Job 12-14 "God is sovereign and good"

Read: Job 12-14

Verses chosen for meditation: 

Job 12:13-14 “With God are wisdom and might;

    he has counsel and understanding.

14 

If he tears down, none can rebuild;

    if he shuts a man in, none can open.

15 

If he withholds the waters, they dry up;

if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.

Reflect: 

One of the key themes in Job is the sovereignty and power of God. It is clear, that through the book of Job, God was the One who allowed Satan to do all that evil towards a righteous man. Perhaps this is why Job is not a "popular" book of the Bible. At least not as well liked as say the Psalms or Philippians. 

Yes, it can be very difficult to understand why Satan was allowed to afflict Job to such an extent. The lost of properties, the lost of family members as well as the affliction of terrible diseases. Biblically, it seems that only Christ had it worse.  

This is probably why some scholars like to see Job as fiction rather than historical. Perhaps it is more palatable if the life of Job is a fable to illustrate some godly values, rather than a true account of how God can be seemingly so "cruel".

Yet, however we see Job; whether as a historical account or fable, it is the word of God. And as the author of Hebrews said "12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hence, even when Job went through the extreme afflictions, he still honoured God for His wisdom, might, counsel and understanding. Job was like saying, whatever he was going through was not without the wisdom and counsel of God. God was the One who allowed it. Surely He must have His purpose and wisdom! 

Relate:

Job's trust in God is more than just bravado or empty boasts. It is one thing to say that we trust in God when things are going well. It is another thing to trust in the character of God when things are going real bad. 

So the question is, why? Why did Job held on despite knowing that God had allowed Satan to afflict him? The answer can be found in Job 12:13-14. Basically, Job's fervent trust in God comes from his conviction that God is sovereign and totally good. God tears down and no one can build. God shuts and none can open. And He does all these things with wisdom. Hence, whatever that happened, Job trusted that God had His good purpose. 

When we are finished with the book, we know that Job never blame or curse God. Even when his wife asked him to do so. He did try to build "his case" and question God, but that is something totally understandable. In the end, God gave him an answer which he totally submitted to. And the answer has to do with what Job was convicted of in the first place; that the Lord is sovereign and totally good.

Most if not all of us will not go through what Job went through. Yet we can take a leaf from how Job responded to God even through the most trying of circumstances. Hence, when we meet with difficulties and troubles in life, what do we do? How will we see God? Will we continue to honor and trust Him as Job did? 

Or do we sulk at the first instance and question whether God made a mistake? Or do we feel so entitled that our faith in Jesus should only yield the most comfortable outcomes in life? Such would be a mistake indeed. For our Lord Jesus never promise a life of comfortable outcomes when we come to the faith. In fact, He said to His very first disciples that foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. And that those who choose to follow Christ must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow.

So, will we still follow Him? Will we embrace a good and sovereign God who can allow afflictions to come into our lives for His own good purpose? It is not easy. But the good news is that our yes will ultimately yield a much better outcome than if we are to say no. 

Rest

Lord, help us to have the strength and resilience to stay the course even when we suffer afflictions in our lives. Give us grace to persevere in the faith so that when the time comes, we can reign with You forevermore. In Christ Name. Amen. 

Jason