Breathingbook

Greetings! Having covered Job’s identity, where Uz would have been located, the time in which Job lived (Who is Job: Edom and Uz), and why Job’s suffering was ultimately his (Key Phrase) “Appointed Time,” let’s take a look next at Job 1:6-12 and examine God’s interaction with Satan and what might have been going on.

Now, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them (Job 1:6).

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Hast thou considered My servant Job What this says in the Hebrew is, “Hast thou set thy heart on My servant Job? So, the Lord is not just asking Satan if he’s considered Job, but if he’s set his heart upon him.

In my last post, “Job: The Appointed Time,” I went over how the basic reason Job had to endure suffering was because it was his “appointed time” to do so.

Just as God had foreordained Joseph’s thirteen years in Egypt (Gen 37:2-28;41:46-47), Esther’s marriage to an Assyrian King (Est 2:5-8;4:14), David’s fleeing from Saul, Daniel’s service to pagan kings, the Apostles, our Lord Jesus’ life and death on the cross, and all the saints who’ve ever underwent any form of suffering, imprisonment, torture or martyrdom for God – all those things were allowed to happen at their appointed time, because in some way, shape or form it furthered the Kingdom of God.

Indeed, like the man under affliction from Psa 102: Prayer of the Afflicted, all who undergo “trying times” cry out, in their differing measures, asking God, “What’s going on? Why are You allowing this?” But, again, the most basic answer to “Why?” is because the “appointed time” had come and God was either preparing or using them “for something” that ultimately would further God’s kingdom.

1 Cor 2:7-8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

So, even in the midst of what I’m sure are fearsome posts to read, let us press on with our study on Job, remembering as we do so that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28; Psa 111:10; Prov 9:10) and there’s no getting around that.

Job 28:28 And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

For those who have read my post, Demons, Fallen angels, Little gods, you know that in it I went over several of the names of Satan and explained why angels – good and evil – have sometimes been referred to as “sons of God.” Also, how that angels – good and evil – have received supernatural abilities to minister to the saints (Heb 1:13), but evil “fallen” angels (also known as demons) have used those God given abilities (gifts) to further their own agendas (and so some still worship them as false gods to this very day).

Now, that there are principalities, dominions and thrones in high places is rather well known (Eph 6:12), howbeit the doings and workings of these have remained somewhat mysterious. As I said, Satan has many names, but one of the other functions he is apparently allowed to operate in is that of the “sifter.”

The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, told Simon Peter that Satan desired to “sift” him as wheat (Lk 22:31-34).

Lk 22:31-34 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33 And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And He said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me.

Lk 22:31-34 is, indeed, interesting, because it reveals the Lord Jesus not only was aware that Satan’s request (or desire) had been made, but that it had been granted to him. Jesus forewarns Peter of it, and tells him He has prayed for him, and when Simon Peter is “converted” he is to strengthen his brethren.

This being “converted” means to turn oneself around again.

All this was called being “sifted” like “wheat.”

Now, “sifting” is accomplished by using some sort of “sieve” to separate “undesirable” elements from the “desirable” ones. A sieve can be made of many things, but usually some sort of finely woven screen, mesh, or filter is used. The process of sifting wheat usually happens after the wheat has already been processed to the state of becoming grain “flour.” A “sifter” at this point, not only removes any unwanted elements, but it “aerates” the flour.

To explain this, I need to remind you, first, that Jesus referred to believers as “wheat” in His parables (Mat 3:11-12; 13:24-30; Jn 12:23-24).

Without going into much detail about the process of getting wheat from seed to flour, it is, roughly, as follows.

• There is a harvest of wheat where some grain has been set aside to be the seed for the next season’s crop.
• The seed is then sown at the appropriate time.
• The seed grows (among tares) and matures into a stalk of wheat grain. There is a harvest.
• The wheat is threshed. Ancient cultures used oxen or donkeys to walk in circles upon the wheat to separate the unedible parts, such as the husks.
• The chaff is removed through winnowing, revealing the seeds or cereal grain. Chaff is the protective skin that encases the seed.
• The grain is gathered together and taken into a barn.
• Some of the grain is set aside as seed for the next season and the rest is taken to be threshed (beating to remove husks, tares, and dirt).
• The grain is crushed into a rough flour powder.
• The flour is then “sifted” to aerate and remove fine particles of ash, husk, or tare matter that were so tiny they’d previously escaped notice.
• The aerated flour is mixed with oil, water and salt. At this point leaven may be added.
• The mixture is kneaded into dough and formed.
• The dough is set aside in a warm place and allowed to “rise.”
• The risen dough is baked in an oven.

Again, Jesus referred to believers as “wheat” in His parables (Mat 3:11-12;13:24-30; Jn 12:23-24). Thus, the journey of “wheat” on it’s way to becoming “bread” illustrates the planting of believers, the need for nourishment in good soil, the way “tares” can come in to stunt our growth, the waiting upon the seasons, growing when the sun shines and the Lord gives rain, unto maturation, wherein we are often pressed in our faith in differing measures and capacities as we learn to serve the Lord.

Indeed, Jesus referred to Himself as the “Bread” that has come down from heaven (Jn 6:51) and many, many times told believers to take up their cross and follow Him (Mat 16:24-27).

Jn 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

And so, we see that “sifting” is something that sometimes happens to believers because it is their “Appointed Time,” so that “hidden things” can be “sifted out” unto the furtherance of God’s Kingdom.

And so, that being said, and God having decided to set forth Job’s ”Appointed Time,” that he might be sifted as wheat, plainly asks Satan, if he has, “considered” His “servant Job” (Job 1:8).

To which Satan replies:

Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

Doth Job fear God for nought? First and foremost, the question is one regarding the “fear of the Lord.” Does Job fear God for “nought?” The word “nought” is the Hebrew word “chinnam” and means “without cost.” In other words, does Job fear God without cost?

To explain this, I need to go in a little bit about what the concept of “cost” is.

You see, biblically speaking, cost is what one sacrifices of oneself in order to present a gift. Though most gifts require some form of exchange, true biblical “cost” can only be determined by the sacrifice one has to make to give it away.

For example, when David wanted to build an altar to the Lord upon the threshing floor of Araunah (2 Sam 24:18-25), at first Araunah offered to give it to David for free, but David replied (vs. 24), “Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD, my God, of that which doth cost me nothing.”

To substantiate this, I take you to the story of Cain and Abel in Gen 4:1-10. There, Cain and Abel each prepare an offering to present to the Lord. Cain, who is described as one who works or tills the ground (Gen 4:2), prepares an offering to the Lord of the fruit of his crops, and Abel, described as a keeper of sheep (a shepherd), prepares his offering for the Lord by sacrificing one of the firstborn of his flock.

Gen 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Without going into complete detail, the preparation of crops takes certain steps: preparing the soil, planting the seed, watering, occasional weeding, fertilizing, perhaps some pest control, gathering and finally, preparation of those crops for a suitable meal.

The raising of livestock is quite different. Since livestock are living creatures, they must be cared for and tended to each day – sometimes even during the night. They must be fed, groomed, led, trained, cleaned up after, protected and attended to so they don’t get sick and die. Often caretakers develop some sort of relationship with their livestock, because it helps in giving perceptive care and also in obtaining the best performance from them. Sometimes caretakers also assist with birthing processes, and the like, so the emotional attachment Abel would have had with his sacrifice for the Lord would have been different than any attachment Cain could have had with his crops.

Also, there’s the difference between harvesting crops with a sickle (gathering them together and preparing them), and the raising of an animal whose end will be to be sacrificed by slicing its neck (cleaning up the body and preparing it).

All these things factor in with “cost.”

Now, while only the Lord above can ever measure the true “cost” of a thing accurately, it’s not difficult to see how this cost factor could have been elusive to Cain, who, being a tiller of the ground (who didn’t work with animals) might have overlooked, and/or not understood at all.

There’s even more to this “cost” factor when we step further back and look at things from God’s “viewpoint.” God is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere all at once), so there’s no such thing as linear (point “a” begets point “b”) time for Him. I.e., God always sees beginning, end, and all in between (all together).

Gen 4:3-5 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.

And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

In Gen 4:4, the bible says the Lord had “respect” unto Abel and to his offering. The Hebrew word for “respect” is “sha’ah” and actually means “to gaze at or about,” or by implication, “to inspect or consider.” In other words, God “gazed” at Abel and His offering; He “considered” and “inspected” them. One cannot look at this without remembering God’s omnipresence, meaning, God considered the offering from beginning to end. He saw the preparation, the intent of heart, the personal “cost” of each – and He saw how Cain would murder Abel in the future.

Anyway you look at it, God would know what was going to take place, ultimately, between Cain and Abel. He probably watched as Abel – because of his love for his brother, his parents, and possibly God, as well – does not fight his brother back when he’s attacked (Gen 4:8). No doubt, like other brotherly fights, Abel assumed Cain would stop before killing him.

There had not yet been any deaths or murders in the history of Adam and Eve (or their family), and so, in this way, Abel ultimately became a part of his own offering to God. And, God, seeing and knowing all these things in advance – what no one could possibly know except “God” – saw the “cost” of Abel’s offering would ultimately be far greater than Cain’s, and why.

The Lord Jesus Christ also taught us about “cost” and how the measure of it is important in Mk 12: 41-44; Lk 21:1-4. One day Jesus was sitting in the Temple near the treasury (where charitable donations were collected) and He observed a poor widow as she cast two mites into the treasury. Jesus pointed out to His disciples how the widow had cast in all the living she had, but the wealthy had cast in what they had left over. Again, the “cost” factor for the widow was much more than the “cost” factor of those who took care of themselves first and then cast in, as a gift to God, what was left over.

Lk 21:3-4 And He said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

And, finally, one more example of “cost” is illustrated by how the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His own life so that we, as sinners, could live through Him (and be able to approach the Father). There is no greater personal cost than the laying down of one’s life for another. The closest that comes to it in any manner, is the personal cost that God gave to us as He offered up His only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins.

Jn 15:12-14 This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends. 14 Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

It is this idea that what you give to God must actually cost you something to have value that Satan is bringing up.

Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

Basically Satan is saying that Job’s fear of God is not “true.”

“You’ve given Job everything and it’s not really cost him much. The real honest to goodness fear of You is unknown to him, because you’ve protected him in everything in his life. If You stopped giving him all this goodness right now – if life became difficult for Job – he would doubt Your goodness and curse You to Your face” (paraphrased; Job 1:9-11).

This is a serious accusation, but the point, here, is God is God Almighty. He is good, kind, and the giver not only of all good things, but also of life itself. He is also powerful, protective, wise and all knowing. And, He is worthy of all adoration, worship and praise just because He IS God – not because of what He does, or could do, for us, or our families, but because He’s God and He’s Holy.

Irregardless of our state, those facts will never change.

And so it goes that Job survives Satan’s “sifting” like wheat. He remains faithful to God and, after loosing everything, does not curse God to His face (Job 1:20-22).

Moreover, after chapter one of the Book of Job is finished, no one was ever again able to accuse Job that his fear of the Lord God was without great “cost.”

Peace out!

Loris Anne James