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Job 16-17

My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me? (Psalm 22: 1 and Matthew 27: 46)
The Psalms describe the humiliation and abandonment of Jesus by friends and enemies, but Job is exclusively about the emotional abandonment of Jesus by all his loved ones and the entire region. As such, Job is a Messianic prophecy and a guide for the Messiah to follow as He experienced His total abandonment on the cross while He searched in vain for comforters.
No Comforters. Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick and I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. (Psalm 69: 20)
I have become estranged from my brothers and an alien to my mother's sons. (Psalm 69: 8)
Avoided by Loved Ones, Friends and Family. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off. (Psalm 38: 11)

No Comforters: The Total Abandonment Of Job And Christ
Useless Comforters. "I have heard many such things; Sorry comforters are you all. (Job 16: 2)
In most accounts we see the Messiah as a man afflicted by His enemies. In this story of Job we can see the sufferings of the Messiah from a unique perspective. Here we see the psychological effects of the abandonment of loved ones.
For Job, not only was there no pity for a man in distress, they multiplied his sorrows by abandoning him, scorning him, mocking him and spitting on him.
This was a man who had been kind to them, whom none of them could attribute an unrighteous deed. He was not a criminal suffering because of his crimes. His only problem was a severe illness and a series of heartbreaking losses and nobody had enough pity to comfort him. How could such a kind and righteous man not deserve an hour of genuine pity from even his loved ones?

- Spiritual Violence. God abandoned him and he was treated like the worst sinner.
  Why do you persecute me as God does, and are not satisfied with my flesh? (Job 19: 22)
  - Afflicted by God. Job insisted that it was God who had persecuted him.
    Terrorized by God. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, their poison my spirit drinks. The terrors of God are arrayed against me. (Job 6: 4)
    Shattered by God. I was at ease, but He shattered me, and He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target. His arrows surround me without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground. He breaks through me with breach after breach; He runs at me like a warrior. I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and thrust my horn in the dust. (Job 16: 12-15)
    Abandoned. God hands me over to ruffians and tosses me into the hands of the wicked. (Job 16: 11)
- Mental Violence. Spurious arguments are used by those who claim to know the will of God, claiming that you are a sinner worthy of punishment. This type of attack makes you turn inward to find the source of disobedience and the memory of wrong done that is worthy of such wrath.
  - No Forgiveness. This questions the genuineness of your repentance and the value of God's forgiveness.
  - No Faith. Surely, if you had faith and God loved you, He would not allow this.
  - Wrong Thinking. You have mental challenges that have led to behavior that has caused your predicament.
  - Wrong Behavior. You are being punished for unconfessed sins. You must be doing something wrong. And, if you think that you have not done any wrong then you are guilty of pride, because nobody is perfect.
- Emotional Violence. He found no comfort when he turned to his friends and loved ones for support.
  - No Comfort From Family and Loved Ones.
    Wife. My breath is offensive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own brothers. (Job 19: 17)
    Brothers and Friends. He has removed my brothers far from me, and my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. (Job 19: 13)
    Brothers and Friends of Jesus. You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot go out. You have removed lover and friend far from me; My acquaintances are in darkness. (Psalm 88: 8,18)
  - Scorned by Servants and Acquaintances. Job begs his hired servants for assistance.
    Servants. Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight. I call to my servant, but he does not answer. I have to implore him with my mouth. (Job 19: 15-16)
    Associates. All my associates abhor me. And those I love have turned against me. (Job 19: 19)
  - The Neighborhood. The people in the area mocked him. This includes children, hooligans, fools and vagrants. Some of these were those he helped.
    Children. Even young children despise me; I rise up and they speak against me. (Job 19: 18)
    Young People. But now those younger than I mock me, whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. And now I have become their taunt, I have even become a byword to them. (Job 30: 1, 8)
    Vagrants and Fools. Fools, even those without a name, they were scourged from the land. They abhor me and stand aloof from me, and they do not refrain from spitting at my face. (Job 30: 9-10)
  - Friends. God gave him up to those who would do emotional violence. How could his friends enjoy his sorrow? It is one thing to conclude that he must be guilty of some secret sin in order for God to punish him so severely, but it is quite another to enjoy the suffering of a friend of whom you had no complaint before and have no evidence of wrong doing now.
    When loved ones relish your destruction it makes you question the entire prior relationship. Did anyone really love me? What have I done to deserve this? Why are they treating me like an enemy when they are not being affected by my calamity? Why is there no sympathy?
    The Ridiculed Man. I am a joke to my friends, the one who called on God and He answered him, the just and blameless man is a joke. (Job 12: 4)
    The Forgotten Man. My relatives have failed, and my intimate friends have forgotten me. (Job 19: 14)
    Scoffers. "My friends are my scoffers; My eye weeps to God. (Job 16: 20)
  - Intimate Friends. There was no comfort from his closest friends. Instead they accused him of hidden sin and basically told him that he was getting what he deserved.
    - You Must Be A Wicked Man. They discounted everything he said and everything they knew about him because according to what they assumed God does, the disaster that happened to him could only have occurred if he was wicked.
      » Eliphaz. Is not your wickedness great and your iniquities without end? (Job 22: 5)
      » Zophar. Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you scoff and none rebuke? (Job 11: 3)
      If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents. (Job 11: 14)
      This is the wicked man's portion from God, even the heritage decreed to him by God. (Job 20: 29)
      » Bildad. If you are pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate. (Job 8: 6)
      » Between the Hard Place and the Rock. Their arguments correctly state that God will deliver the righteous out of trouble. So they conceded that the righteous can have trouble. Yet they must have assumed an immediate delivery because their arguments did not reflect the fact that at the present moment Job could have been a righteous man caught between affliction and victory because they accused him of being responsible for his predicament.
    - Unfairly Condemned. Then these three men ceased answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job ... indeed there was no one who refuted Job, not one of you who answered his words. (Job 32: 1,3, 12)
      They had no answers for Job's arguments, yet instead of conceding that they did not know they proceeded to condemn the man based on their own view of what should be right or wrong and how God behaves towards men. Their great error is in the fact that as his closest friends they should have been able to be a witness for him based on what they knew, instead they multiplied his grief by refusing to listen to him.
- Physical Violence. God also gave him up to those who would do physical violence.
  - Enemies. God hunted him down and gave him to his enemies.
    God Threw Him Away. "His anger has torn me and hunted me down, He has gnashed at me with His teeth; My adversary glares at me. "They have gaped at me with their mouth, they have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me. "God hands me over to ruffians and tosses me into the hands of the wicked. (Job 16: 9-11)
    Christ was given over to the Roman soldiers who beat Him, slapped Him and played a game while they mocked Him. Even those at the trial of the priests abused Him.
    In The Hands of Enemies. Then they spat on His face and beat Him with their fists, and others slapped Him. and said, "Prophesy to us You Christ, who is the one who hit you?" (Matthew 26: 67-68)

The Afflictions Of Job And Christ
Both suffered severe physical and emotional trauma. While the taunting and triumph of your enemy can cause grief, nothing can compare to the betrayal of a friend. Only the taunting and ridicule and lack of care of your family, friends and loved ones can inflict the most severe emotional pain. The severity of the pain is proportional to the love you have for that person or the love you thought they had for you.
What is even more perplexing and distressing is to see them actually enjoy your distress. It is truly a reality that can never be understood. Such was the utter grief and bewilderment of Job. Those to whom he had been kind were now enjoying his disaster. If he had acted superior or treated them with some contempt, then perhaps one could understand why someone who benefited from his kindness would think that he deserved to be "cut down a peg or two". But this was not the case. He treated everyone with respect and actually went to seek out those that he could help even before they asked. This was the deep grief and distress of Christ as the reproach of his friends broke His heart.
... I delivered the poor who cried for help and the orphan who had no helper. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I investigated the case which I did not know. I broke the jaws of the wicked and snatched the prey from his teeth. (Job 29: 12,15-17)

- Disgrace and Shame. Both were filled with shame and reproach.
  Misery Has No Company. If I am wicked woe to me! And if I am righteous I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery. (Job 10: 15)
  Dishonor. He has stripped my honor from me and removed the crown from my head. (Job 19: 9)
  Jesus wore a crown of thorns as they mocked the "King of the Jews".
- Grief. O that my grief were actually weighed and laid in the balances together with my calamity! (Job 6: 2)
- Loneliness. Both suffered the loneliness of being abandoned and scorned by loved ones as their enemies gathered around in a feeding frenzy of joy and glee.
- Terror. Fear and terror were on all sides as the taunts of the wicked overwhelmed him and fear of his future haunted him.
  No Visible Support. Terrors are turned against me. They pursue my honor as the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud. (Job 30: 15)
  The Wrath of God. Your wrath has rested upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. O LORD, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome. Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. They have surrounded me like water all day long; They have encompassed me altogether. (Psalm 88: 7, 14-17)
  Jesus began and ended His ministry as a homeless beggar and vagrant. Even wild animals were better off.
- Excruciating Pain. Job was filled with painful sores from his head to his feet and Jesus was severely beaten before He suffered the agony of crucifixion, suffering from head to feet.
  I am afraid of all my pains, I know that You will not acquit me. (Job 9: 28)
  And now my soul is poured out within me. Days of affliction have seized me. At night it pierces my bones within me, and my gnawing pains take no rest. He has cast me into the mire and I have become like dust and ashes. (Job 30: 16-17,19)
- Good Reputation Ruined. To bolster their case, even his good record was conveniently forgotten or reinterpreted as evil. Where can the righteous turn when their close friends have spiritual amnesia and reinterpret every act of kindness and sacrifice as selfishness and self glory?
  - Wicked. I am accounted wicked, why then should I toil in vain? (Job 9: 29)
    They called this righteous man wicked. Jesus was also compared to the serpent, Satan.
  - Madness. They called Jesus mad, even while He was demonstrating power.
    Relatives Called Him Mad. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying "He has lost His senses."
    Clergy Called Him Demon Possessed. The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul", and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons". (Mark 3: 21-22)
- Gloating and Joy. Job could not understand the degree of joy that they found in his demise. What was my sin that was so great that I deserved this degree of unkindness?
  Am I a Liar? If I have walked in falsehood, and my foot has hastened after deceit
  Did I Commit Adultery? If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or I have lurked at my neighbor's doorway
  I Was Kind. If I have kept the poor from their desire or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone and the orphan has not shared it
  I Helped the Needy. If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or that the needy had no covering ...
  I Was Not Proud. If I have gloated because my wealth was great, and because my hand had secured so much.
  Did I Commit Idolatry? If I have looked at the sun when it shone or the moon going in splendor, and my heart became secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth that too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, for I would have denied God above.
  I Was Not Unkind to My Enemy. Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, or exulted when evil befell him? No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life in a curse.
  I Cared for the Stranger. The alien has not lodged outside, for I have opened my doors to the traveler.
  Even The Land Cannot Find Fault. If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together. (Job 31: 5, 9, 16, 17, 19, 25-30, 32, 38)
  Then if no one can find fault with me, including my enemy, then why do I deserve this suffering and ridicule?
- Rejection. He was sold to the wicked by a friend.
  "Surely mockers are with me, and my eye gazes on their provocation.
  Betrayed. "He who informs against friends for a share of the spoil, the eyes of his children also will languish.
  Spit. "But He has made me a byword of the people, and I am one at whom men spit. (Job 17: 2,5,6)
  Jesus was sold by a friend for thirty shekels of silver and the priests spat on Him.
- Perplexed. Why do the righteous suffer and the schemes of the wicked succeed? Is there no justice?
  Why? Why? Why? I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, "Do not condemn me. Let me know why you contend with me. Is it right for you indeed to oppress, to reject the labor of your hands, and to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?" (Job 10: 1-3)
- Depression. Severe hardship leads to depression. Job longed for kindness and someone who genuinely believed him. What he got was condemnation and skepticism and hypocrisy from some who pretended.
  For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. (Job 6: 14)
  Hardship. You renew Your witness against me and increase Your anger towards me. Hardship after hardship is with me. I should have been as though I had not been, carried from womb to tomb. (Job 10: 17,19)
- No End in Sight. He sees no future, only despair.
  When I expected good then evil came. When I waited for light then darkness came. I am seething within and cannot relax. Days of affliction confront me. I go about mourning without comfort. I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches. (Job 30: 26-29)
- Broken Spirit. Having no genuine friends, he now perceived of the worms as his new friends and family because they were willing to come near him. They did not scorn him. Even Sheol would welcome him with open arms.
  My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me. If I look for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness; If I call to the pit, 'You are my father'; to the worm, 'my mother and my sister'.
  No Hope. Where now is my hope? And who regards my hope? Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust? (Job 17: 1,13-16)
  You have to be the most pitiful of all creatures to find comfort in the nearness of worms and maggots.
- I Am A Hopeless Failure. He was a failure. No one else cared about his hopes and plans and dreams.
  No Hope. Where now is my hope? And who regards my hope? "Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?" (Job 17: 15-16)
  Failed Plans and Dreams. "My days are past, my plans are torn apart, even the wishes of my heart. (Job 17: 11)
  Isaiah prophesies about what seems to be the fruitless efforts of the Messiah.
  Wasted Life. Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. (Isaiah 49: 4)
- Longed For Death. He endured the wrath of God and feared that he would be forgotten in the land of the dead.
  The Wrath of God. For my soul has had enough troubles, and my life has drawn near to Sheol. I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a man without strength, Forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and they are cut off from Your hand. You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths. (Psalm 88: 3-6)
  If there will be no justice, then death and annihilation would be better than living under this cloud of reproach.

The Verdict
It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has". (Job 42: 7)

- Job Was Correct. He judged based on what he knew.
  - God Afflicted Him. In trying to be politically correct and spiritually safe we overlook and minimize the fact that God threw him to the lions by giving the permission for Satan to terrorize him.
  - Job Did not Sin or Curse God.
    Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. (Job 1: 22)
    However, Job asked why did God not pursue justice or use His power to defend him. Jesus summarized the same longing question in one pitiful outburst.
    My God, My God. Why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew 27: 46)
- Job Repented. If Job did not sin, then why did he repent?
  Therefore I retract and I repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42: 6)
  Now gird up your loins like a man. I will ask you and you instruct me. Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified? (Job 40: 7-8)
  If Job made an error it was in not waiting for God. He wanted to reverse the decisions of God. He knew that God did not cause his afflictions but He believed that God handed him over to afflictions and that he had no legal court that could give him justice and end his suffering. Although he knew that he was innocent, he did not curse God, but he sought justice as one who did not deserve such punishment. This was his error. He did not submit. His friends made the error of telling him to submit because he was guilty. They should have told him to submit because he was righteous and he should trust in the character of God.
  » A Day in Court. In vain Job wishes that He could appear in court before God.
  I Am Innocent. Although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure. (Job 16: 17)
  I Have an Advocate in Heaven. "Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high. "O that a man might plead with God as a man with his neighbor! (Job 16: 19-21)
  I Have a Good Case. O that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His feet! I would present my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments. (Job 23: 3-4)
  Pay Attention to Me! Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power? No, surely He would pay attention to me. There the upright would reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge. (Job 23: 6-7)
  Courageous in Adversity. It is God who has made my heart faint, and the Almighty who has dismayed me. But I am not silenced by the darkness, nor deep gloom which covers me. (Job 23: 16-17)
  Job believed that if God was the source of his calamity then he has nothing to fear and every reason to hope because he will cling to the belief that God is reasonable, just and righteous.
  Give Me a Reason. I will say to God "Do not condemn me. Let me know why you contend with me." (Job 10: 2)
  I Have Integrity. Far be it from me that I should declare you right. Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days. (Job 27: 5-6)
  I Am Faithful. But it is still my consolation, and I rejoice in unsparing pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One. (Job 6: 10)
  I Have Hope. Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him. (Job 13: 15)
  Christ also knew that He was innocent, but He accepted the affliction of God and submitted to the will of God. He did not seek to take God to court. His greatest anguish was the terrible loneliness the separation caused.
  The Passover Seder shows how the entire Trinity was afflicted and broken at the crucifixion.

  Total Submission
  The major difference between Christ and Job in how they responded to the testing is that Christ submitted totally, He did not openly seek to have a fair hearing in the universal court.

  - Christ Was Separated. His divinity was split from His humanity so that He had no access to the Trinity. It was the purely human Christ who cried out in loneliness and anguish, but Who still submitted to the God Who now appeared to be distant and unjust.
  - The Trinity Was Separated. They were represented by the three matzos. After Christ was split, the Holy Spirit was separated and released to the earth, then the Father was left alone with a human Son that could no longer sense His presence.
  » Gnashed in the Teeth of Humanity. The symbols of the Seder teach that the entire Trinity was eaten, spit on and chewed up by humanity.
- Something Wonderful. ... therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (Job 42: 3)
  Although Job did not sin he was incorrect in one thing. It was the will of God that he submit to suffering.
  In the end Job discovered that his sufferings were part of a plan that was too wonderful to contemplate.
  » Walking a Mile in God's Shoes. As a friend of God, God was trying to share His future suffering with a special friend. This was a suffering that could not be described or written about. This was a suffering that must be experienced to be fully understood. This was how God tested Abraham when He asked him to kill his precious son so that he could understand the magnitude of the loss that God would suffer.
  » The Wonderful Plan of Salvation. To save His friends and enemies, God had to submit to unjust suffering and humiliation and heart breaking abandonment without trying to seek justice or having His day in court. If Jesus went to court and demanded justice through a fair hearing from a righteous court, then we would be lost.
  As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. (James 5: 10-11)
  » Someone Named Wonderful. This wonderful plan is executed by Someone named Wonderful.
  For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and this government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9: 6)

Verdict: Job's Friends Were Wrong!
What was the sin of the friends of Job? What was wrong with their advice? When you examine their words it sounds like the same arguments we make about the role of God during a tragedy. God says that these are lies. If you read the replies of the friends and pretend that they were speaking to Christ instead of Job, then you would see the errors of their arguments.
Sometimes the righteous suffer like the wicked and it is neither their sin nor God's fault, but still the will of God.
Clueless Advisors. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, "Who is this that darkens counsel without knowledge?" (Job 38: 1-2)
» Eliphaz: The Expert On Everything (Know It All).
We Know More. Behold this, we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it and know for yourself. (Job 5: 27)
You Can't Teach Us. What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not? (Job 15: 9)

- The Righteous Are Never Destroyed. Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? (Job 4: 7)
  Jesus Christ was destroyed and He was innocent.
- Only the Wicked Reap Trouble. According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble harvest it. By the breath of God they perish, by the blast of His anger they come to an end. (Job 4: 8-9)
- Can Man Ever be Pure? Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? (Job 4: 17)
  Yes! Christ was just before God and He justified all mankind.
- God Only Reproves Sinners. Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
  God Inflicts Pain. For He inflicts pain, and gives relief. He wounds and His hands also heal. (Job 5: 17-18)
  The fact is that God does not inflict pain and the righteous suffer. He gives us up to the consequences of the choices we make. And the story of Job shows that even when He gives up the righteous to Satan's testing it is because He believes that we can endure it.
- Short, Painful Life. The Wicked man writhes in pain all his days, and numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless. (Job 15: 20)
  He was only given 33 years, far less than the 70 years promised. And they were probably 33 miserable years of poverty, hard labor, false friendships and unnecessary hardship.

  Lies! Lies! Lies!
  God says that the arguments Job's friends made about Him were lies. However, these are the same arguments we make when faced with tragedy. God says He is not responsible for calamity. For now He is on a mission of mercy. He is not in the business of punishment. God wants us to live, not die. Even when it is time to execute punishment and judgment, He is only enforcing our own choices using the rules that Satan made. He punishes us with our own standards!
  The Proper Use of Power. What is the difference between what God allows and what He does? Since He has infinite power, some see no difference. If He has the power to stop evil and does not do it then He is partially responsible. Or is He? Sometimes God even uses language that implies that He is responsible. He hardened Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 9:12; 10:1,20,27; 11:10). Yet the truth is that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 7: 22; 8:15,32; 9:34).
  A Binding Covenant. We need to understand the magnitude and nature of Satan's claim. We also need to understand that God must abide by His own laws. Our sins have bound God to an agreement that cost Him His life. Because He loved us, God bound Himself to an agreement to give up His life in exchange for ours. The terms of this agreement sometimes make God look helpless or cruel as He has to give us over to Satan who has legitimate claims on us. The covenant made God helpless as He was bound to the cross.

- Sudden Destruction. Sounds of terror are in his ears. While at peace the destroyer comes upon him. (Job 15: 21)
  While He was in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, atoning for our sins and making peace with God, He was arrested.
- Poor and Unfruitful. He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure. And his grain will not bend down to the ground. (Job 15: 29)
  He was poor, and in the end He barely showed any fruit for all His work because Israel had rejected Him.
- Promised Deliverance. In famine He will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. (Job 5: 20-21)
  Deliverance never came. Jesus asked if He could avoid this cup, He was afraid. He was mocked by their tongues and pierced with a sword.
- No Friends. For the company of the of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tent of the corrupt. Job 15: 34
  The righteous can be abandoned. Christ was abandoned, but He was neither corrupt nor godless.
- Judgment in the Darkness. You say, "What does God know? Can He judge through the thick darkness?" Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see. And He walks on the vault of heaven. (Job 22: 13-14)
  Ironically, God did His best judging in the darkness on the day of the crucifixion! If you combine this verse with the imagery of Exodus 33: 18-23 you will see the goodness of God. He hid Himself in the thick clouds, turned off the light, covered His eyes, covered us with His hands, turned His back on sinners as He passed by on the day of judgment. All to signify that He does not see our sins and He can forgive us.
  Satan forced God to be present on the day of judgment, but he forgot to insist that God would open His eyes.
- A Day of Fury on Golgotha. For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity. They will be led forth at the day of fury. (Job 21: 30)
  » The Day of the Lord. Job stated that this was what they thought about the wicked. But Christ, the only righteous man was reserved for this day and led to slaughter under extremely hostile conditions.
- Taunting the Messiah. If you read chapter 15 as questions and statements to the Messiah on the cross, his words are ironic. You should never judge what you do not know.
  - The First Man. Were you the first man to be born, or were you brought forth before the hills? (Job 15: 7)
    » Jesus: The Firstborn. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills I was brought forth. (Proverbs 8: 24-25)
  - The Wisdom of God. Do you hear the secret counsel of God, and limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not? (Job 15: 8-9)
    » Jesus: The Wisdom of God. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding, power is mine. (Proverbs 8: 14)
  - Son of the Aged. Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father. (Job 15: 10)
    » Jesus: Son of the Ancient of Days. He is the only begotten son of God. His Father is older than man.

» Bildad: The Expert On Those Who Do Not Know God.
Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God. (Job 18: 21)
This is supposed to be the reward of those who do not know God, yet this was the reward of a loving God who was despised by an ungrateful creation.

- Forsaken. Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He support the evil doers. (Job 8: 20)
  While Christ was forsaken by God, the schemes of the evil men were succeeding.
- Walks into A Trap. A snare seizes him by the heel, and a trap snaps shut on him. A noose for him is hidden in the ground, and a trap for him on the path. (Job 18: 9-10)
  He walked into a trap set by a friend who betrayed Him.
  » Caught by the Heel. He also fulfilled the promise to Eve when He was caught by the heel (Genesis 3: 15).
- Terrors. All around terrors frighten him, and harry him at every step. (Job 18: 11)
- No Strength. His strength is famished, and calamity is ready at his side. (Job 18: 12)
- Skin Torn. His skin is devoured by disease, the firstborn of death devours his limbs. (Job 18: 13)
- Marched Before Kings. Jesus had several trials before the king, governor and the Sanhedrin.
  He is torn from the security of his tent, and they march him before the king of terrors. (Job 18: 14)
- Darkness and Death. He is driven from light into darkness and chased from the inhabited world. (Job 18: 18)
- Dead. His roots are dried below and his branches are cut off above. Memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name abroad. (Job 18: 16-19)
- No Children. He has no offspring or posterity among his people, nor any survivors where he sojourned. (Job 18: 19)
- On Both Sides. He was between mocking thieves on each side and encircled by a jeering crowd.
  Those in the west [who have come after] are appalled at his day and those in the east [who have gone before] are seized with horror. (Job 18: 20)
- Never Clean. How can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of a woman? (Job 25: 4)
- The Son of Man is a Worm. If even the moon has no brightness and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less man, that maggot, and the son of man, that worm! (Job 25: 5-6)
  Yet Christ, Who identified Himself as the Son of Man, born of a woman was clean before God but was treated as a despised maggot and a wicked man, the same way they treated Job. This is because they believed only those who do not know God could be treated this way. Yet God Himself was treated this way.
- Justice At the Final Moment. If your sons sinned against Him, then He delivered them into the power of their transgression. If you would seek God and implore the compassion of the Almighty, If you are pure and upright, surely now He will rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate. Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly. (Job 8: 4-7)
  An injustice was done to Christ. He was pure and upright, hanging on the cross but God did not help Him and rescue Him at the last moment. He was not rescued. He died in infamy with His name as a reproach for 2000 years.

» Zophar: The Expert On The Reward Of The Wicked.
This is the wicked man's portion from God, even the heritage decreed to him by God. (Job 20: 29)
This is supposed to be the reward of a wicked man, but this was how the only righteous man was treated.
Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures, and unfanned fire will devour him. It will consume the survivor in his tent. The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. The increase of his house will depart. His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger. (Job 20: 26-28)

- Devoured by Fire. He was the burnt offering.
- Heavens Reveal Iniquity. It was dark for three hours as He became the sin offering.
- Earth Rises Up. There was an earthquake.
- Possessions Gone. He died with nothing, stripped naked as they gambled for His clothes.
- The Increase of His House Departs. The disciples fled and Israel rejected Him.
- After A Meal. During the Passover meal, Judas went to betray him. After the meal, Jesus was arrested.
  In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped; the hand of everyone who suffers will come against him. When he fills his belly, God will send his fierce anger on him and will rain it on him while he is eating. (Job 20: 22-23)
  Jesus compared His suffering to a baptism. Doom rained on Him during the Passover seder.
  Baptism by Fire. I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. (Luke 12: 49-51)
  His sacrifice will ultimately separate the righteous from the wicked. However, for now the plan of salvation will bring a division between the Jews and Gentiles. He did not come to negotiate a peaceful coexistence between good and evil or to reach a point of equilibrium between ying and yang.
- Body Pierced. Jesus was pierced with a sword.
  He may flee from the iron weapon, but the bronze bow will pierce him. It is drawn forth and comes out of his back, even the glittering point from his gall. Terrors come upon him. (Job 20: 24-25)

Zophar had other ideas about what wicked men could do to be set right that did not appear to be true on the cross.

- Silent Man Convicted. Shall a multitude of words go unanswered and a talkative man be acquitted? (Job 11: 2)
  It is not only the talkative that are convicted. Jesus was silent and He was still convicted.
- I Am Innocent. They did not believe Job's claim of innocence. Jesus was all this and more.
  For you have said, "My teaching is pure, and I am innocent in your eyes." (Job 11: 4)
- Arms Stretched Out. If you would direct your heart right and spread out your hand to Him, If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents. Then, indeed you could lift up your face without moral defect, and you would be steadfast and not fear. (Job 11: 13-15)
  Jesus had set His heart right with God. Even His arms were forcibly stretched out and nailed to a cross. But He still died like a wicked man after doing everything right.
- No Rest from the Crowd. Surrounded by a mob who sought His life, there was no hope in what Jesus saw.
  Then you would trust, because there is hope. And you would look around and rest securely. (Job 11: 18)
- Despised and Rejected. At this point nobody wanted to be associated with Him.
  You would lie down and none would disturb you, and many would entreat your favor. (Job 11: 19)
- Breathed His Last. With His dying breath Jesus committed Himself to God. He was a righteous Man.
  But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and there will be no escape for them. And their hope is to breathe their last. (Job 11: 20)

» More Humiliation. The statements of Zophar point to other things that happened at the crucifixion that were not written down. So we will take the opportunity to use the statements of the covenant, circumstantial evidence and other Messianic prophecies to list several other indignities that Jesus suffered that were not directly stated in the gospels.

- Vomited. Christ was severely dehydrated on the cross. One symptom of dehydration is vomiting.
  Yet his food in his stomach is changed to the venom of cobras within him. He swallows riches but will vomit them up. God will expel them from his belly. He returns what he has attained and cannot swallow it. As to the riches of his trading, he cannot even enjoy them. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor. He has seized a house which he has not built. (Job 20: 14-15, 18-19)
  The clean animals regurgitate food, they usually lie down to do this. Here we find that Jesus probably vomited and it might have happened when He lay down on the cross to be nailed.
  » The Northern Tribes. The symbol has much more meaning. The lesson on the twelve tribes surrounding the sanctuary are a prophecy of the order of events in the last seven days of Christ. They show that the tribes in the north represent the humiliation by Satan. Job adds to our understanding.
  - Dan (Cobra or Serpent). Christ was viewed as a serpent on the cross. Here Job shows us that His experience was like ingesting the poison of a venomous snake.
  - Asher (Fat Bread or Rich Food). He represents His death and burial. This period is described as "Fat bread" and "Rich food". The statements in Job add more to this picture. Job also shows us that He swallowed riches. We were the riches that He traded for with His blood when the ransom was paid to Satan. Yet He could not enjoy this knowledge because He was dead.
    » Hidden from Wrath. Other symbols show that He swallowed us to hide us from the wrath as God passed over. According to Job we were like venom in His stomach. He was even protecting His enemies!
  - Naphtali (Resurrection). The vomiting also represents the resurrection of the people with Him.
    The object of the church is not be be vomited out of Christ but to be assimilated in Him. We will be raised up because He was resurrected. But the church of Laodicea is like the venom of a cobra in His stomach. We think that we are still the riches that He swallowed but He will be forced to spit us out because we cannot be assimilated. We are a cobra's venom, not gold.
  He ministered to the poor, but He was oppressed and robbed of everything and He seized the house that was stolen from Him and built a better house.
- Stumbled and Fell. Since Simon was asked to carry the cross for a part of the journey we assume that Jesus could no longer carry it (Mark 15: 21). Therefore, He must have fainted, stumbled and fell.
  - Fainted. He had no strength. He was dehydrated from the cruel flogging and blood loss.
  - Stumbled and Fell. The curses say that the wicked will fall.
    They will therefore stumble over each other as if running from the sword, although no one is pursuing, and you will have no strength to stand up before your enemies. (Leviticus 26: 37)
- Plundered. He was left with nothing because they took all that He had and the rest fled.
  All who pass along the way plunder him. He has become a reproach to his neighbors. (Psalm 89: 41)
  - Naked. The Romans crucified the criminals naked. According to the record, His clothes were taken away.
  - Barefoot. The priests walked barefoot in the sanctuary. Their actions indicate what happened to Him on the day the offering was made. He was crucified barefoot and He probably walked barefoot.
- Mary Was Missing. We have a romanticized story of what Mary did even though it is not recorded in the Bible. All we know is that Mary was standing with the other women in the distance (John 19: 25). At some point she came to the cross with John just before He died (John 19: 26-27).
  According to the prophecies, the record said that He had nothing and when He looked for comforters He found none (Psalm 69: 20). So, when He looked around for a friendly face in the midst of His grief Mary was not there.

In pretending to understand the mysteries of God, they totally discounted the words of a man who was their friend and who was consistently a righteous man as far as they knew. Their sin was in not judging by what they know but by judging by what they assumed about the righteous and the wicked. They wanted to be so much on the safe side where the majority of opinion leaned, that they were willing to suspend all that they knew about a close friend in favor of what they thought God should be like. Spiritual correctness overruled to the extent that they convinced themselves that he was evil, sick, stubborn, self-righteous and deluded. And in the process, they also misrepresented the character of God and became a type of the sorry comforters and fair weather friends who were present at the crucifixion.

» Elihu: Defends God.
Only the young one showed wisdom. He chastised the others for condemning Job without answering his arguments. Then he chastises Job for thinking that he can defend himself before God. He tells Job that God is righteous, more righteous than Job.
God is Just. Surely, God will not act wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. (Job 34: 12)
Therefore, Job needs to wait for God.
Wait For God. How much less when you say you do not behold Him, the case is before Him, and you must wait for Him! (Job 35: 14)

The Afflictions And Defamation Of God
We know that God was afflicted in the person of Jesus Christ, yet for over six thousand years and even today God is still suffering under a cloud of shame.

- Betrayed and Abandoned. One third of the angels abandoned Him because of the lies and efforts of a friend who stood by His side every day. Lucifer was one of two covering cherubs who stood next to the throne of God.
- Defamation of Character. In a world of perfection, where the inhabitants had every comfort one wonders about the lies and innuendoes and whisper campaign that was so convincing that one third of the angels chose to abandon the God of love and compassion and goodness. How did God feel as He daily watched friends believe a lie about Him and that His known character and behavior were irrelevant to those who knew Him and were supposed to love Him when compared to unsubstantiated words. Even if they admired Lucifer, surely what was known must account for more than unsubstantiated allegations?
  Even on earth, we blame God for unspeakable horrors.
  » God Creates All Disasters. How often do you hear people blame a disaster on "an act of God". Every day, every moment the name of God is uttered somewhere as a curse or in expressions of disappointment at His failure to use His power to assist them.
  » God Tortures. The most popular view of hell claims that God has been, is now and for all eternity will torture sinners in unquenchable flames. All people, young and old who reject Him will burn forever.
  » God Inflicts Pain. Does God test faith or our love by inflicting unbearable pain? No! God does not tempt or test anyone. Satan does. What God does is to prepare us for the inevitable test that Satan will bring on those who want to trust in God. He does this by giving us an armor.
  No amount of positive thinking or claiming promises will spare us the ravages of this test. You win this test by submitting all answers and expectations. You will win if you cling to the belief that one day God will win and He will justify you even if you have to submit to death.
- A God of Sorrows. As He is being blamed for every disaster, God also has to watch the evils that are being committed every second against His creation. God sees as children are being raped and murdered. He feels the pains as millions starve while others have a feast near by. He sees our cruelty to each other and to animals. He watches as the strong victimize the weak and He daily hears the cries of the victims who often blame Him for not acting or blame themselves as deserving of such treatment.
  On the planet we have everything we need to assist each other. Therefore, short of a personal intervention there is nothing else that God can do because we will still abuse and misuse everything He provides for us.
- Rejection and Loneliness. God experienced the rejection of Lucifer and the angels and the temporary suspicions of the unfallen. Then He watched as Adam and Eve fell into the arms of His arch enemy. He saw as an entire world of hundreds of millions deserted Him and scorned His efforts to save them. Then He chose Israel and repeatedly lived under the humiliation of a devoted husband who was repeatedly disgraced by a prostituting wife. Now, at the end of time, He sees a world of billions who reject Him as they cling to the leadership and values of one who hates, abuses and destroys them.
  God is lonely.
- A God Without Honor in His Own House. God was stripped of honor as He submitted to the accusations, suspicions and taunts of His creation. Christ stripped Himself of the trappings of honor to become a servant leader Who would restore the honor of God.
  How do we know this? Instead of wiping out a rebellious creation He subjected Himself to a period of judgment in which He can restore His honor and good name and also rescue those who were foolish enough to harbor any thoughts of distrust. So while God is still under a cloud of judgment, He is treated with contempt by His creation.
  ... Rather let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, "That You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are judged". (Romans 3: 4)

True Friends Of God. In his period of sorrows the friends of Job failed. In this time of God's suffering, God asks His friends to sit with Him as He tries to make us understand the multitude of His sorrows and His intense feelings of grief and pain. God tells us about His feelings as He allows us to feel them.
For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. (Philippians 1: 29)
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. (1 Peter 4: 13)

Suffering Friends
It is now clear why God rewards former sinners with such honor to represent Him as priests to the unfallen universe. We have suffered defamation like Him and we understand His suffering at a level that the unfallen cannot.

When a friend is suffering, you do what it takes to relieve their physical pain and anxiety and their mental suffering and comfort them. But the one who loves the most will go further. It is easy to say comforting words and do comforting things, even when those efforts are genuine and persistent. It is hard to go one step further to understand by feeling and experiencing their pain and suffering.
If you have been given the privilege of suffering the afflictions of God, you will reach a great turning point when you begin to understand that you can use the emotions and the situations that caused them to empathize with God. God is not just a Person to whom you can turn when you need something or to boost His ego with praises. God can also be comforted.

Testing The Righteous
How does God test the mature Christian? We will demonstrate how by the example of marriage.

- Removing All Opportunity to Sin. Building a safe environment is necessary for babies. But righteousness and faithfulness cannot be proved if people cannot choose. This is the argument that Satan made about Job.
  A Protective Fence. Then Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear You for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has. He will surely curse You to Your face". (Job 1: 9-11)
  If God wants to safely populate heaven with people who are already exposed to evil, but who will always choose what is right, then they need to understand the consequences of their choices.
  » The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve were babies. In a safe environment, His plan was to teach Adam and Eve about right and wrong when they were mature enough. Unfortunately they were tempted to learn on their own before they were strong enough. Their introduction to sin was the equivalent of learning about sex at the age of six by a rapist with a lollipop and a gun, not on their wedding night at age twenty.
  So the tree was not designed to tempt them. It was made to teach them more about the existence of evil, once they had learned to trust the good. Until then, their lesson on the difference between right and wrong was, "Tree bad! Everything else good! Trust Me!"
  So God does not test your fidelity to your marriage by removing your hormones or placing you among fat, ugly people. First, He designs a system that releases your hormones when you are mentally able to handle these emotions after you have been taught about Him and proper relationships as a child.
- Providing an Opportunity to Sin. While God can thwart evil and turn it into good, God does not use evil to create good. If God did this then He would be a party to evil. God does not teach you to do good by offering you opportunities to do wrong to test your resistance.
  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. (James 1: 13)
  However, since the people that God is trying to save are among the wicked, then God has to make sure that you are not corrupted by them. Therefore, God will test your fidelity to Him by putting you among wicked people with whom you must learn to live. He has to show you how to live among people without being corrupted by their evil. God is not testing you with sin. He is putting you as a light among sinners. You should influence them. They should not influence you because you hold the principles of God in such high esteem.
  I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord as their fathers did or not. (Judges 2: 21-22)
  So God does not test your fidelity to your marriage by constantly throwing gorgeous people at you. Satan does that without the approval of God. God is not in the business of testing you by temptation. God will allow testing by the natural processes of a dying planet. He will allow sickness, calamity, disaster and hardship but God does not test us with opportunities for immorality.
  These are the tests designed by Satan that God allowed because it also tested the relationship with Him. Since you have to work with the people who are in darkness God cannot shield you from the temptations of the dark.
- Providing an Opportunity to be Good. In an environment of evil, God tests the righteous by providing an opportunity to do such extreme good that they are willing to sacrifice everything for others or for God even when there is no evidence of reward or recognition or breaking even. The one who is most righteous will still do what is right even when there is evidence of the worst personal outcomes. Such a person recognizes that righteousness is a cause that is bigger than self. That is spiritual maturity. They will never do evil nor can be tempted by evil.
  Job determined that He would remain loyal to God despite the evidence that God had abandoned him.
  Golden People. But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His path. I have kept His way and not turned aside. (Job 23: 10-11)
  God could test your fidelity by allowing circumstances to give you a socially justifiable reason to abandon your spouse. Mental illness, chronic illness, imprisonment, poverty, adultery and abandonment are all non-life threatening reasons to seek another mate. The loving spouse stays "for better or for worse". Even when God allows you grounds for divorce in adultery, you can still choose your marriage by choosing forgiveness.

Testing The Righteous Messiah
How did God test the mature Christ?
He took Him out of the safe environment in heaven and placed Him among sinners in the worst place in Israel so that He could learn about good and evil by experience. Then He gave Him to Satan after Christ had submitted to His will.
... My Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me, yet not as I will, but as You will. (Matthew 26: 39)
» Atonement In The Garden Of Gethsemane.

The Gift of God | The Wages of Sin (Certificate of Debt from Satan)
--- | ---
Garden of Gethsemane | Arrest | Trial | No Disciples | Crown of Thorns | Carry Cross | Crucifixion | Death
Prayer | Sweat Blood | Atonement | Curse | Wrath
The Blood in the Sanctuary | The Burnt Carcass Eaten in the Outer Court

For this reason, atonement was made in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed for sinners and offered up His own blood Himself by sweating blood on the ground and by having a broken and contrite spirit before God. God had tested Him and Jesus submitted to the will of God. It was the blood carried into the Most Holy Place by a living High Priest that made atonement, not the burnt carcass.
In the garden Christ accomplished both states. He was alive, yet He was bleeding. Together they made atonement for sin without the help of humans or participation of demons, and without an act of barbarity but because of an emotion based in great love. A knife across His jugular vein did not release this blood. Extreme agony caused by extreme love did. God did not need evil or an evil act to complete the Holy Plan of Salvation. As far as God was concerned, He was satisfied with this atonement. But the forces of evil wanted more. They smelled blood!
So what! God took the easy way out by bleeding a little in the garden. Let us test Him and He will abandon God. So what happened to Christ next was not orchestrated by God. And it became more of an exercise about breaking the relationship among the Trinity than separating us from God. This was the greatest battle in the war on the Trinity.
Christ had not abandoned us. All Satan had left was the hope that Christ would hate God. It was Satan who wanted his pound of flesh for the wages of sin. God had already given us eternal life as a gift in Gethsemane.
» The Southern Tribes.

The Curses And Wrath On All Sinners
Penalty | Curse | Wrath
--- | --- | ---
| Hard Labor | Carries cross | Breathing on the cross
| Thorns and Thistles | Crown of thorns | Nails
| No Fruit | No Israel | No God
| Return to dust | Fell | Death
| Submission | Arrest, trial | Crucifixion
| Birth pains | Peter denies | Church birth
Naked | Gambled for clothes | Naked on the cross
Lost Paradise | No Israel | Sent to sheol
Sword (war) | Peter | Pierced side
Separation | No friends | Cut off
Darkness | Night | Dark day
| Crawl on belly | Fell on the ground
| Eat dust | Death, burial, embalmed
| Enmity | Hated by Israel
| Bruised head | Crown of thorns
| Bruised heel | Nailed feet
Punishment of Adam. (Genesis 3: 17-19) Punishment of Eve. (Genesis 3: 15-16) Punishment of Satan. (Genesis 3: 14-15)

The lesson on the twelve tribes surrounding the sanctuary also show that the southern tribes represent His ordeal in the Garden of Gethsemane when God allows our afflictions.

- Reuben (No Preeminence). He was the firstborn Son Who had lost preeminence by giving it up. He must submit Himself to Satan.
- Simeon (Hated). He was hated by the people and the demons who intended to do violence to Him.
- Gad (Raided). After winning our atonement He was captured into slavery by an angry mob who dragged Him to the cross to be humiliated and killed.

» The Wrath Of Satan. Everything else that He experienced after Gethsemane was Satan's vicious debt collection. The only thing that Satan could hope to accomplish was to split the Trinity by making Jesus curse the Father. So calamity after calamity fell on this Man Whom God had declared righteous. And Christ did not curse God before He died. He blessed God and forgave those who were killing Him. He demonstrated that He deserved to be the Ruler of the earth because He loved the people more than His own life. So Jesus won our salvation with His blood in Gethsemane and purchased back dominion from Satan on the cross with His life and proved the love of God. He restored honor to the Trinity by showing what They would do to forgive Their enemies.

» The Wrath Of God. Although Christ already gave blood to atone for our sins, Christ still had to die to suffer our punishment for sin and He also had to suffer our curses, including separation.
It was Satan who wanted to see this punishment, not God.
Satan administered this punishment of death and curses called the wrath of God and the story of Job helps us to understand how and why. We find the terms of a possible bargain that was forged by Satan when God agreed to handicap Himself in the body of a human so that Satan could torture Him for 33 years. Paul calls this bargain, the certificate of debt. In the Garden, Christ repaid God. On the cross, Christ repaid this debt to Satan.
A Crushing Generational Debt. Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and He has taken it out of the way having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Colossians 2: 14-15)
It was the terms of the wrath that were hostile to humans. Christ nailed them to the cross when He was nailed. He took away the weapons of Satan and the malicious rulers and principalities when He endured their assault and conquered and became the legal Ruler of the earth.

- Property and Dominion. Adam lost dominion of the earth to Satan and virtually sold his children into slavey by debt bondage. Satan thought that he could separate Job from God by taking away his possessions and family and making him poor, hated and desolate.
  But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has. He will surely curse You to Your face. (Job 1: 11)
  So he hopes that the children of Adam will also hate God because of the conditions under which we are forced to live.
  » Temptation in the Wilderness ("Wealth"). When Satan first tested Christ it was to give Him property and dominion so that they could form an alliance against God and split the Trinity by mutiny and adultery.
  The World. And the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me". (Matthew 4: 8-9)

  Dominion Restored
  The property laws state that God owns everything and merely gives families the permanent right of use. The laws allow people to sell themselves into slavery or give up their land use. This is what Adam did when he sinned. However, someone can be rescued from slavery earlier if the debt is paid. This is what Christ did. At the jubilee all slaves must be freed and property restored to the original occupants. So Satan could never permanently hold possession. This is what the Second Coming does.

  At the end He could only hope to take away these things from Christ by splitting the Trinity by divorce on the grounds of abandonment.
  » Temptation on the Cross ("Poverty"). The Messiah would have nothing. No property, no friends or family. Satan tried to demoralize Christ by removing the support of His friends and family and by subjecting Him to a life of poverty and hardship.
  Nothing Left. Then after the sixty two weeks the Messiah would be cut off and have nothing. (Daniel 9: 26)
  » The Gift of God ("The Wealth of Heaven"). This stripping of power and possessions began with the incarnation and merely intensified at the crucifixion.
  God Became Poor. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8: 9)
  Gave up Heaven and the Attributes of Divinity. who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped ... (Philippians 2: 6)
  Remember, when you have lost everything that you have not lost God. He is the prized possession.
- Body. Adam lost his covering and was naked. Job was covered in boils and sores and Christ was beaten raw.
  However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh. He will curse You to Your face. So the Lord said to Satan, "Behold he is in your power, only spare his life." (Job 2: 5-6)
  » Temptation in the Wilderness ("Bread"). Satan is the mastermind behind the "good cop/bad cop" interrogation technique. He first tempted Christ by showing concern for His physical welfare. In the end he inflicted the worst pain and torture on His body.
  Save Yourself. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread". (Matthew 4: 3)
  » Temptation on the Cross ("Broken Body"). Christ put on the body of a human and separated Himself from His friends in heaven. After the disciples scattered, Christ was severely beaten and crucified.
  Dislocated Bones. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me. (Psalm 22: 14, 17)
  By the time of the crucifixion all pretense was gone. Satan did not care about His physical welfare. He wanted Christ to hurt so bad that He would curse God and die.
  » The Gift of God ("The Bread of Heaven"). God fed us with the Bread of Life from heaven.
  God Became Human. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7)
  God Gives Life. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. Jesus said to them, "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst". (John 6: 33, 35)
- Life. Adam died. Job's life was protected by God. However, Satan must have bargained for the life of Christ.
  » Temptation in the Wilderness ("Life"). Satan told the great High Priest to kill Himself at the temple.
  Kill Yourself. God Will Save You. Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down" ... (Matthew 4: 5-6)
  While the High Priest must die as the Lamb of God, the death cannot be by suicide but by submission.
  » Temptation on the Cross ("Death"). Christ submitted to death and gave Himself to God with His last breath.
  God Gave Up His Life. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2: 8)
  » The Gift of God ("Eternal Life in Heaven"). For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3: 16)
  When tempted with life, Christ chose death rather than disobedience.
- Victory and Reward. Job received double what he lost. This is the inheritance of a first born son. Christ received what He has lost in heaven and He won back dominion of the earth and its people from the clutches of Satan.

The Wages Of Sin And The Price Of Salvation
Let me be clear. I am not teaching that Christ did not have to die or that the wages of sin is not death. Far from it. If we sin we must be separated from God and we will die. But how will we die? Are the wages of sin cruel, inhuman death by torture?
In fact, the slaughtering ritual demands that the animal should be treated kindly, be spoken to kindly and that the death must be as quick and painless as possible. If not, the animal is unfit for food or sacrifice.
But this was not the death that Christ died. His death was slow, painful, unkind and humiliating. So why was it not ritually unacceptable? How could God break His own laws and accept this offering?
This was not the death God approved. It was the death Satan imposed for God to purchase us back. Christ did not purchase us back from God for God. He purchased us back with His life from Satan for God!
Purchased For God. And they sang a new song saying "worthy are you to take the book and break the seals; for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Revelation 5: 9)
... the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20: 8)
Think about this logically. Why would God hold us for ransom and then die by torture to pay Himself this ransom? It only makes sense that someone else is demanding the ransom and this person is an enemy.

The Plan of Salvation
Exchange Allowed | Ransom Demanded
--- | ---
God |  | Life | Christ's Blood | Death |  | Satan
Substituted in Gethsemane | Purchased on Calvary
The Gift of God | The Wages of Sin

» The Price of Salvation. In the law about the acceptance of the Levites, salvation is pictured as a purchase, ransom, exchange and a substitution of the firstborn (Numbers 3). Here is why.
For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6: 23)

- The Gift: Substituted. Sin separated us from God and would eventually lead to death if God abandoned us. Christ reconciled this relationship by drawing us near to God with His blood, because life is in the blood.
  » Blood Given. Because the life is in the blood, Christ gave life when He voluntarily gave blood in Gethsemane.
  » Firstborn Substituted. One priest was substituted for one firstborn. Christ was substituted for us.
- The Wages: Ransomed and Purchased. Satan kidnapped us and held us for ransom because Adam carelessly gave away dominion and sold us as slaves. So a part of what happened at the crucifixion was what Satan demanded. It was the price Satan set. God did not hold us for ransom. Satan did. Christ paid the ransom to Satan, not to God.
  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to give His life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20: 28)
  who gave himself as a ransom for all ... (1 Timothy 2: 6)
  » Blood Taken. Because life is in the blood, Christ died when Satan drained Him of all His blood on the cross.
  » Firstborn Ransomed. If there were more people than priests, the remaining were purchased.
  At the crucifixion there was only one righteous man who became our substitute and High Priest. Only one righteous Priest was found.
  There were much more people than righteous priests. So Christ had to ransom every single one of us.

So, as we sing eloquently about the victory at the cross, let us not forget the significance of Gethsemane. We had already won at Gethsemane. Only the Trinity could lose at Calvary.
Jesus Christ was substituted for us in Gethsemane and then used to pay the ransom to Satan at Calvary!

» The Plan of Salvation. Whether from God or Satan, the wages of sin is death. But Satan says, "Kill them now! Torture them! Let them suffer!". While God says, "Wait! Let me first plead with them because I am willing to forgive them".
On Calvary, Satan emphasized the wages of sin. But in Gethsemane, Christ emphasized the gift of God. Satan struck a deal to sell us back to God. The price was Christ. So the wages of sin is death, because what happened on the cross is also a part of the transaction called the Plan of Salvation.
Christ atoned for us with God in Gethsemane with His blood when He substituted Himself for us and set us right with God so that we are no longer separated. Then He purchased us back from Satan on the cross with His life and blood.
Fortunately, Jesus made the ritually pure offering of blood in Gethsemane before Satan's mob tortured Him.
It is comforting to see the true nature of God in this plan. He did not wait to impose the death sentence immediately, rather His plan was to first give us a gift of forgiveness and reconciliation.
» Death From God. If Satan did not exist and we sinned on our own and refused to repent, then we would also die when God finally separated from us. This is how Satan will die, after God gave him thousands of years to repent.
A fire will come out of him and destroy him, signifying that he is responsible for his own death.
Fire Within. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you and I have turned you to ashes on the earth, in the eyes of all who see you. (Ezekiel 28: 18)
It is as if the withdrawal of God removes a nuclear containment shield and the atoms in his body explode.

» The Dead Body of Christ. Unless the family obtained permission to bury the bodies, crucifixion victims were left to rot in the open air and eaten by scavengers. Satan probably wanted this final humiliation and He probably contended for the body of Christ just as he tried to get the body of Moses (Jude 9). There is some evidence of this in Zechariah as the high priest stood before God clothed in sin and accused by Satan
The Brand on Fire. Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
Filthy Clothes (Sin). Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. (Zechariah 3: 1-3)
His body would not suffer further humiliation by being eaten by worms in the grave or by scavengers on the cross.

» The Victory Of God (With Both Hands Tied). Christ did not win the crucial victory by being the strong male. He won by submitting like a weak woman. Satan intended to humiliate Christ. But in His position of humiliation, blinded, abandoned, naked, submitting like a woman and a slave, with both hands and feet tied and nailed Christ defeated Satan. What a humiliating defeat!

» Binding Leviathan. Satan started this fiery trial and in the end God says that only He can bind this tyrant.
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?
Vengeance. Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
The Father Of The Proud. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. (Job 41: 1-2,10-11,34)
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. (Psalm 74: 13-14)
Taking Away The Dominion Of Satan. No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. (Mark 3: 27)
Jesus is the one who can stand before God and bind the strongman to rescue the people and take vengeance for God.

The Faith Of The Righteous
This story might also demonstrate another truth. It shows why "the just shall live by faith".
"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith." (Hebrews 10: 35-38)
Like Christ, Job had to deal with his ordeal by faith. There were no good answers from everyone around them and God either could not defend Himself or would not defend Himself.
They had to rely on what they previously knew and heard about God. God also handicapped Himself by allowing faith. And faith can only be passed down by the hearing of the word of God.
So faith comes by hearing. And hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10: 17)
Because of faith, the righteous must trust in God through the Word of God by the statements of the cloud of witnesses before them. God passed down instructions through the prophets, the laws and the signs in the feasts. The righteous must trust in this written testimony and not rely on their temporary feelings and circumstances because we can never afford to make the mistake of Adam and Eve, especially in our current condition.
We cannot substitute our own opinions and desires for the righteous testimony of God and about God. This testimony must be held in high esteem by us and we must read about it and listen to it. Here is the testimony.

- Character of God. God is loving, merciful, righteous and He is not a liar. Depend on Him.
- Promises of God. God keeps His promises and He only plans the best for us. Wait for Him.
- Written Word of God. The Bible is the only reliable written testimony about God. It is always relevant and current.
- History of the Righteous. This shows how God deals with humans. We can use it to understand our trials.

Repetition and Enlargement

The Character of God
We have learned that God is not unjust. He does not hand us over to testing if we cannot bear it. We also understand that God desired only mercy and grace. It was Satan who desired wrath. Blinded by the stupidity of wrath, Satan could not grasp the fact that in his profound hatred for God he would lose everything when he risked it all for the chance to lure Christ and failing that to humiliate, torture and murder Him believing that torture would make Him give up.

Other events of the crucifixion also followed the pattern in the sufferings of Job.

- Looking Up at the Afflicted from a Distance. When they lifted their eyes up from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads towards the sky. (Job 2: 12)
  » Golgotha and Mount Moriah. In a prophecy about the place of crucifixion, Abraham looked up at the place from a distance as he led Isaac to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22: 4).
- Seven Days. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they say that his pain was very great. (Job 2: 13)
  » The Final Week. The disciples were with Jesus during the final week as He fulfilled seven days of prophecy beginning with His triumphant entry into Jerusalem to His resurrection.
- Besieged. He has also kindled His anger against me and considered me his enemy. His troops come together, and build up their way against me and camp around my tent. (Job 19: 12)
  » Arrested. At the beginning of His three days of suffering, Jesus was besieged by His enemies.
- Vindication. The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had two fold. (Job 42: 10)
  » King of Kings. Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of the people. God made Him King of kings and Lord of lords.

Christ has experienced everything so that He can know and understand our anger, pain, joy, sorrow and loneliness.
One Who is Sympathetic. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4: 15-16)

As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James 5: 10 | Time: 90 minutes Print: 15 pages
Copyright First Created : 16 May 2008. Updated: October 2009. Credits: On 9 May 2008, I recognized Job 16-17 and Psalm 88 as Messianic. God waited for this time to let me write this because it could not be written merely with the gift of knowledge. I must also write it after going through a similar experience. On June 27, I was asked to show how the friends lied about God. Then I realized that everything was Messianic. Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (May 2008)