Job is a great story. It is the story of a righteous man who was blessed then lost it all and trusted God to work things out.
Our scripture today is Job 1:1-3
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
So there is the background to this most interesting story. We have a righteous man, blessed to an extent that few people could ever imagine. He was the richest man in the East. Since the East may have been the richest part of the world, then this man was probably the richest man on earth.
The book of Job is about how Satan took this all away. I do mean the took it ALL.
7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 Oxen, and 500 donkeys: all gone. But it gets worse. His 7 sons and 3 daughters are also swept away from life.
Job is about how, even in such horror, this righteous man remained faithful to God. In fact, when his possessions were taken away,
“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (1:20-21)
All I can say this is Wow. Even the death of his children did not cause him to give up on God. Surely God will reward such a faith.
He does! When the test is over, God doubled everything. In the end Job has 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels and 1,000 oxen and sheep. Now he is again the richest man on earth.
But what about his children? In the end, God gives him 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. Why didn’t he double the number of kids? Well, he did! In a few years all of them would be in the house of God in heaven. When he got there he had 14 sons and 6 daughters. You see, he really didn’t lose the first kids. They just went on to heaven to wait for him.
God works everything out in the end. It may not be on earth and it may not be what we think, but our Father knows best and he works things out as we need them to be.
If it hasn’t worked out for you yet, remember it is not the end.
Lonnie Davis