Job versus Elphazs, Bildads, and Zophars

Regarding God allowing a Christian to get sick, it is interesting theory and doctrines that are being taught. Boil is a skin tumor which is skin disease. In the Old Testament, people were infected by boils: 1 Plague of Boils for Egyptians (Exodus 9:9,10; Deuteronomy 28:27,35) 2.Boils of the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:6,9;6:5) 3.Boils of Hezekiah, healed (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21) 4.Boils of Job (Job 2:7,8) 5.Levitical calls boil as an infectious skin disease and have ceremonies prescribed for boils (Leviticus 13:18-23) In the beginning of the Book of Job, Job's innocence is established so that people won't interpret Job's friends opinions as judgemental. The very first verse explains that Job was blameless and a man of complete integrity. Job's faith was very strong and feared (loved) God. Job's friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, & Zophar) reminds me of some movements who believes that when Christians get sick, they blame on a Christian who have committed sin. There are many of those who believes such doctrines. There are so many Elphazs, Bildads, and Zophars. God allowed Satan to inflict Job (i.e. boil which is a skin disease). The fact of Job's story is that there are no answers when disaster strikes. We can't explain everything. Faith is to keep trusting God no matter what happens. Job had the strength, the continuity and the unwavering character of true saving faith, true love for God regardless what happened to him. Many of us have identified with him. Many of us also have identified some of our fellow Christians as Elphazs, Bildads, and Zophars. When when Christians face tribulations as Job did, what would their friends do? Biblical writers refer to Job as a real person. Ezekiel refers to Job along with Noah and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14,20). And James draws upon the example of Job to comfort the suffering, proving the point that God is merciful. He commends the endurance of Job (Jas. 5:11). From the Book of Job, we see that God is in complete control. Satan had neither the power nor the authority to do anything without the permission of God. It was consistent with God's nature and will for him to have allowed those things to happen to Job. The Lord's point to Job, at the end of the book, is that he is the all-powerful Creator. He is the loving Sustainer. And he is the perfect Ruler. He created the Universe, and he knows how to govern it as well. Often, Elphazs, Bildads, and Zophars have forgotten God's true Character. Job gets the message in chapter 42. "And Job answered the Lord and said, O, I see, I get it, You can do everything and no thought can be withheld from You and who's ever going to hide counsel without knowledge, therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, things too wonderful for me which I knew not." Job is saying: "God, I understand, You're God, You're sovereign, You can do anything. You know everything. You have all the privileges. I'm a fool for even opening my mouth, I apologize. I've been talking about things far beyond my understanding which I knew not. Too awesome for me to understand. " Others have said similar: Isaiah 64:3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Isaiah 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Job didn't have to repent because he didn't sinned. However He did "humbled" himself before the Lord. Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 147:6 The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 18:4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Again in Matthew 23:12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. James 1:9 The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Humility is a great quality for a Christian to live in because genuine humility is the strength and the result of God's grace and not of ourselves. From Job's point of view, he repented because of his lack of knowledge of God Almight which translates that he repented for his ignorant of God's Character. Which God didn't view as sin but rather in GREAT FAITH because Job trusted God completely regardless. Job did accept the guilt of his friends' sin against God so he blamed himself and prayed to God to forgive his friends. Job had GREAT faith that leaped of pure trust into the arms of God, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). The Book of Job have helped me that even at the most unfavorable of circumstances, we can collapse into God's strength and there experience His amazing grace. Now, that's humility. It is always bad to blame anyone or anything for our unfavorable circumstances. The true Christian is able to live and grow in circumstances that are very unfavorable. Those unfavorable circumstances will help in a spiritual way requires us to have complete FAITH in Him. Spiritual transformation is the mind of renewal which are forced by circumstances. Circumstances creates patterns of thought, attitudes, habits that the Holy Spirit wants to replace with Fruit of the Spirits and true walk of Faith. I am one of the "Jobs". God wants us to be strong and He is our spiritual trainer and He will do anything to get us prepared and go for the prize. God's promise is great, but it is as great as we experience spiritual growth from God's perspectives by cultivating the knowledge of God while at the same time cultivate our faith. As we are training for our spiritual growth, we look NOT AT our faith but in Christ of WHO we have faith in, who is THE author and finisher. "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1). As Job did, persevered is to overcome and conqueoror. 1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Those who are able to endure with strong FAITH shall overcome. 2 Timothy 2:12 "if we endure, we will also reign with him." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Back to Job, the main point, the Book of Job is one of the books in the Bible and being read to understand God's view of situations. If God didn't want the Book of Job part of the Bible, it would not have been written. about a man named Job. He lived in the land of Uz. The book relates details about his family, his life, and his suffering. The book also communicates to us his friends' judgemental interest in his suffering, and the spiritual struggling with his friends' views of God. In the Book of James, James wrote an example of Job to comfort the suffering, proving the point that God is merciful. James commended the endurance of Job (Jas. 5:11).