It is an honor to have you as a member of our subscription service! Share today. #72 | My Life: Elements of PainDr. Stephen Phinney: Job is about to be tested beyond human strength and willpower. He is about to learn what the backbone of the Exchanged Life is.
Listen to this essay through our audio version. PAIN IN THE BATTLEWhen we commit ourselves to the power of the Cross, we must remember that this commitment does not free us from the “fellowship of His sufferings.” The old self and its function were nailed to the Cross with Christ and our crucifixion with Him. It was not to stop us from thinking, choosing, or feeling. On the contrary – it was for us to think, choose, and feel righteous. The Cross ends the nasty flesh bondage that typically leads us to give the enemy, Satan, too much credit. "For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs” (Habakuk. 1:6). ELEMENTS OF PAINMy mind tends to look at details that frequently don’t stand out on the page. An example is the passage of permissible affliction in Job 1:13-19, which few of us take the time to review. Who does Satan use to do this affliction? What techniques does he use? What elements of permissible power does he have? In asking these questions myself, I found something rather interesting. In my discovery, I found three primary forms of attack or permissible affliction that God uses to assist us in a true exchange of life. The first form of permissible affliction is his use of humans who have partnered in the enemy’s deceptive ways. Look at the Sabeans in verse 15. The Sabeans were descendants of the cursed lineage of Ham. They were haters of the God of Abraham and all of His children. Then we have the Chaldeans in verse 17 – they were the Babylonians. Babylonia was the nation that birthed some of the evilest nations in the world. What are the Chaldeans most known for? Here we have Satan being granted permission to afflict Job. He accomplishes his mission through willing earthlings who seem to be pons of possession. I have realized that there is nothing new under the sun in my older age. Satan’s approach to slowing the righteous people has not changed all that much. He still uses “fake” followers to sneak in the back door to deliver despair and hopelessness. The second element of permissible affliction granted to Satan seems to be the elements – earth, wind, and fire (v. 16). No, not the rock band, but the band of rocks that are about to fall in on Job’s family. Even though God ultimately controls the elements, permission is granted. I see this as the enemy toying with our externals, delivering destruction to form unrest, inconvenience, or financial hardship. He knows that our flesh tends to find security in the things we can see. Since he is a god of the externals, he also knows that if he keeps the externals unpredictable and constantly changing, eventually, it will bring predictable despair. The third and final element is physiological health. Job’s response to falling on the ground and worshipping God was not expected. After taking away all of his externals (except for his wife), Satan proved God to be right. We are unsure how much time passed between the first appeal to God and the second. Many Jewish writers have believed it to be one year. It is not likely, as Satan would never give him so much breathing time, nor can it be thought that Job’s friends would stay away long before they visited him, not until after the second appeal. In any case, we find him at the Lord’s workbench again. The same question is put to him by God, and the same answer is given. Interestingly enough, God suggests another attack on Job. God cites the same verbiage regarding Job’s integrity, but this time He adds, “And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause” (Job 2:3). With that, Satan becomes a bit more belligerent – “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life (skin). However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face” (Job 2:4-5, parentheses added). You would think that Satan would have seen the proof of Job’s integrity by now. But he still believes Job was selfish and mercenary; what had been done to him was not sufficient enough trial to truly test his integrity, and the affliction had not been intense enough to discover the real man. I believe this reveals Satan’s belief that a man can lose all his externals, but as long as he enjoys physical health – it will be easy for him to serve God. The general sense of the passage here is plain, for the enemy is proclaiming that a man would give everything he had to save his hide (skin). I think Satan believes that Job is so afflicted in his body that he likely wants to die, or at least give up his faith in God, to save his hide. Despite Satan's deception, God puts Job back into his hands once again. God allows full-on attack but will not allow the enemy to take Job’s breath from him. Personally, after studying the book of Job – death would have been a welcomed option. Job is about to be tested beyond human strength and willpower. He is about to learn what the backbone of the Exchanged Life is. Just because Job walked uprightly and unexceptionally to the will of God does not necessarily guarantee him to have made the true Exchange – Not I, but God. It is impossible to try to separate the power of the Cross from the power given to us through the Resurrection.“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5). As Job learned, the death we experience on the Cross with Christ does not give us a way of escape from the pain of the Cross but rather a way to bear with it. Whenever I watch movies or media clips depicting our Lord bearing the pain resulting from our sins, I weep like a child. Even though I know there are two types of suffering, consequences for my sins and, secondly, for the sins of others, I still find myself caught in the snag of refusing to suffer. Humm – maybe God wants me to have a proper perspective of ‘hate.’"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal” (John 12:25)
Next is #73, “Satan Used by God.” Review the full library of “My Life Series” HERE. Share these stories with others. The End Times Chronicles hosts MY LIFE, a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for subscribing to The End Times Chronicles. Your paid subscription helps us advance our non-profit’s mission. Dr. Stephen R. Phinney is dedicated to providing quality media and publications that advance the Life of Christ. Paid subscribers receive free eBooks, media content, and other free stuff.Hey, fellow writers/readers, would you be open to buying me a cup of coffee? Check out this fun way of supporting my writing: https://bmc.link/drphinney
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