Job: Jesus Is My Redeemer Who Lives
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PREACHING CHRIST THROUGH THE BIBLE |
JOB: JESUS IS MY REDEEMER WHO LIVES
Job 19:25-27 (ESV)
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
The hymn we just sang, "Because He Lives," has been a great blessing and has inspired so many believers through the years. If you grew up attending an evangelical church, I'm sure you have sung this hymn regularly, especially during Easter celebrations. This year's Easter celebration is extra special for this hymn because it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Both Bill and Gloria Gaiter are grateful to the Lord for leading them to write this hymn.
If you wonder how the hymn came about, I have read that the lyrics came to Gloria while she and her husband were both high school teachers in Alexandria, Indiana. After giving birth to their third child, she became really anxious about their three children's future because Bill was recently diagnosed with a disease called mononucleosis. And in school, their drug culture, racial tension, and the God-is-dead movement were growing. Feeling physically and emotionally drained, while sitting by herself in their home, she just felt the presence of the Lord coming to her and calming her spirit, reminding her that because of the resurrection of Jesus, she can be confident of her future. From this special moment with the Lord, Gloria wrote the lyrics, and Bill would later set the music for it.
As I think about this hymn's background story, I cannot help but be reminded that perhaps, many people today need the same reminder that Gloria had fifty years ago. With this global pandemic that has led to so many deaths and emotional instability to both young and older people, plus the political and racial tensions, not to mention the Asian Hate that is also growing, people are just anxious about the future. I believe that we all need to be reminded again of what the Lord's resurrection means to us as believers.
Well, what is so neat is that we don't have to move away in our sermon series, "Preaching Jesus Christ Through the Bible," because the Book of Job appropriately presents Jesus as the Redeemer who lives. I know that if there's a book in the Old Testament that has truly inspired many of us, it would be this book. Both secular and spiritual communities have recognized the beauty of this book. Here are some direct quotes from two notable personalities:
"The book of Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of the human mind." (Victor Hugo)
"Call this book... one of the grandest things ever written. There is nothing written, I think, of equal literary merit." (Thomas Carlyle)
(Willmington's Guide to the Bible.)
I'm sure many of us are pretty familiar with the life of Job. We have to see how Job is portrayed as an Old Testament type of Jesus Christ. It is also helpful to understand that the book of Job is the beginning of the third major section of the Bible, which is the Poetical Books. The first is the Pentateuch (Genesis – Deuteronomy). Second is the Historical Books (Judges to Esther). The third is the Poetical Books (Job – Song of Solomon). Last is the Prophetical Books (Isaiah – Malachi)
To give you some background about the book, many Bible scholars believe that Job lived during the Patriarchal times, even before Abraham's time. This conclusion came about because of the following reasons:
There was no mention of Job being a Jew. There was also no mention of the Exodus or the Law of Moses.
Job functioned as the priest of his own family, which was typical during the patriarchal period.
The lifestyle characterized by wealth being determined by cattle and other animals is also largely patriarchal.
Now, as we discover the representation of Jesus Christ in the book, let's divide our studies into three main parts:
I THE DEVOTION IN JOB'S FAITH
When you begin reading the book, you will immediately be introduced to Job as a man who devotedly lived out his faith in God. Notice these initial verses of Job 1:
Job 1:1-5 (ESV)
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.
I love the fact that the descriptions of how he lived his life before God came before the descriptions of how blessed he was as a father with seven sons and three daughters and his vast material possessions. You know why? The book's implication is clear that the main reason he was enjoying those blessings is because of his sincere faith in God.
How did the passage describe his devotion to God? Here are four specific descriptions found in verse 1:
A. Blameless
This word does not mean that he was morally perfect or sinless. It simply suggests that he was free from any moral accusation.
B. Upright
This word in Hebrew literally means "Straight." In other words, Job is a person who will never deviate from God's standard. He would do his best to obey God's laws.
C. Feared God
He submitted and respected God's laws and was committed to honoring the Lord in his actions and decisions.
D. Turned away from evil
This description means that Job intentionally avoided evil and departed from evil. Also, this word suggests that he was a man who never enjoyed associating with people who did evil things.
Considering these descriptions of Job's faithful life, it is vital to establish, especially when his tests of faith started happening, that suffering is not necessarily direct results of one's sins. Job did his best to live a life that obeys and honors the Lord, yet the Lord allowed him to suffer.
This truth is consistent with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Though He did not sin, yet He suffered on the cross like a convicted criminal. The apostle Peter testified about His sinless sacrifice on the cross:
1 Peter 2:22-24 (ESV)
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Without a doubt, God has chosen Job's life to illustrate the suffering of Jesus on the cross. It is only through this perspective that the suffering of Job could make sense.
II THE DEVASTATION OF JOB'S FAITH
After Job's introduction in 1:1-5, beginning in verse 6, the passage unveils a scenario where Satan appears before God in heaven to slander God's people for their sins. During this confrontation with the Devil, God wanted to shut his mouth, so He asked him whether or not he had considered the life of Job, who was living an exemplary life for Him. However, the Devil countered God's recommendation by saying these words:
Job 1:9-11 (ESV)
9 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason?
10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."
If you carefully examine Satan's words, you will find him arguing with God saying, "Well, there's a reason why Job is living his life for you. You have protected him on every side and tremendously blessed the work of his hands. If you take away his blessings, he will definitely curse you to your face" (My paraphrase translation).
The question, of course, is: Was this really the case? You see, in a way, Satan seems to be driving a familiar truth here – Many people only obey God because of the material blessings they receive in return.
However, on the part of Job, this was not the case. To prove to the Devil that he was mistaken for his assumption of Job, God would allow him to put Job's faith into some tests. There were two types of tests to Job's faith:
A. God would allow Satan to take away all of Job's wealth.
When you read verse 12 of chapter 1, you will find the Lord permitting Satan to strip Job of all his possessions:
Job 1:12 (ESV)
12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
With the go signal that Satan got from the Lord, he attacked Job by taking away all he had. In verses 13-19, there were four major items that Satan would remove from Job:
The Sabeans stole 500 yoke of oxen and 500 female donkeys and killed the servants in charge of these animals.
Lightning destroyed 7000 sheep, as well as the servants who were tending the sheep.
The Chaldeans stole 3000 camels and killed the servants who cared for them.
A great wind caused the collapse of the house in which Job's 7 sons and 3 daughters were eating and drinking wine, killing all of them.
Can you imagine all of these disasters happening just in one day? No one has probably experienced the same amount of sufferings in one day as Job, not until Jesus came and suffered on the cross. This comparison is also one of the bases of the typology of Job.
Yet in all the losses that Job had, here is how he responded:
Job 1:21 (ESV)
21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
This response demonstrates the maturity of Job's faith in God. Remember, Satan's goal is to see Job curse God, and he failed.
B. God would allow Satan to take away Job's health.
Since Satan failed on his first attempt, he went back to God to ask permission to upgrade the test. Here is what you will find in chapter 2:
Job 2:4-6 (ESV)
4 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.
5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."
6 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life."
According to Satan in these verses, if you only touch the possessions, it would not hurt as much compared to hurting him physically. With this argument, God would again permit him, but He will set a limit – Satan would not be able to take his life.
Now, Satan will inflict on Job a skin disease that would affect his entire body. Some Bible scholars would often refer to this disease as boils from his head to his toes. Here is how it is described:
Job 2:7-8 (ESV)
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
I want to highlight that "the scrapping of pottery" suggests that Job was experiencing severe itching. Besides this discomfort, the skin disease also resulted in bad breath (19:17), weight loss (19:20), diarrhea (30:27), and blackened skin (30:30). Added to these physical complications, Job's wife would appear less encouraging (2:9).
Nevertheless, despite all these tests, Job would respond with faithfulness to God. Listen to these words in Job 2:10:
10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
What an excellent example for all of us today! How do we respond to God in times of our trials? Satan wanted Job to curse God, but Job guarded his mouth in the midst of his sufferings that he did not sin against God. This response is a clear portrayal of the suffering Messiah:
Isaiah 53:7 (ESV)
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
III THE DECLARATION OF JOB'S FAITH
Satan's direct assault on Job's body would be so severe that he would assume that his death was inevitable. Because of this expectation, Job would make an unambiguous declaration of his faith to a living redeemer.
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
Out of this declaration, first of all, it is so significant to see that Job's comfort in the thought of his coming death is his knowledge that his Redeemer lives. You see, a dead God would be a useless God. If you proceed to verse 26, Job declared that though he would die, he would live again and see in his resurrection a living God.
One of the reasons why the resurrection of Jesus is essential in our faith is because death is real. It can happen to anyone of us, but it's definitely not our end. Death is God's ultimate vehicle to a much better existence. Jesus Himself gave this assurance during the death of his dear friend, Lazarus:
John 11:25-26 (ESV)
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
In this assurance, I trust you don't miss "Whoever believes in me." These words limit the application of the promise of the resurrection. This truth only applies to the believers in Christ.
Lastly, going back to the passage in Job 19, the word "Redeemer" here is taken from the Hebrew word, "go'el," which literally means Defender, Protector, or Vindicator. You see, while suffering, Job's friends accused him of committing serious sins that have caused him to suffer. Job is looking forward to seeing his Redeemer, who will one day vindicate him.
For us today, there are two applications we want to bear in mind. First, Christ's resurrection has vindicated His claim being the True Savior of the World. Second, Christ's resurrection also sets the pattern for all of us believers to be resurrected, and in our resurrection, He will ultimately vindicate that we are indeed His people. I trust that every time celebrate Christ's resurrection like today, we can also look forward to the day of our resurrection when we will be vindicated and protected by our Savior. The apostle John shared this truth:
1 John 3:2 (ESV)
2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana