WHAT DO YOU FEAR THE MOST?
Perhaps no one portrays a picture of integrity in the face of unimaginable suffering like Job. And understanding that suffering is why it’s easy for us to see the basic, raw confession of Job’s lament when he declared, “That which I fear the most has come upon me.” But like, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (Job’s “comforters”) we can easily miss the point of what Job is saying.
In our attempt to wrap our brains around the far reaching agony of Job’s horrible circumstances, like Job’s friends, we too can find ourselves grasping for an explanation of his suffering and loss - “That which I have feared the most” gives us the opportunity to explain in human emotions the unimaginable and unthinkable that happened to Job.
We’re quick to blame Job for his own suffering. We blame him by saying, “See! All these horrible things happened because YOU Job, feared they would happen.” But our accusation of Job runs counter to the word’s of God who asked Satan himself, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that fears God and rejects evil,” (Job 1:8.) God called Job, “perfect” and “upright.” And for us to malign this man’s character runs counter to God’s opinion of Job.
What did Job “fear the most?” We might reason that somewhere in his psyche and spirit, Job was terrified at the idea of losing his home, earthly goods and family. Attempting to imagine any one of these tragedies is overwhelming and unthinkable for me as I’m certain it is for you. Multiply any of these losses by three and the “grief factor” becomes exponential. But what Job was saying was not an expression of grief. It was not a lament or explanation of why these things happened. It was, rather, Job testifying to God’s faithfulness and HIs presence.
To understand God’s dealings with Job, we must “start at the start” and ask, “What did Job fear the most?” If we turn to Job 1:1, we clearly see the source of his fear when we read, “… and that man, (Job) … feared God!”
In light of rethinking Job 1:1, perhaps we should consider that the fear that came upon Job was God Himself ministering His presence in a time of insurmountable testing and human grief. It’s not an inaccurate concept to believe that what we fear is what comes upon us, and that makes it easy to assume that Job’s losses were because, all along, that’s what he feared would happen. But that assumtion might be missing the point. Job feared God and God came upon him! And no doubt the visitation of God’s presence upon Job is what sustained him and that’s why he would not curse God; why he would not give up; why he would not yield to the opinions of his friends; why he would not die.
As heart wrenching as Job’s story might be, let’s remember that the end of the story proves God’s faithfulness, “The Lord blessed the later part of Job’s life more than the former part.” Job 42:12.
And Job 42:12 is my prayer for you … That God would bless your so abundantly, that your future outruns your past! You’re His child. He loves you and desires the very best for you. Fear, (love, awe respect and honor) God more than you fear anything else and let that fear of God and God alone be upon you today!
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” - Proverbs 9:10
Mike Coleman
