Suffering and Grace - Series Part - 8

The blog is the eighth part of the sermon series titled "Suffering and Grace," delivered on April 28, 2024, focusing on the Book of Job, specifically analyzing Job chapter 2, verses 1-10. It is a continuation of previous parts of the series. Without further due, let us uncover the key points covered in this sermon. 

The sermon begins by noting that Job had already passed the first test (from Job chapter 1), where he did not accuse God of wrongdoing despite immense loss. He proved Satan's claim false by showing he did not worship God just for the "side-effects of prosperity". Job understood that a person's life isn't measured by their possessions. Pastor Sam quotes Luke 12:15, which reads, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." Job knew the reality of being simply a person before God, starting with nothing and leaving with nothing but what he had become.

The sermon then emphasizes the theological understanding that there is no concept of human "rights" against God. The Lord is the absolute sovereign owner of everything, and Job's faith allows him to rejoice in this. Job's faith didn't remove his suffering; rather, it was the source of his agony because he saw God's hand in everything, leading to the difficult question of how God could do something seemingly "bad". Unlike other biblical figures like Eli or David, whose suffering was seen as just deserts for their sins, Job did not have the comfort of knowing he was suffering for his sins, as his sins were not of a magnitude deserving such punishment. This left Job grappling with doubt about God's justice.

The sermon points out that readers of the Book of Job have knowledge that Job himself did not. We know that Job was chosen by God as a "test case" because of his godliness. This trial, unbeknownst to Job, was actually a great honor. The story's intensity should remain shocking despite familiarity. The scene returns to the heavenly court, mirroring the beginning of chapter 1. The "sons of God" present themselves before the Lord, and Satan is among them. Satan is depicted as a "minister or servant of the Lord," subservient to God's sovereignty. He reports on the completion of his previous task of depriving Job of his possessions and children. God again highlights Job's character: blameless, upright, God-fearing, and maintaining his integrity. God states that Satan incited Him to ruin Job "without any reason" confirming Job's integrity as a genuine believer. This is when satan's true motive is revealed: not just to test Job, but to destroy him. He wants God to kill Job. This desire is unjustified ("without reason"), substantiating that Job's sufferings are undeserved.

• Satan's Second Challenge: 
  • Frustrated that Job's faith survived the loss of possessions and family ("outer skin"), Satan proposes a deeper test: attacking Job's physical body ("inner skin," "bone and flesh"). He uses the idiom "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life".
  • Satan believes that while losing possessions and relationships hurts, it doesn't test a man's piety as deeply as attacking "who I am, to my own body and soul".
  • The sermon notes that from God's perspective, God Himself had allowed the first test. Now, God must again "put forth his hand" to harm Job, with Satan acting as the agent. Satan is given authority but is explicitly forbidden from killing Job.

• The Second Test: "Shockingly," the Lord agrees to Satan's request, placing Job "in your hand; only spare his life" (Job 2:6). Satan is frustrated that he cannot utterly destroy Job by killing him.

The sermon reflects on how "we" (the readers) might think God should have stopped the trial after the first wave of suffering. God's decision to allow further, more intimate suffering teaches a "very deep" lesson: "The glory of God really is more important than your or my comfort". The first test provided an "approximate or provisional demonstration," but for the "ultimate glory of God," it is necessary for Job to endure personal attack to provide an absolute demonstration that God is worthy of worship. It requires Job to demonstrate "a full and deep obedience".

• The Suffering Intensifies (Job 2:7-8):
  • The transition from the heavenly scene to Job's affliction is immediate. Satan leaves God's presence and immediately strikes Job. The pace of the narrative quickens.
  • Unlike the first trials, where agents were human or impersonal forces, Satan is the direct, immediate agent of Job's suffering in this second test.
  • Job is afflicted with "loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head". This is a "total and intimate affliction with no reprieve". The "last vestige of protective hedge has been destroyed".
  • Job's physical state is dire: covered in sores described possibly as leprosy or elephantiasis. He sits on an ash heap outside the city, a place of rubbish and burning, symbolically linked to Hell. He uses a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores.
  • Beyond physical health, Job suffers other losses due to these tests, including honor, respect, standing, friendships, and even the support of his wife and brothers. He is described as having lost everything and is "all alone".
  • This suffering of his person is presented as the crucial test to prove whether Job serves God only for what he receives.

• Job's Wife's Temptation (Job 2:9):
  • Job's wife appears, making her only appearance in this part of the story. She asks him if he still holds onto his integrity.
  • She tempts him directly: "Curse God and die". She understands, as Job does, that cursing God leads to death.
  • While her motive isn't judged, she is portrayed as the "mouthpiece of a terrible temptation," seen by figures like Augustine and Calvin as an agent or tool of Satan. She represents the temptation to give in and curse God.

• Job's Faithful Response (Job 2:10):
  • Job calls his wife's suggestion the kind of thing "foolish women" would say, though gently, implying she is speaking under stress.
  • His response is a model of faith under trial: "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?".
  • By saying "we," Job includes both himself and his wife. His faith is rooted in God as the Creator, the source of all good gifts. He trusts this same God to send him "evil" (harmful) things, believing God knows best. To "receive" means to humbly accept God's "loving providence".

The verse Job 2:10 states: "In all this Job did not sin with his lips". The sermon interprets this as a clear affirmation that Job passed the test. Satan predicted sin with the lips, which did not happen. "The question is settled, the trial concluded". Job's piety is shown to stem from his deep conviction that God is the author of everything and worthy of worship in all circumstances, good or bad. While the trial is settled in one sense in chapter 2, Heaven remains silent until chapter 38. Job's full vindication isn't shown until chapter 42. Job's broken state signifies a true believer undergoing a profound and difficult experience.

We will continue this series in the next part. In summary, part 8 sermon highlights Job's unwavering faith despite immense, undeserved suffering, contrasting his perspective with that of the reader who knows the heavenly context. Pastor Sam emphasizes God's sovereignty, the depth of Satan's malice (seeking destruction, not just testing), and the profound theological truth that God's glory is the ultimate purpose, even when it requires the intense suffering of a righteous person like Job to demonstrate the genuineness of faith. Job's response to his wife and his acceptance of both good and "evil" from God demonstrates his successful passage of this crucial trial.