September 11

THE PURPOSE OF EVIL / PART 3

JOB

-After having established that God created all things, including evil, let us now seek to understand the purpose of evil. This can be understood by looking at the book and story of Job. Job’s experiences represent the creation and its experiences with evil as a whole. To understand the story of Job is to understand God’s purpose and plan for the creation as a whole. This story involves a man being subjected to evil by God for a specific purpose. That God was responsible for bringing evil upon Job is UNDENIABLE, and can be seen throughout the entire story. The story ends with a dramatic climax of Job seeing himself for who he was, and seeing God for Who He was. His latter end was to be found MORE BLESSED than his beginning, and all due to the fact THAT THE LORD HAD BROUGHT EVIL UPON HIM!

-With this being said, there is obviously a PURPOSE FOR EVIL. The purpose of evil is simply this: to cause us to see ourselves for who we are without God, to repent, turn to God, learn, to see God for Who He is, and in turn our latter end will be MORE BLESSED than our beginning. The entire book of Job gives us tremendous insight into God’s purpose and dealings with man, especially of the PURPOSE OF EVIL. We will now call to attention some key scriptures from this book.

-Job 1:8,12 states, … And the LORD said unto Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews ( declines ) evil? … And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD …

-Job 2:10 states, … But he ( Job ) said unto her ( his wife ), You speak as one of the foolish women speak. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips …

-Job 13:15 states, … Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: …

-Job 42:5,6 states, … I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees You. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes …

-Job 42:11,12 states, … Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: …

-Can we now see that God is in all things, and works all things together for our good, including evil?

-MAY GOD BE PRAISED IN ALL THINGS!-