Day 74: I trust you, Lord. Staying within the Kingdom walls. Job 1 and 2
Think of a kingdom you may have read or heard about. Can you describe it? They are probably massive and very fortified. Why do you think the walls were so high with guards posted around it? What was the purpose of the moat filled with alligators? Why was the opening to enter and close it so large and heavy? Whose job was it to keep everyone safe? What are the rulers in the kingdom trying to protect the inhabitants from? Think about all of this as you continue to read.
People like to think God is testing them or causing them to suffer. They preach and say God ‘allows’ for things to happen. The story of Job is often referenced to back them up. In this story, Job had great wealth and a large family. He lost everything except his life and a contentious wife. Have you ever stopped to think why this happened or how? Job was perfect and upright. He eschewed (which means deliberately avoid using or abstain from–remember yesterday? Sinning is a choice) evil. He went out of his way to remain in right standing with God. He did everything he could possibly think of to obey. So how is it this man who was perfect suffered such great loss? Did God make it happen? Did He allow it?
His sons threw a lot of parties and his daughters went as well. When the feasting was over, Job would go before the Father to seek forgiveness for whatever they might have done. He constantly kept them covered through sacrifices which were the way to be redeemed back then.
One day, God called His chief angels (sons of God in the scripture) to Him and Satan came as well. God asked Satan what he’d been up to and where. Satan replied he had been out throughout the Earth. Who knows what he was doing exactly. Maybe he was taking inventory of his place of dominion (John 14:30). Maybe he was looking for someone to mess with or trip up (1 Peter 5:8). But he was in the earth and all throughout it. God asked Satan if he considered His perfect servant. Satan then suggested that God put forth His hand to remove all that He’d blessed Job with and watch Job curse Him. God then reminded Satan that all Job had was within Satan’s power, but not to touch his body.
Another day, the chief angels came again to God and Satan came as well (probably just being nosey… you know some people come around just to cause messes). God asked Satan the same question and Satan replied the same as before. God then asked him to consider Job yet again. Let’s pause for a minute and look at this scripture.
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? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him without cause. Job 2:3
Look at the part that says “… although though movest me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Well! This certainly implies that God placed Job in his predicament at the urging of Satan. You must remember, God doesn’t change. Why would He take advice from Satan? If you consider that Satan hinted to God to do something and God reminded him that, “Everything he has is in your dominion” and then commanded Satan not to touch his body, then how was God ‘moved against Job?’ Now think about this… and here’s your homework. Go through the scripture. Find any single time God did anything Satan told him to do. (Read Matthew 4:1-11.) People will try to persuade you otherwise, but is it not fair to say Satan tried to move God and maybe the move mentioned in the word should be italicized for emphasis as to imply sarcasm (yes, God has a sense of humor)? “… although thou (tried) to move me against him…” And keep in mind He did not give in. He simply reminded Satan that he had dominion in the Earth (which Satan reminded Jesus of in verse 8 of Matthew 4. Guess what? He didn’t fall for Satan’s tricks this time either). He once again reminded Satan Job’s body was within his reach but Job’s life wasn’t.
Now that some old teachings have been debunked, understand this: God DID NOT allow Satan to do anything. Satan had the right to do it. He has dominion in the Earth. Why did Job’s children die? While the scripture doesn’t say, they probably did something that allowed Satan the legal right to mess with them, because that’s just how it is. Satan cannot touch our lives (as God is the life giver) but he sure can place things in our life that can cause us to lose our life if we don’t return to or stay in the safety of the Kingdom. You see, God never removes His covering. NEVER! We simply remove ourselves. The Kingdom doesn’t move. We’ve left the safety of it when we decide to do contrary to the rules of the Kingdom.
Job rose early each morning AFTER the parties his children threw to sanctify them and make an offering for sins they may have committed. Once can allude that Job knew his children. He wasn’t doing offerings for nothing. We don’t know what they did at those parties, but Job most likely did. Whatever they may have done was bad enough for him to call them daily to be cleansed from it. Between the time Job rose to perform the cleansing ritual and the time of any presumed sin was just enough time for Satan to sneak in and cause havoc on Job’s kids’ lives. According to the word, that is the only likely solution to their death. It was NOT God who allowed it but something they did that allowed it.
With Job, Satan was commanded not to touch Job’s life. Within the walls of the Kingdom, where Job was, was safety. Sometimes enemies will try to throw weapons over the wall to attack the inhabitants of the Kingdom. The weapon will form, but it will not prosper (Isaiah 54:17). The weapon of bodily ailment formed against Job, but it did not prosper. When the enemy is attacking the Kingdom, their sole purpose is to kill and destroy. The weapons aimed may have injured Job, but it was unsuccessful. Job did not die nor was he destroyed. Hotdog! That’s something, isn’t it?
Know this one thing: if you stay within the walls of the Kingdom, you will be protected from anything Satan tries to throw your way to get you off course or when he may wave a carrot in front of your nose, but don’t fall for the okie-doke. Stay within the walls of the Kingdom. When you are in Christ, you are in the Kingdom. Unrighteousness (sin) removes you from the Kingdom. It causes you to remove yourself from the covering (protection) of God. Stay within the falls. Choose to live sin-free and remain alive (physically and spiritually)!
Hidden in His bosom,
Keiyia JOYet George
Trust Walk: Walking in His Steps coming soon!