Hopelessness, Suffering, and Unjust Loss - Part 4
“Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them.”—Job 1:6 (AMP)
At this point, God pulls back the curtains and gives us a glimpse into the real cause of Job’s troubles. This insight was not shared with Job at the time. This was written for our benefit. If it only applied to Job’s situation, there would be no point in recording it and sharing it with us. This was written for our benefit because the same source of Job’s troubles is often at the root of our troubles when we experience tragedy and great loss.
In this scene, we enter the court of Heaven—and there is no doubt about Who is in charge. God does not stand in line to present Himself to the “sons of God”. It is they who come before Him. And it is implied that a definite protocol has to be followed. God is obviously the King, reigning in ultimate authority upon His throne. Everyone else is outside the throne, presenting themselves to the One Who reigns.
“The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
In response, Satan answered the Lord, “From wandering all over the earth and walking back and forth throughout it.”
Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on earth. The man is blameless as well as upright. He fears God and keeps away from evil.”
But in response, Satan asked the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven’t you surrounded him with a fence on all sides, around his house, and around all that he owns? You have blessed everything he puts his hands on and you have increased his livestock in the land. However, stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will curse you to your face.”
Then the Lord told Satan, “Very well then, everything he owns is under your control, only you may not extend your hand against him.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.”—Job 1:7-12 (ISV)
The insight we are given here is priceless. Here we are given a glimpse at the stark, black–and–white contrast between God’s pure love for His children, and Satan’s pure hatred. God is beaming about Job like a proud father. He only sees the good in Job. He doesn’t see Job’s faults or deficiencies. His sole focus is on the aspects of Job’s life and character that please Him and bring Him joy. As we know, God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). This is the way He sees all of His children. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, this is the way He sees you! When He speaks of you to others, He only speaks of the good that He sees in you. Imagine that! God Himself brags about you as a proud father about His son or daughter!
When Roland Buck was caught up to heaven in January 1977, God allowed him to peek into the record books of people’s lives. One of the people he read about was Abraham. As he browsed through the events recorded about Abraham’s life, he read things that he had never heard of before—accounts of Abraham’s hospitality to strangers and his acts of care for those less fortunate than himself.
As Roland Buck perused through the record of Abraham’s life events, it puzzled him that he was unable to find records of the times Abraham had done wrong. He couldn’t find a record of Abraham lying to Pharaoh or lying to Abimelech, even though these events are described in detail in the Bible.
He finally asked God, “Where is the other book?”
God answered, “I have no other book for the believers.”
Roland Buck continued, “Where did you write about the failures of Abraham which I have seen recorded in your own words in the Bible?”
God answered, “I have no other book. I DO NOT RECORD FAILURE IN HEAVEN!” (See Hebrews 10:17-18.)
You can read the full story of Roland Buck’s throne room experience at http://angelsonassignment.org/throne_room.html
His book is called Angels on Assignment.
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