Job's Question

[PainefulTruth]

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Job 1:1

"Perfect"? No authorship is claimed or implied, including God or Job. It’s the first indication that Job is a parable.

But then the author has Job getting frustrated: "If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me." Job 31:35

But there are no charges, leaving Job with his frustration and his unanswered question, Why?

Job is perhaps the most enigmatic book in the Bible. Some deists claim that it's the most deist book in the Bible, but I think it was written as an apologetic for revealed Judaism in answer to that very question religious leaders most often hear, Why?

Revealed religions, by that very act of revelation, are unable to consider the possibility that God must not interact; and it isn't that God can't, it's that God MUST not—again due to free will. Consider The Book of Life. If there were such a book where our names are written from the foundation of the world, then we were all either damned or saved from the beginning. What, then, would be the point or meaning of our mortal lives--for God or ourselves? Why would God go to all that trouble to create the universe, and put us through all these trials and tribulations if our choices are preordained? The Book of Life can only be a human forgery.

To make a very long story short, Job refuses the advice of friends and his wife to curse God, choosing instead to sue God, forcing God to make an appearance. His evidence is many oaths as to his (parabilistic) perfection as a human. God does make an appearance in a whirlwind, but instead of answering Job, God sarcastically asks: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell [Me], if you have understanding."....Job 38:1 & 4

IOW, the author is having God say, “who are you, any of you, to ask that question of ME?” The author, as is anyone who’s advocating for the existence of an interactive, personal God, has no answer. But there is an obvious answer—free will, so that the choices we make are truly our own, but that necessitates God’s non-intervention. That's why.

This is clearly a human parable, which is further accentuated by the fact that not only is Job's wealth and status replaced, but he gets a new set of children, like so much chattel. Although Job doesn't get the answer he was suing for, his being wronged is apparently righted. It's tantamount to a divine admission of guilt.

God? Guilty??? What’s really going on here!

 

[theword]

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Job 1:1

"Perfect"? No authorship is claimed or implied, including God or Job. It’s the first indication that Job is a parable.

But then the author has Job getting frustrated: "If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me." Job 31:35

But there are no charges, leaving Job with his frustration and his unanswered question, Why?

Job is perhaps the most enigmatic book in the Bible. Some deists claim that it's the most deist book in the Bible, but I think it was written as an apologetic for revealed Judaism in answer to that very question religious leaders most often hear, Why?

Revealed religions, by that very act of revelation, are unable to consider the possibility that God must not interact; and it isn't that God can't, it's that God MUST not—again due to free will. Consider The Book of Life. If there were such a book where our names are written from the foundation of the world, then we were all either damned or saved from the beginning. What, then, would be the point or meaning of our mortal lives--for God or ourselves? Why would God go to all that trouble to create the universe, and put us through all these trials and tribulations if our choices are preordained? The Book of Life can only be a human forgery.

To make a very long story short, Job refuses the advice of friends and his wife to curse God, choosing instead to sue God, forcing God to make an appearance. His evidence is many oaths as to his (parabilistic) perfection as a human. God does make an appearance in a whirlwind, but instead of answering Job, God sarcastically asks: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell [Me], if you have understanding."....Job 38:1 & 4

IOW, the author is having God say, “who are you, any of you, to ask that question of ME?” The author, as is anyone who’s advocating for the existence of an interactive, personal God, has no answer. But there is an obvious answer—free will, so that the choices we make are truly our own, but that necessitates God’s non-intervention. That's why.

This is clearly a human parable, which is further accentuated by the fact that not only is Job's wealth and status replaced, but he gets a new set of children, like so much chattel. Although Job doesn't get the answer he was suing for, his being wronged is apparently righted. It's tantamount to a divine admission of guilt.

God? Guilty??? What’s really going on here!

God used Job to talk about Me ( the Creator of all things ) that only us saints can understand.

 

[PainefulTruth]

God used Job to talk about Me ( the Creator of all things ) that only us saints can understand.

So you don't know if you're God or a saint?

 

[JoeB131]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

 

[PainefulTruth]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

While I agree, on the other hand I gotta wonder what you mean by Eisenhower Republican. Theocracy?

 

[LittleNipper]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

 

[theword]

God used Job to talk about Me ( the Creator of all things ) that only us saints can understand.

So you don't know if you're God or a saint?

The name "saint" is just a name for our flesh that has died to the world desires so that God can use it for His purpose to testify to His plans for His creation.

I was created as God's knowledge and why He calls us the invisible "Word of God", where all God's creation ( energy ) was spoken into existence. The flesh called prophets and saints were used to speak for our Creator from His created "Word".

 

[JoeB131]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

While I agree, on the other hand I gotta wonder what you mean by Eisenhower Republican. Theocracy?

I mean the days when Republicans thought government wasn't the enemy, the rich should happily pay their fair share, and the GOP put the interest of working Americans ahead of that of multi-national corporations.

 

[JoeB131]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

I would suggest you go back to the first two chapters of the book. God and Satan make a wager. First Satan destroys all Job's stuff and kills his children, but he doesn't renounce God. Then God and Satan ratchet it up a bit and give Job all sorts of diseases. Which is pretty reprehensible.

But it wouldn't have made as good a Story if God popped in at the end and said to Job and his "friends" that "Oh, yeah, it was like a bet I made with Satan. And it got out of hand. My bad!"

 

[Peterf]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

Why is the 'god' of your invention a vindictive sadist? Could you not come up with an imaginary nice guy?

Anyway if he shows his face on Earth again he should be arrested and charged with multiple felonies.

 

[PainefulTruth]

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

The point is the question of WHY these things happen so haphazardly. There is an answer: because God doesn't interact. To admit that though would be to undermine the possibility of any revealed God. So, which makes sense? There's only one reasonable possibility (well 2), God does not intervene, or God doesn't exist.

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

So the author wrote the whole Book of Job to answer the universal "Why"s being asked, and after all that run around, can only attempt intimidation with that "what business is it of yours?" He could have written that without te massive smokescreen. The book would have been a paragraph long and had nothing to do with Job.

I mean the days when Republicans thought government wasn't the enemy, the rich should happily pay their fair share, and the GOP put the interest of working Americans ahead of that of multi-national corporations.

McCarthy wasn't the enemy? And I love that term "fair share". What is "fair", who defines it? I know, Democrats. "Fair" is a completely subjective term defined by whoever uses it. Big Government started in the 30s when it was decided to progressively ignore the Constitution. But it really took off under Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. When will people wake up, put the class warfare behind them and realize that Kennedy was right, "A rising tide lifts all boats".

 

[Avatar4321]

And yet God does interact with man as countless people can testify through their own personal experiences with the Lord.

And as many times as it's asserted, there is absolutely no contradiction between free will and God interacting with man.

 

[PainefulTruth]

And as many times as it's asserted, there is absolutely no contradiction between free will and God interacting with man.

And as many times as it is denied, free will is not possible even if we know that God exists, much less interacts. Does it really make sense if there was a pillar of cloud/fire continuously with the Israelites in the desert, parting the sea and all the rest, that they would make a golden calf to worship with the pillar right there?

If God had never talked to you, how do you know the things you might have done? How does God know (if you indeed have free will)? And what if God tells you to do something evil, like sacrificing one of your children, would you? Or might you consider then the possibility that maybe it's not really God, but your imagination, and you should tell It to take a hike--which I would do even if it was God in that situation. Other people have done such evil, including Christian people, because "God told them to". Maybe those things wouldn't have happened if they'd been taught that being moral comes from within us, not from a being in your head that may or may not be imaginary.

Moral free will means that no one can know the moral choices we will make until we make them. If God exerts influence, the decision process is skewed.

 

[LittleNipper]

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

Why is the 'god' of your invention a vindictive sadist? Could you not come up with an imaginary nice guy?

Anyway if he shows his face on Earth again he should be arrested and charged with multiple felonies.

Satan is the vindictive sadist! He hates humanity. He hated Job. Satan did the deeds and God limited the scope of Satan's desire.

 

[JoeB131]

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

Why is the 'god' of your invention a vindictive sadist? Could you not come up with an imaginary nice guy?

Anyway if he shows his face on Earth again he should be arrested and charged with multiple felonies.

Satan is the vindictive sadist! He hates humanity. He hated Job. Satan did the deeds and God limited the scope of Satan's desire.

The thing is, Satan only did a "job" on Job because God let him do it.

And he went two rounds. Killing Job's children and wiping out his livestock wasn't enough. Satan had to do in for a second round of inflicting boils on him.

 

[LittleNipper]

No, Job's friends were blaming Job. It was only the young friend who seems to have gotten it right. The fact is that this happened to Job so that today believers are aware that good things can and do happen to righteous people. It isn't always a matter of one's personal sin.

The point is the question of WHY these things happen so haphazardly. There is an answer: because God doesn't interact. To admit that though would be to undermine the possibility of any revealed God. So, which makes sense? There's only one reasonable possibility (well 2), God does not intervene, or God doesn't exist.

My problem with the Book of Job is that at the end of the day, Job's life was turned into a living hell because God and Satan made a wager.

Most sensible people would be upset if someone had ruined every aspect of his life over something so petty.

And at the end of the day, when God finally appears to Job and his sadistic friends, it boils down to, "Don't you dare question me, I'm God! Now get to sacrificing me some livestock!!!!"

So the author wrote the whole Book of Job to answer the universal "Why"s being asked, and after all that run around, can only attempt intimidation with that "what business is it of yours?" He could have written that without te massive smokescreen. The book would have been a paragraph long and had nothing to do with Job.

I mean the days when Republicans thought government wasn't the enemy, the rich should happily pay their fair share, and the GOP put the interest of working Americans ahead of that of multi-national corporations.

McCarthy wasn't the enemy? And I love that term "fair share". What is "fair", who defines it? I know, Democrats. "Fair" is a completely subjective term defined by whoever uses it. Big Government started in the 30s when it was decided to progressively ignore the Constitution. But it really took off under Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. When will people wake up, put the class warfare behind them and realize that Kennedy was right, "A rising tide lifts all boats".

Satan (originally called Lucifer) is the cherub who was placed in charge of the Earth. When Lucifer fell he lost his power over the Earth UNTIL he caused Adam & Eve to revolt against God. Now, Lucifer is in charge of what happens matterially speaking to the degree that it doesn't effect God's eternal plan... BUT Satan's days are numbered. Satan is a liar and the master of chaos. So, PLEASE---do not accuse God of something He only allowed but didn't invent...

As for the rest, Government should not help big business. Government should not be in the education business. Government should not be in the gambling business. Government should only collect enough revenue to support the defense of the United States, and for any MODEST expense accrued while acting as a mediator between the various States.

 

[JoeB131]

[qu

Satan (originally called Lucifer) is the cherub who was placed in charge of the Earth. When Lucifer fell he lost his power over the Earth UNTIL he caused Adam & Eve to revolt against God. Now, Lucifer is in charge of what happens matterially speaking to the degree that it doesn't effect God's eternal plan... BUT Satan's days are numbered. Satan is a liar and the master of chaos. So, PLEASE---do not accuse God of something He only allowed but didn't invent...

There is a whole lot of problems with this philosophy.

The first is that God is absolved from what Satan does after he gave Satan the authority.

That didn't work for the Nazis at Nuremburg, that doesn't work for most workplaces when the low level guy screws up.

God allowed something horrible to happen he could have prevented.

Second problem. If Satan/Lucifer/Old Nick lost his power after the whole "Garden of Eden" Fiasco. (That's where God left the tree right where they could get at it, those kooky kids!) then why does he still have God's authority to torment Job, when Job lives AFTER Adam and Eve. (Supposedly being a good person from around Noah's time, I would guess.)

 

[LittleNipper]

[qu

Satan (originally called Lucifer) is the cherub who was placed in charge of the Earth. When Lucifer fell he lost his power over the Earth UNTIL he caused Adam & Eve to revolt against God. Now, Lucifer is in charge of what happens matterially speaking to the degree that it doesn't effect God's eternal plan... BUT Satan's days are numbered. Satan is a liar and the master of chaos. So, PLEASE---do not accuse God of something He only allowed but didn't invent...

There is a whole lot of problems with this philosophy.

The first is that God is absolved from what Satan does after he gave Satan the authority.

That didn't work for the Nazis at Nuremburg, that doesn't work for most workplaces when the low level guy screws up.

God allowed something horrible to happen he could have prevented.

Second problem. If Satan/Lucifer/Old Nick lost his power after the whole "Garden of Eden" Fiasco. (That's where God left the tree right where they could get at it, those kooky kids!) then why does he still have God's authority to torment Job, when Job lives AFTER Adam and Eve. (Supposedly being a good person from around Noah's time, I would guess.)

The problem is that my philosophy is not what many people wish to accept today. You are looking at things from purely a limited temporal view. God is looking at a much broader spiritual view from an eternal perspective. What the Nazis did was to play God and try to exterminate God's chosen people --- which if allowed would have nullified Biblical inerrancy. And this is exactly what Satan wants to do. Satan wants people to believe in evolution and billions of years, because such beliefs are a direct assult against Biblical truth. Until Satan is finally cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, Satan is doing his utmost to thwart God's ultimate plan, so that he will remain free and of relevance forever.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Job 1:1

"Perfect"? No authorship is claimed or implied, including God or Job. It’s the first indication that Job is a parable.

But then the author has Job getting frustrated: "If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me." Job 31:35

But there are no charges, leaving Job with his frustration and his unanswered question, Why?

Job is perhaps the most enigmatic book in the Bible. Some deists claim that it's the most deist book in the Bible, but I think it was written as an apologetic for revealed Judaism in answer to that very question religious leaders most often hear, Why?

Revealed religions, by that very act of revelation, are unable to consider the possibility that God must not interact; and it isn't that God can't, it's that God MUST not—again due to free will. Consider The Book of Life. If there were such a book where our names are written from the foundation of the world, then we were all either damned or saved from the beginning. What, then, would be the point or meaning of our mortal lives--for God or ourselves? Why would God go to all that trouble to create the universe, and put us through all these trials and tribulations if our choices are preordained? The Book of Life can only be a human forgery.

To make a very long story short, Job refuses the advice of friends and his wife to curse God, choosing instead to sue God, forcing God to make an appearance. His evidence is many oaths as to his (parabilistic) perfection as a human. God does make an appearance in a whirlwind, but instead of answering Job, God sarcastically asks: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell [Me], if you have understanding."....Job 38:1 & 4

IOW, the author is having God say, “who are you, any of you, to ask that question of ME?” The author, as is anyone who’s advocating for the existence of an interactive, personal God, has no answer. But there is an obvious answer—free will, so that the choices we make are truly our own, but that necessitates God’s non-intervention. That's why.

This is clearly a human parable, which is further accentuated by the fact that not only is Job's wealth and status replaced, but he gets a new set of children, like so much chattel. Although Job doesn't get the answer he was suing for, his being wronged is apparently righted. It's tantamount to a divine admission of guilt.

God? Guilty??? What’s really going on here!

You've misinterpreted Scripture, P.T.. That is what is going on here... Let's go to the first thing you say here: that the story of Job must be a human parable because the Scriptures say he was a "perfect man"...

Do you not realize that the scriptures teach on the perfect man throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament? Yes! Let us examine a few of them now and then we will go back to Job, alright?

It is written:

Be ye perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.
- Matthew 5: 48

Jesus said that, P.T. What was Jesus speaking about? In this particular scripture Jesus is speaking in reference to loving our neighbor and also loving our enemies. Did you know we are to love our enemies? It is true.

There are times we bring correction to those who oppose the Gospel - it may even sound as a hard word at the time -no discipline is pleasant at the time, P.T. ---> but in all things the desired end result is that the person will come to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son and be saved.

For those who have gone off into the enemies camp we still love that one and must pray - even the one Paul turned over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh - seen in 1 Corinthinians 5: 1 -12 was for the saving of his soul in the day of Christ Jesus so in all things we must love our enemies and pray for our enemies. Paul may be perceived as having been harsh with him but truly that man who was saved from hell is now very grateful to Paul for the end result. ( he is in heaven now )

So Love, Loving thy neighbor and thy enemy is part of perfection and although sanctification is a process the Apostle Paul was quite clear that there were those who had reached perfection but he told them to go on further! Don't stop at perfection - keep going!

So let us realize that when Jesus said, Be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect he wasn't making some flowery statement! He meant what he said!

So Loving our enemies, praying for our enemies is one sign we are working towards being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.. what else is there?

It is written:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. - James 1: 3,4, 5

So now we have Love and Patience working us towards perfection, P.T. Oh and if you say that Job state of being perfect is impossible what shall we say then of Noah and of Abraham? Shall we deny their walk too? Or Asa whose heart was perfect before the Lord? ( 2 Chronicles 15:17) and many others too!

It is written:

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. - Genesis 6: 9


Isn't this wonderful that God shows us the secret of Noah, of Abraham, of Job who were all counted as perfect men? Even in the New Testament? Yes! It is exciting to know that we too can walk as Abraham walked! We can walk before the Lord as Noah did and as Job did! This life is attainable to us, P.T.! Let us go further now....

It is written:

Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.
-Psalm 37:37

Who said that? King David, another man whose heart was perfect before the Lord! Oh Glory to God, what a relationship King David enjoyed with the Lord! Right? NOTE* How did King David accomplish this? Through a Psalm 101 life. He tells you exactly how to do it! Do what Psalm 101 says - then you can believe God for a Psalm 17 experience! What a blessing that will be for you! I pray you have it once you embark on this journey with the Lord, P.T.! I truly pray you attain that perfect heart as King David had!

Let's go back to James now.

It is written:

For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. - James 3: 2

What is James teaching us?

That if a man is able to have control over his tongue, not to offend in word, the same is a perfect man and that man will be able to control his body. The tongue is a very small member of our body, P.T. but it is also the most dangerous part of our body and it has to be put under control of the Holy Ghost! It has to be!


Look at this, P.T.! This is amazing!

It is written:

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so it is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind.

But the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and therewith we curse men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bare olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. - James 3: 2 - 12

Now here is the good news, P.T.. When you come to Jesus Christ you can ask to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost and then He takes control He can do what you apart from God cannot do! You see? Also the more you pray in the Holy Ghost the more the Holy Ghost takes control of the tongue. Another secret to this state of perfection the Apostle Paul is speaking of... So this is key in understanding that with God all things are possible, P.T. If it were not so, Jesus would not have said, Be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. You see?

So now we have three things that are needed to bring a man to this place of be ye perfect ...... Love - Love your neighbor - Love your enemies.. patience... let patience have its perfect work in you...... your tongue... submit yourself to God, resist Satan and he will flee from you... let me say this also ----> this is what it means to present your members a living sacrifice - this is your "reasonable service" - you must present your members - you need to come under a Spirit controlled life - those that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God... let us go forward now.......

It is written,

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you - 1 Peter 5:10

I believe the Lord wants me to encourage you, P.T. not to be afraid of suffering. Avila once said that if we knew what suffering did for us we'd beg for more of it. I must agree with her and only the Father knows what she suffered at the hands of carnal people.. only the Father knows... the precious little saint she was...

Okay so our list is right now at Love, Love your neighbor, Love your enemies, let Patience have its perfect work in you, put your tongue under submission to the Holy Spirit and suffering.......also a Spirit led life and praying in the Holy Ghost - Paul said he prayed in the Holy Ghost more then them all and Paul was a perfect man yet he told the others some had reached perfection but would not include himself out of humility.. I'll put those scriptures up too ( in next response as this is only addressing your first statement on Job must be a human parable ) but hold on.......

Suffering. We have now added suffering to that list for the perfecting of the Believers. Because Suffering is the one thing the Believers do not like to believe they are called for... yet we are.. you see, suffering is what produces the fruit - it is in the fire of suffering that you grow the fastest if you won't resist it.. when the heat is on? You grow fast! What is true in the natural is true in the spirit..consider a hot climate! Tropical climate down in South America for instance... the foliage is lush and thick - the plants grow fast! Why? The heat! And at night? At night the dew falls! Oh yeah! This is where the growth is going on! Go up north to a cold wind and little sun and see how slow a plant grows! Not so in the tropical heat of South America though! Same for the spirit! The book of Acts church went "viral" when the persecution was the heaviest! Glory to God ! Oh yes! It is just what the church needs and exactly where we are headed! Suffering! That is the word for the church right now!

Great persecution is coming for the church... it is coming!

Suffering.... this was the final test of Job and it proved he was indeed a perfect man because through it all he refused to "curse God and die" as his wife suggested to him.. he was restored back double for all his trouble except for his children which God gave him 7 more sons and 3 more daughters to replace the 10 he lost.. and after all of this Job lived 140 years and he saw his sons and his sons sons even four generations ( Job 42:16 ) and so we know that Job did not serve a "benefitless God" and neither do I! Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord! I love you and you are so good to us! All the time! - Karen

 

[PainefulTruth]

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Job 1:1

Is Job perfect or not?