Bible In One Year-Day 250 (Sunday, September 07, 2014)

Commentary: Job19-21. Comfort was withdrawn from Job on all sides except in his heart where God never gave permission for Satan to touch. He became a reproach to everybody. His friends tormented him with the words of their mouth

Job 19:2 “How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?”

The enemy struck Job with the smell of rejection, his servants couldn’t stay by him and his wife stood afar from him. His relatives abandoned him in his condition. Chapter19 reveals his experience in total discomfort. The friends’ words in chapter 20 were the true position when considering the wicked but lacked life because it was directed at the innocent and pure in heart, Job. As far as they were concerned, Job’s predicament was as a result of secret sin on the part of Job and that his wickedness has brought the calamity upon him. Satan made them believe that Job was suffering for what he has sown. Their conclusion is;

MLB Job 20:28-29 “All that was accumulated in his house is moved out in the day of His wrath. This is the wicked man’s lot from God and the legacy allotted him of God.”

Their words became mockery because Job refused to consent to their misconception. Their words were empty words and Job rejected their words.

Job 21:34 “How then comfort ye me in vain (empty words), seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?”

In his response to their empty words, he made them rethink of their utterances.

Job 21:7 “Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?”

That is to say wealth is not a yardstick to regarding one as walking right with God. The wicked also become rich with worldly comfort around him. This is one of the parables of the Lord Jesus in Luke16:19-31.

Luke 16:15 “And he said to them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

Jesus made several statements about the rich, not to condemn wealth, but to let us know that our hearts should be specifically directed at the giver of wealth, just like Job’s heart. In his heart he wished to see the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus when he dies. Job guarded his heart from sinning against God.

Job 19:25-27 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

Job was not moved by death to deny God. In the Old Testament, the Redeemer is the Lord and the New Testament made us to know that Jesus Christ is that Redeemer (the Savior and the Rescuer). Job needed a rescuer and hopes for Him even after death. Purity of heart is the only thing that can make us see Him after death.

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

The difference between the godly and the ungodly is where their hearts focus on; the godly is not carried away by the things of this world but focuses on the things of heaven, unlike the ungodly who pursues the things of this world and not the thing of God. This is the plan of Satan. He worked on Peter, but Jesus knew that it was not Peter speaking to Him.

Matthew 16:23 “But he turned, and said to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense to me: for thou savorest not the things that are of God, but those that are of men.”

The thinking of believers should be quite different from the way the unbelievers think. The thoughts of the godly should be different from the thoughts of the ungodly. What the Christians pursue should be different from what the worldly pursues (Matt6:19). Just as Job guarded his heart we should guard our hearts from evil because as a man thinks, so is he as far as God is concern. You may appear godly to men, God will call you by what goes on in your hearts. Jesus called Peter “Satan” because Satan had taken over his heart at that time; this does not mean that Peter was Satan, but his heart became a place for Satan to fill. The things that go on in your heart are what have taken over you. Satan can fill the heart of man and speak like a godly person;

Acts 5:3 “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”

If not for the Holy Spirit, Ananias would have been given the best position in the church because of his gift to the church; he sold his property but gave with wrong motive.

Beloved, the state of our hearts matters. We need to guard it diligently against satanic occupancy.

MLB Philippians 4:7-8 “So will the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, keep guard over your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is kindly spoken, whatever is lofty and whatever is praiseworthy—put your mind on these.”

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Job22-24. Keep the fire of burning and alive.

Pastor Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA