A Faithful Father - Job 1 - 6/17/18
Turn with me this morning to the Old Testament, the book of Job, right before the book of Psalms. We’ll start out in chapter 1 - Job 1. You remember the story: God & Satan have a discussion about Job - Job is a righteous man who fears and serves God. In the words of Ben Franklin, Job is healthy, wealthy, and wise. I don’t know if he went early to bed and early to rise - but he had great blessing from God. And as a result, Satan tries to get him to turn from following God, and so Satan takes away his lands, flocks, herds, family, even his health, leaving him only a nagging wife who is a constant thorn in his side. His three closest friends come to cheer him up, and in the process tell him he has sinned and simply needs to confess and get his life right with God.
We often look to the book of Job as teaching us a lesson about dealing with trials. And it does. But it teaches us many other lessons as well. The book of Job teaches us about the faithfulness of God, the battle of the spiritual realm, the nature of suffering, and the certainty of criticism. But one more trial Job faces in life - and it is an area that he succeeds in - is being a good father. This is Father’s Day and today we want to look at Job as an example for fathers everywhere.
Throughout the scriptures we see many examples of BAD fathers who set an example for us to avoid: David’s sons were rapists, liars, murderers, and treasonous brats who attempted to take over his kingdom - but that’s because David failed as a father - he never corrected his sons’ evil ways. Eli’s sons were so wicked that God put them to death - and Eli tried to confront his sons, but they refused to listen to him. Jacob played favorites and saw his family torn apart by jealousy. And Timothy had an absent father. So the bible gives us many examples to avoid, but good fathers are much harder to find. And so today we will look at one good example of a godly father: Job.
So today we celebrate our fathers. While as a nation we have celebrated our mother’s sacrifice and investment in our lives for nearly one hundred years, fathers did not get their official recognition until President Lyndon Johnson declared the third Sunday in June as an official holiday in 1966. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972
And so ever since as a nation we set aside time to celebrate fathers. A little boy was asked the difference between Father’s Day and Mother’s Day and replied, “They are about the same…except you don’t have to spend nearly as much money on Father’s Day.” Well, I don’t know what you are going to spend on Father’s Day, but whatever amount you spend, make sure it comes from the heart!
As we look at Job, we will see that he is a man who lives and loves from the heart. Let’s look at his example as we begin reading in Job 1:1 - In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters, and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. Let’s pray - PRAY
Today we look at the example of Job. He is a good example for us to follow. Here’s how The Message translates these first verses: Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East! [The Message]
So the first thing we see about Job is
His Character - Job is a man who practices what he preaches. He lives out his faith. He gives his children a godly example. What do we see in his life? First, he is
blameless - if you are using the KJV, you will find the word “perfect.” But let’s realize that no one lives “perfectly” in the sense of being sinless - except Jesus, who was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. But rather than the idea of being sinless, it is the idea of “completeness, wholeness” - the idea is that his whole life was a positive example. And so a way we might describe this trait is “spiritual maturity.” There are many people who can get victory in one or two areas of life. But someone who is spiritually mature is one who seeks to follow God in ALL areas of life. Job did not “compartmentalize” his life. He didn’t excel in one area and deny God in another.
When we think about setting an example as fathers, let’s realize that our children see us - not just how we react at church or when other Christians are around - they see us at home, where we live, how we respond to pressure, how we deal with relatives, how we deal with our spouse, whether we lose our temper or lack self-control.
The first thing we see about Job is that he “wholly” sought to follow the Lord. In fact, this spiritual maturity was not just seen by his family, but as we go on, it is pointed out by God and even acknowledged by Satan. Now if there is ANYONE who sees what you are REALLY like, it is God. And even God commends Job for his spiritual maturity. A second phrase used about Job:
upright - the word literally is “straight” - so Job was a “straight” man. Not in the modern sense of the word denoting his sexual preferences - but as we use the phrase “walking the straight and narrow.” He did not veer off to the right or the left. He stayed on the right path. And the word we might use today to describe this is INTEGRITY. Job was a man who lived out his spiritual maturity day after day after day after day. Job showed his integrity by his honesty and his sense of justice in all his dealings with others. Here’s what Proverbs 20:7 says - The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them. When you choose to live a life of honesty and integrity, your whole family will be blessed.
This morning consider how “honest” you really are. Do you seek to tell the truth, even when it costs you? I bought a dyson vacuum at a yard sale once, and it needed some repairs. When I took it in to the shop, it costs about $100 to fix it. The repair man said, If you know the purchase date, you can get it fixed for free. I said, I’m not the original owner. He said, They’ll never know. But I knew - and so I paid the $100 and had a clear conscience. When you live a life of integrity, your conscience will not keep you up at night.
Think about three little letters - IRS - how honest are you when it comes to filling out your taxes. There is a little thing on the Michigan tax form called “state use tax” where you have to pay a set percentage to make up for purchases you might have made out of state. Now you can simply say you didn’t buy anything out of state and not pay anything -- but if you did, don’t lie about it to save a few dollars. Show integrity.
Then a third trait of Job -
Fearing God - Proverbs 1 teaches us, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. If we would seek to be wise, we would make sure to fear the Lord. This is not the idea of being afraid of God, but rather the idea of awe and respect. I would suggest we use the word Reverence. As parents, we set the tone for our household. Do we show our children that we truly respect and revere and honor God?
How do we do that? By doing what God says! John 14:15 - If you love me, you will obey what I command.
We show that we have reverence for God by setting aside time to worship Him. We show it by setting aside the first portion of all we make as a tithe to honor God. We teach our children from their youngest days what we think of God by how we do or don’t follow His commands. Job did a great job of showing his reverence for God. And then the fourth phrase,
Shunning Evil - the KJV has the word “eschewed” evil - we might even say “rejected” evil. Proverbs 14:16 says - The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with great confidence. Job understood that there was a spiritual battle going on in his life. And he sought to have all of his family avoid any trace of evil. But remember when Job lived there was no internet, no i-phones, no fast cars to race, no pornographic magazines, no strip clubs, no casinos, no X rated movies. Many of the common sources of temptation that we associate with evil and temptation were not there. I mention this because we sometimes think that the reason that we (and our children) sin is because there are so many sources of temptation available. Yes, it is true that the world offers many temptations that did not exist in simpler times. But Job understood that sin was bound up in his heart and the hearts of his children.
So the first thing that made Job a great father was his character. He was a dad that any of his children would be proud to call their dad.
How about you? Is your life one that others would be proud to call you their friend? Or would you be ashamed for others to find out what you are really like? Job was a father of great character.
And one more trait about Job’s character is his
Wisdom - and I will say Job had great wisdom in how he used his money. Yes, verse 3 tells us that he was the greatest of all the men of the east. He was the Bill Gates of his day. He enjoyed great financial prosperity. But what made Job wise was how he viewed his wealth. We often misquote the bible and say Money is the root of all evil. But the correct quote - found in 1 Timothy 6:10 - states, For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. There is no sin in being wealthy. The sin is the passion for wealth, the driving desire to have more, more, more. But having more never satisfies. Listen to these quotes from famous millionaires:
Christina Onassis: “Happiness is not based on money and the best proof of that is our family.”
Rockefeller: “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.”
Vanderbilt: “The care of $200,000,000 is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it.”
John Jacob Astor: “I am the most miserable man on earth.”
Henry Ford: “I was happier when I was doing a mechanic’s job.”
Andrew Carnegie: “Millionaires seldom smile
When we live for riches, we are never satisfied. But instead, we are to use our riches as stewards - to realize that everything we have is God’s - and we simply get to use it for Him.
In Job 31, Job declares that he HAS been faithful to God. Here’s what he says - If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained. . . then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. Job understood that his security was not in his wealth, but his security was in God.
And Job sought to use his wealth to bless others. Also in Job 31 he states, “If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless . . . if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.
Job is so confident that he has used his riches to benefit others that he calls a curse down upon himself if her were to use his riches selfishly. How about you? Do you seek to be generous? Do you seek to bless others by meeting their needs? A very convicting verse is Ephesians 4:28 - He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something . . . to put aside for a rainy day? NO! that he may have something to share with those in need. We work hard so we can help and bless others who have needs. And that’s exactly the type of man that Job was. A man of godly character.
But there is a second thing we see about Job in this chapter.
His Commitment - Job’s sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat with them. It may be that this was a weekly cycle - 7 sons, each one throws a party on a set day of the week. Some think it refers to birthday parties - in fact in the NLT it words is like this: Every year when Job’s sons had birthdays, they invited their brothers and sisters to join them for a celebration. Or it may be simply the idea that they each took turns showing hospitality to all the others.
But it is interesting that the sisters are also honored guests. Remember in the culture of the day, women were not viewed highly. They were the ones in the background fixing the meals. But Job’s daughters are afforded a very modern level of respect and dignity.
But then notice in verse 5 - When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. What does it mean when it says “Job would send” - it means he would send for them to come to his house. Job gathers the whole family together to make sure that they are all in right relationship with God. It says Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Why does Job offer sacrifices? Because that was the method of cleansing and maintaining a right relationship with God.
Do we make sacrifices today? No. Why not? Because Jesus has died as the perfect sacrifice, the lamb of God slain for the sins of the world. But when we sin - even though we may be saved and know we’re on our way to heaven - how do we make the relationship right with God? Prayer! So putting Job’s example in a modern context, Do you pray for your children? Do you pray WITH your children? Do you know about the burdens on their hearts?
Even though Job was not there for the actual celebrations, he was not a disengaged father. He was very present in the lives of his children. He had a great concern for the spiritual well-being of his children.
One great passage that talks about how we pass on that spiritual concern is Deuteronomy 6 - These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
In our terminology today, we might say “Take advantage of the teachable moment.” When a situation arises where you bring a spiritual application, take the time to talk about it then and there. Don’t wait for Sunday or for prayers at night. Talk about the Lord throughout the day as you have opportunity. And it is amazing the doors he can open for you.
This week I was doing business with someone who often waits on me, and they had just gotten off the phone with a “less than happy” customer. They said “How is your day?” I said “Great!” They replied “You always are having a good day!” I said, I sure do - you should be a pastor! They laughed and said, What I really could use is some pastoral counseling! I said I’m always glad to talk with you - you know if there’s anything I can do for you, I’m glad to do it! And they started tearing up and said “Normally, I can keep it all together.”
I’m not sure what the issue is, but I hope they will take me up on the offer to meet for counseling. But that is just one example of taking advantage of the moment - God opened a door, and I sought to take advantage of the opportunity.
And then a third quality that made Job a great father:
Consistency - notice the end of verse 5 - This was Job’s regular custom. Job kept on doing the same thing over and over and over again. Just in case any of his children had sinned, Job brought them all to church and they offered sacrifices to make sure that they were all spiritually right with God. Job had a consistency in living out his faith.
Stu Weber, in His book “Tender Warrior” encourages us fathers: “The bottom line? Stay with it men. Stick by your commitments. Stand by your promises. Never, never let go, no matter what. When marriage isn’t fun…stay in it. When parenting is over your head…stay at it. When work is crushing your spirit…don’t let it beat you... When your children let you down…pick them up… And when it is fourth and fourteen and with no time on the clock…throw another pass!”
What makes an impression on our kids is not seeing us do the right thing - but seeing us do the right thing day after day after day. Consistency in living out our faith. That was Job! A man of character, commitment, and consistency.
But if you are here today, and you are not a father, don’t say “that was a nice message, but it doesn’t relate to me.” Remember several years ago, Hillary Clinton wrote a best-selling book, “It Takes a Village.” The scriptural truth is it takes a church. It takes a life-giving faith community to raise a child. Young people need mentors and coaches and big brothers and sisters in their lives to survive. We often come to church as a consumer, as an observer - we want to slip in unnoticed, hear the songs we like, hear a message that makes us feel good, and leave unnoticed. But that is not scriptural. Because we are called to live in community. And as part of the family of God, we each have a role to play. We see throughout the NT commands of how we are to relate to “one another”. We are to love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, forgive one another, bear one another’s burdens, and the list goes on and on and on. Let’s realize that as we talk about setting a good example, we EACH need to try our best to have character and commitment and consistency, because we never know who may be watching our lives.
May God help us to follow the good example of Job. Let’s pray.
