Job 1:13-22 – Right perspective of our resources

Having secured God’s permission, Satan went about relentlessly attacking Job. It’s unfortunate that he should be the subject of a wager between God and the adversary. But we know that God had great confidence in Job, and in this test, Job had proven God to be true. So we read in verse 22, “Through all this (the multiple calamities) Job did not sin nor did he blame God. 

Verses 13-19 show us how devastating the calamities were. In one day, Job virtually lost his livestock, his property and his children. The affliction of Satan was that thorough. Everything he had, his oxen, she-asses, sheep, camels, servants (all except for those bearers of news), and his sons and daughters, were all destroyed. Satan deployed all means to eradicate all that belonged to him. The human hostile adversaries, such as the Sabeans and the Chaldeans were used. Not only that, Satan also deployed natural disasters such as fire and storms to destroy. Every attack was severe. It was calculated to bring the worst affliction ever on an innocent man. Notice how the calamities happened in quick successions. Before Job could process the severity, another would come. This is often the pattern of the wicked one. Our trails often don’t come in trickles, they come like a mighty storm rapidly, one after another. Often before we could catch our breath, another would come.

We know the reason why God allowed the afflictions to come upon Job. He used the furnace of affliction, created by Satan, to prove the genuineness of Job’s faith to that adversary. Through this we also realize why the righteous suffer. So, when after we have done a thorough introspection that turn out to no just cause, we know that the affliction will help to prove our faith in God. 

Job’s expression of his affliction shows us that God’s description of him was so true. He was truly righteous, blameless, godly and a pursuer of God. He expressed his grief but he did not blame God. He literary fell to the ground, bowed and worshiped God. Many lesser persons would have blamed God and wondered why they worshiped Him. But not for Job. What was more wonderful was that he had a right view of things. He acknowledged that God was the true owner of everything he possessed. Being owner, God had every right to give and remove. We need to have such a paradigm concerning our own possessions. When we do, we won’t grasp the things we have tightly. We must leave God to take and use them to bless others. In all the sufferings that happened, Job at no time blamed or maligned God. He held steady and expressed His trust in God.

What Job went through help us to have a right perspective concerning our possessions. All that we have come from God. He is the owner and we are only His stewards. When we have this perspective, we are better enabled to manage them. It helps us not to hoard earthly possessions. We are put here with all the resources to do the work of God’s Kingdom. He will give us grace to manage them when we truly trust Him. And as truly as the song says, we will experience that when we have come to the end of our hoarded resources, our Father’s full giving has only begun.