God's Sovereignty
Job's Patience & Loyalty

Our All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Seeing God has given us His Only Son to administer His plan. The scriptures are plain that this same Sovereign God has delegated the oversight of the governments of this world to Jesus. Although Satan operates his devious activity, his ability to do so can only go as far as God allows.

The account of Job follows, showing God was pleased with Job; as a matter of fact God was bragging to Satan about Job. Satan challenged God, saying that if God did not protect Job, he would fall and not serve God. God gave Satan permission to attack Job in several different areas.

Job 1: ¹There 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.
⁵And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
⁶Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
⁷And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
⁸And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
⁹Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
¹⁰Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
¹¹But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
¹²And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Satan initiated his attack on Job. After killing his children, he received permission from God to take Job’s possessions, cause his wife to turn against him and God, then smote Job with severe painful boils. Even Job’s close friends turned against him. They thought Job had sinned against God and was being punished. Job went thru a period of anguish and self pity. He even wondered why he was born.

After Job’s friends persecuted him, Job remembered that God was sovereign and had always taken care of him. His friends even tried to get him to turn against God. But as he remembered, he knew he was in right standing with God. He trusted God. This turned his friends further against him. Job became more reliant on God to save him out of his situation and see him through it. You can read the complete account in Job 3-37.

As Job relied on God and began to pray, God answered him. The account is recorded, in Chapter 38 thru 41. After God so forcefully came to Job and reminded him of His sovereignty, Job answered God:

Job 42: ¹Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
²I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
³Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
⁴Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
⁵I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
⁶Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
⁷And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
⁸Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.
¹⁰And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
¹¹Then 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.
¹²So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
¹³He had also seven sons and three daughters.
¹⁴And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
¹⁵And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
¹⁶After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
¹⁷So Job died, being old and full of days.

Once Job acknowledged God’s sovereignty and prayed for his friends, God completely restored Job’s family and possessions and gave him even more than he had before.

Job’s life story firmly establishes the sovereignty, love and loyalty of God.