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As the name might indicate, this is a follow-up to last week’s study, “The Perfection of Job.” That exploration of Job’s beliefs, his clear parallel with New Testament teachers like Paul, could really only go so far with the time we had available. There was much more than I had considered including, but my notes were already quite long, and so I decided to save them for a future occasion.
This week, I want to look at Job’s relationships. Most of the Book of Job consists of a dialogue between the man himself and three of his friends. These friends, while educated in the religion of Yahweh, had wrong conceptions of the Creator, and this led them to speaking wrongly of Him, and of Job.
This itself is really quite a statement about Yahweh, and about our connection with Him. Our Father has revealed quite a lot about Himself, about the creation, about our nature, and about sin… there is enough information here for several lifetimes of study, but whether or not we are “successful” in life comes down to how well we know Him as a Person, His character, and how we unite with Him in Spirit and purpose.
The Scriptures say, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yahshua the Messiah, by Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Rom 5:1-5)
Paul speaks here of patience, and enduring tribulation, which is the very theme of Job’s recorded history. We see from this passage that a certain concept, “experience,” ties patience to hope. Here we have a chain of concepts, similar to the more commonly mentioned chain of character. Because we are born-again, “justified by faith,” we have peace, we have Sabbath rest. Because we have peace, we can endure tribulation, and this teaches us patience. Patience, the passage says, results in experience.
Interestingly, Strong’s Concordance says this about the word translated as “experience” there: “proving, trial,” “approved, tried character.”
As much as we talk about character, the importance of character in deciding our destiny, the word rarely if ever appears in the Bible. There are other terms, and ideas, that give the same meaning, and in one of its rare appearances, this passage tells us that patience in the face of trials and temptations refines our character, which is our hope, or more accurately our expectation, of everlasting life.
Job’s experience demonstrates this idea perhaps more clearly than any other place in the Scriptures. This week, I would like to examine how his character impacted his relationship with the people in his life.
We read this of Job, which is not really said of anyone else in the Bible: “And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus did Job continually.” (Job 1:2, 4, 5)
I find this to be a very unusual passage. Did Job really and effectively “sanctify” his children by offering sacrifices on their behalf? We know that priests offered sacrifices for Israel in the mornings and evenings. What was the purpose and impact of those sacrifices? A prayer of intercession, which is essentially what those sacrifices were, can heal the sick. It can bless an endeavor, and bring about favorable conditions… but it cannot change the mind or conscience of another person. The prayer of one man cannot directly affect the choices of another. With regard to the sacrifices of the Israelite priests, keep in mind that their nation was already in covenant with Yahweh, and the shedding of blood was a means of pre-figuring what Christ would do for Yahweh’s people on the cross. This doesn’t seem to be exactly what Job was doing here.
Of course, when we pray for our friends and other loved ones, we often pray that they will see and accept the truth. This does not mean that we are praying God will turn them to Him directly, as if against their will. No, what we mean is that we ask for opportunities to arise, and circumstances to occur, in which the truth will be presented to an individual at such a time, and in such a frame of mind, that they will be willing to consider it. Very often, we are put into a position that allows us to fulfill those circumstances. We are praying for the Holy Spirit to act on the heart and mind to inspire the right choice, not to make the choice for them. This may seem like a small difference, but it is very important for understanding prayer and intercession.
Consider this passage, following Israel’s sin with the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. We read. “And Moses returned unto Yahweh, and said, ‘Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin… and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.’ And Yahweh said unto Moses, ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.’” (Exo 32:31-33)
At no point does Moses ask that the minds of the idolaters be repaired. Yahweh Himself does not suggest that He will do this. In fact, the chapter ends by saying, “And Yahweh plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.” (Exo 32:35) This was also after the Levites had slain the most guilty among them.
Teachers are raised up. Inspiration drives them to give advice, and speak or write testimonies, designed to inspire righteous choices. If Yahweh were to direct the minds of men according to His will, there would be no need for teachers of the Gospel, or reformers, or martyrs. In fact, if Yahweh were to influence minds directly, there would be no need for the Great Controversy at all. The moment Satan rebelled, if that would even be possible, he would be destroyed. Immediately, he would be wiped from the memories of all who knew Him, or his destruction would be portrayed in an entirely favorable light before all witnesses. There would be no misunderstandings.
But this is not how the intelligent minds that Yahweh created are to work. We are called upon to make our own decisions. People who do not believe in free will, who accept the doctrine of Absolute Predestination, have Yahweh artificially acting out a scene, putting on a big play for the universe in which no choices mean anything. But we are permitted to make wrong choices, and the consequences are very real. In fact, we are often permitted to make decisions without sufficient evidence to be correct. Our Father allows for the existence of tempting demons, of false prophets, deceivers, and faulty sources of information. He gives us the opportunity to learn the truth, for those who hunger and thirst will be filled, (Mat 5:6) but he honors the choices of those who are deceived, and even those who misuse their freedom in order to harm and mislead others.
Yahweh desires a people who are wise, who have learned to be wise. He is looking for those who have had an experience such as Paul describes, that, being justified by faith, they are prepared to undergo trials and temptations in order to produce an approved, or a refined, character. He is looking for a people who, like Job, may see nothing but misfortune with their senses, and yet trust that an all-loving God is sovereign over all the events that come to pass. This is the Sabbath-rest that Paul describes here: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Yahshua.” (Phil 4:7)
So, as with our discussion about perfection, what shall we say about Job? His faith in Yahweh does not seem to have given him this perfect peace as we understand it today because, even though he underwent his trials, and did not sin, he seems to have had some anxiety about the righteousness of his children.
If Job was familiar with the history of Yahweh’s people, we might understand why. Faithful fathers do not have a history of raising faithful children in the pages of the Bible. We may consider Adam’s firstborn son, in fact, the first human born to human parents… and see that he was branded as a murderer. We can read of the prophet Samuel’s children, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (1Sam 8:3) We know of Eli the priest, who raised Samuel. Of his children we read, “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not Yahweh.” (1Sam 2:12)
The history of the kings and princes of Israel is a series of peaks and valleys. Sons turned away from their fathers’ faith. The children of wicked kings were often great reformers of Israel’s religion.
In apparent contradiction to this historical evidence, we have the following principle from our Father: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Pro 22:6)
It is hard to imagine that a patriarch like Adam, a priest like Eli, and a prophet like Samuel, did not at least attempt to teach their children the ways of righteousness. What went wrong? Why did this promise not hold true in their experiences?
It is because we are not just the things that we learn. We are not just the way that we were raised, or the example set for us by our parents. If that were the case, then the children of flawed parents could never choose righteousness, and rise above the destiny that the circumstances of their birth would dictate. This is the beauty of human freedom, and the human will, a part of the image of Yahweh in which we are made.
Yes, our training, and our parents’ teachings, have a great impact on us, and it reflects their own faith and duty, but even this does not determine what our character shall be – not completely. Only the individual decides this for himself. This allows a child to escape poor parenting, and the offspring of the irreligious to become believers. This is an act of grace, and a great blessing. But that freedom, that blessing, cuts both ways… it allows a child, even one raised in perfect circumstances, to choose to rebel against Yahweh. Satan himself is the first example of this; no charge for sin, or permitting sin, is laid before Yahweh, and yet His first creation became the great Enemy. The answer to every mystery of human behavior is Freedom.
The Scriptures give us the principle that our children, when properly raised, will not depart from right teachings. It seems that, as with many principles – perhaps all of them – the 9-times-out-of-ten rule applies. Nine tenths of our experiences can be anticipated by following cause and effect. There is always that unpredictable tithe, however, brought about by the free will of other humans, and the invisible workings of the spiritual world. We cannot know, with certainty, what will happen to even the most faithful human, therefore we must place our trust in our Father to protect us and to guide us in the right paths.
Perhaps 9 times out of 10, teaching our children righteousness will lead to righteousness being reflected in their own personalities and characters, and so the principle of Proverbs 22 holds true, while allowing for human freedom. And, things are not as bad as the references I gave might suggest. Of Adam’s children, for example, it would be easy to point to Cain as a failure, but the first couple had “sons and daughters,” among whom were noble Abel and faithful Seth. These learned of Yahweh from their parents, and allowed it to shape them in virtue and understanding.
So, we are talking about Job’s sacrifice every morning on behalf of his sons.
What we learn from Job’s relationship with his family is that he was deeply interested in their spiritual well-being. There may have been some superstition in his mind, some inaccurate suppositions about the spiritual world, because the sacrifice on his children’s behalf “if” they should sin might fulfill the legal requirements of the Law, but this did not benefit the children directly.
A sacrifice “just in case” of sin does not reflect a perfect understanding of Yahweh’s promises to mankind. He permits them to bear this testimony, “Thou hast proved mine heart; Thou hast visited me in the night; Thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” (Psalm 17:3)
We may think of the Victory message as something unique to the last generation, to the 144,000, to the final set of saints. But consider carefully what that mindset indicates. Was Christ’s sacrifice less powerful before? Does His blood grow in value over time, or His Spirit become more powerful to keep us from sin? Wasn’t the Holy Spirit, the means by which Yahweh dwells in mankind and keeps them from falling, present from the very beginning?
Now, it is true that there is this verse: “Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom 5:20) This might be taken to indicate that grace becomes more powerful over time, and therefore was weaker in the past. However, what Paul is saying is that grace increases in order to remain sufficient for us, even when evil flourishes, not that grace was ever too weak to perfectly accomplish Yahweh’s purpose. When there is great evil, grace remains greater still. At every stage, at every level of sin, there has always been enough grace to keep humanity in Yahweh’s righteousness. There has never been an excuse for sin, not in the time of Moses, or Job, or any other time… and it would have been more in accord with perfect faith for Job to have verified the understanding and faithfulness of his children, rather than sacrificing out of his own substance in the event that they might have sinned. That would have been the superior work of being the patriarch and priest of his family.
This is the message from the beginning: that Yahweh sets His people free from sin. There is no “if” when it comes to the saint transgressing the Law of his Father. In bringing Israel out of Egypt, He was testifying to the world of what He would do with anyone who comes to Him in faith. In raising Yahshua from the dead, Yahweh demonstrated what he would do with anyone who comes to Him for forgiveness and atonement. Sin and death have no power over those who have died to self, but Job did not have confidence that his children were walking in righteousness. If they were entirely evil, he would know that they were sinning, and it would not be a matter of “if;” therefore, his sacrifices, although offered with good and fatherly intentions, were coming from a place of doubt.
Even if they were not, though, Job was still offering sacrifices on behalf of other people than himself. In the case of the priestly sacrifices ordained in the Scriptures, when Israelites individually brought animals to the priests, who would offer sacrifices on their behalf, those Israelites recognized their sin, and they brought the animals out of their own wealth and increase. Job’s sacrifice was his choice, and at his expense. That did not particularly commend his children to Yahweh, as if forgiveness was a transaction to be bought and sold. Intercessory prayers cannot replace the freewill choice of another individual. Furthermore, since Job was the one doing the sacrificing, what did these offerings cost his children?
Remember that the very word, sacrifice, indicates that we are giving something up, or suffering loss, in order to demonstrate repentance or thanksgiving. If Job’s children themselves were not offering sacrifices out of their own prosperity, and it did not even cost them anything materially, then how would it ever prompt them to repentance from whatever it was that might have made them guilty? In other words, what were they doing to demonstrate sorrow for sin, thanksgiving for blessings, or requests for protection? It was their father who was bearing the cost, both in terms of effort and livestock.
What did Job’s sacrifice accomplish? The answer is, “Nothing directly.” But the answer is not “Nothing at all.” This does not mean that Job’s daily sacrifices were without value. The value was the testimony, the witness. James writes, “I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) The value of Job’s actions lay in what his sons saw him doing. We don’t know anything about the characters of Job’s first set of children. They were wealthy. They enjoyed their lives. Unlike King David’s children, they seem to have gotten along very well. That is all we really know of their natures. But we also know that their father was a man of great faith, and that he “sent” for them that he might sanctify them. They may or may not have attended these daily morning sacrifices, but they knew of them, of the many, many animals killed on their behalf, and hopefully they appreciated the sentiment of what their Father was doing.
Understand that Job sacrificed at least ten animals every morning for his family’s spiritual health. How wealthy must one have to be in order to be able to afford such a gesture? More importantly, how much does one have to believe that Yahweh would accept the sacrifice, in order to continue to offer it? The Bible says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Heb 11:6)
Job believed that his faith would be rewarded. He did not act in ignorance, for, although he was the one making the sacrifice, he hoped that his efforts, his example, would be a light to others, especially his immediate family. Job’s sacrifice was to live a life that demonstrated right principles, and true righteousness. Because these were his works, as a result of his faith, Yahweh Himself said of Job, “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)
This, then, is the matter. We can pick apart the theology here. We can examine the mechanics of sacrifice, and dive deeply into how intercessory prayers work. These are all good things to study, and important things to know. But none of them are as important as choosing to live by faith, and to do righteousness in the presence of those whom we hope to win for the Heavenly Kingdom. This is what Job was doing with his sons. We may give Bible studies, and explain doctrines, and when given the opportunity, we should certainly do these things… but our prayers, our works, and our sacrifices, will not directly change the minds of others. Our efforts will not be accepted on behalf of others. Remember the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25, in which the wise were not able to share their oil with the foolish. However, the example we set, the testimony we give, the lives that we live, these are the things that can give our prayers legs.
These are the things that give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to act on the hearts and minds of those to whom we witness. When they see us going out into the fields every morning, figuratively speaking, their minds are awakened to our experiences. They are not offering the sacrifice; it costs them nothing that we are praying for them and laboring for them… but they see it. The atheist may scoff at our dedication, and the agnostic may hide in his uncertainty… but the spirit knows its need of the Savior. The heart knows its missing center, which only Yahshua can fill. Even if our efforts seem to be wasted, and some disaster takes away our opportunity to influence others (Job’s first set of children all died in the destruction instigated by Satan), our example will remain, and that, along with our prayers of intercession, will bring about the changes that we so greatly desire.
This is a matter of some solemnity, of great responsibility. This is why the Victory message necessary for this work. Consider this: How many times must you set a good example for someone before they begin to follow your lead? On the other hand, how many errors in judgment are you permitted to make before the sinner has an excuse to reject your example, and remain in his sin? The answer to the first question is “Many,” and the answer to the second is “Only one.”
It is only by Christ dwelling in us that we are able to walk worthy of our calling. It is only by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit that we are capable of setting a beneficial example for others consistently, and giving sinners no excuse for their sin. It is only because the Holy Spirit fills us, and teaches us, that we can be the example of Christ that the world needs to see. Let us pray constantly for wisdom, and for the opportunity to lay a good example of faith before those in the world. Let us be a people known for keeping the commandments of Yahweh, and proclaiming the faith of Yahshua, while seeking unity with all who love the Father, and eagerly await the return of the Son.
Let us be living sacrifices, every one of us, so that perhaps the hearts of the onlookers will be turned to the Father, as Eli-Yah is instructed by the Father to do.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“While parents are making sacrifices for the sake of advancing the cause of God, they should teach their children also to take part in this work. The children may learn to show their love for Christ by denying themselves needless trifles, for the purchase of which much money slips through their fingers. In every family this work should be done. It requires tact and method, but it will be the best education the children can receive. And if all the little children would present their offerings to the Lord, their gifts would be as little rivulets, which, when united and set flowing, would swell into a river.” [The Review and Herald, December 25, 1900]
“The very principles of the law must be planted in the heart, and love to God and love to man must be revealed in the character, words, and actions. Those who believe in Christ as their personal Saviour would have the faith that works by love, would manifest his Spirit and grace, and cooperate with him in educating and disciplining souls for his heavenly kingdom.” [The Signs of the Times, October 29, 1896]
“Children should be taught to respect and reverence the hour of prayer. Before leaving the house for labor, all the family should be called together, and the father, or the mother in the father’s absence, should plead fervently with God to keep them through the day. Come in humility with a heart full of tenderness and with a sense of the temptations and dangers before yourselves and your children; by faith bind them upon the altar, entreating for them the care of the Lord. Ministering angels will guard children who are thus dedicated to God. It is the duty of Christian parents, morning and evening, by earnest prayer and persevering faith, to make a hedge about their children. They should patiently instruct them, kindly and untiringly teach them how to live in order to please God.” [Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, p. 397]