The truth of Job is dated c900BC and covers the eternal struggle of good/evil – all instigated by the devil. “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 seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred 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.” (Job 1:1-4).

“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord , “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord . One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” (Job 1:6-22).

Job has lost his wealth and family except for his wife; yet without sinning. Satan attacks him again. “On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord , “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Stop for a moment! Notice Satan is blaming, that is, tempting Almighty God! WOW!

Continuing: “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job 2:1-10).

The devil is totally evil – he hates his own and leads them to eternal destruction with him.  The truth about Job above needed to be mentioned fully. We need to constantly read Holy Scripture. The references were long but absolutely necessary for study.

Job is now visited by three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar who: “…sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” (Job 3:11-13).

To summarize, they confronted him judging him and accusing him that all thathappened was as a result of his sinning against Almighty God. Eliphaz tries to reason with Job that his situation is as a result of a sin which God will forgive if he repents. Eliphaz says: “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so, do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal.”

(Job 5:17-18).

Bildad now confronts Job: “Your words are a blustering wind. Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.” (Job 8:2-4). “Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so, perishes the hope of the godless.” (Job 8:13). “Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.” (Job 8:20).

Zophar then judges Job: “Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.” (Job 11:5-6).

Zophar was a proud, healthy and prosperous man – the proof of his ‘goodness’? All three ‘Counsellors’ have judged the fate of a wicked man. Job shows his true blameless character when he says of God: “And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'” (Job 28:28).

Elihu also comments saying Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar had not listened to Job. Further Job says: “Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.” (Job 30:25-26) and: “He prays to God and finds favour with Him; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.” (Job 33:26).

The Lord answers Job: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said…” (Job 38.1). “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone…” (Job 38:4-6). “Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” (Job 38:36).

“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Again stop for a moment. The one contending with God is the devil! He hates his own – they with him will go to eternal death without God!

We continue: Let him who accuses God answer him!” Then Job answered the Lord : “I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer twice, but I will say no more.” Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” (Job 40:2-8). “Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:1-3).

This reminds me; when we remember what Almighty God revealed to the Apostle Paul around 1,000 years in Job’s future, we understand Job’s comment above: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:6-13).

The Lord loved Job, a blameless man, as the Lord said at the beginning. The Lord was angry with Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar as they had not spoken of and about the Lord what was right (42:7), “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him…” (Job 42:10-11). “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.” (Job 42:12-13). “After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.” (Job 42:16-17).

The devil’s scheme to test the Lord and Job totally failed. The devil hates his own, and he and them face eternal destruction. He is still deceiving.

Let us remember in Bible history the devil’s evil deceiving!

From the truths on ‘Origins’ discussed in the diagram attached, the unfaithfulness, disobedience and evil attitudes and actions of God’s people – the Northern Kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity in Assyria 722BC and the Southern Kingdom of Judah was about to go into captivity in Babylon in 586BC. The Holy Scripture below was recorded by Jeremiah c597BC: “After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the craftsmen and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord . One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten. Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.” Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. “ ‘But like the poor figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord , ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers.’ “ (Jeremiah 24:1-10).

The ‘good figs’ would be the faithful remnant through Jehoichin – the remnant saved by the Messiah, the Anointed One to come – Jesus.

Paul records: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:22-26). Jesus saves the Old Covenant remnant and the Gentiles of the New Covenant who believe in Him; as Paul records his sorrow: “I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Romans 9:1-8).

Paul records the reality of the people who rejected Jesus: “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:11-15).

The ‘bad figs’ came through Zedekiah as the ‘Origin’, in the attached diagram explains.