Life is about foundations and choices. A person cannot make wise choices if he does not have the right foundation. As we look at the book of Job, we will see that Job made certain choices based on the foundation he was building on. His three friends also made certain choices based on the foundation they were building on. A person’s theology is based on what he or she chooses to believe.
Job had some things to learn in his life. We read in the opening verses of the book of Job that he feared God. That fact shaped his thinking. That fact shaped his actions.
His children also had a certain theology. Their’s was not the same as Job’s. They were raised in his house, but they were not as careful in their choices as Job was and as Job would have wanted them to be.
As we see in the book of Job as well, Job still had some things to learn. Job had the right foundation, but he needed to have his theology refined. His three friends had such a faulty theology that God refused to accept an offering from them. Job needed to receive their offering and bring it to God on their behalf.
Job would learn some important lessons that would help to shape his theology and refine it.
Jesus invites us to come to Him. This is the starting point. A person that chooses to build his life on imaginations will never have a right foundation. Unless a person is willing to turn to the Lord and be saved, they will never have a right salvation. God’s salvation is what brings rest. The primary rest we need is from the bondage of sin. God’s gift of salvation provides that rest.
Once a person is saved, then he or she needs to take Jesus’ yoke upon him and learn of Him. As we continue to study the book of Job we will see that Job was learning of God. He had the basics. He had the right foundation. He had some important facts to learn about God. Those facts helped to make Job a stronger man, spiritually.
Job’s three friends had an imaginary God. They had a theology as well but it was faulty. It was disgusting to God and needed to be changed by God.
Jesus further stated that He is meek and lowly in heart. We learn from the Bible, that meekness is not weakness. Biblical meekness is “strength under God’s control”. Jesus refuted false teaching and false teachers.
Job was also strong in his convictions. His wife wanted him to curse God and die. He refused to listen to that. His friends had all kinds of faulty ideas and he rejected them as well. However, Job was willing to learn from God. That is important.
There are many people who are quite stubborn when it comes to learning of God. They are willing to learn false theology, but they are not interested in learning of God. When a person is saved, they will find out what rest is. Jesus provides rest to the sinner. Once the sinner is saved, he or she needs to learn the blessings of that rest. It is one thing to be given that rest. It is another to identify that rest and to live within the parameters of that rest.
Jesus promised rest for the soul. That is the core need of man. When a person’s soul is at rest with God, then other things can also be resolved. When the soul is fighting against God, then nothing else can be at ease. That is why the drug and alcohol industry is so prevalent among so many. That is what fuelled the desire for rock music in the ’60’s. That is what fuelled the ungodly music of previous generations. The devil provides many diversions, none of which work, but they put a porous bandage on the troubled soul.
Jesus further stated that His yoke is easy. A yoke is something that is shared with someone else. When two horses are yoked together they share the load that they are pulling. If they learn to pull together, they can accomplish much and not be injured. If one is more aggressive than the other, there will be a constant twisting of the yoke and both horses will develop sores because that yoke is working back and forth on their necks and shoulders.
Jesus tells us to take His yoke upon us. We need to choose His yoke. He tells us that His yoke is easy. The word translated as “easy” has the sense of being “useful and fit”. It is not easy in the sense that it is without effort. Job would face some difficult times in his life. They were not due to his sinfulness. They were due to the devil’s evil desires. God would allow Job to face those times, but God was always there with Job. He was never left alone. His three friends were of no help to him. He grew weary of their noise, but God was always there with him.
Jesus also stated that His burden is light. When we have the right foundation and we develop the right theology, the challenges of life will not be overbearing. The requirements of God will not be too much for us. As we follow Job, we will see that. Job thought life was too difficult and he demanded things of God. God was there and He was steady and He helped Job to see the foolishness of his thoughts. God blessed Job further because Job was prepared to receive those blessings.
We need God to save us. We need to build on the right foundation. We need God to shape us so that our thinking is right. We need God to develop patience in us so that we can learn to trust Him in every situation we face.
His way is always right. Job learned that. We need to learn that as well.
Pastor Bartel