posted by Matt Rouse
Movies and music are sometimes two of the best windows into the soul of a culture. From time to time, it can be good for us to listen to the music and watch the movies of our children and grandchildren because it attunes us to what they think and value. For example, in the 1970s, there were many movies about heroes fighting injustice. In the last 20 years, this has changed and we have now have many movies and songs that tell us we are victims of a grand conspiracy and are essentially helpless. The theme of many movies proves this as they today revolve conspiracies involving the Roman Catholic Church, CIA, or aliens.
This idea of conspiracy is not a new idea. The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, etc. did not have movies, but they did have the official state religion. Many of these belief systems taught that the gods conspired against humanity in anger and that humanity had to appease these gods in some way.
How does the world work? What or who is driving history? Is there a grand conspiracy at play? Are the gods out to get us? The book of Job will help us answer these questions.
The Scene on Earth (Job 1:1-5)
The book of Job opens with an idyllic scene. Job has seven sons and three daughters. He is rich as shown by his many animals and servants and there are elaborate birthday parties for his children. We see at the end of one of these parties that Job did a strange thing. Verse 5 tells us
“When the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
Job acts as a priest for his family in that he is the mediator between God and his family. He makes offerings to God on behalf of his family in case his children had sinned and cursed God in their hearts.
The Scene in Heaven (Job 1:6-10)
This scene directly parallels the scene we just looked at. It involves God the Father and his “sons” who are probably deceased people who had believed in God during the earthly life and now live with Him in heaven. It also involves an intruder, Satan, who will function as a prosecuting attorney toward both God and Job.
As Satan approaches the throne, it is God who initiates the encounter with a question – “from where have you come?” Why would God ask this? Doesn’t He already know all (cf. Prov. 21:2; Jer. 23:24)? The question is actually a move in a chess game, but why a game? Who benefits from such a game? God won’t learn anything because He already knows everything. Satan is fallen and won’t change his position.
There are actually several parties that will benefit from this grand chess game.
- Job himself – we will see this at the end of the book when Job realizes that not only his children need a mediator, but he also does.
- Us – we benefit from this story because it reveals something about how God works, what heaven is like, and what the Gospel is all about.
- God’s sons – mentioned earlier, these are believers who have gone to heaven and this grand story gives them the opportunity to worship and glorify God.
The Lord follows up with another question – “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” We see in the question that Job is “blameless” and “upright”, one who fears God and turns away from evil. God has put forward His best man and this is important to know because it guides our understanding of the response from Job’s friends later.
God’s words re: Job are reminiscent of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. Like suffering Job, God’s servant, Jesus Christ is the great suffering servant (Isa. 52:13-53:12) who suffered for us that we might be sons and daughters of God.
The Challenge (Job 1:9-11)
The great accuser Satan jumps at the chance to challenge God’s word once more (cf. Gen. 3:1). In essence, Satan is accusing God of lying; from Satan’s perspective, Job is the way he is, not because he is upright and blameless, but because God has blessed Job
- Satan: “You put a hedge around him [protection] and his house and all that he has, on every side?”
- Satan: “You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”
Satan calls upon God to take His hand of protection and blessing away from Job and then God will see that Job is not really upright and blameless. His challenge is really that no one loves God for God, but rather people love God because of what they can get from God. Satan is accusing God of running a phony racket of buying off so called “believers” with blessings and protection.
The central issue in the book of Job is not the justice of God and why He lets an innocent man suffer, but rather the integrity of saving faith and the Gospel that is believed. Is there such a thing as genuine faith? If there is, how will it respond to suffering and ruin for it is in the heat of the moment that the true heart is revealed?
Satan takes the bait and goes about his business of ruining Job’s idyllic life (Job 1:12-22). There is no dualism here though. Satan can act only with God’s permission and according to His ultimate plan. We will see that ultimately Satan’s opposition to God really makes him the fool.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you love the Lord because He saved you and gave you eternal life or simply because of who He is?
- Do you love him more than you value the things He gives you in Christ?
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Here is what all the cross references in the Bible look like visually.
Themocracy