It Starts Small

Trials and hardships will forever be apart of our lives. In the midst of trials and suffering we do not understand God’s will and often feel weak and negative and even misunderstand God and complain against God. How did Job get through it all?

Job who experienced a great trial: All his possessions were taken away by robbers, his children were crushed in the collapse of the house, and his body was covered with boils. But, Job did something that goes against our human inclination. Facing such circumstances, not only did Job not complain about God, but he still praised God, saying, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD”.

He eventually stood testimony for God, gaining God’s blessing and approval. Do you know how he stood testimony? Let us take a look at God’s words together.

God says, “After God said to Satan, ‘All that he has is in your power; only on himself put not forth your hand,’ Satan departed, soon after which Job came under sudden and fierce attacks: First, his oxen and donkeys were plundered and some of his servants killed; next, his sheep and some more servants were consumed in fire; after that, his camels were taken and even more of his servants were murdered; finally, his sons’ and daughters’ lives were taken away. This string of attacks was the torment suffered by Job during the first temptation.

As commanded by God, during these attacks Satan only targeted Job’s property and his children, and did not harm Job himself. Job was instantly transformed from a rich man of great wealth to someone who had nothing.

The Scriptures provide the following account: ‘Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped.’

This was Job’s first reaction after hearing that he had lost his children and all of his property.

How we would react to this situation says a lot about our heart.

Job did not appear surprised, or panic-stricken, much less did he express anger or hate. Job already recognized that these disasters were not an accident, or born from the hand of man, much less were they the arrival of retribution or punishment.

Job was very calm and clear-headed then. It enabled him to rationally and naturally make accurate judgments and decisions about the disasters that had befallen him. Job behaved with unusual calm: ‘Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped.’ This was a very interesting study.

‘Rent his mantle’ means that he was unclothed, and possessed of nothing;

‘shaved his head’ means he had returned before God as a newborn infant;

‘fell down on the ground, and worshipped’ means he had come into the world naked, and still without anything today, he was returned to God as if a newborn baby.

What drove Job to this point? How could he look passed the devastation, destruction, the smell of his entire life having been burned to the ground around him?

Job’s attitude toward all that befell him could not have been achieved by any creature of God. His faith in Jehovah went beyond the realm of belief; this was his fear of God, his obedience to God. Job was not only able to give thanks to God for giving to him, but also for taking from him.

Do we ever thank the Lord for what He has given and taken away?

Job was able to take it upon himself to return to God all that he owned, including his life.”

Job’s fear and obedience toward God is an example to us. Though he did not see God, Job realized that God truly existed, and because of this realization he feared God, and due to his fear of God, he was able to obey God.

He gave God free rein to take whatever he had, yet he was without complaint, and fell down before God and told Him that, at this very moment, even if God took his flesh, he would gladly allow Him to do so, without complaint.

His experiences caused in him a real and actual fear of God and made him shun evil. Do you remember in the early days of this Journey to learning about the God’s righteousness. God hates evil because of evil’s theft, murderous ways, and the destruction it brings within a person. Job had the righteousness of God covering Him. This was the source of the integrity to which Job held firm. Job was possessed of an honest, innocent, and kind humanity, and he had actual experience of fearing God, obeying God, and shunning evil, as well as the knowledge that ‘Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away.’

Only because of these things was he able to stand firm in his testimony amid such vicious attacks by Satan, and only because of them was he able to not disappoint God and to provide a satisfactory answer to God when God’s trials came upon him.

From God’s words, we come to understand: The reason why Job could stand witness was that he had true faith in God. He was simple and honest and he believed all events and all things are in God’s hands, and that all those situations he faced had God’s approval and were not of man’s making.

Besides, Job had also deeply experienced in his decades of life that everything he possessed was bestowed by God and did not come from his own labor. Even if God wanted to take them away, he should submit to God as a created being. That’s why when he was faced with the adversity of losing all his possessions and his children, he didn’t complain to God but completely submitted to God taking those things away.

Even if his very life was taken from him, he was still willing to obey God. He said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” 

Job’s witness thoroughly humiliated Satan, and with such faith, he finally gained God’s approval, living in the light of God forever.

In our life goal of pursuing righteousness, does our faith lead us to the fear of the Lord? Do we acknowledged all we have is from Him. What He gives He can take away, and no matter what we will still fall in worship to Him and praise Him?

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