11 Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters. 3 He was also very wealthy - seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants - the most influential man in all the East!
4 His sons used to take turns hosting parties in their homes, always inviting their three sisters to join them in their merrymaking. 5 When the parties were over, Job would get up early in the morning and sacrifice a burnt offering for each of his children, thinking, "Maybe one of them sinned by defying God inwardly." Job made a habit of this sacrificial atonement, just in case they'd sinned. The First Test: Family and Fortune
6 One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them. 7 God singled out Satan and said, "What have you been up to?" Satan answered God, "Going here and there, checking things out on earth." 8 God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him - honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil." 9 Satan retorted, "So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? 10 Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does - he can't lose! 11 "But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He'd curse you right to your face, that's what." 12 God replied, "We'll see. Go ahead - do what you want with all that is his. Just don't hurt him." Then Satan left the presence of God.
13 Sometime later, while Job's children were having one of their parties at the home of the oldest son, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing in the field next to us 15 when Sabeans attacked. They stole the animals and killed the field hands. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened." 16 While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Bolts of lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and fried them - burned them to a crisp. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened." 17 While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Chaldeans coming from three directions raided the camels and massacred the camel drivers. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened." 18 While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, "Your children were having a party at the home of the oldest brother 19 when a tornado swept in off the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they died. I'm the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened."
20 Job got to his feet, ripped his robe, shaved his head, then fell to the ground and worshiped: 21 Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed. 22 Not once through all this did Job sin; not once did he blame God.
21 One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan also showed up. 2 God singled out Satan, saying, "And what have you been up to?" Satan answered God, "Oh, going here and there, checking things out." 3 Then God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him, is there - honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil? He still has a firm grip on his integrity! You tried to trick me into destroying him, but it didn't work." 4 Satan answered, "A human would do anything to save his life. 5 But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away his health? He'd curse you to your face, that's what." 6 God said, "All right. Go ahead - you can do what you like with him. But mind you, don't kill him."
7 Satan left God and struck Job with terrible sores. Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. 8 They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes. 9 His wife said, "Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!" 10 He told her, "You're talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God - why not also the bad days?" Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God. Job's Three Friends
11 Three of Job's friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him. Each traveled from his own country - Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, Zophar from Naamath - and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him. 12 When they first caught sight of him, they couldn't believe what they saw - they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief. 13 Then they sat with him on the ground. Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word. They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering.
22 Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete. 23 "When he was forty years old, he wondered how everything was going with his Hebrew kin and went out to look things over. 24 He saw an Egyptian abusing one of them and stepped in, avenging his underdog brother by knocking the Egyptian flat. 25 He thought his brothers would be glad that he was on their side, and even see him as an instrument of God to deliver them. But they didn't see it that way. 26 The next day two of them were fighting and he tried to break it up, told them to shake hands and get along with each other: 'Friends, you are brothers, why are you beating up on each other?' 27 "The one who had started the fight said, 'Who put you in charge of us? 28 Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?' 29 When Moses heard that, realizing that the word was out, he ran for his life and lived in exile over in Midian. During the years of exile, two sons were born to him.
30 "Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the guise of flames of a burning bush. 31 Moses, not believing his eyes, went up to take a closer look. He heard God's voice: 32 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away. 33 "God said, 'Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground. 34 I've seen the agony of my people in Egypt. I've heard their groans. I've come to help them. So get yourself ready; I'm sending you back to Egypt.' 35 "This is the same Moses whom they earlier rejected, saying, 'Who put you in charge of us?' This is the Moses that God, using the angel flaming in the burning bush, sent back as ruler and redeemer. 36 He led them out of their slavery. He did wonderful things, setting up God-signs all through Egypt, down at the Red Sea, and out in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to his congregation, 'God will raise up a prophet just like me from your descendants.' 38 This is the Moses who stood between the angel speaking at Sinai and your fathers assembled in the wilderness and took the life-giving words given to him and handed them over to us, 39 words our fathers would have nothing to do with. 40 whining to Aaron, 'Make us gods we can see and follow. This Moses who got us out here miles from nowhere - who knows what's happened to him!' 41 That was the time when they made a calf-idol, brought sacrifices to it, and congratulated each other on the wonderful religious program they had put together.
42 "God wasn't at all pleased; but he let them do it their way, worship every new god that came down the pike - and live with the consequences, consequences described by the prophet Amos: Did you bring me offerings of animals and grains those forty wilderness years, O Israel? 43 Hardly. You were too busy building shrines to war gods, to sex goddesses, Worshiping them with all your might. That's why I put you in exile in Babylon.
(Read Acts 7:17-29)
Let us not be discouraged at the slowness of the fulfilling of God's promises. Suffering times often are growing times with the church. God is preparing for his people's deliverance, when their day is darkest, and their distress deepest. Moses was exceeding fair, "fair toward God;" it is the beauty of holiness which is in God's sight of great price. He was wonderfully preserved in his infancy; for God will take special care of those of whom he designs to make special use. And did he thus protect the child Moses? Much more will he secure the interests of his holy child Jesus, from the enemies who are gathered together against him. They persecuted Stephen for disputing in defence of Christ and his gospel: in opposition to these they set up Moses and his law. They may understand, if they do not wilfully shut their eyes against the light, that God will, by this Jesus, deliver them out of a worse slavery than that of Egypt. Although men prolong their own miseries, yet the Lord will take care of his servants, and effect his own designs of mercy.
(Read Acts 7:30-41)
Men deceive themselves, if they think God cannot do what he sees to be good any where; he can bring his people into a wilderness, and there speak comfortably to them. He appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, yet the bush was not consumed; which represented the state of Israel in Egypt, where, though they were in the fire of affliction, yet they were not consumed. It may also be looked upon as a type of Christ's taking upon him the nature of man, and the union between the Divine and human nature. The death of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, cannot break the covenant relation between God and them. Our Saviour by this proves the future state, Matthew 22:31. Abraham is dead, yet God is still his God, therefore Abraham is still alive. Now, this is that life and immortality which are brought to light by the gospel. Stephen here shows that Moses was an eminent type of Christ, as he was Israel's deliverer. God has compassion for the troubles of his church, and the groans of his persecuted people; and their deliverance takes rise from his pity. And that deliverance was typical of what Christ did, when, for us men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. This Jesus, whom they now refused, as their fathers did Moses, even this same has God advanced to be a Prince and Saviour. It does not at all take from the just honour of Moses to say, that he was but an instrument, and that he is infinitely outshone by Jesus. In asserting that Jesus should change the customs of the ceremonial law. Stephen was so far from blaspheming Moses, that really he honoured him, by showing how the prophecy of Moses was come to pass, which was so clear. God who gave them those customs by his servant Moses, might, no doubt, change the custom by his Son Jesus. But Israel thrust Moses from them, and would have returned to their bondage; so men in general will not obey Jesus, because they love this present evil world, and rejoice in their own works and devices.
(Read Acts 7:42-50)
Stephen upbraids the Jews with the idolatry of their fathers, to which God gave them up as a punishment for their early forsaking him. It was no dishonour, but an honour to God, that the tabernacle gave way to the temple; so it is now, that the earthly temple gives way to the spiritual one; and so it will be when, at last, the spiritual shall give way to the eternal one. The whole world is God's temple, in which he is every where present, and fills it with his glory; what occasion has he then for a temple to manifest himself in? And these things show his eternal power and Godhead. But as heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, so none of our services can profit Him who made all things. Next to the human nature of Christ, the broken and spiritual heart is his most valued temple.
