The Introduction of Job

Thoughts from Job
from Dustin

Job 1:1-5 The Introduction of Job

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

What a marvelous introduction of a man that I will come to know and, no doubt, further marvel at in the days and weeks to come. I wish that some day my epitaph or those who would describe me to one unacquainted would describe me in half the glowing terms we see given Job in these few verses. This man had everything that the world respected: the culture valued sons, his outnumbered the girls more than two to one. Possessions and wealth have always been coveted and even revered by the world, and while the list of livestock may not strike us with its opulence, focus on the phrase “that man was the greatest of all the men of the east,” if it helps your understanding of Job’s standing in the world of men. Yet, and as will stand the test of the remainder of the book, the approval of men won’t mean much to Job in the trials to come, rather the qualities laid out in the first verse, “that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil,” these are descriptors with power and should be considered. Blameless, doesn’t suggest without sin—no one except our Lord Jesus can claim that distinction—but endeavoring toward righteousness, striving toward a right standing with God. Upright refers to Job’s dealings with others, not only did this man strive to live rightly with the Almighty, he recognized the need to live rightly with his fellow man as well. Fearing God and turning away from evil in my mind go hand in hand. Many have said that to fear God is to truly know Him in His holiness, as such one who fears God can only respond by fearing the evil that would violate that same holiness. What have we learned, that this man, in the midst of his great success and prosperity, rather than do what so many have done in the luxury of worldly comfort, did not turn away from his appointed response to his Creator, but instead lived in such a way as to provide Him honor.

The next couple of verses in this introduction have struck me differently this week. Less significant to me is the behavior of Job’s children--though there may be some parental principles here—compared with the response of the father. Job clearly recognized his responsibility as the father, priest, intercessor, and guide of his family. How many men can say the same? Sadly I cannot with full confidence. The example here is convicting. Job didn’t sit idly and wait for his children to sin before the Lord. He proactively took steps to prevent, to the best of his abilities, the wrath and judgment of the Lord toward his sons and daughters. “Perhaps my sons have sinned,” is his motivation, notice that there is no certainty, he isn’t aware of a sin, yet to be safe and certain he will take the steps given him, to protect his beloved children from, and no doubt to remind and exhort them of the holiness of his God. This, fathers is a telling example of love for your children. Fathers these days sit passively waiting for their kiddo to mess up and then to discipline and teach, yet Job presented his children with the reality of God without a “trigger” of misbehavior in them, and he did this continually, keeping those valuable lessons before his children without fail. I hope and pray that my children will benefit from a daddy who is half as loving as this man.

These few verses point to a wonderful heart, to a man that I hope we can respect and admire, he will go through a lot in the chapters to come. The God he reveres and fears will seem to leave him. The people he has tried to live amongst as an example of goodness will revile him. The possessions that have brought him respect will be destroyed. The children he has loved and striven to teach the fear of the Lord will be taken from him. Yet through all this the character and heart we see in these few verses will carry him when nothing else will. My prayer as I study and for anyone who cares to read with me is that we will find something--through the power of God’s Spirit, given those called through Christ into His kingdom—of that same sustaining hope in ourselves.