Day One – Chapter 1

Read the entirety of chapter one.

Theme Text: “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (1:22).

The book of Job, a wealthy man who was so righteous that there was “no one like him on earth” (1:8), tells the story of a man who lost everything and still confessed his trust in God. I do not think any of us could have stood to lose all that he lost without having our faith stretched to the limit. Many of us are convenient Christians, believing when it is convenient for us or it is apparent that there is something to gain from it. Much of the time we trust in horses and chariots, in the might of the pen, or the power of the dollar. To our way of thinking losing everything for which we have labored long and hard is not reason to rejoice and give thanks but to question, doubt and perhaps, even outright give up on God.

Look at Job, who became a target for the enemy because of his faithfulness to God. The devil had been having his way with God’s creation and he was not impressed. He had seen Job but could not get to him because of the hedge of protection God had put around him. The devil’s contention was that Job would be easy pickings just like all the others he had so easily seduced if God would take his protection off of his life. So he lost his oxen and the servants who watched over them to the Sabeans. A fire thought to come from God (of we know differently) consumed the sheep and the servants that cared for them. The Chaldeans slew still more servants and absconded with all Job’s camels. Finally a tornado came and destroyed the house in which he children were socializing. In each instance one lone servant was left alive to run and tell the story.

Now here is the part that gets me, after all these horrific things have happened Job still does not sin or blame God. Can we have a few more Jobs? Doesn’t he appear to be a far better believer than we had been? Job almost shames us because far too many people lay down their faith because things did not go their way or turn out the way they would have wanted. Today let us focus on getting and keeping our emotions in check so that we will not lose our trust or misplace our faith.

Dear Lord, You know how difficult life is right now. You know full well the challenges that confront us and tempt us to play the blame game with You and others. Help us today to say only what needs to be said and avoid doing anything that would grieve Your Spirit. Through every trial and test, enable to be like Job who did not sin or blame you. Amen.