Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Job 1:1-2:10; 42:12-17

Key Verse 1:20

(1Th 5:18)

Happy Thanksgiving! It takes about 18 hours to cook turkey, but it takes 18 minutes if not 8 minutes to consume it. By the way, how was your Thanksgiving turkey? It has been said that an optimistic person is the one who starts out with a new diet plan right after his Thanksgiving dinner. We Christians are eternal optimists, for, in Jesus, we have a living hope in the eternal kingdom of God, where we can have Thanksgiving turkey without worrying about gaining weight. 

Today we would like to think about Job in whom we find a prime example of a true Christian. Chesney Hawkes, an English pop-singer said in his song entitled, “Fair-weather Christian,” “What is the use of a fair-weather Christian?” Obviously, a fair-weather Christian is of no use. But Job was different. He loved the Lord God and obeyed him rain or shine. He demonstrated himself as a truly godly man. Let us come and meet him. 

 

Part I. A man named Job (1:1-5)

Look at verse 1. “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” There have been debates among Bible scholars as to whether Job was a historical figure or a fictitious character. In my opinion, he is a real person who once upon a time walked on the surface of the planet earth. The reasons to support this conclusion are many. Ezekiel mentions Noah, Daniel, and Job together as men of integrity (Ezekiel 14:14,20). Just as Noah and Daniel were real figures, so also was Job. The place where Job lived also indicates that he was a historical figure, for in the Bible, Uz was the name of Aram, the sixth son of Shem. In Granada Hills, we have a director named Aram Kligian. When we visited his place a few weeks ago, his father served us Armenian pizza. Most likely, Shepherd Gideon Aram Kligian is a descendant of Aram. Most likely, his ancestor Aram used to live in the land of Uz. (Gen 10:22) Uz is also the name of the first son of Nahor, Abraham’s younger brother. So most likely, the land Job lived got its name from these people. And Job lived in the land of Uz.

Other evidences include the names of Job’s three friends. Job 2:11 describes names them: “Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite.” Eliphaz is the first son of Esau, Jacob’s elder brother. Teman is the name of Eliphaz’s first son. So most likely Eliphaz was a real figure who descended from Esau. Bildad is described as a Shuhite. One of Abraham’s children from Keturah was Shuah, so it is likely that Bildad came from this origin. And not much is known about Zophar, although there is evidence that he might be from the line of Eliphaz’s other son Zepho, as mentioned in Genesis 36:15. 

Job’s days were rough. There were drive-by shooting and lots gang-bangers, like the Sabeans and the Chaldeans. 

Yet, Job lived a life that was blameless and upright. The expression, “blameless and upright,” means that his life showed congruence with the ideals and principles of life. In creating the universe and in it the earth, and filling the earth with living creatures, the Lord God built in the life of men “principles of life,” for example, sex must be confined within marriage. Moses’ Ten Commandments also talk about them. Moses’ Commandments are not suggestions but commandments. They are principles. If you break the law, the law will break you. You cannot break the law in the sense of doing harm to it. The law will break you. Make no mistake. 

The American Social Health Association based in North Carolina published statistics on sexually transmitted diseases in America: how many cases and at what cost. Some of the statistics are kind of outdated (December 1998), but at least the reports prove a point. Here are the reports. The estimated total number of people living in the U.S. with a viral STD is over 65 million. Every year, there are at least 15 million new cases of STDs. More than $8 billion is spent each year to diagnose and treat STDs and their complications. This figure does not include HIV. Each year, one in four teens contracts an STD. One in two sexually active [persons] will contract an STD by age 25. About half of all new STDs in 2000 occurred among youth ages 15 to 24. Of the STDs that are diagnosed, only some (gonorrhea, syphilis, Chlamydia, hepatitis A and B) are required to be reported to state health departments and CDC (Centers for Disease Control). One out of 20 people in the United States will get infected with hepatitis B (HBV) some time during their lives. Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than HIV. Approximately half of HBV infections are transmitted sexually. HBV is linked to chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. It is estimated that as many as one in four Americans have genital herpes, a lifelong (yet manageable) infection, yet up to 90 percent of those with herpes are unaware they even have it. With more than 50 million adults in the U.S. with genital herpes and up to 1.6 million new infections each year, some estimates suggest that by 2025 up to 40% of all men and half of all women could be infected. Over 6 million people acquire HPV each year, and by age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. The CDC recommends that sexually active females 25 and under should be screened at least once a year for Chlamydia, even if no symptoms are present. About two-thirds of young females believe doctors routinely screen teens for Chlamydia. However, in 2003 only 30% of women 25 and under with commercial health care plans and 45% in Medicaid plans were screened for Chlamydia. At least 15 percent of all American women who are infertile can attribute it to tubal damage caused by pelvic inflammatory disease, the result of an untreated STD. 

Verse 1 continues to say that Job feared God. Fearing God means standing in awe of God. It denotes that the life that respects God’s word and obeys God’s word. In Genesis 22:12, Abraham obeyed God to sacrifice his one and only son Isaac. Then the Lord God said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” So, fearing God means obeying God’s word no matter what.  

Verse 1 continues to say that Job shunned evil. Look at verses 2-3. “He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” This passage shows us that although Job was rich, he still shunned evil. To be rich and yet to live a life that is devout is never an easy thing to do. On my way from Chicago to LA, I watched an ABC News Program presented by Delta Airlines. It was an interview with an American businessman who went to Costa Rica [one of the biggest sex tourism countries] and built a huge business empire. He makes money mostly through on-line gambling. And each time he parties, tons of girls in bikini suits stream in and out of his playboy mansion. 

Most likely, Job must have seen that his children might also drift into a playboy’s or a playgirl’s lifestyle. So what did he do? Look at verses 4-5. “His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job's regular custom.” Most likely, each time his sons and daughters held parties, they must have provided banquets with all sorts of luxury. No luxury was missing from the tables. The provision must have been wildly extravagant, a self-indulgent expenditure, so that the feast was custom designed to party with LCD and plasma TVs, Jacuzzi tubs and wet bars, walk-in closets, separate bedrooms with oversized beds, and in the living room strobe and techno lighting and wooden dance floors and much more. 

And Job put his children under strict spiritual regiments, so they would live a life that is pure and righteous. 

We are living in a country that is flowing with milk and honey, where we are blessed with all kinds of blessings. But it is not easy to be blessed, and yet shun evil. May the Lord bless us through Job’s example.  

Part II. Does Job fear God for nothing? (1:6-12)

In verses 6-20, there is a change of scene, for there we see a heavenly tribunal open up, and decisions are made. Let us read this passage responsively. Two things draw our attention: what the Lord said of Job, and what Satan said of Job.  

First, have you considered my servant Job?

The Lord God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” Here it is interesting to see the Lord God calling Job “my servant.” Job did not hold a fancy title like pastor or missionary or prophet. He was simply a lay person. Yet, the Lord calls him his servant. What is a servant? A servant is a person who serves a master. To Job, the Lord God was his personal master. Although he enjoyed a prominent standing in his society, he still served the Lord as a humble servant. A servant then respects and obeys the word of the master. 

Second, does Job fear God for nothing?

When the Lord God spoke well of Job, Satan responded, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Here Satan suggested that Job loves the Lord God and obeys him, not purely because of God himself, but for something else. In other words Satan said, “Job obeys you because of you plus alpha.” 

The Lord God knew that Satan was wrong. In order to prove that Satan was wrong and that the Lord God was right, the Lord gave Satan permission to test Job. Satan proceeded. Disasters hit. Satan proved that he himself was wrong. 

Part III. Job fell to the ground in worship (1:13-2:10)

Now, how did Job fare? How was he able to come out of the trials victorious? Look at verses 20-22. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” 

Two things are noteworthy. 

First, he got up.

Why did he suddenly get up? Obviously, Job sensed that he was facing a new challenge. He realized that he was getting into an entirely new chapter of his life. In order to meet the challenge he got up. He stood up on his feet. This expression indicates that in times of disasters he braced himself up to meet the challenge. What kind of challenge or challenges are at your door? And are you ready for the occasion? 

Second, he fell to the ground in worship.

After standing up, he tore his robe and shaved his head (which is perhaps to mourn for the death of his children, and then to make a firm decision to not resort to his own understanding but to come close to the Lord God and go by his precepts). Then he did something very interesting: he fell down to the ground in worship. This indicates that he knew that the wisdom, courage, and power to win the test come from God the Father, not himself. His example reminds us of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives. At that time, all enemies were converging upon Jesus. His beloved disciple Judas betrayed him. And a mob was coming to arrest him. At that moment he fell to the ground and prayed. While in prayer, he was in anguish. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Then Jesus gained strength from the Lord. 

In Job 2:1-10, we see Job being hit with another batch of disasters, and this time the attacks were on his person (his physical body). 

This Bible passage is filled with lessons for us to dig up. But for our own purpose, we would like to think about two things:

First, the Lord God said of Job, “He still maintains his integrity.” What is integrity? Integrity has to do with “oneness.” He was not divided. He was fully devoted to God in good times and in bad times. His love remained the same rain or shine. His enemies tried to puncture the shield of his integrity. But he still maintained his integrity. Where did this integrity come from? It came from his deep, personal fellowship with God the Father. The Lord God gives single-mindedness. He is the giver of personal integrity. 

Second, Job had personal faith in God. May all sisters read verse 9? Job’s wife operated as a temptress. She behaved like Eve who tempted Adam. Eve was supposed to help her husband Adam follow God’s will. Had Eve helped Adam to obey the Lord, she could have kept her home to remain as “home sweet home.” But through her tempting, she led her husband to death. In the same way, Job’s wife tempted him to commit suicide. 

But what did Job do? Look at verse 10. He rebuked his wife as a foolish woman. This shows that Job had an independent faith, which was independent of his wife. He did not depend upon his wife. He had his own faith. A lot of people in America, particularly the male population, can learn a lot from Job, for they tend to blame the female population for the evils they are committing. And no one should say, “The devil made me do it.” 

Most importantly, what kind of faith did Job have in God? Look at verse 10 again. He believed in God who is good all the time, so that even by sending troubles to his children, God is going to bring about his greater goodness for his children. 

Practically then what good did the Lord bring about for Job? The remainder of the story, especially Job 19:26 and 42:5, tell us that it was through these personal ordeals that Job came to know God, especially God’s great love, more intimately and personally than before. In Job 19:26, he states, “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” So seeing God was his single longing throughout the ordeals. The Lord blessed him by fulfilling his desire, for Job 42:5 says, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” As a bonus then the Lord blessed him with greater physical blessings than ever, such as more money in his bank account, and more beautiful children than ever. (Job 42:12-17)

One word: give thanks to God in all circumstances

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