Life is like a journey. We traverse through the thick and thin. Only God knows the various locations we shall individually touch in life. Consider your-life since you were born; how has the voyage been?-Fine, good, encouraging, rough, lonely. The experiences and testimonies of life have divided people into various groups. One common experience with majority of us in this Conference is that we have lost somebody very close to us -husband, wife, child or a loved one. To recover sometimes from the shock and vacuum created by their exit creates problems for us than the actual evil occurrence. God in His kindness makes available to us means to recover from such occurrences. He made us all as balancing factors one for another.
In this study therefore, we look at the life of Job in his path to recovery to see how much God helped him to recover. This process/discussion shall be divided into three basic areas-His original status, His status when he lost all and the process to his full recovery. It is our desire that the study will give hope to those who have lost their loved ones to come to the path of emotional, financial, mental, social and economic recovery.
(1) HIS ORIGINAL STATUS
(a) Job lived more than 100 years (Job 42:16). His wealth was measured in cattle (Job 1:3) and he acted as a Priest for his family (Job 1:5) In his day,Job was famous for his riches.
(i) He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels,1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys and many servants.
(ii) Far more important possession was Job’s family – Seven sons and three daughters
(iii) His wealth made Job the greatest man among the people of the East.
(b) He was a man of great honour and respect among his people. During the period mentioned, what would the following people do when they saw Job ? (Job 29:7-10)
(i) The young men.
(ii) The old men
(iii) The chief men.
(iv) The noblemen
(c) This riches and honour did not swell his head. He was constantly aware that his blessings came from God.
(d) Can you think of other men in the Scriptures who did not set their hearts on their riches? Gen. 13:2, I Chro.29:26:18 Matt 27: 57-60. What can we learn for ourselves from this?
(2) JOB’S TRIAL OF FAITH FROM RICHES TO ASHES
- The name given to him from birth-Job was forewarning enough: In Hebrew Language Job can mean “the persecuted one”
- The devil appeared and began his discussion with the Lord, Job was completely unaware of it. As a matter of fact, he never learned of this discussion, yet it would change Job’s life forever. (1: 6-11), 1 Peter 5:8.
- Throughout the Bible, Satan’s deeds are described, but Scriptures recorded his voice only three times-Job 1 & 2, Genesis 3, Matthew 4. In all these passages, the devil always tries to undermine what God says.
- All Job’s wealth and faith cannot forestall the tragedies that came upon him. Little did he know that God had prepared him for trials such as few men ever suffered and that soon his faith would be tested almost to the breaking point.
- Job’s losses-once given a free hand, the devil strikes quickly, he smashed Job with one disaster after another
- Sabbean and Chaldean bandits stole his 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen and 500 donkeys
- His 7,000 sheep died in a storm
- He lost most of his numerous worthy servants
(iv) Worst of all, his ten children died when the house they were in collapsed in a desert tornado
- Sometime later Job also lost his health – stricken with boils from head to toe and had to scrap his itching sores with broken pieces of pottery.
(vi) His wife also left him.
(f) Let us consider for a moment the ways in which Job suffered:
(1) Financially (the loss of wealth);
(2) Physically (the loss of health);
(3) Psychologically (the loss of loved ones);
(4) Socially (the loss of prestige and influence);
(5) Job suffered at the hand of everyone and everything;
- Natural disasters (wind and fire);
- Evil people(the raiders);
- Loved ones (his wife and later on his friends);
- Discuss the initial and subsequent reactions of Job to his suffering and compare same to your experience too. Job 2:21.
(3) PATH OF RECOVERY
(a) The demonstration of genuine concern of his three friends.
His friends were genuinely concerned; as fair-weather friends would not have journeyed as far as they did (from Teman, Shuh and Naama) to visit poor Job. They wept and tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads and for seven days they could not speak a word. (Job 2:12).
Christian ought always to share their concern for those in need (Gal. 6:10, Rom.12:15.) How has the concern shown by some people helped you?
(b) God’s limitation to Satan’s work.
Once the devil has done his worst, what else remains-God’s intervention for our recovery? What has happened has happened. He that is down fears no fall.
God will always intervene on your behalf.
(c) Outburst and Discussion
The silence between Job and his friends was painfully long – a whole week until the sufferer had to take it upon himself to break ·the ice. (Job 3:1-4) Matt. 12:34. From his words he could not see anything positive coming out of his situation (Job 3:11), but eventually he saw beyond his situation (Job 19:25-27).
(i) Why do people in need sometimes despise those who try to help? How can we avoid this problem?
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(ii) Read Psalm 73. Compare the Psalmist’s thought and conclusion with Job’s.
(d) Knowledge of God’s purpose for suffering
Job 36:15-16. Could it not be that God allowed trouble to bring out good? Perhaps he sends pain into our lives to turn us to him before we fall into sin, and not only to punish and correct us after we have already fallen. Out of mercy God allows his children to suffer. Far from being a sign of God’s displeasure; suffering, pain and the loss of a loved one can be, and often is, a sign of his love Heb. 12:6, Job 37:21-23, Deut. 8:2-5,16.
- Repentance
Repentance is a major spiritual step to recovery. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Roman 3:23. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our Lord Rom.6:23.
(i) The last recorded words of Job are words of repentance – Job 42:5-6.
(ii) What are the necessary steps to a true repentance?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(f) Sacrifice and Prayer Job 42:7-17
(i) Job repented of his sins, while his friends did not acknowledge any evil on their part;
(ii) God commanded his friends to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams. Job prayed for the very men who had treated him unfairly (Job 42:8) Such prayer demonstrates the sincerity of Job’s repentance, it also reminds us of Stephen and of our Lord Jesus, who asked forgiveness for those who wronged them. Acts 7:60, Lk.23:34.
(4) Restoration and Recovery
- After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his wealth.
He was completely healed.
- Job’s relatives and acquaintances also returned – although their loyalty was shallow, yet Job seemed content to accept their belated condolences and gifts, and looked at their actions in the kindest possible way. Rather than embittering him towards other people, suffering has made Job even more patient and loving toward others.
- Possessions restored – As for Job’s possessions, they were doubled by God – 14,000 sheep (7,000 formerly) 6,000 camels (3,000 formerly) 2,000 oxen (1,000 formerly)
(iv) He also had another seven sons and three daughters. The names of his girls were given the honour of being recorded in the book of Job. They are Jeminah (dove) Keziah (Cinnamon) and Keren-Happuch (horn of paint)
- Job lived another 140 years. It was a long and peaceful time during which he lived to see his children’s children to the fourth generation Job 42:16
CONCLUSION
What if God had done none of these restoration for Job? What if Job were to live out his life in poverty, loneliness and disrepute-would that have diminished the Lord’s goodness. Not atall. For Job was at peace with God before his restoration. He must often have thought of how in his darkest hour God had brought him to his boldest expression of faith. “I know that my Redeemer liveth”. And as the years brought him closer to death, those words surely became more treasured.
Like Job, Christian must be able to encounter death with courage. Naturally, death is never easy to face, whether it is our own or that of a loved one. Yet Christ strengthens us, for death has been swallowed up in victory. I Cor. 15:54.