to retrieve or receive.

Job 2:9-10
This is the response to suffering that our culture holds for itself and for those it sees in the throws of suffering. "Curse God and die." It would be better to end it all than to go on in this state. Many think thus for the benefit of others that they see or know. Some think it for themselves and take their own lives. This, in some cases is thought by observers as the gallant exit.

We have forgotten, let us not forget, what Job, through walking so close to God, knowing Him and, therefore trusting Him, knew so well. In his pain and helplessness, he recognized his life partner as a foolish woman. God has revealed that a fool says in his heart there is no God. Mrs. Job did not say it aloud, but her counsel to her husband in his suffering revealed what she believed in her heart. Job turned to his wife, his helpmate in sickness and in health, and asked, "Shall we accept good from God, and not evil?"

In our time and circumstances, we think we need to say things like, "Sweetheart, what did God have to do with this, we live in a fallen world!"

Sword Drill!
Who said that even if the crops fail and (yada yada yada) yet will I praise Him!(?)

We do not need to answer a fool according to his folly. We know the one who is the beginning of wisdom, and would do well to fear Him, and not man, who can only shun us and call us fools, for He makes foolish the wisdom of the wise, and in our weakness His strength is revealed.

Father,
For what we are about to receive from your gracious and loving hand, make our hearts forever grateful. Make our feet to stand.
For Your sake and in the name of Jesus, your Son
Amen