Do you serve Christ conditionally? That, in essence, was the argument that Satan had lodged against Job. In other words, Satan’s viewpoint was, “Why wouldn’t Job serve You, Jehovah? Look at his family, his financial abundance, his health. Of course he serves You, but he does so because of Your blessings upon his life, not because he simply loves You!”
Although in Job’s case Satan was incorrect, how would you and I respond to this type of inquiry? How would we measure up under such scrutiny? Honestly, are we, as much as lies within us, serving Jesus because He really is enough? Is Jesus, and Jesus alone, our portion and the motivation for our service?
Paul not only counted all things that were gain to him as loss, but he also “suffered the loss of all things and count(ed) them as rubbish”. Was he a superman of some kind? No. He, like you and I, had to count the cost of following Jesus.
Unlike Job and Paul, Judas Iscariot could be bought. None of us in this mortal body are giving the Lord 100% all of the time, but are we totally committed to Him, regardless of external circumstances, good or bad? What pleasure is worth betraying Him? What tragedy is cause to forsake Him?
Unconditional atonement is the reason for unconditional surrender. God forbid that we should live any other way. Jesus is the Lord and He is worthy to be praised!
Job experiences unconditional surrender but keeps his integrity while he waits for salvation
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.”
Job 13:15
Will God let a believer be tempted beyond what he can endure?
If No –
Then Job could not fail.
He could only suffer through it all patiently
No answers, No mediator, and No comforters.
God knew Job would be victorious before putting him in the situation.
He knew Job would not curse him.
All things were working together for good and Job was winning but Job thought he was losing and wanted to die. (Job 3)
Job lost his ability to help while he was being afflicted, he said he was a burden even to himself (Job 7:20)
Job curses the day of his birth and speaks about a place where a servant is free from his master ( Job 3:19-21)
His friends had a chance to serve God by giving encouragement and words of comfort to heal his spirit when he needed it most but didn’t seem to care. (Job 16:2)
They could have been like Jesus, prayed to God on his behalf, tried to heal him or shown a little love and respect while he was in mourning instead of insulting him and building a case against him.
God was the only one who believed in Job. He even showed up to answer him personally and set the record straight for his friends. Job is compensated for his troubles
but Jobs friends misrepresented God.
Jobs friends failed to demonstrate God’s love and accidently became nothing but sounding brass and clanging cymbals.
( Job 42:7, 1 Corinthians 13, Job 16)
Honorable mention to Elihu , the mysterious character who seems to be trying to help Job and then vanishes toward the end.
” And the LORD said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth,
a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
and still he holdeth fast his integrity,
although thou movedst me
against him,
to destroy him without cause.” Job 2:3
“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,
and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” Job 3:25
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Romans 6:16-18 (Apostle Paul)