Job - How would you handle it (Part 9) The finale

Or at least the finish anyway.

If you want to read the previous Job posts please follow these links 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.

I was discussing the case of Job with a minister recently and we had quite a long conversation about it. One of the points of discussion we had was about why God would allow all of this to happen to one of His faithful followers and why He would be for want of a better phrase at a party with the enemy. The minister I was talking with then told me about a theory there is about the book of Job. There is a school of thought that the book of Job is not a historical story about an actual man, but rather that it is a parable. Now for me personally this would make more sense. The dealings with the enemy, the willingness of God to allow the enemy to destroy His faithful servant.

Parables are a common feature in the Bible and for me take nothing away from the message contained within. There are parts of the Bible where the only way God could have passed on His knowledge is in the form of stories and parables. There is no way we can know the mind of God, there is no way to know the plans of God. Yet through these stories He can pass on a message to us, give us a small piece of understanding so that we may be everything He wants us to be. Jesus Himself often taught in parables because the only way people would understand His message would be if they could picture it with an example. But for me, parable or not really does not make too much difference. What matters is the message God is trying to send to us.

So what is the message that can be taken from Job. Well there really is no simple answer, there are many lessons to be taken from this book, it all depends on the depth to which you read it and meditate on it. However there is one message that stands out and can be read no matter how deep you go. God is an awesome God, there is nothing that the enemy can do that God can not undo. It tells us that no matter how much the enemy attacks you or how far the enemy pulls you down, belief in God can protect us in the long run. If we always remember to glorify God at all times, if we remember that God is always worth of praise then He will provide for us. No matter what the enemy throws at you in life if we give our lives and hearts to God then He will always come through for us. Anything the enemy tries to take away from us the Lord will return many times over.

This series has been a little bit of a labour of love, but I have enjoyed writing it, I hope you have enjoyed reading it. I hope to attempt another series at some point in the future, if anyone has any ideas for books to look at please let me know on jerrathorn@gmail.com or by leaving a comment.