Have You Considered My Servant Job?

Have You Considered My Servant Job?
November 22, 2020
Speaker:
Passage: Job 1:6-8
Service Type:

I've been thinking about the phrase, "Hast thou considered my servant Job?"

  • Job 1:6-8

Points to Learn from God's Discourse with Satan in Job

God Knew Where Satan Had Come From

God knows where Satan had come from. And, God knows where we are, and have been.

  • Psalm 147:5

Like Adam in the Garden of Eden after their sin, God gave Adam a chance to be accountable by asking him where he was. He asked Job where He had been. And, there will come a day when He will ask us to give an account as well, the judgment day.

God Knew What Satan Had Been Doing

Even though, God didn't ask Satan what He had been doing, He already knew. Yet, God shows us that He knows what Satan is doing.

  • 1 Peter 5:8

It's logical to see that Satan, going up and down, too and fro, means he was seeking whom he would devour. Then, God, presents him with a question...

"Have you considered my servant Job?"

God already knew what Satan was doing, and presented him with a consideration.

Satan devours, spiritually.

  • Matthew 10:28

Satan seeks to devour people by getting them to deny God. He knows that inevitably they will be cast into the lake of fire with him, and in so doing will be destroyed both body and soul.

God, however, limits Satan's power by not allowing him first to hurt Job's body, but, later his body only, but not destroying his body.

Satan, is not all powerful, all knowing, and all present. He can't devour everyone all at once. He has to travel, search for people, and seek to turn people away from God.

But, he uses people to do his work for him.

It's interesting how God approaches Satan in questions, in reference to knowing what SAtan's end goal is. Satan is not as quick witted.

Why Hadn't Satan Devoured Job Yet?

Satan's excuse is found in verse 9. He states that God has hedged Job.

  • Job 1:9-11

Satan doesn't know everything. We gather from this verse that Satan believed that he has no power except where God allows him to have power.

Thus, he believed that Job was protected by God, that's why he served God.

  • Job 1:8

God says of Job that he was "A perfect and upright man."

But, God says, that because he is a perfect and upright man, he was blessed. And, that because he was faithful, Satan couldn't devour Job.

God shows us what we need to not be devoured by Satan.

  • Matthew 5:48
  • Proverbs 11:6

Righteousness is important. Transgressors are those who are not obedient to the Word of God. We go to the Word to learn how to be upright and perfect in God's sight.

  • 2 Timothy 3;16-17

We have the Bible, this is how we learn to be perfect.

"One that feareth God" is another way that we can be perfect.

  • Psalms 11:21

You should fear the punishment of God, but delighting greatly in his commandments is what is pleasing to God.

  • James 2:19

The devils do believe in God, but they don't obey him. Even Satan respects the power of God, but he doesn't delight in His commandments.

Job, knowing his sons and daughters were perhaps not obeyign the Lord, offered sacrifices on their behalf because he delighted in the Lord.

We can be made perfect when we "escheweth evil".

  • 1 Peter 3:9-13

You should push away from doing evil. Keep in mind that the company you keep will influence you. You begin to pick up the traits of those around you. This is why it is important to be with the saints, to meet with, worship with and study together.

We do know that at this point, nothing bad, as far as we know, had happened to Job.

Since Job was a servant of God, it makes you want to ask the question, why did God present his servant to Satan?

We wonder why He did that. The text doesn't tell us the answer. God knows that Satan isn't at God's level. Satan knows this too. God presents us with truth so that we can choose to continue to follow Him, regardless of circumstances.

Through this example of Job, we see how a righteous man can remain faithful even when faced with severe loss.

Job can be a great encourager when we are feeling down. Job was a servant. When we look at his account we can see that even when we are faitful bad things may happen. Rain falls on the just and unjust. Good happens to bad people and good people. Bad happens to bad people and good people.

What is great about being a servant of God, is that you have the hope that God promises. If Job had turned away from God, what would he have had to fall back on? - Nothing!

That is where Satan wins... when we give into the temptation, Satan wins leaving us with nothing. But, Job praises the Lord in the temptation.

  • Job 1:21

Job loses everything. He retained nothing except his life. Yet, Job maintained his integrity and stayed faithful. He still had that hope and God rewarded him for it.

When you are a servant of God, no matter what bad things happen to you, you always have the hope that even if things don't get better in this life, you will have eternity in Heaven with God.

In the end, Job was blessed even more than he had been before. We too, in the end, in eternity, will be blessed far more than we can even imagine.

You can and should strive to be a servant too! When you put on Christ in baptism you become a servant. You don't know when you will be called upon to serve, to tell others of God's words.

When you consider the words, "Have you considered my servant...," think of your own name. Think to yourself, when things get tough, maybe God has said to Satan... "Have you considered my servant..."(insert your name).

This is your chance to show your faithfulness.

Gospel plan of salvation:

You have to be his servant for this to apply to you. The Bible gives us the way to become his servant.

  • Hear the Word of God, Romans 10:17
  • Believe what you hear, Mark 16:15-16
  • Repent of your sins, Luke 13:3
  • Confess Christ before men, Romans 10:9-10
  • Be Baptized for the remission of your sins, Acts 2:38
  • Live a faithful life unto death, Revelation 2:10

If you haven't followed this plan, it is important to do so. It is a life changing obedience that allows you to be a servant of God.

If we can meet with you to study and learn how to be a servant of God, please contact us.