"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

People talk much about the love of God. Indeed, God is love. But to say that God is love is not to define all that God is; God is love and so much more. And it is sure that God will not allow human beings to define him into a box of actions that restrict His actions. He alone can and has defined himself.

The Apostle Paul, possibly the most scholarly of the apostles--certainly one who wrote the most--stated that the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God are unsearchable as to his judgments and ways--they are beyond our finding out. (Rom. 11:33)

There are aspects of God that are fearful, indeed, scary, when they are seen in their full dimensions. That is why Paul said, knowing the terror of God, we persuade men. (2 Cor. 5) God does a work that is beyond that warm and fuzzy image Christians love to cast God in. Isaiah 28, calls the work of God his work, his strange work; his action, his strange action. It is strange to men, but not to God.

It is ironic that most Christians, in their characterization of God, have actually forgotten their own purpose in relations to God. Human beings were made for the pleasure of God, and that truth God still keeps unto himself. (Rev. 15) And in forgetting, when God extracts the pleasure for which he created man, since it is not always in ways human beings think are appropriate, we see his behavior as strange. God said, My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts; as high as the heaven is from the earth, so are my ways from your ways and my thoughts from my thoughts. (Isa.55)

The case of Job is one case that speaks to this seemingly strange work of God as it relates God to human beings. Isaiah said that God will do his work, his strange work, and his act, his strange act. (Isa. 28: 6) Again, the work of God does not always comport with what human beings think is correct and/or normal for God, and oddly, human beings have attempted to bind God by their own standard of His righteousness, viz., God must do the things that humans think are correct and right; if He fails to comport himself according those standards or their definition of God, then such action is strange. Hence, Isaiah, knowing the fearfulness of God and the unfettered actions of God, wrote that God will do his work, his strange work, and his act, his strange act, to characterize that He will behave in manners that do not subscribe to our supposed ideas of what God will do and who God is.

The case of Job is a prime case of this strange work (and he isn't the only case): Job was the wisest man of the East, he was a perfect man in the sight of God and everyone else around; he gave to the needy, he taught in the market place; he bound up the wombs of the afflicted; he sacrificed to God for himself and his children, peradventure they inadvertently cursed God or sinned against Him in some way; Job made a covenant with his eyes, he wouldn't look at his female (or male) servants with amorous desires. But although he had committed himself to God, the fear of God, the avoidance of evil, and perfection in the sight of God as a way of life, destruction and devastation came to his house.

That devastation was not because of any wrong or sin that Job had committed. Sadly, many Christians have accepted the idea of ungodly men that no one is perfect and that God would not harm His people; as a result of that acceptance, we have diligently attempted, much like Job's friends did (Job 4:8), to find fault with Job, even in the face of God's word that Job was a perfect man. (Job 1&2) Furthermore, God showed us exactly how Job's devastation came about. It was not about Job; it was about what God wanted to do at that time. Yes, God has a way of working all things to His end, as we shall see in this discussion, but this was a case of God and Satan in a controversy about the nature of righteousness and unrighteousness.

One day, when the sons of God came together, Satan was among them; in God's discussion with Satan, God asked his if he had considered Job who was perfect--in right standing with God as God wanted him to be. Satan answered that Job was righteous because God rewarded righteousness and protected it, but were one stripped of all those rewards and without anything, inclusive of his health, that person would curse God. God used Job to show that Satan's contention about the nature of righteousness was totally wrong. And that one is righteous not because of rewards but because that is the way that is right--with or without rewards.(Job 1 & 2)

As said early, Job was the wisest man of the East, so he was not unaware of the workings of God. His awareness went beyond that of his friend. He, as the Apostle Paul, knew the terror and prerogatives of God. Indeed, Job greatly feared the very thing that God would do. That is why he said the thing I most greatly feared has come upon me. (Job 3:23-26) He plainly spoke about that fear when he stated that God destroys the perfect and the wicked. (Job 9 22) Having that knowledge Job chose to be perfect still.

Job's friends, however, although wise, had not seen this aspect of God. So when they came, as friends are supposed to do, they sat with him without words in his hour of pain, as friends are supposed to do. But when they opened their mouths, they voiced syllogistic ideas of Job's situation that did not comport with the factual situation. They argued that the fire that fell from heaven was God; the wind that blew the house down, killing his children, was from God, and generally, Job's undoing was clearly a God act, not an act of man. Their second premise in their syllogistic reasoning was that of Gen. 18, The God (the judge) of all the earth will do right--this was an unspoken premise (enthymeme). Their next stated premise was that whatever you sow you will reap. (Job 4:8 & Gal. 4) They did arrived at the same type of conclusion through their syllogistic reasoning as Christians do today: Job you must have engaged in some hidden sin for God to do this! So the tenor of their discussion with Job was to unearth his sin.

This was, however, a case of a valid syllogism with an incorrect conclusion. The problem was that their underlying assumptions were wrong, so they came up with incorrect premises, and although your conclusion may be valid, when the premises are flawed, although valid, the conclusion is still wrong.

Although Job was perfect and had done all that God required of him and more, Job knew that God, in his own pleasure, had the option of doing what He did to him. That was the knowledge his friends did not have--God had not shared it with them. So Job contended with his friends that another principle, other than one plowing iniquity and reaping it was at work in him. And because they were ignorant of God's righteousness, they only attempted to convince Job of sin.

There is a point that should be made: we see that Satan's torment of Job was a God-approved action. Satan would have never done it unless it was allowed by God. Paul said that all powers must be in subject to the higher power; the powers that be are ordained of God. In Law, we call this act of delegation of power agency. If I designate one to act on my behalf, that one, if not an employee of mine, is an agent of mine. If one sues, one would sue the principle, not the agent, because the principle is responsible. God is always the principle and never the agent.

This concept comes as a shock to many because it departs from the warm and fuzzy feelings we have of God; instead, we see Him as a man of war. This depiction is not inconsistent with who God is. Through the prophet Amos, God is shown to be the principle of destruction in a city: Can there be evil in a city and God has not done it? (Amos 3) And through Isaiah, God says, I make peace and create evil. (Isa. 45) Paul knew the terror of God, so he persuaded all men to turn to God.

God creates evil, but to human beings, they tend to think that God only does good. And they have attempted to bind Him to that, but God will not be bound to that limited aspect of His nature. He has reserved unto himself the pleasure of doing good and creating evil; God is love, but He is also a man of war, and He will do as He wants to do.

The Apostle Paul cites that before the brothers Esau and Jacob were born, hence, before there was good or evil that either could do, God said, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated. They did not dictate God's disposition toward them; His behavior was about what He wanted to do. Likewise, the situation of Moses and Pharaoh was not so much about the behavior of Pharaoh--he did not fashion God's behavior toward him. That type of reasoning would place man before God; hence, it would make God responsive to man. To the contrary, God is the principle mover, not the responder. The disposition of God toward Pharaoh was about God's glory and might being made known to the entire world. "For this cause have I raised thee up, that my name might be made known...." the Scriptures say. (Rom. 9)

Paul explained that Scripture by saying that it is not of him that runs nor him that wills, but of God that lets! This position is the prerogative of God, and He will not surrender that prerogative to human beings because of our imprecise notion of what God will and won't do and what is right and what is wrong for God to do. Who are we to say to the potter, Paul asks, why have you made me thus? Has not the potter power to made a vessel to honor and another to dishonor? And having made a vessel to dishonor, Paul further asks, can't He still find fault with it, even though He has made it a certain way? God can make a vessel as he wills and find fault with it if he wants to. He is God, and all things were made for his glory--yes, human beings too. (Rev.15)

This was the knowledge that Job had. And as a result of that knowledge, Job said that he greatly feared a certain thing of God--that He will, in His own pleasure, destroy the perfect and the wicked. Destruction and devastation aren't always because of sin. Of course, sin is in much of it, but not all of it. Jesus asked whether those Galileans who Pilate mingled their blood in his sacrifices were sinners above all the rest, or if those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell were sinners above all; then he said no, they were not. (Lk.13)

But in spite of that fear and Job's knowledge of what God would do, Job maintained his integrity, because, to him, he was willing to receive good and evil at the hand of God. And he knew that God took pleasure in man to do with him as he willed.

So the Book of Job is not about Job, so much as it is about God taking pleasure in Job and using him to prove Satan wrong about the nature of righteousness and unrighteousness. Yes, in the long view of God, the judge of all the earth will do right because it is in him nature, but we may not always be around to see that long view of God. If Satan rushes in like a flood and takes all that one has, even that person's health, it is not always about sin. It could be about God and His own good pleasure with you. After all, we were made for his glory and His pleasure. The Bible says that when Satan rushes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will lift up a standard against him.(Isa. 59) That standard may be the same as it was for Job--an elevation of his abilities to endure the flood and still say, I have received good at the hand of God, and I will receive evil as well. God can make us stand. (Rom. 14:4)

Another important point about this strange work of God is this: God uses people who are   perfect--Job was perfect, and because he was, God recommended him to Satan. Job wasn't struggling to become perfect, he was already perfect.

Today, we have the idea that perfection is not attainable in this body--this is a paradigm of our modern world that sees sin as ubiquitous, unavoidable, and perfection as unattainable. But wasn't that implied in Satan's argument with God? Why would we carry that disproved notion on? (Eph. 4) God said Job was perfect, but many Christians have tried to find fault with Job even though God said repeatedly, Job was perfect. This attempt to find fault with Job is because of two concepts: we have accepted the carnal notion that perfection is not attainable while we live; second, we attempt to justify why God would do the tremendous evil to Job that he did without the recognition that God created evil and will use it according as He wills.

Perfection is God defined, not human defined. When God says perfect, His definition is different from human beings. Humans define perfection in terms of physical features and a supposed proper attitude or disposition. This certainly does not come near to God's definition. Yet God has repeatedly commanded his people to, "Be perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect; Let us leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection…. Be perfect in all manner of conversation…. As many as be perfect be thus minded…. Perfect are his saints…." God would not ask us to do or be that which we can't do or be. So he expects perfection of his saints. (Eph. 4 & Heb. 6)

It is when we are perfect that God can use us. There is a popular song that says,  please, be patient with me because God hasn't finished with me yet. Of course, these lyrics imply that once you are perfect, God will be finished with you. But to the contrary, when you are perfect, God can really use you, as he did with Job. God did not challenge Satan with an imperfect saint; He directed Satan's attention to Job, a perfect and upright man who feared God and avoided evil! This is the type of Christian God can take pleasure in. We were made for His pleasure, not for our own.

There is a definition of perfect that God gives through Paul: Not as if I have attained, either were already perfect, but this one thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind and reaching for those things that are before, I press for the mark of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus. And we who are perfect be thus minded. This is the mindset of the perfect saint (Phil.3) Notice that this is not a physical description of what it means to be perfect. Jesus said to be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect--no physical descriptions involved. 

It is because saints lack perfection that we have the sluggish nature of today's Christendom. Many churches are overflowing, and some are not, but perfection is the first step in the process of invigorating the Church of God. Paul exhorted and taught the Church at Ephesus and Philippi about God's methodology for perfection. 

In Ephesus 4:11, he writes: He has given some, apostles; he's given some, prophets; he has given some, evangelists, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of the body of Christ until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of Man unto the fullness of the statute of the measure of Christ…. Notice that the perfection of the saints is first before there can be the real work of the ministry and so on. I repeat for emphasis, perfection is required before there can be a working of the ministry; the working of the ministry is required before the body can be edified; edifying of the body is required before the saints can come to the unity of the faith…. And God has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for that purpose--to perfect the saints. He ordained perfection of the saints so that there can be the work of the ministry; when the ministry is working the body is edified; when the body is edified, we can all come to the unity of the faith. This is the progression that God has ordained. 

If we, however, are of the mindset that no one is perfect, we will never see perfection or the attributes of that perfection manifested in our lives. And if we never see perfection, be assured God will not use us to work his strange work or any other type of work. 

Finally, although God used Job in his strange work, the meanings and messages of God are so multiple and layered that we can not unearth all that God has for us at any time. But Jesus said to the Jews of his day, search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life but they are they that tell of me. (John 5). What this Scripture does is show us that the Scriptures were about. They were about more than those who were speaking them and actually living them; they were about Jesus. Job was about Jesus.

Job was an allegory of the strange work of God that he would do in Christ. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, Isaiah said. (Isa. 53) As it pleased God to bruise Job for a particular point God was making to Satan, unknowing to Satan and to Job was a greater lesson that God was giving. In God's strange work He took a man and through a factor of a metaphor showed the world how he would redeem the world. Isaiah 53, delineates the Job situation, as Isaiah talks about Christ, while he is talking about something else. "Oh the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God are unsearchable as to his judgments and ways--they are beyond our finding out." (Rom. 11)

God has done this action before because God's word is layered with meanings and metaphors that are almost beyond our comprehension. David escaping from Saul's rage against him--a rage God used although David was a man after God's own heart--David penned from that experience the words of Jesus on the cross. David didn't think he was a metaphor or an allegory; his fear of Saul was real and great, but God can use us any way He wants to. So He moved on David to write the words of Jesus on the cross years before they occurred: My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

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