T. E. BOWEN by T. E. BOWEN

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 21, 1912

T. E. BOWEN

By T. E. BOWEN

Job's Experience — No. 2

T. E. BOWEN

Had Job's test ceased with his first signal victory, a very wonderful record would have been made; but it did not. So far God's confidence in Job's integrity was fully vindicated before all. Job had been discreet, had borne his grief with a humble trust in God. God had been honored, his grace and strength sought and bestowed, resulting in Satan's defeat.

Faithfully the inspired record goes on: “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them, to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life: but put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand: but save his life.” Job 2:1–6.

In this dialogue between a merciful and loving God and the cruel, relentless foe, there is food for much careful study; for from it many lessons can be drawn. We may learn—

1. Of the persistency of our enemy. Defeated, ignominiously so, yet no reference is made to that by him. He presents himself for another attack.

2. That it is evident God had kept close watch over every detail of the trying ordeal of his servant; for on this second appearance of Satan with a grievance, God adds in his question to the foe his observation of the faithfulness of Job in his sore trial, and further points out that Satan had moved him to permit of the destruction of Job's children and property all “without cause.”

3. Of Satan's hatred for God, his malice and cruelty to man, as manifested by his desiring permission of God to touch the body of Job, his bone and his flesh, with excruciating pain, in the hope that, as he would thus be weakened and afflicted, he would loosen his hold of faith on God, and in his heart curse his Maker, and so sin against God.

From this second interview, Satan again leaves the presence of God to continue his going to and fro in the earth—walking up and down in it, as Peter later describes his movements, “as a roaring lion,” “seeking whom he may devour.” It is not long until Job is afflicted with a terrible disease. His whole body is full of loathsome sores, and he is in terrible pain. The questions which naturally arise in every mind at such a time are: What does all this mean? Why does God permit me thus to be afflicted? What have I done so terrible, so wicked, that such a calamity as this must befall me? Ah! here is the danger. We forget that it is the enemy's carefully planned plot; that he studiously conceals himself, letting us conclude that God is responsible for all this affliction and woe. True, Satan can go only as far as God permits, but who knows whether the Lord may not have been moved “without cause” in our case also when the permission was given? Satan persists that he must get at the servants of God. He insinuates that he does not have a fair chance. Think of how the Son of God himself was afflicted: in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, on the cruel cross. The Father was also “moved” “without cause” against his beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased.

Let no one conclude that affliction coming to the child of God is evidence that God does not love him, or has forsaken him; or that the individual can not be benefited by the affliction, be it bereavement, sickness, or any other suffering.

“Often when the servant of God is withdrawn from active duty, the mysterious providence which our short-sighted vision would lament, is designed by God to accomplish a work that otherwise would never have been done. Let not the follower of Christ think, when he is no longer able to labor openly and actively for God and his truth, that he has no service to render, no reward to secure. Christ's true witnesses are never laid aside. In health and sickness, in life and death, God uses them still. When through Satan's malice the servants of Christ have been persecuted, their active labors hindered, when they have been cast into prison, or dragged to the scaffold or to the stake, it was that truth might gain a greater triumph.”—The Acts of the Apostles, page 465.

In Job's affliction Satan now inspires some of the professed servants of God to go to him with their comfort (?). They are prepared to point out the exact difficulty, the cause of all Job's calamities. They are men of long experience. They have been spared all this because somehow they have known just how to avoid the cause. In their hearts they truly thank God that they are not like Job. They put on a sanctimonious mien, and because of the gravity of the case they sit down with him seven days without saying a word.

At last they begin. It takes nine chapters to record what they said, and possibly some things were left out. Insinuations were dropped that naturally would goad a man on to desperation. Here is a sample. Friend Eliphaz, after his gracious introduction, remarked: “Remember, I pray thee, whoever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish.” True enough, perhaps, but misapplied in this instance. Job, he says, you are now reaping the results of the terrible wickedness of your past life. We had counted you a good man, even very righteous, but here it is. God has opened it all up now; he knows, and makes no mistakes. This was the sentiment running through all they said.

While it takes nine chapters to record what Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite said to Job, as they tarried at his home, it takes nineteen chapters to give Job's replies. O that Job had had grace enough to keep silent! It was Satan's plan in sending these “miserable comforters” to harass Job, first to draw him out to pity himself, then to bemoan his lot, and at last, possibly, to charge God with the cause of all his calamities.

Jesus at this point kept silent. He answered not one word to his accusers, and that, too, when apparently they would gain a wrong impression of the reason for his trials, by his making them no reply. He opened not his mouth to them to give them fuel for their fire, but in secret communed with his Father—for strength to remain silent. “I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, even from good.” Ps. 39: 2.

At this point Job stumbled. He undertook to justify himself; while much that he said was true, it would have been better to let God, in his own time and way, do that, as is fully revealed by later developments.

Takoma Park, D. C.