May 8th

May 8th -- Job 1 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%201&version=NLT)

Prologue ; Job's first test

There was a man named Job, who lived in Uz, and was blameless. He feared God and kept away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, as well as many servants, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He was the richest person in the area. Job's sons would prepare feasts and would invite the family to celebrate with them. After these sometimes-several-days-long feasts, Job would purify his children by getting up early in the morning and sacrificing a burnt offering for each of them, just in case they had sinned. This was a regular practice for Job.

One day, some member's of the heavenly court came to God, and Satan along with them. God asks where Satan came from, and Satan says from earth where he watched what went on. God asked if he had noticed Job, who is blameless, and fears God. Satan says he has reason to, because God has always protected him, but if God took it all away from Job - everything Job had - Job would curse God to His face. The Lord agreed to let Satan test Job, saying he may do whatever he wanted with all Job's possessions, but he was not allowed to harm him physically. Satan left God's presence. Then one day, when Job's sons and daughters feasted at the older brother's house, a messenger arrived at Job's home to tell him the oxen were plowing and the donkeys fed with them, but they were raided by Sabeans, who took all the animals and killed all the farmhands, with himself being the only one to survive. Before this messenger even finished, a second arrived to tell Job that fire from heaven fell and burned all the sheep and shepherds, with himself being the only one to survive. As this messenger still spoke, a third came to tell Job that three bands of Chaldean raiders stole all the camels and killed all the servants, with himself being the only one to survive. Before this man finished, a fourth messenger came to Job and told him that a powerful wind hit his eldest son's house, where all his sons and daughters were feasting, and the building collapsed and killed them all, with himself being the only one to escape.  Job tore his robe in grief, then shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said (paraphrased) that he came into the world with nothing and will leave with nothing ; God gave him what he had and has not taken it away ; praise God. Through all this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Okay, I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I love how we see a man who is so godly that he stands so strong, but I hate that it makes me feel extremely convicted over just about everything. I mean, let's just understand this. This would be the equivalent of you being at school or work, and having a teacher pull you out of class to tell you your room burnt down out of your house. Then another comes to let you know that the whole house burned. Yet another comes to inform you they just found out it was actually your whole property. Then of course a fourth one comes along and explains your whole family burned in the house. Am I the only one who has a hard time picturing myself bowing down and worshipping? I'm certain I can't be. Job was so incredibly faithful, that he worshipped, despite having just lost EVERYTHING (short of his life). I can't honestly say that I could do that. I think my first reaction would be to break down, bawl for a few hours until I physically could not cry more, and then start yelling at God (internally or externally - doesn't matter). I would be upset. I may look back after and regret having done that, but I would probably do that as a first reaction. I want to reach a point, though, like Job was at, where I wouldn't. I want to reach a point where my life is so focused on God, that I can worship Him after being stripped of everything.

Sorry that was a bit random, but I just sort of thought the message was in the reading, really - worship God through everything. God bless! Shalom!