Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin Zadai 10-22-2023 -- 10-28-2023

Job Didn't Blame God In his Time of Testing

"So this is the ultimate test: Are you going to blame God, or are you going to give the devil the credit for your trials?"

~Kevin Zadai

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.
—Job 1:22 NLT

DISCUSSION:
This week, we will discuss the revelation the Lord has shown me for the end-time events coming upon the earth and how to deal with them. I want to build on what we recently discussed concerning God being in the delay and share from the Book of Job. We will examine the seven ways that satan came after Job after God bragged about him. The Lord had great confidence in Job, who passed the ultimate test when he did not blame God for his calamities. Several times, the Bible says he was a man of integrity. Like Job, we all will be tested in this same way.

THE LIFE OF JOB
There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.
—Job 1:1 NLT

The first chapter of the Book of Job outlines Job's family and what he owned. Here, he is described as blameless, a man of integrity because he feared God and stayed away from evil. Job 1:2–3 states that he had seven sons, three daughters, servants, a large amount of animal livestock, and many belongings. According to the scripture, he was the wealthiest person in his area. Job and his family loved to celebrate, and there were times after the feasts were over when he made random sacrifices in case his children had sinned (Job 1:4–5).

Job's sacrifices were not established offerings, but were done out of fear his children may have sinned. You must realize that superstitious activities can get you into trouble. In other words, you should not do something for God as a formality, just in case the covenant or laws had specific terms you didn't know about. Job didn't operate under a covenant or the law back then, so we don't know when he lived. The Book of Job doesn't mention any patriarchs or covenants, so we don't know the timeline. All I can tell you is that it was a long time ago.

o Why was it wrong for Job to sacrifice just in case his children sinned?

SONS OF GOD
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
—John 1:12–13

As mentioned, Job sacrificed to cover his children just in case they sinned and cursed God. The word cursed is used in Job 1:5, which is the same word that describes what happened in Genesis 4:11 when God cursed Cain, the son of Adam, and put a mark on him. Luke 3:38 mentions Adam in Jesus's lineage as a son of God. Jesus is the Son of God, but we also read that Adam, Seth, and his offspring were described as sons of God to a certain point until their DNA was tainted. They were not allowed to interbreed with the line of Cain because he was cursed. The sons of God were not all cursed, but Adams's son, Cain, who killed his brother Abel, was. Abel was no longer with them, so God marked Cain, and his generations were cursed. Seth's lineage was blessed, and Noah came from his line (Luke 3:36–38).

The entire genealogy of Jesus is in Luke 3: It shows the lineage from Adam, a son of God, to Jesus, the Son of God. Romans 1 Corinthians 15:45–49 mentions the first Adam from Genesis and the last Adam, which is Christ—a life-giving Spirit. Then, in the New Testament, we see that God calls us the children of God. John 1:12 says that to those who embrace Jesus and His teachings by faith, God gave them the authority to become sons of God.

A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE SCENES
Then the Lord asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil."

Satan replied to the Lord, "Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

"All right, you may test him," the Lord said to Satan. "Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically." So Satan left the Lord's presence.
—Job 1:8–12 NLT

The enemy came before God, accusing Job of serving Him only because He prospered, protected, and greatly blessed him. The whole idea here is that Job did nothing wrong and didn't understand what was happening behind the scenes. Even at the end of Job's account, you can see that God doesn't tell him about the conversation with satan. So, God actually picked a fight with the devil about Job. If you look at Job 1:12, God provoked satan because Job needed to pass his ultimate test. God said no one else on the earth was like him, making his story even more puzzling. Of all the men and women who lived on the planet at the time, Job was the finest.

IS IT FROM GOD OR THE DEVIL?
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
—John 10:10

God had so much confidence in Job that He knew he would pass his test. What if we have ignored the Book of Job in the Bible because we didn't understand it? What if all that I'm sharing concerns the end times? Jesus said He came to give us life more abundantly, but the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Here is the test to determine if it's God or the devil: Is it stealing, killing, or destroying, or is it a life and life more abundantly? When satan challenged God, saying that if Job lost everything, he would curse the Lord to His face, God had such confidence that He told him he could do anything to Job's possessions, as long as he didn't touch him (Job 1:9–12). So, satan did just that.

First four ways satan came against Job:

1. The Sabeans raided his family, stole all his animals, and killed all the farmhands (Job 1:13–15).

2. As the first messenger gave Job his report, another person arrived to tell him that fire from God came down and consumed all the sheep and the shepherds (Job 1:16). However, the fire wasn't from God. Remember that Job 1:12 says that satan went out and did all these things to Job. So, the messenger was wrong and made it look like God was attacking him. Insurance companies even do that today, calling tornados and hurricanes acts of God, when He is not the cause of these destructive storms.

Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin Zadai 10-22-2023 -- 10-28-2023

3. While the second messenger spoke, a third person arrived with more bad news. Job 1:17 says three pirate bands—the Chaldean raiders—stole Job's camels and killed his servants. The camels were the "trucks" of the day that transported all the goods. The servants of the camels were like the truck drivers of their day. So, essentially, the enemy destroyed the supply line. That messenger told Job that he was the only one who survived.

4. A fourth messenger told Job that a powerful wind suddenly hit the house while his sons and daughters were feasting. The tornado caused the house to collapse and killed all his children (Job 1:18–19). That messenger was the only one who escaped.

WORSHIP IN THE STORM

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" In all this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

—Job 1:20–22 NLT

After the first four attacks, Job tore his robe in grief, shaved his head, and fell to the ground to worship the Lord. You must learn to respond like Job did when you have a delay in your life and things are going wrong. You have to discern that God trusts you; you don't know the conversations that have gone on behind the scenes. God may have picked a fight with the devil and pulled you into it because He trusts you. So this is the ultimate test: Will you blame God or give the devil the credit for your trials? You have got to tell it as it is: The devil did this. God did not do this.

God allowed the testing because He had confidence in Job. He also needed to pass his test due to the legality of Adam and Eve giving away the right to the earth. The reason they were cast out of the Garden of Eden was that they had given the lease to the earth to satan, who is the (little "g") god of this world (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Job responded to his circumstances by saying, "I came with nothing. I'm going to leave with nothing. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

The bottom line for this lesson is Job 1:22, which says Job did not sin by blaming God. Fast forward to chapter two, and Job still served God. Again, satan challenged

God, saying if his health were affected, Job would curse the Lord to His face (Job 2:3–6). God allowed satan to attack Job's health, as long as he spared his life.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh attacks on Job's life:

5. When God permitted him, satan gave Job a disease by striking him with boils (Job 2:7–8).

6. Job's boils were so nasty his wife said, "Just curse God and die." Here, satan spoke through his wife, telling him to curse God and die. He knew that would never happen, so he called her foolish and did not fold (Job 2:9–10).

7. Then Job's friends came and said terrible things, misrepresenting God throughout much of the Book of Job.

KNOW WHO GOD IS AND HIS HEART FOR YOU

Ultimately, God was angry at Job's friends for darkening the council and misrepresenting him (Job 42:7). All the tragedies that satan attacked Job with were designed to misrepresent God. But the bottom line was that at the end, Job essentially said, "You know what? I'm going to put my hand over my mouth, and I'm not going to say another word because I am wrong." He surrendered to the Lord, acknowledging that he spoke of things he did not understand (Job 42:1–6). This is the place we are all in, too: We often think we have understanding, when we don't. Remember, there is nowhere in the scripture where Job knew the conversation that took place. He would never have listened to anyone trying to counsel him, including his friends, if he had known. So, in the days that we live in, we must know the inside information—the truth. We must understand that God is a good God who does not do all these evil things.

Understand that even those closest to us could betray us. Job's friends, who were the "spiritual ones," so to speak, sat there and told lies about what was really going on. We must discern the voices we listen to (John 10:14–16; 1 John 4:1–3). We need to ensure we have oil in our lamps (Matthew 25:1–13), our wicks are trimmed, and we know exactly who our God is. I recommend reading about the awesomeness of God in Job 38–42, where He reveals who He is. When God was done speaking, nobody wanted to say any more words except, "Whoa, I've made a mistake." And that's where we're at right now in the body of Christ.

God will give you understanding in the days ahead. The ultimate test is to discern that perhaps there have been conversations where God bragged about you to the devil. God may have picked a fight, using you as an example because He believes in and trusts you. Job 42:12 states that after Job endured his testing, the Lord blessed the second half of life even more than the beginning; he will do the same for you.

You were called into the kingdom of God at this time for a divine purpose.

PRAYER:

Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit and the resurrection power. Let the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of You come upon all our family all over the world, that we may be ready. Help us be like the five wise virgins with enough oil ready and our wicks trimmed. Lord, prepare us to shine and to do the job that You've called us to do on the earth. I declare that we will be the glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle in the days ahead, in Jesus's name, amen.

1. Discuss the seven ways satan attacked Job after God bragged about him. How did Job respond?

2. According to John 10:10, how do you determine whether something is from God or the devil?

3. Discuss how the enemy tries to use circumstances to discredit God. Why is it important to discern what is taking place behind the scenes?

4. What does it mean to have extra oil ready for our lamps and wicks trimmed, as the five wise virgins did in Matthew 25:1–13?

5. Can you think of a time when you refused to blame God and chose to worship Him in your time of testing?