Job Also Demonstrated Submission By:

Real Worship v. 20, 21.

²⁰ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. ²¹ He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” NLT

Job responded to all his losses by falling on his face and worshipping the Lord because he recognized the sovereign working of God in it. I want you to be sure to observe the authenticity of Job’s sorrow. He tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground. These are all outward demonstrations of inward pain and sorrow. So his faith was not one of convenience or ease, but was authentic in its response of grief, but even more so in his worship. He didn’t respond angrily toward God, but with reverent worship. The literal translation of the word “worship” is he caused himself to worship. Any of you who have suffered significant and tragic losses know that it is not easy to do. I want to be like Job when suffering comes.

D. Spence-Jones says of Job’s response of worship, “That, whether suffering or rejoicing, saints should imitate the piety of Job, recognize God’s hand in everything, and “in everything give thanks.”[i]

Radiant Faith v. 20-22.

²⁰ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. ²¹ He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

²² In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Remember Job’s faith was under attack by Satan to see if he would deny God. Satan accused Job of being faithful to God only because God has blessed him with riches and a wonderful family. God knew how Job would react and He wanted Job to know…even as Abraham did, how much faith he really had.

Job did not deny God as Satan projected. Job worshiped God and his faith in God shined radiantly through this tragedy. One of the reason’s God allows trials into our lives is that trials provide the necessary proof of our faith to us. Isn’t that what this trial for Job was all about? Satan wanted to attack Job’s faith to disprove it, but God allowed the trial to prove Job’s faith. It is easy for us to have faith while the situations in life are great, but when trial hits, it becomes a lot more difficult. Holding strong in faith during trial demonstrates a radiant faith.   I like the way Arthur John Gossip said it. An old Scottish preacher on the death of his beloved wife: Those of you who live in the light can believe if you want to, but those of us who live in the dark must, we have no choice. God help us be like that.

Charles Spurgeon wrote these words…

There are some of thy graces which would never be discovered if it were not for thy trials. Dost thou not know that thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of his children’s graces, to make them shine the better. for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised?[ii]

[i] Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Job (p. 13). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

[ii]Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

written by one of our partners in ministry at FBC, Dr. Dick Ivey