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Job 1:1-22
Calamity befalls Job
Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
John 6:16-27 Jesus walks on water
Job was a man of Uz (probably Edom, or perhaps in northern Transjordan), who
was righteous and God-fearing. He was very successful; he had seven
sons and three daughters, and he had large herds and many servants. He
was the richest man of the region. On their birthdays, each son would
hold a feast for his brothers and sisters in his house. After the days
of the feast were ended Job would get up early in the morning and offer
a sacrifice to God on their behalf, in case his children had sinned
against God.
One day the heavenly court was convened before the Lord God, and Satan
(here thought of as a prosecutor who accuses man of sin before the
Lord). The Lord regarded Job as an exemplary righteous person, but
Satan suggested that Job was righteous merely because it was to his
personal advantage. Satan suggested that if the Lord removed his
blessings from Job, that Job would turn from God and curse God. So the
Lord gave Satan power to afflict but not destroy Job.
On a day when his children were celebrating their eldest brother’s
birthday at his house, a messenger came to Job reporting that all his
herd of draft animals and their herdsmen had been destroyed by a
marauding band of Sabeans (Arabs), and
that the messenger was the sole survivor. While he was still speaking,
a second messenger reported that the fire of God fell from heaven and
burned up the entire herd of sheep and their shepherds, and another
messenger came to Job and reported that Job’s entire herd of camels and
their keepers had been wiped out by Chaldeans.
The third messenger hadn’t finished speaking when another messenger
came to report that a great wind had destroyed the eldest son’s house
and killed all of Job’s children, who had been feasting together.
Then Job tore his robe and shaved his head (ritual acts of mourning)
and prostrated himself and worshiped the Lord. Job had lost virtually
all his possessions in one day, but he acknowledged that he was born
with nothing and would leave everything behind when he died. He
acknowledged that the Lord gives us everything we possess and that the
Lord controls how long we live and therefore possess these gifts. Job
blessed the name of the Lord. In this entire calamity, Job did not sin
or accuse God of doing wrong.
Philip, one of the seven original deacons appointed with Stephen (Acts
6:1-6), had fled to Samaria
because of the persecution of Christians which arose after the stoning
of Stephen. Philip had preached the Gospel in Samaria, and there had been many
conversions (Acts 8:4-13). But an angel of the Lord (manifestation of
the Lord’s presence) told Philip to leave and walk south on the
isolated road that went from Jerusalem
to Gaza.
Philip got up and did as he had been told, and as he traveled, he
encountered an Ethiopian (Nubian,) minister of the court of Candace,
queen of Ethiopia (Nubia; now Sudan).
The Ethiopian was a Jewish proselyte (convert to Judaism) who had come
to worship in Jerusalem,
and was returning to his home. The Ethiopian was seated in his chariot
and was reading (aloud, as was the ancient custom) Isaiah, from the
scriptures. The Spirit urged Philip to run up and join the chariot, so
Philip ran to him and asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was
reading.
The Ethiopian invited Philip to join him in his chariot and explain the
text he was reading. The passage the Ethiopian was reading was from
Isaiah 53:7-8, regarding the servant of the Lord: “As a sheep led to
the slaughter, or a lamb before its shearer is dumb (mute) so he opens
not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can
describe his generation for his life is taken up from the earth”
(Compare Matthew 27:12-14).
The Ethiopian asked who this text referred to, and Philip had a great
opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ. As they traveled,
they passed some water, and the Ethiopian asked if there were any
reason he could not be baptized. So they stopped and Philip baptized
the Ethiopian, and when they came up out of the water, Philip was taken
up by the Spirit and vanished from the Ethiopian’s sight. The Ethiopian
continued on his way, rejoicing, but Philip was found at Azotus, where he continued on, preaching the
gospel until he arrived at Caesarea.
After the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus had
withdrawn into the hills by himself, because the people wanted to take
him forcefully and make him their king. At nightfall, the
disciples got into the boat and left for home without Jesus.
A strong wind arose. They had rowed about three or four miles when they
saw Jesus coming to them walking on the sea. The disciples were
terrified, but Jesus identified himself and told them not to be afraid.
Then they were happy to take him onboard, and immediately they were at
their destination.
The next morning the people who had remained there realized that Jesus’
disciples had left without him and that there had been only one boat;
but since other boats often came nearby they went to Capernaum
seeking Jesus. When they found him they asked him when he had come.
Jesus replied that they sought Jesus because of the food he had
provided, not because of the spiritual implication of Jesus’ miracle.
Jesus told them not to labor for physical food, which doesn’t satisfy
for long, and which doesn’t give eternal life. Rather, they should
labor for the spiritual food which only Jesus can supply, which truly
satisfies our spiritual hunger, and which sustains us unto eternal
life. [God has authenticated Jesus at Jesus’ baptism, by the Holy
Spirit (John 6:27 RSV; compare John 1:32-34).]
Job had been the most successful and wealthy man of his region but in
one day he lost all his worldly possessions. Job’s true wealth was the
Lord. Unlike Micah (Judges 18:24; see entry for yesterday, Wednesday,
14 Pentecost, even year), who had made material things his “gods,”
and
having had them stolen from him felt he had nothing left, Job still had
faith in God and hope because of God’s, goodness, faithfulness and
providence.
Philip had just been elected to church office when persecution arose
and drove him out of Jerusalem, the
headquarters of the Christian Church, and into Samaria, which was regarded by Jews
as spiritually “mongrelized”, because of the intermingling of Jews with
pagans brought in by the Assyrian conquest and deportation. Philip
began having great success as an evangelist in Samaria,
but the Lord asked him to leave that ministry and go by himself down
the lonely road toward Gaza.
Philip got up and did as the Lord directed.
As a result Philip encountered the Ethiopian government official and
had the opportunity to convert and baptize him into Jesus Christ.
Through this seemingly insignificant event the Gospel was brought to
the African continent, resulting ultimately in the Coptic Orthodox
Church. It was a fulfillment of the prophecy and command of the Lord to
his disciples in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses to the Gospel beginning in
Jerusalem and moving outward from Jerusalem into Judea, then outward
into Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth.
Jesus had fed the five thousand, and they sought him because they
believed he could supply their physical, material needs. They didn’t
recognize their spiritual needs. They didn’t realize that only Jesus
could satisfy their spiritual needs, which are eternal. Jesus’
disciples felt alone in the boat, rowing against the wind and waves.
They were frightened by the storm and the darkness and their sense of
aloneness. But Jesus did not abandon them. What seemed a separation
impossible to bridge in human terms did not keep Jesus from coming to
his disciples in the midst of their storm, calming the storm and
bringing them to their destination.
Those who make material things their “gods” will ultimately loose
everything. At their physical death they will leave all that behind.
Those who trust in the Lord have treasure for all eternity which cannot
be taken from them. Worldly success and material wealth are not a
“seal” of God’s approval. Believers will face persecution, storms,
loneliness and seeming insignificance. The Holy Spirit is the “seal” of
God’s approval, the “down-payment” and the “guarantee” of eternal life
(2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Those
who do not have the Spirit of Christ do not belong to him (Romans
8:9b).
Believers are not called to be successful according to worldly
standards; believers are called to be faithful and obedient to Jesus.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first
believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and
teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do
you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13;
Ephesians 1:13-14)?
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