Sunday of Job (Sermon)

Temptation for Holy People

Job 1:6-22

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for the Sunday of Job comes from our Old Testament lesson. God tells us that Job is a righteous man. As good Lutherans, we know that there are none who are righteous no, not one. All have fallen short of the glory of God. It is only through Christ’s righteousness that he makes us to be holy and righteous.

God still says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

Satan responds to God recounting how God continues to bless him. God makes his life so great and wonderful. God sets up walls around his servant to protect him from temptation, danger, and evil. We can often think of people who we have known, that it looks like nothing ever bad happens to them. They do not have any normal people problems.

Often we think of the rich and famous and wonder how their lives could be so bad. Why would a popular musician do drugs and live a promiscuous lifestyle, don’t they have everything they would ever want? Why would someone in a position of authority always be trying to manipulate others for more power, doesn’t he have enough?

Job has enough. He has some 11,000 head of various live stock. He even has 10 children. He also has all that is necessary to take care of all the livestock and children.God has truly blessed Job with a great many things. But Satan may be right, God has not allowed Job to suffer hard times. Because God loves those who love him.

Just think how nice it would be to have the theology of Job, pre-suffering. As long as you love God, everything in your life will be fine. When you turn your back on God, you will lose everything. Job's simple quote sums up this theology, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Praise the Lord and you will see as doors open up in your life. You can hand things over to a higher power and you will see how the stress melts away. This is commonly called in Lutheran circles the Theology of Glory. God is there to give us good things, and we thank God for those good things.

Satan steps in and changes our understanding of God. God is more than happy to point out the people who love him to Satan. He brings you to Satan’s attention. Satan then reminds God how he protects, coddles, hems in his people. So God says to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”

Satan reaches out his hand and kills all Job’s children, all his livestock, and most of his servants. At the end of Chapter one Job still has his wife, and at least four servants. Oh yeah, he also still has his health but that will go away in Chapter two.

Job recognizes that life is full of suffering and sorrow. He also knows that he came into this world with nothing and he will leave this world with nothing. Similar to all of us. Every gift we have been given is a gift from God. So we should be thankful to God for more than just money, harvest, and luxury. We should be thankful to God for food, clothing, and family, even when we don’t have much.

But this is only the way Satan tempted, or threatened, Job. The First Chapter of Job reminds us about much more than just being thankful. It reminds us that Satan is all around us. Satan is spinning his webs of lies and temptations to lead us into sin all the time.

Satan uses many different means, some of which even look heavenly. We have already heard about a common one, called the Theology of Glory. But there are other false teachings within the Church. There are teachings about who has the power in conversion. There are even teachings about putting our faith in works, or deeds. But evil, temptation, and sin can be found all around us.

St Peter says, “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The devil is going to and fro upon the earth seeking out souls to devour. He is even in conversation with God, about who is naughty and who is nice. Like I said, God is more than happy to point out his holy people to the devil, because he has provided us with hope, protection, and a plan of salvation.

Job does not fall into temptation in Chapter one, “In all this job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” But he does fall prey to the Devil in the following Chapters through many discussions with his friends. Finally, God has to remind him, that he is the one who has created all things. He is the one who has given us everything we have. He is the one who knows what is truly just and right.

Job does repent of his sin, and God who is faithful and just forgives Job of his sin. He restores to Job all he had and more.

Similarly, we fall prey to temptation. We may be able to turn away for a time. We even pray for strength to stay away, but still we do fall into sin. We even fall into the same sins over and over again. 

Therefore, we confess our sins, and God who is faithful and just forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. God does not so much reminds us of his work and power in Creation, but points us to the cross of Christ. Christ has died for the forgiveness of all your sins. He claims you to be his very own. And yes, he defeats Satan. Christ has even risen from the dead, and in his resurrection points to our restoration. So we even remembered in our first hymn, Job's most famous quote, I know that my Redeemer Lives.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.