THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Job: Submitting To God

A. Submitting To God Amid Our Earthly Losses

(Job 1:1-22)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

In today's world, we face the sense of a foreboding loss of what we once possessed:

(1) We face a sense of the troubling loss of truth in today's world:

(a) In December 2020, on the issue of making Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory, President-elect Biden said, "'No -- I don't think it should be mandatory . . . I wouldn't demand it to be mandatory.' Now he's mandating the vaccine." ("Cameron Smith: Biden's lies and mandates are what," September 15, 2021; marketofbusiness.com)

(b) A lack of truth also marks some who oppose Covid-19 vaccines: They claim the vaccines have 'the mark of the beast,' that if you accept the shot, the 'mark' is inserted into your bloodstream, and Revelation 14:9-10 claims you will be cast into the lake of fire in judgment! Actually, Revelation 13:16-18 identifies the "mark" as the antichrist's number 666 that is put on one's hand or forehead, and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-14 shows this occurs after the Church is taken to heaven in the rapture! The Covid-19 vaccines do not contain "the mark of the beast"!

(2) We face a sense of a threatening possible job loss for not getting vaccinated: President "Biden's order" that mandates Covid-19 vaccinations "includes exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions . . ." (Zeke Miller, "Biden lays out sweeping pandemic strategy," Republican-American, September 10, 2021, p. 1A), but we hear reports that some businesses and local authorities either do not allow for a religious exemption or make it hard to get.

(3) We face a sense of the sad loss in the value of human life: "The Justice Department" has "sued Texas over a new state law that bans most abortions, arguing that . . . the law unlawfully infringes on the constitutional rights of women" to abort their unborn infants. ("Justice Dept. sues Texas over state's new abortion law," Ibid., September 10, 2021, p. 11A) The Justice Department now views the unborn as having no right to the life that the Declaration of Independence asserts for all Americans (Compton's Ency., 1973, Vol. 6, p. 53), the life God gave them at conception.

(4) We face a sense of the insecure loss in our nation's future financial security: A letter by Selim G. Noujaim, a former state representative, noted, "As the federal deficit grows, Washington's answer is to raise taxes on the rich . . . The grandchildren of the United States have to pay it back. I fear for their futures," Ibid., September 9, 2021, p. 8A.

(5) We face a sense of the anxious loss of national security due to the love of money and power by big corporations: "Peter Gadiel" who lost his son, James, 23 in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11, after "years of lobbying Congress," realized he "couldn't go up against the Goliaths of the Fortune 500 companies" in lobbying for "secure borders, immigration law enforcement and more stringent laws" to stop future terrorist attacks on America. (Bruno Matarazzo, Jr., "Attacked, United," Ibid., September 11, 2021, p. 1A)

Need: So, we ask, "With the sense of a foreboding loss of what we once possessed, what must we do?!"

I. The man Job was initially greatly blessed by God with many possessions in this life, Job 1:1-5:

A. Job lived around Abraham's time (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 756, "Intro. to the Book of Job"), and he was so righteous that God blessed him with 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and many servants, and Job was greatest man in the East, Job 1:2-3.

B. Indeed, Job was so upright that whenever his sons celebrated one of their birthdays, inviting each other and their sisters to the party, he would offer a burnt offering for each one in case they then sinned, Job 1:4-5.

II. However, to prove a point to Satan, God let Satan take away everything that Job possessed, Job 1:6-19:

A. God mentioned to Satan how righteous Job was, but Satan said it was only true to God because of his material blessings, that if God were to destroy all Job possessed, he would openly curse God, Job 1:6-11.

B. The Lord then let Satan take away all Job possessed without harming Job himself, so Satan sent enemy soldiers and bandits, lightning and a great windstorm to kill or take away all that Job possessed, Job 1:12-19.

III. In response, Job did not sinfully charge God with evil, but he accepted his loss as God's will, v. 20-22:

A. When Job learned in quick succession of the loss of each of his possessions, he tore his rob and shaved his head in mourning, but then he fell on his face and worshiped the Lord, Job 1:20.

B. He claimed that he had entered this life with nothing, and that he would also leave it with nothing, that God had given and He had also taken away, and that the name of the Lord was to be praised, Job 1:21 NIV.

C. Thus, Job responded to his great losses by honoring and not sinfully charging God with wrong, Job 1:22.

IV. Job 42:10-16 reveals that God later reimbursed Job double for all his trials once Job had learned to submit to God, not demanding an explanation for his trials, Job 42:1-6. However, Job's first response to his losses in Job 1:20-22 examples how we should respond to an unexplained loss of our possessions.

Lesson: Though God had richly blessed Job with great possessions for his righteousness, when unknown to Job, God let Satan take away all of his possessions to prove that Job would still not curse God, Job rightly did not curse the Lord, but acknowledged that just as he had entered the world with nothing, he would also leave it with nothing.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-11. (2) May we not question God's goodness if we face a significant loss of possessions, but yield to God's sometimes unrevealed purposes, realizing that He is still an infinitely Good God.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . .)

(1) Scripture explains that just as God let Satan take Job's possessions from him, God has let Satan take away possessions from people today in the Revelation 3:21 "Mini-Great Tribulation" we have often noted that God there predicted would come in the latter part of our current and last era of Church History. We explain (as follows):

(a) Revelation 17:1-18:24 predict a great, and as yet secret entity called "Babylon the Great," a conglomerate of religious, business and government units, is now being promoted by Satan (Rev. 17:1-7). [This conglomerate is figuratively called a "harlot" that will spiritually prostitute itself with Satan's future antichrist, the "beast" on which the "harlot" called "Babylon the Great" rides in Revelation 17:3, 7; Bib. Know. Com., N. T., p. 971.]

(b) This "Babylon the Great" is currently a developing part of each problem in our introduction (as follows): (i) On a loss of truth, Rev. 17:2, 4b and 18:2-3a notes the world will become drunk with the wine of spiritual immorality, i. e., they will become brainwashed with godless lies that counter God's truth and infuriate them against it -- all fueled by Satan, what we are starting to see now! (ii) On a possible job loss for not being allowed a religious exemption for Covid-19 vaccination, the spiritual drunkenness from brainwashing with godless lies produce a bigotry against any religious basis for opposing godless views! (iii) On the loss of the value of human life in the unborn, "Babylon the Great" in spiritual drunkenness promotes that view also! (iv) On the loss of future financial security, Rev. 18:3b, 11, 13c teaches "Babylon the Great" is becoming very wealthy at the expense of slaves and human souls, i. e., at the cost of the financial and livelihood welfare of grassroots folk! (v) On the sense of the loss of national security due to the love of money and power by big corporations, Rev. 18:3 claims this world's rulers will become rich via "Babylon the Great" at the cost of the financial and livelihood welfare of grassroots people (Rev. 18:13c)!

(2) However, just as God planned to reimburse Job double for all of his losses in his trials, God plans to reimburse us in eternity many times over for our losses caused by "Babylon the Great." We explain (as follows):

(a) As for a sense of a troubling loss of truth in the world, in the New Jerusalem, the home of believers in Christ, Rev. 21:27 NIV promises: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's [figurative for "Christ's"] book of life."

(b) As for a job loss over being denied a religious exemption from Covid-19 vaccination, Rev. 21:10-24 reveals our New Jerusalem home will be nearly 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide and 1,500 miles high, it will have 12 foundations of precious stones, its 12 gates will each consist of a pearl, the city street will be paved with pure gold and Jesus in John 14:1-2 said He is preparing dwellings for each of His people. (J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, 1981, p. 436) We will thus have an eternal dwelling of our own, eternally enjoying perfect health (Rev. 22:2b), pure water and food (Rev. 22:1-2a) and possess financial and livelihood security!

(c) As for a loss in the value of human life, Rev. 21:4a NIV claims that in the new heavens and new earth of eternity, "[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death . . .", no more abortions!

(d) As for a loss of future financial security, we have the blessings as described in section "(b)" above.

(e) As for a sense of a loss of national security due to the love of money and power by big corporations, Rev. 21:3, 4b, 7-8 reveal that our all-powerful God will make His visible, protective abode in our midst.

(3) Meanwhile, to thrive in this evil world, God claims that if we do not love money and are content with what we own, He will meet our livelihood needs regardless what evil men do (Heb. 13:5-6). We must work for our living (2 Thess. 3:10), not relying on the lost world (1 Thess. 4:11-12), and He will financially reimburse us in accord with our work (Psa. 62:11-12). Psalm 37:25 promises God will not forsake the upright or let his children beg for food.

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life. If we face a significant loss of possessions, may we not question God's goodness, but yield to His sometimes humanly unrevealed purposes, realizing that He is still an infinitely Good God.