Book of Job

The Life Project: Job
Matt Roberts

I am not a fan of cemeteries. In fact I might think it a little strange for those of you that are! It's not that I am afraid or even weirded out by them. To me it is just sad. Each tombstone represents a grieving family. A mom and dad wishing they had a chance to know their baby daughter. A lost widow whose life will never be the same again. Horrific tragedies, terrible diseases and unexplainable accidents. You will find simple tombstones that represent all a family could afford. Sad. Or maybe ornate memorials fit for a king. Just as sad. All those tears, all of that time and effort and in the end the story that is told is a story of death. There is nothing exciting about death for us who are still living. There is no glory in the grave. Nope, I am not a fan of cemeteries at all.

In the 18th Book of the Bible we read of the story of Job. Job had a great life! He had an adoring family whom he had the privilege of working beside every day; joyous dinner tables overflowing with life, a full house and a full heart. Job was also a healthy man. Even in his later years in life he was able to do the things he was passionate about doing, go where he desired to go. Isn't it funny the everyday things we take for granted? From the outside looking in Job had it made. Money, influence and power made him someone that everyone else looked up to. How great life would be if you could be like Job!!

Oh how fast things can change. Satan took notice of Job's charmed life and unleashed the fury of hell upon him. In what must have seemed like mere moments the tombstones began to pile up around Job. First catastrophe struck his livelihood. When our identity is caught up in our stuff it is an easy target, and in a moment Jobs foundation began to crumble. Next Job received word that his kids were all killed in a horrific accident. Is there anything that hits closer to home than our children? And finally Job’s health was stricken. In a second he became powerless against even his own body.

On every side Job was surrounded by death. I imagine this is much how the disciples felt on the day of our Lord’s death. Their friend, their leader, their Savior was ripped from their sides. He was mocked, beaten, humiliated and ultimately crucified. When Christ died, the disciples probably lost hope. I am sure they lost the confidence that they once had in God. Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah, and now he was dead. They were faced with a tombstone.

Imagine too what it was like for the disciples on Easter morning. Imagine going to the grave and being told by an angel, no less, that Jesus was not there, that he had risen. What would you feel? Disbelief, hope, joy? I think above all I might feel a sense of victory. Where there had been death, there was now life. Never before in history had there been victory over death.

We do see a glimpse of this victory in the book of Job. Job 42:12-13 says, “The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.” We see that God restored Job. But the death was still there. The children that Job lost did not come back. The grief and heartache he felt were still with him. There was restoration, but not victory. The good news of Jesus is that God wants to give us both. The death and resurrection of our Savior allows us both restoration and victory.

There are three dictionary definitions of victory
1. Defeat of an enemy or opponent. Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that has been made to be used
against you will succeed. You will have an answer for anyone who accuses you. This is the inheritance of
the LORD's servants. Their victory comes from me," declares the LORD.
2. Success in a struggle against difficulties or an obstacle. Romans 8:37-39 says, “No, in all these things
we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
3. The state of having triumphed. Colossians 2:15 says, “And having disarmed the powers and
authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Victory over Satan, victory even when you face hardships and struggles, a victorious attitude because
you know that Christ has already triumphed by the cross; God intends for you to have all of these today!


Reading Plan for Job
Monday- Job 1-7
Tuesday- Job 8-14
Wednesday- Job 15-21
Thursday- Job 22-28
Friday- Job 29-35
Saturday- Job 36-42