I have no doubt that where we left off yesterday at the end of Job 1, that Job felt his day had grown quite ‘black’ and darkness was closing in on him. We’ve all been there to varying degrees, have we not?
Sometime back, I was talking to a friend on the phone and they told me that their day had been a challenge because, in their words: “I feel like the devil has really been attacking me.”
It’s not like I had never heard that phrase before and have used it myself in years gone by.
But then, I felt prompted to ask them for clarification. “Can you be more specific and tell me, are you being ‘tempted by the devil’ or ‘attacked’ by the devil?”
Their response was immediate and definitive: “Oh, it’s an attack!”
I then felt compelled to just drop that part of the conversation with them, but it has stayed with me for some time.
We’ve been discussing Job and the use of God’s ‘hedge of protection’. Scripture seems to suggest that God uses Satan (and his demon spirits, a.k.a. ‘powers of darkness) as part of the refining fire and testing (and punishment) in our sanctification process. (If that caused you to recoil, take a quick look at Luke 22:31) Now James is clear and correct when he writes that we are NOT to say we are tempted by God and that God does not tempt anyone with evil. (1:13)
You can read that chapter later for further explanation. But in studying this idea of God’s ‘hedge’ that He had around Job, and offers to us as well, I was reminded of that previous conversation with my friend.
When we are ‘tempted’ by the devil, Satan is ‘looking for a breach in that wall’. He is looking for access to gain entry. Why do you think Paul warns us in Eph 4:27 – “Give no place to the devil!”? James and Peter both teach us to ‘resist the devil’. And Jesus Himself explained the process as to when unclean spirits that have been ‘cast out of a person’ …they want back in and come looking. (Matt 12:43-45) He would later use this illustration in 24:43 saying: “Know this: if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.”
But when you see that Satan is ‘attacking’ you, it is because he found a ‘breach in that wall’ (an opening) and has now ‘come in like a flood.’
Do you want to take a guess as to what the source of that breach, or ‘opening’ is?
Sin. Disobeying God or His word.
When God says to us: “Don’t touch that hot stove!”, He has good reason for telling us that. He means it. Don’t try watering it down based on what you read in some commentary or in the Greek translation. Come on parents…why do we tell our kids not to do certain things? “Don’t play in that road…or don’t play with an electrical outlet, or matches, etc”… You do that for their PROTECTION!!!
Remember the man Jesus healed in John 5…then saw him later in the temple. What did Jesus tell him? “I see you are well. Go, and sin no more or else something worse may happen to you.” (5:14)
Allow me to clarify a few things here. When a person turns to God with a repentant heart, meaning they are ready to commit to following Jesus and submit to His Lordship (change masters), God takes them at their word and grants them ‘immunity’. This comes in the form of His hedge being extended and surrounds them with His protective presence of joy and peace and love.
It is a remarkable display of His mercy to love us in such a way in spite of the rebellion and sin we have walked in.
If you have thought that you cannot be a participant of this healing grace until you ‘get yourself cleaned up’, then I hate to inform you that you may never truly ‘taste for yourself that the Lord is good.’- Because you won’t be able to clean yourself up good enough for Him. He’s the one that will do that. And it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance. (Rom 2:4)
But if/when you decide to ‘stray’ or pursue fleshly desires, giving in to temptation, after coming to Him, James also explains the outcome of that in the chapter I mentioned earlier. When you ‘eat off that tree, you will surely die!” (Gen 2:17, Rom 8:13 and Gal 6:7-8) Why do you think Satan tempts us to sin through the flesh nature? Our flesh (nature) is his ‘feeding ground’. Remember the curse put on the serpent in Gen 3:14? He’s going to ‘eat dust’ all the days of his existence? What’s man’s ‘flesh’ made of? Dust. Satan goes about like a ‘roaring lion seeking whom he may devour’. (1 Pet 5:8)
When we are abiding in Christ, we are ‘hedged’ in. The enemy can’t come in, but he can tempt us to ‘come out’.
Yeah…time to take another deep breath and re-read that last line and chew on it for a minute….
I bet you thought I forgot about Job.
Nope. Just wanted to expound on this very revealing insight regarding a hedge that Job had and was the reason that Satan could not touch him. Is it unreasonable to conclude that the hedge was there because, in the words of God, Job was blameless, upright, and feared God? Which is how many of the NT writers detail strongly how a believer is ‘suppose’ to walk, enabled by the power of God’s grace.
This next portion may cause some discomfort. Please…don’t jump to conclusions or get ahead of me or the Holy Spirit. We should be able to study and examine scripture without fear or angst. If you come across something that just doesn’t set well with you at first, ‘put it on a shelf’ in the back of your mind and let God bring further understanding or clarification later. He’s good at doing things like that, I promise you. :- )
In Job 2, we see a similar repeat from chapter 1. Satan and God have more discussion, which leads to Job, and God sort of ‘brags’ on Job and how he maintained his integrity. Again, God reminds the devil that Job did NOTHING to bring about this loss of family and possessions.
It is then in verse 4 where Satan suggests if Job suffers physically, that Job will in turn curse God to His face.
Again, God ‘lowers the hedge’ and gives access to Satan with one stipulation. He cannot take his life. (6)
So let’s read vs.7 carefully and slowly. “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
Who…struck Job with painful boils?
I hope you have your bible handy, as I would like to direct your attention to the OT book of Deuteronomy 28.
I remember back in the day what a popular chapter this was for many churches. Well, at least the first 13 verses that talked about all of God’s blessings. Our flesh nature always gravitates towards ‘blessings’. In fact we spent more time on studying and ‘believing’ for the blessings than the actual condition for the blessings, which was an adherence to God’s Word or Law.
But it was the next 40+ verses that we just dismissed as irrelevant. It was the consequences to NOT adhering to God’s commands. And they are lengthy, detailed, serious, and not to be taken lightly. To borrow an oft-used term in the OT, they were the ‘curses’.
28:15- “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.”
If you feel you need to get a sense or a reminder as to how serious God is about His people obeying Him, spend some time reading this whole chapter. But for now, let’s go look at vs. 35. - “The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.” (vs 27, 28, 59-62 will bring added emphasis to this as well)- and you may also want to take a quick peek at Exodus 15:26
Please remind yourself that all I am simply doing here is pointing your attention to some very sobering yet significant verses that are in YOUR dearly beloved bible that we solemnly refer to as ‘God’s Word’. Again…don’t jump to conclusions or get ahead of yourself here. Take a deep breath and ask God for understanding and guidance.
In verse 35, God said that ‘HE’ would be the one to ‘strike’ the body with ‘boils’ from the sole of the foot to the top of their head.’
Who smote Job with boils from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head?
Is it possible…that God used Satan to ‘carry out the curses’ that he detailed in Deut 28?
….
I would not be surprised if at this moment in time, something is not settling well within some of you. If this is the case, can I encourage you to take a moment and examine just what is that rising up inside, and why is that? What is it about God’s word that can have an effect on us that causes us to wince, or recoil, or become…offended if not downright angered? Usually formulating quick conclusions or entertaining speculative scenarios in one’s head precedes it. Where do you think those come from? “Has God Said?”(Gen 3:1)
I think I want to leave it here for now this morning. You may want to take a deep breath and spend some time reviewing these verses and even take some quiet time and ask God to help you sort through all this. Please let me remind you though, again, … we need not be afraid of God’s Word.
There is some very good and encouraging news ‘around the bend’. I promise you. (Jeremiah 32:42…go read that now)
Oh…one last thing. The ‘image’ I used this morning for this post…you want to take a guess how it fits? I’ll let you figure it out. ;-)
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