Lessons from Job (Part 3)

Part 3 Section A (Job 1:13 - 19; 2: 6-8)

The common attacks of the devil

"Sin can be described as having missed the mark. Some illustrate this in the sport of archery when you missed the bullseye. The word “miss” can also be translated as sin."

In the last blog on the Lessons from the Book of Job, we are given a glimpse of the spiritual conflict and Satan impugning the character of Job before God. Satan’s method has not changed and presently, Christians are the target of the Devil’s relentless diabolic objective. We can take comfort in the fact that Satan is defeated by the Lord (John 16:33). Nonetheless, we must be vigilant as Satan has some remaining time on earth and is also unrepentant. He has no qualms about stretching out his evil hand to tempt  Christians to sin until his time is over.  

The question will invariably surface on why God still allows Satan to attack Christians after knowing he is malevolent. This answer hinges on the free will that God gave to man.  It will suffice to know that God allows such trials and temptations by Satan to improve our own character. Job came out of the tests as a stronger person and he could feel his sins in a deeper manner (Job 42:6). We should not be unduly worried whenever we encounter trials and temptations as in Hebrews 12:11, it is stated that  “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

What is Sin?

All the attacks of the devil are to cause Christians to sin. It is very important to know the word ‘sin’. It is a simple word but difficult to define. Many people (some believers included) have a shallow understanding of this subject.  The devil wishes to conceal this topic so that more people would sin without knowing that they have sinned. The common belief is that as long as the laws of the land are obeyed and if you do not commit murder and arson, you are a good person and have not sinned. That could be the reason why many people are not interested in the Lord’s offer to forgive us of our sins. They feel that they are sinless. 

Sin can be described as having missed the mark. Some illustrate this in the sport of archery when you missed the bullseye. The word “miss” can also be translated as sin:

Judges 20:16: Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

In James 2:10, it was mentioned that “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” In summary, we must not even miss one point. Romans 3:23 summed up when it was declared that “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

I will use a few illustrations in the Bible to strengthen our understanding of how man sinned or missed the mark that God set. The first sin was when Adam and Eve— at the instigation of Satan— disobeyed God’s commandment to not eat of the forbidden fruit. The verses below are self-explanatory. 

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

Gen 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 

Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

Man’s common ancestor— Adam— sinned when he disobeyed or ‘missed’ God’s commandment by eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The consequence of this sin is far-reaching as man is tainted with sin and thereafter his generation is born in sin. The following verse describes the situation:

 Job 14:4  Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.  

This fact is further revealed in Romans 5:12.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. But we thank God that much more as one man sinned, grace is given to all man by the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The following are further illustrations of sin by the Lord Jesus:

1) Tempting God is sin

Mat 4:5  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 

Mat 4:6  And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

We must not be presumptuous in our lives by tempting God to prove Himself. Without a doubt, we should accept the goodness of God when He says so. There is no necessity to put it to the proof. The act of proving the goodness of God is a clear indicator of how we have missed the mark, as this shows that we do not trust God’s character and promises.

2) Craving for the world is sin

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 

Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 

Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The Lord Jesus has clearly taught that in this present moment, His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).  A person who loves fame and riches in this world more than God has missed the mark or sinned. A good test will be to ask ourselves honestly: do we put the things of God before our daily chores? Do we study His words and put it into practice as much as we do in secular matters? Or do we fellowship with those that love His words as much as our friends in the world? 

3) Unwholesome thoughts is sin

Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

We sin or miss the mark when we have unwholesome thoughts within us. An architect cannot just design a house if he does not have a mental image of the house. This illustration is a perfect example of how thoughts precede actions. 

The purpose of the testings and temptations brought forth by Satan on Job is to ultimately bring him to sin against God.  Before we study the common attack of the devil, we must be clear that God is in absolute control of the situation. He is not a sadist who delights in the suffering of His servant to prove that He is right. In Job’s situation, God allowed Satan to afflict Job so that Job could be brought to a higher level of fellowship with Him at the end of all the trials.  

It is comforting to know that even when we are tested by Satan, we are always in God’s mind:

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

With God’s blessings,

CL