Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Job: A Messianic Model


Donna Diorio
24 July 2018

In my life I have read the book of Job many times, pouring over it to understand 'why bad things happen to good people.' The first teaching I heard on this is that it was fear that opened Job to the attack of the enemy. Despite how God had blessed Job, he still fretted over his children not living perfectly before God. His continual fears opened him to attack. I could always relate to that since fear has been my constant companion since I was a child. The spirit that I do daily 'thought-to-thought' combat with.

Some of the best teaching I ever heard on Job was from Francis Frangipane who emphasized how praying for Job's criticizing religious friends is the thing that turned around his situation. The message of forgiveness and praying for your enemy is the major key to the book of Job for every individual who wants to slam the door of opening by the attacks of the enemy. 

However, the book of Job is not just a story for individuals. I believe even more so it is a story for the Israeli Messianic Jewish believers on behalf of all Israel. 

Job is a type of Israel. Chosen and blessed of God, suddenly under the attack of the Adversary from all sides, sitting in sackcloth and ashes for two millennia as what should be Israel's best friends - the entire Christian world - sits and criticizes Israel using Scripture to back up the reasons they believe all this has befallen Job.

Then finally comes the young upstart Elihu (My God is YHVH) to brush all the biblical debate aside and declare the righteousness of God. He doesn't try to suss out Job's guilt, but calls him out over the obvious, Where is your trust in God who loves you and cares for you?

Job has been to hell and back, with all the losses in his life and the criticism of friends, but in the end of the matter, God speaks and tells Job that in order to turn it all around, he will have to pray for his critical friends - forgive and bless them - thereby Job will close his openness to the Adversary and God will release a double-fold blessing to him, so that his end is greater than his beginning.

I believe the book of Job is 'road map' so to speak for the Israeli Messianic body. Like the rest of the Jews in Israel and around the world, they have plenty in the natural to be fearful of; to be guarded about with non-Jews; and to be angry about. They either have been or are currently persecuted by every nation in the world.

But the recognition of God's righteous judgment as faith in Yeshua restores right relationship with Messianic Jews should change the human response to a supernatural response - like the young upstart Elihu (My God is YHVH). Within that realization it should release the Fear, the Anger, the Distrust of human emotions to be superseded by the same thing that turned around Job's situation: forgiveness and prayer for all those critical religious friends. 

Now switching back to the message of Job for every individual, I realize full well that it has been a struggle for me to overcome the same things that I'm now saying apply to the whole group of Messianic Jews. We all do that at our own speed. I guess it depends on how long we are willing to sit in our own sackcloth and ashes. 

I hope this has given food for thought to some. I know it has given food for thought to me.

No comments: