LOVING GOD FOR WHO HE IS

“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’ Then Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land’” (Job 1:8-10). Satan was sure Job loved God because He gave him lots of stuff. “‘But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face.’ Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.’ So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD” (Job 1:11,12). In one day Job lost his sons, his daughters, his oxen, donkeys, and camels (his livelihood), and his servants. “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the LORD.’ Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:20-22). “And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause.’ And Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face.’” …Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her. ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips” (Job 2:3-10). As Job’s suffering came to an end, and right before God blessed him twice as much as he had before, the Lord rebuked Job's friends for not saying what was right. “And it came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has’” (Job 42:7). It is obvious that Satan wanted to prove that Job only loved God for what he could get out of Him. He never thought that Job might be willing to lay down his life rather than denounce God. Only Job could prove that he loved God - for HIMSELF! And he did - by saying what was true of God even when his whole life was in shambles! We can do that too! We live in a world of people who do not love God for WHO HE IS! What a privilege we have to declare how worthy He is of our love! From: When You Hurt, Sandy Lynam Clough, Harvest House Publishers, 2001.