Monday: Though He Slay Me
When we started this quarter, we went right to the end of the book, and we saw how well things eventually turned out for Job. We saw that, even amid his terrible suffering, Job really had something to hope for. In fact, living when we do, and knowing the end of the whole book, i.e., the Bible, we can see that Job had a whole lot more to hope in than he could possibly have imagined at the time.
But when his children died, his property was taken, and his health was ruined, Job didn’t have the advantage of knowing how things would turn out. What he knew, instead, was that life had suddenly turned nasty.
At the same time, even amid his bitter laments about wishing he hadn’t been born or wishing that he had gone from the womb to the grave, Job still expressed hope, and this hope was in God—the same God who he thought was dealing so unfairly with him now.
Read Job 13:15. What hope is presented here in this verse? What is Job saying?
“Even if He will kill me, I will trust Him.” What a powerful affirmation of faith! With all that had happened to him, Job knew that very possibly the final thing, the only thing that hadn’t happened to him, death, could come—and God could cause it too. Yet, even if this happened, Job would die trusting in the Lord anyway.
“The riches of the grace of Christ must be kept before the mind. Treasure up the lessons that his love provides. Let your faith be like Job’s, that you may declare, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.’ Lay hold on the promises of your Heavenly Father, and remember his former dealings with you and with his servants; for ‘all things work together for good to them that love God.’ ” — Ellen G. White, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, October 20, 1910.
From a purely human perspective, Job had no reason to hope for anything. But the fact was, Job wasn’t looking from a purely human perspective. If he had done so, what hope could he possibly have? Instead, when he makes this amazing affirmation of faith and hope, he does it in the context of God and of trusting in Him.
| A logical question could be: How did Job retain his faith in God amid all that happened to him? Read Job 1:1 and James 2:20–22. How do they help answer this question, and what should the answer tell us about the importance of faithfulness and obedience in our Christian life? (See lesson 13.) |
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Though He Slay Me, I will trust Him. These are powerful word by Job and teaches us how we should thrust God in all circumstances. His words remind me of Paul in Rom 8:38 when he says "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love". God is God when we are sad or when we are not. He is with us all the times. He will not for a moment leave nor forsake us.
Amen Themba! My thoughts exactly. We have something that Job didn't have and that is we know the end of the story. We have the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Job only had faith in what he knew about God and his experiences with Him. And yet, that faith held strong. As Jesus' return nears, and the winds of strife are loosed, all we will be able to hold on to is our faith in God's promises, that no matter "how hard its been to run these last few miles", that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Be strong in the lord in the midst of trials
Obedience is the only proof of our faith in God. Obedience is a gift from God and God is willing to give us all the gift of obedience.
It is a bit more complicated than that Clive. The rich young ruler was proud of his obedience claiming that he kept the law. Jesus challenged him to sell everything and give it to the poor and follow him. Jesus wanted more than mechanical obedience. He wanted the man's heart.
I know people who are married. They keep the law, remain faithful to one another, and so on but their marriages are sterile. The warmth of love is not there. Marriage is more than obedience to the law.
The pivotal point of both marriage and our Christian experience is understanding that the driver should be unselfish love. When that drives our relationships obedience follows.
Amen! May we let God's Spirit of Love be our driver in everything we do.
Obedience is solid proof of our faith. The heart that is given to God without reserve has a gift no on can take. Genuine faith produces good works. This helps us better understand that faith without works is dead. James 2:20-22.
Love motivated God to give His only son. 1John4:9. Out of love, genuine faith motivates obedience. The choice is ours. We choose life. Duetoromeny 30:19-20.
The words we are considering in today's study are of immeasurable quality. They are a great treasure. Job says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” We all know that great treasures are found after much effort, time, pain and trouble has been expended into accumulating them. Jesus says in Luke 6:45: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good...for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Clearly, Job had been storing up treasure in his heart.
Moreover, Job's expression under extreme pain, refutes Satan's slander as well as his friends' careless and unfair criticism. Unbeknown to Job, Satan had accused him of obeying God only for the blessings he had and the hedge of protection that God had built around him. Satan had claimed that if these were removed from him,Job would desert God. Instead Job asserted,“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” In that sentence alone Job silenced satan. He expressed resolute determination to cling to God up to the end of his life.
This faith-filled statement was made when Job was experiencing the most excruciating pain and suffering of his life. He had lost all of his children and his wealth was gone; his health and his friends were excarcebating his pain; his wife had offered no support and was in fact telling him to give up on God.(Job 2:9). Job felt as though his life was over. The only thing left was for him to die. But Job says, even if God did “slay” him, he'd still trust in Him. Job’s situation looked hopeless but in hope, he looked beyond his circumstances to God. “Hope” describes the child of God’s life in this world. As Christian’s we are prisoners of hope. We go through the vicisitudes of life in hope. We do not live for the here and the now, but we live in hope of eternal life to come. Job was indeed a spiritually-minded man - his eyes were always fixed on God and His eternal realities.
Job’s faith demonstrzte to us the remarkable and miraculous outcome of the work of God’s Holy Spirit in a person's heart. This can be our experience too as we go through difficult situations in life. God’s grace is always poured out in good measure to sustain and strengthen us. Lets not forget James' encouragement when he wrote “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5: 11.
Yes, it is good to hold onto hope for a better future. However, we can only live in the here and now. What we do with the "now" will help to determine our future. Job's determination to trust in God for his "now" was helping to determine his future.
Right on Don, next week my instructor is going to have me demonstrate my knowledge of C172 engine out proceedures. Job's engine was definitely out. Through God, he successfully demonstrated saving procedures for then, his future, and as an example to us.
job was obedient to the law of God and he had surrended his heart to him thats he was able to pray for his children he knew that at hands of God sin were forgiven
The answer to the question in James 2:21,"Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?" is a definite "no!" Abraham was not justified by his works at all, he was justified by his faith. Abraham's works were necessary and needed to accompany his faith but the works themselves had absolutely no merit in themselves to justify him at all. The Apostle Paul is very clear about this in Romans 4:2, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." And also in Ephesians 2:8,9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Interesting statement Pete. I think, however, that the works of Abraham were the finishing of his faith without which is no full justification with God.
I think Job simply acted out the person he had become through his lifetime of "walking with God" in all his endeavors. He had chosen through his life to let God's Love motivate him in whatever he decided to do.
This trust in God had become natural for him by habitually letting God's Love drive him.
We can choose do this too at this moment always.