The Joy of Glory

Job 2:1-10 (click here)
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” (Job 2:4-6)

Reflection
Satan has been defeated once. He tried to show that Job’s faith was a frivolous response to the material blessings God had poured out on him. But now, all those blessings are gone and Job still worships the Lord. So…Satan changes tactics. Perhaps it’s not physical blessings, but physical health that causes Job to continue his allegiance to the almighty.

Satan is wholly self-centered and cannot imagine viewing the world another way. Surely Job, and all other people, value their own life and health above all else. We know that in many situations Satan is right, but with one (like Job) who truly holds the living God as their greatest treasure, health is merely a bonus, but not a necessity.

How can this be? It is because the one who truly worships God lives with a God-centered perspective, not a man-centered one. The most important thing to a worshipper is that God be shown to be glorious/loving/valuable as he is. Therefore, to lose ones health and still hang on to God only reveals that he is more valuable to you than your own well-being.

The thing that most of the world vigorously values above all, their own health and life, is nothing compared to holding on to God. Even more than that, we hang on to the promise of God that death is not the end for those who worship him! He has promised to destroy disease and death so we dare not let go of him, our ultimate hope! This is the perspective from which Job and we cry, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him!” (Job 13:15)

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.