"Miscellaneous"

Making God Happy

    When we study the life of Job, one cannot help but be impressed with the assessment that God gave of his character. We read, “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (Job 1:8)? Have any more honorable words than these ever been written throughout the pages of the Bible? “My servant” is a phrase which lets Satan know that Job belonged to God. We can almost see the face of God gleaming as He speaks of the man named Job. Like a proud father of his son or a mother of her daughter, God proclaims, “He is mine!” Paul said, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his…” (2 Timothy 2:19). God knows whether we are His servants or not. He knows the difference between those who are striving with all of their inward and outward strength to please Him each day of their lives and those who are just going through the motions and “playing church.” Can God honestly say of us, that we are His servants?

    “There is none like him” is a phrase that exalts Job above all others. In the New Testament we read of a Gentile whose faith in God far exceeded the faith of any Jew. It is recorded that Jesus “marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:10). What a compliment that was made of this centurion. His faith was greater than anyone in the entire Jewish nation. Truly this was a great tribute; but notice that God said of Job that “there is none like him in the earth.” Satan could search the entire world and never find another man like Job. God invites Satan to “consider” Job. Literally, “Hast thou placed thy heart on my servant Job?” The Bible warns us to, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is constantly roaming this earth, looking to destroy some soul. There is none that Satan would love to destroy more than those who are faithful servants of God. God asks Satan, “Do you have your heart set on destroying my servants? Why don’t you see if you can try to devour Job!” Oh that the world was filled with men like Job today.

    Now the question for us is, “What would God say of me if He were talking to Satan today?” Would he have the same confidence in us that He had in Job? Could He say, “I have not found so great faith in the United States of America?” or “There is none like him/her in all the earth?” Would He be able to say to Satan with a gleam in His eye, “Just try and see if you can devour this man/woman?” Would we make our Father proud?

By: Clint Yarber