About Job Himself
After learning about the whole course of Job’s experiencing the trials, most people, I believe, begin to have interest in the information about Job himself, and are especially concerned about the “secret” of how Job received God’s approval. Now let’s talk about Job himself here!
Job’s Perfectness and Uprightness and His Fearing God and Shunning Evil Are Seen in His Daily Life
To talk about Job himself, let’s start from the evaluation of Job from God’s mouth “that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.”
First, let’s learn about Job’s perfectness and uprightness.
How do you understand the “perfectness and uprightness” spoken of here? You think Job was so flawless and so upright, don’t you? Of course, this is the literal interpretation and understanding. If we want to truly know about Job himself, we cannot divorce it from the real life. If we only focus on the letters, books, and doctrines, we cannot find any answer. Let’s first look at how Job lived in his daily life, that is, look at what his usual behavior in his life was, and through it know about Job’s living principles and his goal of life and also know about the quality of Job’s humanity and his pursuit. Now, let’s see the last word in Job 1:3, “so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” This word means that Job had a very high position and status at that time. Here it does not tell that Job was the greatest of all the men of the east because he had great possessions or because he “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.” Anyway, Job had a favored position and status in people’s eyes. This is the first impression people had about Job in the Bible: Job was a perfect man and one that “feared God and shunned evil”; he had large wealth and also a respectable position. As to a normal man who had such living environment and conditions, his daily diet, the quality of his life, and every aspect of his private life attracted the attention of most people. So, we must continue to read the following scriptures in the Bible: And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (Job 1:4-5) This passage of scripture records two things: The first is that Job’s sons and daughters often feasted and ate and drank together, and the second is that Job often offered burnt offerings, because he was often worried for his sons and daughters, afraid that they might have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. These two things are the accounts of different lives of two kinds of people. One is about the kind of people like Job’s sons and daughters. They often feasted and lived a luxurious life because of their rich life. They indulged in the life of eating and drinking their fill and enjoyed a life of superior quality brought by abundant material things. Living such a life, they often sinned and offended God unavoidably. But they did not sanctify themselves, nor did they offer burnt offerings for that. It can be seen that these people did not have a place for God in their hearts and that they did not contemplate God’s grace or fear offending God, much less fear cursing God in their hearts. Of course, the details about Job’s sons and daughters are not what we are concerned about. The focus of our talk is what Job did when he encountered these things, which is the other thing recorded in this passage of scripture. This thing is involved with the substance of Job’s humanity and his daily life. The scriptures record that when Job’s sons and daughters feasted, Job did not participate in it, and only his sons and daughters often ate and drank together. That is to say, Job neither feasted nor was merry with his sons and daughters, indulging in extravagant eating and drinking. Although he was rich and had all kinds of possessions and many servants, his life was not luxurious, and he did not, because of his being rich, indulge in a superior living environment, hanker after fleshly enjoyment, or forget to offer burnt offerings, much less gradually depart from God in his heart. It can be seen that Job was discreet in his life. He did not become greedy or love enjoyment or pay much attention to the quality of his life because of God’s blessing to him. Moreover, he was humble in doing things, modest in conducting himself, and careful and cautious before God, often contemplated God’s graces and blessings, and always had a heart of fearing God. In his daily life, he often rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings for his sons and daughters. This means that Job not only feared God himself but also hoped that his sons and daughters could fear God like him and would not commit offense against God. That is, rich material things did not occupy Job’s heart or take the place of God in his heart, and all that he did in his daily life, whether for his sons and daughters or for himself, had to do with “fearing God and shunning evil.” His fear of Jehovah God was not just on his lips, but was put into practice and manifested in every bit of his daily life. Such actual manifestations of Job show us Job’s honesty and Job’s substance of loving justice and positive things. He often “sent and sanctified them,” and this means that he did not agree with or approve their actions but loathed and condemned them in his heart. He was sure that the actions of his sons and daughters were displeasing to Jehovah God, so he often asked them to confess their sins before Jehovah God. This action of Job shows us another aspect of his humanity; that is, he never walked with those who often sinned and offended God but stayed away from them and shunned them. Although they were his sons and daughters, he did not abandon his principle in conducting himself because of his blood relationship with them or tolerate their sins because of affection, but exhorted them to confess their sins to be tolerated by Jehovah God, and he also warned them not to forsake God because of hankering after enjoyment. Job’s principles in treating people are inseparable from his principle of fearing God and shunning evil. He loved what God accepted, hated what God loathed, loved those who feared God in their hearts, and hated those who did evil and did things that offended God. His love and hatred were manifested in his daily life. This is Job’s uprightness God saw with his eyes. Of course, this is also the expression and living out of Job’s real humanity in dealing with people in his daily life which we need to know about.
Manifestations of Job’s Humanity in the Trials (Knowing About Job’s Perfectness and Uprightness and Fearing God and Shunning Evil in the Trials)
What we talked about above are various aspects of Job’s humanity manifested in his daily life before he underwent the temptations. I believe that these various aspects of Job’s manifestations give people an initial knowledge and understanding of Job’s uprightness, fearing God, and shunning evil, and of course make them have an initial approval of it. The reason why I say it is “initial” is that most people do not truly know about the quality of Job’s humanity and the extent of his pursuit of the way of obeying and fearing God. That is to say, except for some good impression they have of Job because of Job’s two words in the Bible, “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” and “shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”, most people did not have any deeper knowledge of him. So it’s very necessary for us to know about how was Job’s living out in humanity when he was tried by God. Then, Job’s real humanity will be fully presented to everyone.
When Job was told the news that his possessions were taken away, his sons and daughters lost their lives, and his servants were killed, Job’s reaction was like this: Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped. (Job 1:20) This word tells such a fact: When Job heard the news, he did not panic or weep or rebuke the servants who reported the news, much less go to the spots and investigate and check the causes and effects of the events so as to make clear the whole story. He did not show any manifestations of being sorry or grieving for the loss of possessions, nor did he weep bitterly for losing his children and relatives. On the contrary, he rent his mantle, shaved his head, and fell down on the ground and worshiped. This action of Job was different from that of common people, and it perplexed so many people and made so many people reproach Job in their hearts for his being “cold-blooded.” When one’s possessions are totally gone in an instant, a normal man will be grieved or despaired, and some people will even have the thought that all hopes are dashed. This is because in man’s heart, possessions represent his lifetime painstaking effort and is the reliance of his existence and the hope by which he lives on. Losing possessions means that his painstaking effort comes to naught, and means that he has no hope and even loses the future. This is the attitude any normal man has toward possessions and is the close relationship between possessions and a man, and it is also the importance of possessions to man in man’s eyes. So, most people are perplexed about Job’s so indifferent attitude toward possessions. Today, let’s solve the puzzlement of most people through interpreting Job’s heart.
Rationally speaking, since God bestowed to Job rich possessions, Job should feel indebted to God for losing them, because he did not take good care of them or look after them well and did not keep the possessions God gave him. So, when Job heard that his possessions were taken away, his first reaction should be to go to the spot and check out all things, and then to confess his sin to God so as to get God’s blessings again. However, Job did not do so. As to why he made such a choice, of course he had his own ideas about it. In Job’s heart, he deeply believed that his everything was from God’s blessing, not gained by his hard labor. So, he did not take the blessings he received as his capital, but took holding fast the way he should keep with all his heart and strength as his living principle. He treasured and thanked God’s blessings, but he did not hanker after or demand more blessings. This is his attitude toward possessions. He did not do anything to receive blessings, nor did he feel worried or sorrowful for not having or losing blessings. He was not overjoyed or carried away because of God’s blessings, nor did he neglect God’s ways and forget God’s grace because of continually enjoying blessings. Job’s attitude toward possessions made people see the expression of his real humanity: First, Job was not a greedy man, and the standard of his requirement for the material life was very low. Second, Job never felt worried or afraid that God would take away from his hand everything he had, and this was his obedient attitude toward God in his heart. That is, no matter when God took it away or whether God took it away or not, he did not have demands or complaints, and did not ask for reasons, but only sought to obey God’s arrangement. Third, Job never thought that his possessions were earned by his own hard work, but that they were bestowed by God. This was his belief in God, that is, Job’s faith. Through the above three summaries about Job, aren’t you quite clear about his humanity and his real pursuit in his daily life? Job could behave so calmly when he lost his possessions, and this had to do with his such humanity and pursuit. Just because of his pursuit in his daily life, he had the stature and faith to say such a word in God’s trial that “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” His word was not acquired in one day, or made up by him through brainstorm, but it was what he had seen and acquired in his many years of life experience. Compared with all those who only seek for God’s blessings but fear, hate, and complain against God’s taking away, isn’t Job’s obedience very practical? Compared with all those who only believe that there is God but never believe that God rules over everything, isn’t Job very honest and upright?
Job’s Rationality
Job’s practical experience and his upright and honest humanity caused him to make the most rational judgment and choice when he lost his possessions and his sons and daughters. Such rational choice of his had to do with his pursuit and his knowledge of God’s deeds in his daily life. Job’s honesty enabled him to believe that all things are ruled over by Jehovah’s hand; his belief made him know the fact that Jehovah God rules over all things; his knowledge made him willing and able to obey the sovereignty and arrangement of Jehovah God; his obedience made him fear Jehovah God more and more genuinely; his fear made him shun evil more and more practically; finally, Job became perfect because of fearing God and shunning evil; his perfectness made him wise and also made him the most rational man.
How to understand “being rational”? Literally, it means that one has sense, is logical and not fallacious in thinking, has proper speech and behavior and judgment, and has proper and normative moral standards. But Job’s “rationality” is not explained so simply. Here I say that Job was the most rational man, and this had to do with his humanity and his behavior before God. Because Job was an honest man, he could believe in and obey God’s sovereignty, which made him acquire the knowledge other people could not acquire. This knowledge enabled him to more accurately discern, judge, and define the things he encountered, so that he could make a more accurate and wise choice of what to do and keep. That is, his speech, behavior, principles of doing things, and policies in doing things were very standard, definite, and specific, rather than rash, impulsive, and emotional. He knew how to treat different things when he encountered them, knew how to balance and deal with the relationship between all kinds of complicated things, knew how to keep the ways he should keep, and even more knew how to treat the giving and the taking away of Jehovah God. This is Job’s “rationality.” Just because Job had such rationality, he could say the word “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” when he lost his property and his sons and daughters.
When Job was faced with the sharp physical pain, the dissuasion from his relatives and friends, and death, his practical manifestations showed the aspect of his trueness to everyone.
Job’s True Self: Trueness, Simplicity, and Non-hypocrisy
Let’s see Job 2:7-8: So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat down among the ashes. This is a description about how Job behaved after he was stricken with sore boils. At that time, Job sat down among the ashes, and endured the physical pain, with no one to heal him or help him relieve his physical pain, and he himself scraped the surface of sore boils with a potsherd. Outwardly, this is only an episode in the period of Job’s suffering and had nothing to do with Job’s humanity and his fear of God, because Job did not say anything during this period to express his feeling of that time and his viewpoint. But Job’s conduct and behavior were still a real expression of his humanity. Previously, from the record in Chapter One above we see that “Job was greatest of all the men of the east,” and from this section of Chapter Two, we see that this man who was the greatest of all the men of the east actually “sat down among the ashes and took him a potsherd to scrape himself with.” Isn’t there a sharp contrast between the former and latter descriptions? This contrast shows us Job’s true self: Although he had a prominent status and position, he never treasured or cared about them. He did not care about what others thought of his status or what negative effects his doings and behavior would bring to his status. He did not hanker after the blessings of position or enjoy the aura brought by his position and status. He only cared about what his value and his meaning of living were in the eyes of Jehovah God. Job’s true self is his substance: He did not love fame and gain and did not live for them; he was true, simple, and non-hypocritical.
Job Was Clear About What to Love and What to Hate
In the conversation between Job and his wife, another aspect of his humanity was shown to everyone: Then said his wife to him, Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 2:9-10) Job’s wife saw that Job suffered so much, so she tried to persuade him, so as to help him out of the suffering. But his wife’s “good intention” did not get his approval but provoked him to anger, because she denied Job’s faith in and obedience to Jehovah God and also denied the existence of Jehovah God. This was intolerable to Job, because he never allowed himself to do things that resisted God or do things that grieved God. How much more so with others? How could he remain indifferent when hearing others say words that blasphemed and insulted God? So, he called his wife “foolish woman.” Job’s attitude toward his wife was with anger and hatred and also with rebuke and reproach. This is exactly the natural expression of his humanity of being clear what to love and what to hate and also the true manifestation of his upright humanity. Job was a person with a sense of justice. His sense of justice made him hate the evil custom and trend, and hate, condemn, and reject fallacies, strange talks, and absurd sayings, and it also enabled him to still hold fast his right principle and stand when he was “forsaken by all his relatives and friends.”
Job’s Kindness and Sincerity
Since we can see the expression of Job’s humanity from all kinds of his behavior, then what kind of humanity of Job can we see from the matter of his opening mouth to curse the day of his birth? This is the topic of my following fellowship.
I have talked previously about the root of Job’s cursing the day of his birth. What have you seen from this matter? If Job was a man who had a hard heart, had no love, was merciless, and had no humanity, would he care for God’s will? Would he hate his birthday because of his care for God’s heart? In other words, if Job was hard-hearted and devoid of humanity, would he be grieved because of God’s sorrow? Would he curse his birthday because of God’s sorrow for him? The answer is: absolutely not! Because Job was kind-hearted, he could care for God’s heart; because he cared for God’s heart, he could feel God’s sorrow; because he was kind-hearted, he was more distressed for feeling God’s sorrow; because he felt God’s sorrow, he began to hate the day of his birth and thus cursed it. In others’ eyes, all Job’s behavior in the trials could be counted as the example for them to follow, yet only the matter of Job’s cursing the day of his birth made them put a question mark against Job’s perfectness and uprightness or give a different opinion of them. Actually, this action of Job was the most real expression of the substance of his humanity, and the substance of his humanity was without concealment or packaging and had not been processed. From this action of his people see the kindness and sincerity in the depth of his heart. He was just a spring of water, clear to the bottom, pure, and transparent.
After knowing about the various aspects of Job, most of you, I believe, have had a relatively accurate and objective evaluation of the substance of Job’s humanity, and also have had a deep, further, and practical understanding and realization of the “perfectness and uprightness” God spoke of. I hope that these understanding and realization will help you step onto the way of “fearing God and shunning evil.”
The Relation Between God’s Delivering Job to Satan and the Purpose of God’s Work
Although at this point most people approve of Job’s perfectness and uprightness and also approve of Job’s being a man who “fears God and shuns evil,” they do not understand God’s will better because of their approval of him. Many people, while admiring Job’s humanity and pursuit, raise such a question to God: Since Job was so perfect and upright and was so much adored by people, why did God deliver him to satan and let him suffer so much? I believe that such a question exists in the heart of many people; that is to say, this question is a question in the heart of most people. Since the question perplexes most people, it’s very necessary for us to lay it on the table and make it clear.
Everything God does is very necessary and has extraordinary meaning, because all that he does on man has to do with his management and mankind’s salvation. Of course, the work God did on Job was not an exception, though Job was a perfect and upright man in God’s eyes. That is to say, no matter what God does, what means he uses, what price he pays, and what goal he aims at, his purpose of doing things is unchanged. This purpose is to work into man God’s word, God’s requirement, and God’s will for man, that is, to work into man all positive things in God’s eyes according to God’s steps, so that they can understand God’s heart, understand and know God’s substance, obey God’s sovereignty and arrangement, and thus fear God and shun evil. This is one purpose of God’s doing things. On the other hand, because satan is a setoff and a serving object in God’s work, man is often delivered to satan. By this means, God lets man see satan’s evil, ugliness, and baseness in its temptation and attack and thereby hate it and have knowledge and discernment of negative things, and in this course, he lets man gradually break free from satan’s control and get free from satan’s accusation, disturbance, and attack. When a man can completely overcome satan’s attack and accusation by God’s word, by his knowledge of and obedience to God, and by his faith and fear of God, he will have been thoroughly rescued from satan’s domain. Man’s being rescued means the declaration of satan’s failure and means that he will no longer be food in satan’s mouth or an object satan wants to devour but will be an object satan gives up. This is because such a man is upright and has faith, obedience, and fear of God and is one who completely breaks with satan, he causes satan to be shamed, frightened, and thoroughly defeated, and his faith in following God and his obedience and fear of God defeat satan and cause satan to completely give him up. Only such a man is one who has been truly gained by God. This is the ultimate goal of God’s saving man. Every follower of God, if he wants to be saved and be completely gained by God, must face small and great temptations and attacks from satan. He who gets out of them and can completely overcome satan is a saved man. In other words, a man saved by God is one who has undergone God’s trials and undergone countless temptations and attacks from satan; a man saved by God is one who understands God’s will and God’s requirements and can obey God’s sovereignty and arrangement and who does not give up the way of “fearing God and shunning evil” in satan’s temptations; a man saved by God is an honest and kind man who is clear about what to love and what to hate and has sense of justice and rationality and who cares for God and treasures God’s everything. Such a man is free from satan’s bondage, spying, accusation, and affliction, and is one who has had perfect freedom and one who has been completely released and freed. Job was such a free man. This is where the significance of God’s delivering Job to satan lies.
Although Job underwent satan’s affliction, he received the eternal freedom and release and received the right that he could be forever free from satan’s corruption, affliction, and accusation and could live in the light of God’s presence and in God’s blessing to him with no concern and no worry. No one could deprive him of this right, no one could destroy it, and no one could take it as his. It was earned by Job with his faith and willpower and his obedience and fear of God. At the price of his life, he won the qualification and right to live a happy and joyous life on earth, and to justifiably worship the Creator on earth without any disturbance as a real created being. This is Job’s greatest fruit after he underwent the temptations.
Before man is saved, his life is often disturbed by satan or even controlled by satan. That is to say, an unsaved man is one who is kept in captivity by satan, one who has no freedom, one who is not yet given up by satan, one who has no qualification or right to worship God, and one who is hotly pursued and fiercely attacked by satan. Such a man has no happiness and no qualification of normal living, much less dignity. Only if you yourself rise up to war against satan, fight a life-and-death war against it with your faith in, obedience to, and fear of God as the weapon, and thoroughly defeat it, causing it to avoid you and be frightened at the sight of you, will it completely give up attacking and accusing you. At that time you will be rescued and become a free man. If you only have the determination to make a complete break with satan but do not have the powerful weapon for defeating it, then you are still in great danger. If this goes on for long, when you are tortured by it to be exhausted and yet you still cannot bear testimony or completely get free from its accusation and attack against you, your hope of being saved will be very faint. In the end, that is, when God’s work is declared concluded, if you are still grasped tightly by satan and unable to get free from it, you will never have the opportunity and hope. This implies that such a person has been completely taken captive by satan.
Accept God’s Test, Overcome Satan’s Temptation, and Let God Gain Your Whole Being
During God’s long working period of supplying and sustaining men, he tells men all his will and his requirements, and also reveals to men his deeds, his disposition, and what he has and is. And his purpose is to equip men with a stature and let them gain the truths in every aspect during the period of their following him. These truths are the sharp weapon God gives to men with which they war against satan. Equipped with these, they will be faced with God’s test. God tests man through many kinds of means and ways. But every way and means require the “cooperation” of God’s enemy, satan. That is to say, after God gives men the sharp weapon with which to war against satan, he will deliver men to satan and let it “test” men’s stature. If one gets out of the camp set by satan and gets out of its siege alive, it means he passes the test. If he fails to get out of its camp and is subdued by it, it means he fails the test. No matter in what aspect God tests man, the criterion for testing is whether he stands testimony under satan’s attack and whether he forsakes God and lays down his arms and surrenders and submits to satan in its snare. It can be said that whether one can be saved depends on whether he can overcome and defeat satan, and that whether one can gain freedom depends on whether he can independently use the weapon given by God to overcome satan’s bondage and make satan thoroughly give him up and let him go. Satan’s giving up a man and letting him go means that it will no longer fight against God for this man, no longer accuse or disturb him, and no longer willfully torture and attack him. Only such a man has been truly gained by God. This is the whole course of God’s gaining a man.
The Warning and Revelation for Later Generations from Job’s Testimony
When people know the whole course of God’s gaining a man, they also understand the purpose and significance of God’s delivering Job to satan. They no longer feel disturbed about the sufferings Job underwent and have a brand new comprehension of the significance of Job’s suffering; they are no longer afraid of whether they will encounter the same temptations as Job’s, and they no longer resist and reject the coming of God’s trials. Job’s faith and obedience and his testimony of overcoming satan give men great help and encouragement. From Job, they have seen the hope of their being saved, seen that by their faith in, obedience to, and fear of God, they can completely defeat and overcome satan, seen that as long as they can obey God’s sovereignty and arrangement and as long as they have the determination and faith to lose everything rather than abandon God, they can put satan to shame and defeat it, and seen that as long as they have the determination and perseverance to stand testimony even if giving up their life, satan will be frightened and retreat in panic. Job’s testimony gives later generations a warning. This warning tells man that if man does not overcome satan, he will never be able to be free from satan’s accusation and disturbance or to break free from its attack and affliction. Job’s testimony also gives later generations a revelation. This revelation makes man understand that only if one is a perfect and upright person will he be able to fear God and shun evil, that only if one fears God and shuns evil will he be able to bear a strong and resounding testimony for God, and that only if one bears a strong and resounding testimony for God will he be able to be forever free from satan’s control and live in God’s guidance and keeping. Only this is truly being saved. Job’s quality of humanity and his pursuit of life are what everyone who pursues to be saved should imitate, and his living out in his whole life and his manifestations in the trials are the precious treasure of everyone who pursues the way of “fearing God and shunning evil.”
After learning about the whole course of Job’s experiencing the trials, most people, I believe, begin to have interest in the information about Job himself, and are especially concerned about the “secret” of how Job received God’s approval. Now let’s talk about Job himself here!
Job’s Perfectness and Uprightness and His Fearing God and Shunning Evil Are Seen in His Daily Life
To talk about Job himself, let’s start from the evaluation of Job from God’s mouth “that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.”
First, let’s learn about Job’s perfectness and uprightness.
How do you understand the “perfectness and uprightness” spoken of here? You think Job was so flawless and so upright, don’t you? Of course, this is the literal interpretation and understanding. If we want to truly know about Job himself, we cannot divorce it from the real life. If we only focus on the letters, books, and doctrines, we cannot find any answer. Let’s first look at how Job lived in his daily life, that is, look at what his usual behavior in his life was, and through it know about Job’s living principles and his goal of life and also know about the quality of Job’s humanity and his pursuit. Now, let’s see the last word in Job 1:3, “so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” This word means that Job had a very high position and status at that time. Here it does not tell that Job was the greatest of all the men of the east because he had great possessions or because he “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.” Anyway, Job had a favored position and status in people’s eyes. This is the first impression people had about Job in the Bible: Job was a perfect man and one that “feared God and shunned evil”; he had large wealth and also a respectable position. As to a normal man who had such living environment and conditions, his daily diet, the quality of his life, and every aspect of his private life attracted the attention of most people. So, we must continue to read the following scriptures in the Bible: And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (Job 1:4-5) This passage of scripture records two things: The first is that Job’s sons and daughters often feasted and ate and drank together, and the second is that Job often offered burnt offerings, because he was often worried for his sons and daughters, afraid that they might have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. These two things are the accounts of different lives of two kinds of people. One is about the kind of people like Job’s sons and daughters. They often feasted and lived a luxurious life because of their rich life. They indulged in the life of eating and drinking their fill and enjoyed a life of superior quality brought by abundant material things. Living such a life, they often sinned and offended God unavoidably. But they did not sanctify themselves, nor did they offer burnt offerings for that. It can be seen that these people did not have a place for God in their hearts and that they did not contemplate God’s grace or fear offending God, much less fear cursing God in their hearts. Of course, the details about Job’s sons and daughters are not what we are concerned about. The focus of our talk is what Job did when he encountered these things, which is the other thing recorded in this passage of scripture. This thing is involved with the substance of Job’s humanity and his daily life. The scriptures record that when Job’s sons and daughters feasted, Job did not participate in it, and only his sons and daughters often ate and drank together. That is to say, Job neither feasted nor was merry with his sons and daughters, indulging in extravagant eating and drinking. Although he was rich and had all kinds of possessions and many servants, his life was not luxurious, and he did not, because of his being rich, indulge in a superior living environment, hanker after fleshly enjoyment, or forget to offer burnt offerings, much less gradually depart from God in his heart. It can be seen that Job was discreet in his life. He did not become greedy or love enjoyment or pay much attention to the quality of his life because of God’s blessing to him. Moreover, he was humble in doing things, modest in conducting himself, and careful and cautious before God, often contemplated God’s graces and blessings, and always had a heart of fearing God. In his daily life, he often rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings for his sons and daughters. This means that Job not only feared God himself but also hoped that his sons and daughters could fear God like him and would not commit offense against God. That is, rich material things did not occupy Job’s heart or take the place of God in his heart, and all that he did in his daily life, whether for his sons and daughters or for himself, had to do with “fearing God and shunning evil.” His fear of Jehovah God was not just on his lips, but was put into practice and manifested in every bit of his daily life. Such actual manifestations of Job show us Job’s honesty and Job’s substance of loving justice and positive things. He often “sent and sanctified them,” and this means that he did not agree with or approve their actions but loathed and condemned them in his heart. He was sure that the actions of his sons and daughters were displeasing to Jehovah God, so he often asked them to confess their sins before Jehovah God. This action of Job shows us another aspect of his humanity; that is, he never walked with those who often sinned and offended God but stayed away from them and shunned them. Although they were his sons and daughters, he did not abandon his principle in conducting himself because of his blood relationship with them or tolerate their sins because of affection, but exhorted them to confess their sins to be tolerated by Jehovah God, and he also warned them not to forsake God because of hankering after enjoyment. Job’s principles in treating people are inseparable from his principle of fearing God and shunning evil. He loved what God accepted, hated what God loathed, loved those who feared God in their hearts, and hated those who did evil and did things that offended God. His love and hatred were manifested in his daily life. This is Job’s uprightness God saw with his eyes. Of course, this is also the expression and living out of Job’s real humanity in dealing with people in his daily life which we need to know about.
Manifestations of Job’s Humanity in the Trials (Knowing About Job’s Perfectness and Uprightness and Fearing God and Shunning Evil in the Trials)
What we talked about above are various aspects of Job’s humanity manifested in his daily life before he underwent the temptations. I believe that these various aspects of Job’s manifestations give people an initial knowledge and understanding of Job’s uprightness, fearing God, and shunning evil, and of course make them have an initial approval of it. The reason why I say it is “initial” is that most people do not truly know about the quality of Job’s humanity and the extent of his pursuit of the way of obeying and fearing God. That is to say, except for some good impression they have of Job because of Job’s two words in the Bible, “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” and “shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”, most people did not have any deeper knowledge of him. So it’s very necessary for us to know about how was Job’s living out in humanity when he was tried by God. Then, Job’s real humanity will be fully presented to everyone.
When Job was told the news that his possessions were taken away, his sons and daughters lost their lives, and his servants were killed, Job’s reaction was like this: Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped. (Job 1:20) This word tells such a fact: When Job heard the news, he did not panic or weep or rebuke the servants who reported the news, much less go to the spots and investigate and check the causes and effects of the events so as to make clear the whole story. He did not show any manifestations of being sorry or grieving for the loss of possessions, nor did he weep bitterly for losing his children and relatives. On the contrary, he rent his mantle, shaved his head, and fell down on the ground and worshiped. This action of Job was different from that of common people, and it perplexed so many people and made so many people reproach Job in their hearts for his being “cold-blooded.” When one’s possessions are totally gone in an instant, a normal man will be grieved or despaired, and some people will even have the thought that all hopes are dashed. This is because in man’s heart, possessions represent his lifetime painstaking effort and is the reliance of his existence and the hope by which he lives on. Losing possessions means that his painstaking effort comes to naught, and means that he has no hope and even loses the future. This is the attitude any normal man has toward possessions and is the close relationship between possessions and a man, and it is also the importance of possessions to man in man’s eyes. So, most people are perplexed about Job’s so indifferent attitude toward possessions. Today, let’s solve the puzzlement of most people through interpreting Job’s heart.
Rationally speaking, since God bestowed to Job rich possessions, Job should feel indebted to God for losing them, because he did not take good care of them or look after them well and did not keep the possessions God gave him. So, when Job heard that his possessions were taken away, his first reaction should be to go to the spot and check out all things, and then to confess his sin to God so as to get God’s blessings again. However, Job did not do so. As to why he made such a choice, of course he had his own ideas about it. In Job’s heart, he deeply believed that his everything was from God’s blessing, not gained by his hard labor. So, he did not take the blessings he received as his capital, but took holding fast the way he should keep with all his heart and strength as his living principle. He treasured and thanked God’s blessings, but he did not hanker after or demand more blessings. This is his attitude toward possessions. He did not do anything to receive blessings, nor did he feel worried or sorrowful for not having or losing blessings. He was not overjoyed or carried away because of God’s blessings, nor did he neglect God’s ways and forget God’s grace because of continually enjoying blessings. Job’s attitude toward possessions made people see the expression of his real humanity: First, Job was not a greedy man, and the standard of his requirement for the material life was very low. Second, Job never felt worried or afraid that God would take away from his hand everything he had, and this was his obedient attitude toward God in his heart. That is, no matter when God took it away or whether God took it away or not, he did not have demands or complaints, and did not ask for reasons, but only sought to obey God’s arrangement. Third, Job never thought that his possessions were earned by his own hard work, but that they were bestowed by God. This was his belief in God, that is, Job’s faith. Through the above three summaries about Job, aren’t you quite clear about his humanity and his real pursuit in his daily life? Job could behave so calmly when he lost his possessions, and this had to do with his such humanity and pursuit. Just because of his pursuit in his daily life, he had the stature and faith to say such a word in God’s trial that “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” His word was not acquired in one day, or made up by him through brainstorm, but it was what he had seen and acquired in his many years of life experience. Compared with all those who only seek for God’s blessings but fear, hate, and complain against God’s taking away, isn’t Job’s obedience very practical? Compared with all those who only believe that there is God but never believe that God rules over everything, isn’t Job very honest and upright?
Job’s Rationality
Job’s practical experience and his upright and honest humanity caused him to make the most rational judgment and choice when he lost his possessions and his sons and daughters. Such rational choice of his had to do with his pursuit and his knowledge of God’s deeds in his daily life. Job’s honesty enabled him to believe that all things are ruled over by Jehovah’s hand; his belief made him know the fact that Jehovah God rules over all things; his knowledge made him willing and able to obey the sovereignty and arrangement of Jehovah God; his obedience made him fear Jehovah God more and more genuinely; his fear made him shun evil more and more practically; finally, Job became perfect because of fearing God and shunning evil; his perfectness made him wise and also made him the most rational man.
How to understand “being rational”? Literally, it means that one has sense, is logical and not fallacious in thinking, has proper speech and behavior and judgment, and has proper and normative moral standards. But Job’s “rationality” is not explained so simply. Here I say that Job was the most rational man, and this had to do with his humanity and his behavior before God. Because Job was an honest man, he could believe in and obey God’s sovereignty, which made him acquire the knowledge other people could not acquire. This knowledge enabled him to more accurately discern, judge, and define the things he encountered, so that he could make a more accurate and wise choice of what to do and keep. That is, his speech, behavior, principles of doing things, and policies in doing things were very standard, definite, and specific, rather than rash, impulsive, and emotional. He knew how to treat different things when he encountered them, knew how to balance and deal with the relationship between all kinds of complicated things, knew how to keep the ways he should keep, and even more knew how to treat the giving and the taking away of Jehovah God. This is Job’s “rationality.” Just because Job had such rationality, he could say the word “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” when he lost his property and his sons and daughters.
When Job was faced with the sharp physical pain, the dissuasion from his relatives and friends, and death, his practical manifestations showed the aspect of his trueness to everyone.
Job’s True Self: Trueness, Simplicity, and Non-hypocrisy
Let’s see Job 2:7-8: So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat down among the ashes. This is a description about how Job behaved after he was stricken with sore boils. At that time, Job sat down among the ashes, and endured the physical pain, with no one to heal him or help him relieve his physical pain, and he himself scraped the surface of sore boils with a potsherd. Outwardly, this is only an episode in the period of Job’s suffering and had nothing to do with Job’s humanity and his fear of God, because Job did not say anything during this period to express his feeling of that time and his viewpoint. But Job’s conduct and behavior were still a real expression of his humanity. Previously, from the record in Chapter One above we see that “Job was greatest of all the men of the east,” and from this section of Chapter Two, we see that this man who was the greatest of all the men of the east actually “sat down among the ashes and took him a potsherd to scrape himself with.” Isn’t there a sharp contrast between the former and latter descriptions? This contrast shows us Job’s true self: Although he had a prominent status and position, he never treasured or cared about them. He did not care about what others thought of his status or what negative effects his doings and behavior would bring to his status. He did not hanker after the blessings of position or enjoy the aura brought by his position and status. He only cared about what his value and his meaning of living were in the eyes of Jehovah God. Job’s true self is his substance: He did not love fame and gain and did not live for them; he was true, simple, and non-hypocritical.
Job Was Clear About What to Love and What to Hate
In the conversation between Job and his wife, another aspect of his humanity was shown to everyone: Then said his wife to him, Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 2:9-10) Job’s wife saw that Job suffered so much, so she tried to persuade him, so as to help him out of the suffering. But his wife’s “good intention” did not get his approval but provoked him to anger, because she denied Job’s faith in and obedience to Jehovah God and also denied the existence of Jehovah God. This was intolerable to Job, because he never allowed himself to do things that resisted God or do things that grieved God. How much more so with others? How could he remain indifferent when hearing others say words that blasphemed and insulted God? So, he called his wife “foolish woman.” Job’s attitude toward his wife was with anger and hatred and also with rebuke and reproach. This is exactly the natural expression of his humanity of being clear what to love and what to hate and also the true manifestation of his upright humanity. Job was a person with a sense of justice. His sense of justice made him hate the evil custom and trend, and hate, condemn, and reject fallacies, strange talks, and absurd sayings, and it also enabled him to still hold fast his right principle and stand when he was “forsaken by all his relatives and friends.”
Job’s Kindness and Sincerity
Since we can see the expression of Job’s humanity from all kinds of his behavior, then what kind of humanity of Job can we see from the matter of his opening mouth to curse the day of his birth? This is the topic of my following fellowship.
I have talked previously about the root of Job’s cursing the day of his birth. What have you seen from this matter? If Job was a man who had a hard heart, had no love, was merciless, and had no humanity, would he care for God’s will? Would he hate his birthday because of his care for God’s heart? In other words, if Job was hard-hearted and devoid of humanity, would he be grieved because of God’s sorrow? Would he curse his birthday because of God’s sorrow for him? The answer is: absolutely not! Because Job was kind-hearted, he could care for God’s heart; because he cared for God’s heart, he could feel God’s sorrow; because he was kind-hearted, he was more distressed for feeling God’s sorrow; because he felt God’s sorrow, he began to hate the day of his birth and thus cursed it. In others’ eyes, all Job’s behavior in the trials could be counted as the example for them to follow, yet only the matter of Job’s cursing the day of his birth made them put a question mark against Job’s perfectness and uprightness or give a different opinion of them. Actually, this action of Job was the most real expression of the substance of his humanity, and the substance of his humanity was without concealment or packaging and had not been processed. From this action of his people see the kindness and sincerity in the depth of his heart. He was just a spring of water, clear to the bottom, pure, and transparent.
After knowing about the various aspects of Job, most of you, I believe, have had a relatively accurate and objective evaluation of the substance of Job’s humanity, and also have had a deep, further, and practical understanding and realization of the “perfectness and uprightness” God spoke of. I hope that these understanding and realization will help you step onto the way of “fearing God and shunning evil.”
The Relation Between God’s Delivering Job to Satan and the Purpose of God’s Work
Although at this point most people approve of Job’s perfectness and uprightness and also approve of Job’s being a man who “fears God and shuns evil,” they do not understand God’s will better because of their approval of him. Many people, while admiring Job’s humanity and pursuit, raise such a question to God: Since Job was so perfect and upright and was so much adored by people, why did God deliver him to satan and let him suffer so much? I believe that such a question exists in the heart of many people; that is to say, this question is a question in the heart of most people. Since the question perplexes most people, it’s very necessary for us to lay it on the table and make it clear.
Everything God does is very necessary and has extraordinary meaning, because all that he does on man has to do with his management and mankind’s salvation. Of course, the work God did on Job was not an exception, though Job was a perfect and upright man in God’s eyes. That is to say, no matter what God does, what means he uses, what price he pays, and what goal he aims at, his purpose of doing things is unchanged. This purpose is to work into man God’s word, God’s requirement, and God’s will for man, that is, to work into man all positive things in God’s eyes according to God’s steps, so that they can understand God’s heart, understand and know God’s substance, obey God’s sovereignty and arrangement, and thus fear God and shun evil. This is one purpose of God’s doing things. On the other hand, because satan is a setoff and a serving object in God’s work, man is often delivered to satan. By this means, God lets man see satan’s evil, ugliness, and baseness in its temptation and attack and thereby hate it and have knowledge and discernment of negative things, and in this course, he lets man gradually break free from satan’s control and get free from satan’s accusation, disturbance, and attack. When a man can completely overcome satan’s attack and accusation by God’s word, by his knowledge of and obedience to God, and by his faith and fear of God, he will have been thoroughly rescued from satan’s domain. Man’s being rescued means the declaration of satan’s failure and means that he will no longer be food in satan’s mouth or an object satan wants to devour but will be an object satan gives up. This is because such a man is upright and has faith, obedience, and fear of God and is one who completely breaks with satan, he causes satan to be shamed, frightened, and thoroughly defeated, and his faith in following God and his obedience and fear of God defeat satan and cause satan to completely give him up. Only such a man is one who has been truly gained by God. This is the ultimate goal of God’s saving man. Every follower of God, if he wants to be saved and be completely gained by God, must face small and great temptations and attacks from satan. He who gets out of them and can completely overcome satan is a saved man. In other words, a man saved by God is one who has undergone God’s trials and undergone countless temptations and attacks from satan; a man saved by God is one who understands God’s will and God’s requirements and can obey God’s sovereignty and arrangement and who does not give up the way of “fearing God and shunning evil” in satan’s temptations; a man saved by God is an honest and kind man who is clear about what to love and what to hate and has sense of justice and rationality and who cares for God and treasures God’s everything. Such a man is free from satan’s bondage, spying, accusation, and affliction, and is one who has had perfect freedom and one who has been completely released and freed. Job was such a free man. This is where the significance of God’s delivering Job to satan lies.
Although Job underwent satan’s affliction, he received the eternal freedom and release and received the right that he could be forever free from satan’s corruption, affliction, and accusation and could live in the light of God’s presence and in God’s blessing to him with no concern and no worry. No one could deprive him of this right, no one could destroy it, and no one could take it as his. It was earned by Job with his faith and willpower and his obedience and fear of God. At the price of his life, he won the qualification and right to live a happy and joyous life on earth, and to justifiably worship the Creator on earth without any disturbance as a real created being. This is Job’s greatest fruit after he underwent the temptations.
Before man is saved, his life is often disturbed by satan or even controlled by satan. That is to say, an unsaved man is one who is kept in captivity by satan, one who has no freedom, one who is not yet given up by satan, one who has no qualification or right to worship God, and one who is hotly pursued and fiercely attacked by satan. Such a man has no happiness and no qualification of normal living, much less dignity. Only if you yourself rise up to war against satan, fight a life-and-death war against it with your faith in, obedience to, and fear of God as the weapon, and thoroughly defeat it, causing it to avoid you and be frightened at the sight of you, will it completely give up attacking and accusing you. At that time you will be rescued and become a free man. If you only have the determination to make a complete break with satan but do not have the powerful weapon for defeating it, then you are still in great danger. If this goes on for long, when you are tortured by it to be exhausted and yet you still cannot bear testimony or completely get free from its accusation and attack against you, your hope of being saved will be very faint. In the end, that is, when God’s work is declared concluded, if you are still grasped tightly by satan and unable to get free from it, you will never have the opportunity and hope. This implies that such a person has been completely taken captive by satan.
Accept God’s Test, Overcome Satan’s Temptation, and Let God Gain Your Whole Being
During God’s long working period of supplying and sustaining men, he tells men all his will and his requirements, and also reveals to men his deeds, his disposition, and what he has and is. And his purpose is to equip men with a stature and let them gain the truths in every aspect during the period of their following him. These truths are the sharp weapon God gives to men with which they war against satan. Equipped with these, they will be faced with God’s test. God tests man through many kinds of means and ways. But every way and means require the “cooperation” of God’s enemy, satan. That is to say, after God gives men the sharp weapon with which to war against satan, he will deliver men to satan and let it “test” men’s stature. If one gets out of the camp set by satan and gets out of its siege alive, it means he passes the test. If he fails to get out of its camp and is subdued by it, it means he fails the test. No matter in what aspect God tests man, the criterion for testing is whether he stands testimony under satan’s attack and whether he forsakes God and lays down his arms and surrenders and submits to satan in its snare. It can be said that whether one can be saved depends on whether he can overcome and defeat satan, and that whether one can gain freedom depends on whether he can independently use the weapon given by God to overcome satan’s bondage and make satan thoroughly give him up and let him go. Satan’s giving up a man and letting him go means that it will no longer fight against God for this man, no longer accuse or disturb him, and no longer willfully torture and attack him. Only such a man has been truly gained by God. This is the whole course of God’s gaining a man.
The Warning and Revelation for Later Generations from Job’s Testimony
When people know the whole course of God’s gaining a man, they also understand the purpose and significance of God’s delivering Job to satan. They no longer feel disturbed about the sufferings Job underwent and have a brand new comprehension of the significance of Job’s suffering; they are no longer afraid of whether they will encounter the same temptations as Job’s, and they no longer resist and reject the coming of God’s trials. Job’s faith and obedience and his testimony of overcoming satan give men great help and encouragement. From Job, they have seen the hope of their being saved, seen that by their faith in, obedience to, and fear of God, they can completely defeat and overcome satan, seen that as long as they can obey God’s sovereignty and arrangement and as long as they have the determination and faith to lose everything rather than abandon God, they can put satan to shame and defeat it, and seen that as long as they have the determination and perseverance to stand testimony even if giving up their life, satan will be frightened and retreat in panic. Job’s testimony gives later generations a warning. This warning tells man that if man does not overcome satan, he will never be able to be free from satan’s accusation and disturbance or to break free from its attack and affliction. Job’s testimony also gives later generations a revelation. This revelation makes man understand that only if one is a perfect and upright person will he be able to fear God and shun evil, that only if one fears God and shuns evil will he be able to bear a strong and resounding testimony for God, and that only if one bears a strong and resounding testimony for God will he be able to be forever free from satan’s control and live in God’s guidance and keeping. Only this is truly being saved. Job’s quality of humanity and his pursuit of life are what everyone who pursues to be saved should imitate, and his living out in his whole life and his manifestations in the trials are the precious treasure of everyone who pursues the way of “fearing God and shunning evil.”