Do you know who asked that question and to whom it was asked? It was asked by the Lord when talking with Satan. That conversation took place over 3500 years ago and the topic of discussion was an Old Testament believer named Job. Let me share with you the kind of man being discussed. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1). This verse sets the table introducing us to this man. The land of Uz is a place whose location is disputed. There are at least three theories that are believed to be the location. Jeremiah 25:20 speaks of Syria being the “land of Uz.” I choose to go with that location personally. Our verse then tells us three things about Job’s character and testimony.

  1. Perfect and Upright. These two words are often placed together in the Bible. Psalm 37 & Proverbs 29 both have verses that demonstrate this connection. To be “perfect” is to be blameless. The life he lived was wholesome, complete with integrity. To be “upright” was to be straightforward or ethically straight.
  2. Feared God. To revere God is to fear God. To respect God is to fear God. To acknowledge God is in control of your life is to fear God. When society uses the word “fear” today, it usually means to be scared or frightened. That is not the meaning. We are to be reverential toward the Lord realizing that He is the one that is all powerful and all knowing. It is a healthy thing to fear the Lord. The late great Christian Oswald Chambers said, “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” Life has many dangers. Do you remember the song Amazing Grace? The third verse of that great old hymn begins with these words, “Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.” Life throws a lot of scary things our way. Job’s suffering is legendary. He lost his ten children all at one time and lost his material possessions which were huge. He was the wealthiest man in the east. He then lost his health. Criticism came his way from the lips of friends and his wife. Yet through it all he “feared” God. Some of you reading this have experienced some of those same dangers, toils, and snares of Job. Not all of them, but some of them. Let me challenge you, just as I constantly challenge myself, to acknowledge that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, respected, and honored because he makes no mistakes.
  3. Eschewed Evil. The word “eschewed” is an old English word from many, many years ago which simply means “to shun.” Job had a relationship with God and a love for God that constrained him to live in a certain manner. If our love for God is what it should be, then toying with the world and sin won’t be as strong a pull. Paul said, “The love of Christ constrains (forces) him.” It was love that motivated his decisions and life choices. Job had a love for God that motivated him as well.

When God asked the Devil, “Have you considered my servant Job,” what would you think if instead of Job’s name being called, your name was in that conversation? What if the Lord gave permission for Satan to hound you with some of the maladies in his arsenal?  The Lord knew before He asked the question what the outcome would be. He wanted to prove a point to Satan, and He used Job, that faithful saint of God, as the object. Job passed with flying colors and after the time of testing was finished, he was more blessed at the end than before it all began. When I think things are difficult and troubles come in spades I think, “Well, I don’t have it as bad as Job.” What about you? May we take his example and seek to make his testimony our own. Perfect and upright, fearing the Lord and shunning evil.