The  Messiah’s Secret – James remembers Job  

James’s under lying thread running through the letter is the life of Job He shows us by the example of Job that God will allow a Christian to be tested through trials and temptations to reveal the faith of the Christian in God. 

God allowed Job to be tested and brought to trial by Satan. 
Job was a wealthy man, Satan the accuser, challenged God to allow all that Job had to be taken away from him, he believed that Job would cease to serve God and deny his allegiance, his faith in God. 

Job lost his riches, all his possessions: his cattle, sheep, camels and his servants, all except the ones bearing the bad news that told him of his children’s death. Job 1: 20, 21. Even after the loss of his children he did not renounce God   

James saw the humility of Job in his faith in God while he was a rich man. God gave to him the kind of love that produces faith and steadfastness.  

James wrote of the lowly person being exalted and the rich person being humble. 

Christians should not to make distinctions between rich and poor, but to treat everyone the same and he encouraged them and us not to store up possessions in this life.  Josephus records in his ‘Book of Wars’ in 70 AD many rich Jewish people had stored their wealth in the temple at Jerusalem, only to see it burnt up in the fire. 

Wars of the Jews Book V1 Chapter 5 verse 2  

"And now the Romans, judging that it was in vain to spare what was around about the holy house, burnt all those places, as also the remains of the cloisters and the gates, two excepted; the one on the east side, and the other on the south; both which, however, they burnt afterward. They also burnt down the treasury chambers, in which there was a great quantity of money, an immense number of garments, and other precious goods there reposited; and, so to speak all in a few words, there it was the entire riches of the Jews were heaped up together, while the rich people had there built themselves chambers [to contain such furniture]. The soldiers also came to the rest of the cloisters that were in the outer court of the temple, whither women and children, and a great mixed multitude of people, fled, in number about six thousand.” 

 God’s faithfulness   

James taught that the most important lessons a Christian can learn is to step out in faith, faith without works does not reflect Christ. 

He advises his readers to show good works in meekness and wisdom, that reflect the nature of the righteousness of God. If someone is hungry then we should feed them as kind words are not enough. 

 He gave the example of Abraham who put his faith into practice when he offered Isaac as a sacrifice, but God intervened, a ram was provided by God and was sacrificed instead of Isaac. Abraham believed in the resurrection he believed that God would have raised Isaac in order to fulfil his promise to him that through his heir a great nation would be brought into being by God. Genesis 22: 1-18. Hebrews 11: 17-19  

Also the example of Rahab the prostitute whose faith was justified by works when she hid the Israelite spies from the king of Jericho’s men. God judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Joshua 2: 1-7 

James also states that God does not tempt people to sin.    

God gave us free will which allows us to choose what we say or do.  He gives wisdom to those who ask, so we are able to discern between what is right and what is wrong. We are able to use the scriptures through the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth. 

Satan again came before God and challenged him, asking if he could touch Job in his flesh and he would renounce God. Job 2: 5.

Job’s wife found that it was too much to see her husband suffer, she told him to renounce God and die. Job told his wife that she should be able to accept the bad news as well as the good from God, he did not blame God.  

James wrote ^“But he gives more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. ⁹ Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.” James 4: 6-10.  

Job in his humility kept his eyes on God, even when God was silent and he only heard from his three friend

Job’s faithfulness    

In his poverty Job went and sat on the ash mound, the dung hill, full of sores. (Elephantiasis a form of leprosy) His three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zopher came and sat with him and for seven days they spoke with unbridled tongues. Eliphaz bluntly told him to now uphold the advice that he had given to others to acknowledge his sin and repent and turn back to God. Bildad said that his sin had brought all this upon him. Zopher remarked that he should cry to God actions speak louder than words. They judged him as being self-righteous as he constantly declared his integrity  

 Jessie Penn Lewis’s book ‘The Story of Job 

 “It is sometimes necessary to leave someone in the hands of God and encourage them to believe their way through the path of trial, because maybe God has allowed sickness as part of his purposes for that person.”   

Christians grumbling with unbridled tongues   

To leave someone in the hands of God – anyone who is going through a time of trial or sickness needs prayer support from their church without judging that person as to why they are in their present circumstances.

Job was prepared to die.    

And God was silent, be still in the darkness, do not kindle a fire yourself, wait upon God. Job did not renounce God. He had a vision which was prophetical, “I know that my redeemer lives and at last he will stand upon the earth, and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall I see God.” Job 17: 16. 19: 25, 26 

Job would see his redeemer face to face after his resurrection from the dead.

James wrote, “Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” James 5: 11  

Elihu 

 Listening to the conversation between Job and his three friends was a young man Elihu. He held himself back until there was a pause in their conversation. The friends ceased to answer Job. Elihu had a message from God,” deliverance through the ransom.” Job 33: 24  

 Elihu had understood the dealings of God with Job, but he does not attempt to combat his insistence on integrity, as the other men did. He told him God had brought his soul from the pit, not on the ground of his own integrity, but on the ground of his faith and trust in God. 
God had enlightened Job with the light of his living redeemer and the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus the Redeemer     

^“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3: 16

^“Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” James 5:13-16.

Job’s three friends repented before Job and he prayed for his friends and they were restored, sins forgiven. God restored Job with a new spirit as a child; a new freshness of life in heavenly youthfulness; a new power in prayer and joy in the knowledge of God; a new assurance of righteousness in union with the righteous one. God restored to him his flocks and herds and once again sons and daughters graced his home. Job lived for a further 150 years after the time of his trial. 

God allowed Job to suffer as he knew Job’s thoughts and intentions of his heart was sincere towards his God. His three friends were saved from the error of prejudging Job through their repentance and forgiveness. 

 I believe James and his brothers were not convinced by his interpretation of  Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth and the miracles and healing that Jesus did. John 7: 1-5. Matthew 13: 54-58.
James found out the truth through the death and resurrection of Jesus that he was the Son of God and he too saw the fulfillment of the vision that Job had of seeing his redeemer face to face, not on the ground of his own integrity but on the ground of his faith and trust in God. 

For us today we too can say, “I know that my redeemer lives, and in my flesh I see God in Jesus.”                                                                                                      .