Getting sick… (3 points)

• 1^st – The Questions… vs. 1-3
  • 1^st – Where do you come from… vs. 1-2
    • Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves to the Lord…
      • SONS of God [בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים] – a term used exclusively to describe ANGELS…
      • Only used in Job 1:6 / 2:1 / 38:7 – and in Genesis 6:2-4
      • Again – included with them was SATAN [הַשָּׂטָן] – THE ACCUSER!
      • SATAN [שָּׂטָן] – only used 14x in OT to describe our ENEMY – 11x in the book of Job!
    • The Lord [יְהוָה] asked SATAN [הַשָּׂטָן] – where do you come from…
      • His answer – I have been patrolling the earth – watching everything that is going on [NLT] …
      • SATAN does NOT rule and reign in Hell – he is the god of this world…
      • When SATAN rebelled against God – he was cast down to earth – Luke 10:18
      • When God created the world – gave the DEED to Adam and Eve – Genesis 1:28-30
      • When Adam and Eve chose to sin in the garden – rebel against God – Genesis 3
      • They gave the DEED of the world to satan – II Corinthians 4:4 / John 14:30
  • 2^nd – Have you considered… vs. 3
    • The Lord asked SATAN – have you CONSIDERED my servant Job…
      • CONSIDERED [שׂוּם] – have you laid your hands violently on Job yet…
      • Of course the answer to this question was YES – SATAN had CONSIDERED Job!
      • He had taken EVERYTHING from him – including his children!
    • Still he holds fast his INTEGRITY…
      • HOLDS fast [hiphil] – to CAUSE to make strong – CHOOSE to STAND firm…
      • In spite of EVERYTHING Job had lost – he CHOSE to STAND in the Lord – Ephesians 6:13
      • When Jesus taught the multitudes about the BREAD of life – eat My flesh / drink My blood…
      • It was a HARD teaching – and MOST of His Disciples walked away…
      • But when He asked the TWELVE if they would ALSO leave – Peter answered…
      • John 6:68 – “Lord – to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
      • We see in Job – living a Godly life is NOT a guarantee of an EASY life…
      • Just the opposite – BAD things happened BECAUSE Job lived a Godly life – John 16:33
      • Since following Jesus means life is HARDER – we might think it is better NOT to follow…
      • But Job understood – where ELSE could we go and find ETERNAL life!
    • Although you [requested] me against him – to [consume] him without cause…
      • God acknowledged SATAN had REQUESTED – God CONSUME [piel] Job – Job 1:11
      • Though Job had done NOTHING to deserve the devastation God allowed…
      • God pulled back His protection to allow Job to be TESTED – to see if he would STAND firm!
      • Do NOT miss – God was PROUD of Job – the SECOND time he told SATAN to CONSIDER Job!
      • One of the hardest things to do as a parent – is to let our children face challenges…
      • Give them the opportunity to stand – knowing they MIGHT fail…
      • But if they succeed – it is the PROUD parent who declares – look at MY child!
      • The real test of CHARACTER is how they act when life falls apart…
      • God uses TRIALS in life to TEST us – let us see what we are made of…
      • God already knows – but He wants US to see what is in OUR hearts!

• 2^nd – Physical problems… vs. 4-8
  • 1^st – Skin for skin… vs. 4
    • Satan answered the Lord – skin for skin – all that a man has he will give for his life…
      • There are only THREE sources to EVERY problem that can come into our lives…
      • We can have FINANCIAL problems – not having enough money…
      • We can have RELATIONAL problems – being hurt by others – family / friends…
      • We can have PHYSICAL problems – getting sick and dying!
    • FINANCIAL and RELATIONAL problems had failed to stumble Job…
      • SATAN had been forbidden from taking the health of Job – Job 1:12
      • SATAN was requesting to bring the final attack – take his HEALTH!
      • We have ALL at some point in our lives FEARED death…
      • For some it might be occasional – living in denial – for others it can be daily crippling…
      • Therefore the thought of being SICK is terrifying – we MIGHT die!
      • Many avoid doing to the doctor for fear of the prognoses – CANCER / DISEASE!
      • This should NOT be the case for a BELIEVER – DEATH is NOT the end…
      • Far too often we get way to attached to this life and forget – Hebrews 11:13-16
      • We are not HOME yet – our HOME is a place we have yet to see – our home is HEAVEN…
      • We need to remember to NOT fear death – it is just the door that takes us HOME!
  • 2^nd – Stretch out Your HAND… vs. 5-6
    • Stretch [imperative] out YOUR hand now – and touch [imperative] his bone and his flesh…
      • And he will surely curse You to Your face!
      • SATAN demands that God be the one to strike the HEALTH of Job…
      • Not just an external sickness [flesh] – but an internal one as well [bone]!
      • NOTE – it was God who had to do it – SATAN could NOT just touch Job!
    • The LORD said to Satan – Behold – he is in your hand – but spare his LIFE…
      • Even when God gave permission for SATAN to harm Job – there were limits…
      • SATAN could ONLY take his HEALTH – he could NOT kill Job!
      • Psalm 66:9 – “Who keeps our soul among the living…”
      • Our days are numbered by the Lord – and we will not die a say sooner than He says!
      • Therefore we have NOTHING to fear from ANY sickness…
      • Because if we get sick – and it is NOT our time – we will get better…
      • And if it is OUR TIME – then there is nothing we can do to be healed!
    • God ALLOWS sickness…
      • This is HARD for many people to accept…
      • If God is LOVE – why does He allow GOOD people to suffer – and even die…
      • Why would He allow innocent children to get cancer – birth defects!
      • Two PROBLEMS with that question – FIRST – there are NO good people – Romans 3:23
      • SECOND – we assume suffering is BAD – which is NOT true!
      • If life we ONLY about the EIGHTY or so years we are given here on earth…
      • Then God allowing people to get SICK is CRUEL…
      • But if life is about ETERNITY – then ANYTHING He allows – even sickness…
      • That brings us brokenness – leads us to Jesus – is the most LOVING thing God could do!
      • It would NOT be loving to let a person be HEALTHY – till the day they went to HELL…
      • It is LOVE to let someone get SICK – so they cry out to Jesus – and go to HEAVEN!
    • There was a woman who had been sick for TWELVE years…
      • She tried EVERYTHING – but God – to be her cure and answer!
      • Mark 5:26 – “[She] suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.”
      • Which is what finally brough her to Jesus – to touch the border of His clothing…
      • Only then was she HEALED – her sickness led her to the ONLY answer she needed…
      • If she had NEVER been sick – she would never have gone looking for Jesus!
  • 3^rd – Painful BOILS… vs. 7-8
    • Satan… struck Job with painful boils from… his foot to… his head…
      • BOILS – [שִׁחִין] – first used to describe the SIXTH plague in Egypt – Exodus 9:8-9
      • Also used to describe LEPROSY – Leviticus 13:20
      • Here we are told they were PAINFUL [רָע] boils – or literally EVIL boils…
      • They covered the body of Job from the bottom of his feet – to the top of his head!
    • Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery [NLT] …
      • SCRAPE – only here OT – used to describe PEALING bark off a tree!
      • The imagery is quite graphic – Job was PEALING open his wounds with a broken pot…
      • Presumably to force out the pus that was accumulating under his skin!
      • If you have ever had a pimple – or a boil – it REALLY hurts as it builds up pressure…
      • The only way to get relief is to POP to boil – release the pressure!
    • As he sat among the ashes [NLT] …
      • There are THREE thoughts as to why Job was sitting in ASHES…
      • FIRST – a sign of MOURNING – sackcloth and ashes – 8x in OT to describe mourning…
      • Job had lost EVERYTHING – money – family – health – he had good reason to MOURN!
      • SECOND – a sign of POVERTY – LXX – ^{[ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἔξω τῆς πόλεως]} – sat on dung outside the city…
      • Job had lost EVERYTHING – and was left living in the city DUMP!
      • One of the saddest things I have ever seen – is people forced to live in a dump…
      • They literally have NOTHING – and live off the scraps other people throw away!
      • THIRD – a sign of SICKNESS – if Job was living on a dung pile – perhaps he could not leave!
      • When I was in college – I went on a missions trip to Kazakhstan…
      • It required taking a train ride across Siberia – a Russian gave me an EVIL pickle…
      • I spent the next FOUR days not able to leave the bathroom!
      • Whichever interpretation is correct – they all lead to the same conclusion…
      • Job was at the VERY bottom – his life was in complete RUINS!
    • Two LESSONS – FIRST – LOOK up…
      • When hard times come – our first reaction is to LOOK to depend on us…
      • But God can turn up the HEAT – till we can NO longer handle our problems…
      • FINANCIAL ruin not enough – how about RELATIONAL problems – or ruined HEALTH…
      • Or all THREE – so we would learn not to trust in ourselves – but instead trust in God!
      • Because we find Strength in Weakness – II Corinthians 12:9-10
      • We pride ourselves in our STRENGTH – but what is our STRENGTH in comparison to God…
      • In truth we are WEAK– but it is in our WEAKNESS we find true STRENGTH…
      • When we realize we are WEAK we learn to depend on His STRENGTH!
    • SECOND – No matter BAD our trials might be – at least we are NOT Job…
      • So often in life we think our problems are the WORSE than everyone else…
      • No one could possibly be going through anything more difficult…
      • But the challenges we face – are no worse than what others have gone through!
      • I Corinthians 10:13 – “The temptations in your life are no different from others.”

• 3^rd – Being alone… vs.  9-13
  • 1^st – Wife of Job… vs. 9-10
    • Do you still HOLD FAST to your integrity? Curse [imperative] God and die…
      • What is amazing – this is the SECOND time we have heard this…
      • The FIRST time was when God used these words to PRAISE Job – Job 2:3
      • After the first TWO trials – FINANCIAL / RELATIONAL – Job HELD fast his integrity!
      • But SATAN assured God once he lost his HEALTH – he would CURSE God and die!
    • Meaning Job was NOT hearing from his wife…
      • This was SATAN speaking through His wife – twisting the WORD of God…
      • AGAIN – we miss who the real ENEMY is – we get caught up looking at the people…
      • Sometimes those people are the ones who are CLOSEST to us…
      • That is when it is a hardest to hear – when the attacks are the more devastating…
      • But they are STILL just puppets – being told what to say and do by SATAN…
      • The key is to go at the one who is in control – attack the root problem!
      • Taking on the real problem by breaking out the big guns – PRAYER and the WORD!
      • Ephesians 6:12 – “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world.”[NLT]
    • Do NOT be a tool of SATAN…
      • This is the ONLY time we read about the WIFE of Job…
      • And her MARK on history – is that she was a TOOL of SATAN!
      • We need to be CAREFUL what we let come out of our mouths…
      • We can be a TOOL of SATAN – used to sow divisiveness and discouragement…
      • Or we can be a TOOL that is used by God to being GRACE and SALVATION…
      • HUSBANDS / WIVES – we have incredible power to tear down or build up our spouses!
      • Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
    • You speak [piel] as the foolish speak [piel] …
      • FOOL – someone who does not KNOW God – Psalms 14:1
      • Job wisely understood – the words of his WIFE – were NOT from the Lord…
      • Instead he realized – we must accept both the GOOD and EVIL that comes into our lives!
      • Isaiah 55:8 – “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways…”
      • If I PRAISE God when things happen that I WANT – and call them GOOD…
      • And CURSE God when things happen that I do NOT want – and call them BAD…
      • What I am really saying is I that I know better than God – which makes me a FOOL!
  • 2^nd – Friends of Job… vs. 11-13
    • When Jobs three friends heard of all this adversity [they] came…
      • Eliphaz [my god is gold] – from Teman [south] – a descendant of Esau – Genesis 36:11
      • Bildad [confusing love] – from Shuah [wealthy] – a descendant of Abraham – Genesis 25:2
      • Zophar [depart early] – from Naamah [pleasant] – perhaps named after daughter of Cain…
      • They came together to MOURN and COMFORT [piel] Job!
      • Their names give us a CLUE as to what kind of COMFORTERS they will be…
      • Their counsel and COMFORT will be the content of the next 28 chapters!
    • Saying NOTHING…
      • When they arrived – they saw Job from afar – and did NOT recognize him…
      • They all WEPT – tore their coats – and sprinkled ashes towards heaven…
      • For SEVEN days they said ABSOLUTELY NOTHING [אֵין] – they just sat with their friend!
      • For they saw his GREIF was VERY GREAT!
      • I knew a couple who lost their child – two pastors came to encourage them…
      • One gave them the right verses / the other wrapped his arms around them and cried!
      • Sometimes the GREATEST comfort we can receive is not in words…
      • It is in saying NOTHING – just being there to let someone know they are NOT alone!

Romans 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”