Focus Chapters:
- Job 19-21
Standout Verse(s):
THE ACTION
Job 19:13-20 NLT
“My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. My family is gone, and my close friends have forgotten me. My servants and maids consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. When I call my servant, he doesn’t come; I have to plead with him! My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am rejected by my own family. Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me. My close friends detest me. Those I loved have turned against me. I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
Observation (s):
- Job’s life changed drastically. He went from being a rich healthy man, respected and accepted by his friends, workers, neighbors and family and relatives to someone who no one wanted to be around.
Those I loved have turned against me. I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
- Job’s situation was heightened by his rejection by everyone he loves. Satan’s strategy extends beyond just wounding us physically. He endeavors to make us feel isolated, lonely and unloved. This then gives him the opportunity to work on our minds and doubts of self-worth. Being rejected, despised and judged by all he loves would have been a bigger blow to Job that could have caused him to throw in the towel.
Application:
We are creatures who are created for companionships. From the early days of creation, God said that it was not good for man to be alone. Feeling alone and unloved is worse than physical pain because it affects you emotionally and mentally. This is a result that the devil is well aware of and is not afraid to exploit. This is a plot that we have to be cognizant of and refuse to contribute to.
Everyone around Job focused on his present circumstances and what it meant (Job must have sinned, God was punishing Job, etc.). Nobody considered what it meant to walk a mile in Job’s shoes. No one thought to consider what they would have needed if they had been in a similar position. Loving your neighbor as yourself means providing a safe space for companionship and acceptance that you know you need. This is something that Job’s friends and family forgot. You shouldn’t.
