Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Year One, March 5

Blessed Is the Man Who Remains Steadfast Under Trial1
Job 2:1-13
1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD.
Even the devil will attend worship services to serve his own ends. Those who hope to be saved because they attend church services regularly are hoping in the wrong thing. We should also “watch and pray” when we attend Christian services. Satan is there and is busy with his temptations.2
2And the LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
Satan is full of evil, but he is not idle. A lazy person commits one more sin than the devil himself.
3And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” (Job was a good, honest, and sincere man. These qualities were like a strong fortress that resisted the attacks of hell. The prince of darkness himself personally attacked him. God gave Satan permission to take away everything Job had.)
4Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” (Satan suggested that bodily pain would be the weapon to wound Job’s faith and even turn that faith into rebellion. The evil one showed his great skill in this plan. Many people have been able to endure every other trial, but were defeated by the suffering of physical pain. Nevertheless, the Lord can make his people more than conquerors even there.) 6And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
Job did not have a soft bed while in this terrible condition, but sat on the hard ashes. He probably did not have a doctor or nurse to help ease his pain. There he sat, the prince of misery; but there was worse to come.
9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”  In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Satan tried to ruin Job by using the person who should have been his best comforter, but the evil one was defeated. The words of his wife only led Job to proclaim another of those remarkable speeches that are now the treasures of the church.)
11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
They showed sympathy, but even this was not allowed to continue. Satan would not let them comfort the afflicted one. Eventually, these three friends became judges of Job’s condition. They decided that such unusual suffering could only have been brought about by unusual sin. Under this impression, they added the last drop of bitterness to Job’s cup by accusing him of hypocrisy and secret sin.
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1 James 1:12
2 Matthew 26:41, Jesus said, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

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