Thursday, April 21, 2011

Job Reversal

If you read the title and thought job reversal as in occupation reversal, you are not alone... but you are mistaken. This is not an entry on any kind of occupational reversal. However if you were instead interested in read a quick thought on the biblical book of Job... then you have come to a blog where you will find that. So we continue...

After God shows off his faithful servant Job to Satan, Satan responds...

Job 1:11 "...But stretch out you hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

In other words Satan says, "take away all that you have given Job and see if he will remain faithful. After all he is only 'blameless and upright' because you have protected him and given him all that he could ever have desired."

About a week ago I thought about this challenge from Satan in the scripture story and then i thought about the fact that in the United States we have in many ways experienced many of the same blessings that Job has and yet how many of us are even close to being considered 'blameless and upright'?

It seems to me that maybe Satan has given the Lord a different challenge when he looked at the modern world. "Give them everything they could ever desire! Make food and water easily accessible! Give them medicine so that their families would be healthy! Give them answers and knowledge about the workings of the world...

...See then if they will still depend on you and look to you as their God."

Unlike Job many of us (myself included) too often fail to remain faithful, fail to be dependent on the giver of all these good gifts. The challenge has been reversed and we have fallen into the trap of forgetting where our help comes from... forgetting we are in need of a Savior...