Lesson 372 - Junior

Memory Verse

"The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;  blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).

Notes

Our Enemy

Satan is our enemy. He may go about "as a roaring lion, . . . seeking whom he may devour" [1PE:5:8]). He may transform himself into an "angel of light" to try to deceive people [2CO:11:14]). He is always busy. One way or another, he tries to win us away from the Lord. He is not only very clever in his ways but also very deceitful.

There are times when Satan uses a method, which has come to be known as brainwashing. He puts wrong thoughts and ideas into people's heads. Satan uses people to argue with others until they believe a lie. But we must remember that Satan "is a liar, and the father of it" [JHN:8:44]).

Satan is so bold that he tempted even the Son of God. When Jesus had prayed and fasted forty days in the wilderness, Satan tried to get Jesus to obey him. Jesus quoted Scripture as a weapon against him. Satan quoted Scripture, too, but with the wrong motive. A true statement used in the wrong place is just as bad as a lie. God's promises are a wonderful comfort, but we must use them in the way He meant them to be used.

Jesus did not yield to the temptation of Satan. Neither do we need to yield. God is faithful to us and will not let any more temptation come to us than we are able to bear, and with that temptation the Lord will provide a way to escape from it [1CO:10:13]).

Everyone can expect to be tempted. Jesus, who committed no sin, was tempted and yielded not. Another example of one who withstood temptation is Job. He had many possessions so that he was the "greatest of all the men of the east." He arose early in the morning to worship God. He prayed for his children, and offered sacrifices to God continually in their behalf. Job was "perfect," he feared God, he shunned evil; but he was tempted.

In Church

One day when the people presented themselves before the Lord " like our going to church " Satan came, too, but not for any good. He still comes to church. He gets children and young people to whisper, to play with the songbooks, or write notes so that they disturb others and miss the good that they would receive from the meeting. Sometimes Satan puts people to sleep in church, or reminds them of something else so they do not hear what the minister is saying. When the altar call is given, Satan tells people that they had better go home, that it is getting late, or that they can pray some other time and place. Let us watch when we go to church lest Satan deceive us.

Questioned

The Lord asked Satan where he had been. Satan answered that he had come "from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." He had been busy, looking for some mischief to do. No doubt, what he said was true. Sometimes Satan does speak the truth, to get people mixed up. What would your answer be, if sometime when you went to church the Lord would ask you what you had been doing? Would you have to admit that you had been teasing your little brother, that you had disobeyed your parents, or that you had been naughty in school? Or would you be able to say that you had lived for Jesus and let your light shine, and that you had been good and helpful to others?

A Hedge

The Lord and Satan considered Job, the man who served God. Satan said, "Doth Job fear God for nought?" He told God that there was a hedge around Job -" God's hedge of protection. Satan then made the accusation that Job would not be faithful to God if that hedge were taken away. To show that Satan was wrong, God took the hedge away but would not permit Satan to "touch" Job himself. No doubt, the Lord permitted this to prove to Satan, to Job, and to us that God will keep one who is under severe trials.

Loss

This is the way Satan worked against Job. One day a messenger came to Job saying that an enemy, the Sabeans, had taken his oxen, of which he had 500 yoke, and his 500 asses. They had slain his servants, and the one who told the story was the only one left. Before that servant had finished his story, there came one of the sheepherders. His message was to inform Job that all his sheep " 7,000 -" and the workers who tended them were dead, and only the one who had brought the news had survived. Another messenger came with the news that all 3,000 of Job's camels had been driven away by the Chaldeans, and the camel drivers slain. Only he had escaped. Yet came another of his workmen to tell Job that his seven sons and three daughters had all died in a windstorm. Just one loss after another! What a shock it must have been! What a sorrow must have seized Job!

Faithful

Many people have experienced losses and suffered trials; but has anyone been so much tried as Job was? What did Job do under such severe trial? As was the custom, to show his sorrow, Job "rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground" -" and worshiped God. No doubt, Satan was very much surprised. He had said that Job would curse God. Satan was wrong and he was defeated when Job praised God. Job knew that God had given him all his possessions and blessings. He knew, too, that he could not take them with him when he died. He felt that he was a steward to care for these good things so long as God permitted.

Limited Power

God reminded Satan that Job had been true through the trial. Job was still "perfect." Even though Satan had tried "to destroy him without cause" and had tempted him to break his fellowship with God, Job held fast his faith. Then Satan said that it would be different if Job thought that he was going to die. Satan said, "All that a man hath will he give for his life." That might be true about some men, especially those who are not saved. They are afraid to meet God. Let us see what happened to Job.

God agreed that Satan could test Job so long as his life was spared. The power of Satan is limited. Although he has great power, God's power is greater. When God sets a limit, Satan cannot go beyond it.

Boils

Job was afflicted by Satan. He was covered with boils, and must have been a pitiful sight. His wife saw how miserable he was. She told him that he ought to curse God and die -" just as though there were no hope, physically or spiritually, for Job. But Job did not sin, and do what she advised. Job spoke that which was in his heart. He said, "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"

Three Friends

Three of Job's friends came to comfort him. For seven days and nights they sat with Job and just looked at him. Not one said a word. Perhaps that was as much of a trial as his suffering from boils. They did anything but "comfort" job. His three friends have become a byword to the world: "Job's comforters" are those who accuse rather than sympathise.

No Help form His Friends

Job did complain and wish that he could die. Have you ever had a boil? Maybe you can understand in part how much he suffered when he had boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Although Job was in pain and in sorrow, he kept his faith and hope in God. He said, "Though he [God] slay me, yet will I trust in him."

Job's friends were no help to him. Job told them that if their places had been reversed, he would have tried to help and strengthen them. That would have been living the Golden Rule: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them" [MAT:7:12]).

No Sin

Job denied the accusations of his friends that he had sinned. He knew that he was right before God. Although he was tried almost to the limit by sorrow, by pain, and by the words of his "comforters," Job determined to keep his righteousness. Job longed to stand before God because the Lord knew the truth about this test. Job knew that this was a test, and that God had permitted it.

Some people think that sorrow, sickness, and trouble come only as judgment for sin. This is not always true. Peter wrote to Christians: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" [1PE:4:12-13]). One day when Jesus met a blind man, he was questioned as to who had sinned, that man or the parents. Jesus said that neither had sinned, but the man was blind that God might be glorified. The man was healed and gave Jesus the glory.

Temptation Without Yielding

It was Job's testimony that he had walked in the way of the Lord, that he had kept His command-ments, and that he considered the Word of God more necessary than his natural food. Job said: "But he [God] knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." How wonderful it would be if each one of us was determined to come through a test with such victory! Job did go through the test without yielding to temptation. As Job considered the greatness of God and His power, he realised how small is man. Job was sorry that he had even complained. Job did good for evil. He prayed for the three friends who had not spoken the truth.

God blessed Job and gave him twice as much as he had had before so that Job's last days were his best days. Do you think that it paid Job to be true to God?

Questions

1. Why was Job considered the "greatest of all the men of the east"?

2. Who went to church to hinder rather than to worship?

3. What had the Lord put about Job to protect him?

4. What did Satan do when the hedge was removed?

5. What did Job do when everything was taken from him?

6. What did it prove when Job did not do as Satan had said?

7. How did Satan afflict Job?

8. Why did Job's friends come?

9. How did Job come through his trial?

10. What did God do for Job after this test?