THE UNSEEN MOVER

 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past…” Heb 1:1

Let us now consider the last influence upon Job’s wife that may have caused her to speak. We have already looked at her frame of mind and emotional state, as well as the influence of Satan and what his purposes might have been. This influence may be the most difficult to perceive and to accept, but it is the foundation upon which this book is framed. It is the influence of God Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, moving upon Job’s wife to make this statement. Could it be that God had a message for Job in speaking through Job’s dearest friend and companion? We certainly believe that God was the inspiration behind those who spoke the inspired Word of God of the Old and New Testament, for, “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Even those who preach the gospel are to “speak as the oracles of God.” God also speaks to individuals by various means and other people. How often, to many of us, has God spoken a word through a godly friend or spouse, or maybe in a message that has given us some direction from God or answer to prayer? So for God to be speaking to Job through his wife is not out of the realm of reason.

2 Pet 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

1 Pet 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Acts 21:10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

What we have said might beg the question, ‘Why doesn’t God speak to us directly instead of going through other people?’ If He can influence others to speak a message to us, why must we get His Word second-handed? The reason lies within us—many times we do not have the spiritual ears to hear what God wants to tell us. We have our minds made up and do not want to be confused with the facts; or, we do not have the spiritual foundation to be able to comprehend when God is speaking or to understand what He is saying. God’s message to us is spiritual, but most of us are carnal in our thinking. God must therefore jolt our thinking using outside means in order to get us to consider His truths. Job’s mind was cemented with certain concepts about Himself and about God, and it would take a great deal of chiseling for God to break through to him.

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

1 Cor 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

However, even if we acknowledge that God does speak to His people through other men and women, many will object to the suggestion that God could be the author or influence behind her words, “curse God and die.” After all, did not God express His will in forbidding Satan to take Job’s life? Did He not cast in Satan’s face that Job still retained his integrity in not “sinning with his mouth or charging God foolishly”? Indeed, such a notion would be preposterous if we took this statement in only a literal way and did not attach to it some spiritual significance. What we have to remember is, that this is not just an account of one man’s experience who lived long ago, with possibly some moral teaching attached to it about being patient in times of trial and tribulation. This account of Job is a primer for all of God’s people concerning suffering, trials, and the questions that arise in a believer’s heart and mind in such times—especially questions concerning God. Although this statement has a meaning for Job, it has a much deeper meaning for us “upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

To those, however, that find themselves offended by the thought of God inspiring her words, and before dismissing everything we say that is to follow, consider other instances in the Bible where God’s actions or commands might seem rather “ungodly” to the natural mind of man. Consider His word to King Saul through the prophet Samuel to kill innocent children and babies. If we were to only view this Scripture in a natural sense without giving it any spiritual meaning or explanation, who would not be initially repulsed?

1 Sam 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Or again, what about the account where God, who “cannot lie,” sends a lying spirit to deceive Ahab? Are we to say that He allowed someone else to do His dirty work for Him in speaking through these false prophets? That might be, and indeed is the charge of those who have no spiritual conception about who God is, what His purposes are, and how He works to accomplish His will.

Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

1 Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

Some might consider God’s actions in the trial of Job as being out of character for God. Job had done nothing extraordinarily evil to bring about this trial, and yet God, at the taunting of Satan, moved “against him, to destroy him without cause.” Is God so pliable that He allows Himself to be challenged by the Evil One to destroy one of His choicest servants for no apparent reason?

Job 2:3 And 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? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

Also, in considering Job’s trial, what about the innocent servants and Job’s own children who were killed to bring about Job’s suffering and torment? Can we reconcile in our minds God bringing about their untimely deaths for His own frivolous purposes?

Job 1:13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Perhaps one of the most difficult accounts in Scripture for us to understand is that of Abraham being told to offer his son Isaac upon an altar. The Bible very clearly states “that God did tempt Abraham” to do something for which He condemned the inhabitants of Canaan—which was sacrificing their own children to Molech and other gods. If we do not spiritualize this account and see the allegories that it pictures concerning God and His own Son, then we have real problems when the Bible later says that “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”

Gen22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Lev 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Lev 18:24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

We could go on with other seeming inconsistencies in what God says and does. Indeed, in doing some research, I came across a web site that was devoted to pointing out all the purported errors in the Bible and the barbarous acts of the “so-called” loving God. Now, I would not spend the time to try and answer the objections of those who have not the ability to understand Biblical truth; because “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Furthermore, it is not for me to defend God’s Word or what God does. I have seen enough evidence for me to accept God’s Word as true, and to trust in His goodness. I know there are many who engage in Christian apologetics; however, without demeaning their efforts, God is quite able to defend His Word and His honor. He may choose to use men to do so or not, that is not for me to say. However, there will come a day when all “the hidden things of darkness” will be brought into the light; and God “will make manifest the counsels of the hearts” of those, who, in their spiritual blindness, “speak evil of those things which they know not.”

1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Cor 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

The last thing we shall put forward, after considering all the influences that played a part in the utterance of Job’s wife is—how Job’s wife, the Devil, and God, could all be ascribed with inciting her words? Although we may certainly see the natural forces that led Job’s wife to say what she did, and she is certainly the one that spoke, can we assign to her the total accountability for her words? Furthermore, can we reconcile that both the Devil and God were at the same time at work in her and through her? In answer to this quandary we say, that the Bible teaches that men have a will and are accountable for what they say and do. It also teaches that Satan has a will and one day will be held accountable for all he has done. However, after all that men or devils may do, God also has a will, and it is His will that is being and shall be done. In fact, His will is being accomplished through all the choices and actions of all of His creatures. Job’s wife had her reasons for telling Job to “curse God and die”; the Devil had his reasons to see Job fall and  to bring about his death; and, as we shall see, God had His purposes in all that happened to Job. There is no greater proof of what we say then in the crucifixion of Christ. Was it the will of the Jews to crucify Christ and were they able to carry out their desire? Was it the will of Satan to cause the death of the Messiah, and did he carry out his purpose? Albeit, was it the will of God to make His Son a sacrifice for sins, and through the actions of men and demons was His will accomplished?

Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

1 Cor 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (Satan is called the prince of this world.)

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Now, after considering the possibility that God was speaking to Job through his wife, even if we find the message difficult to accept or understand, let us proceed in the following chapters to give some insight or spiritual meaning to what was said. This we shall do by examining her statement in three parts;

1. Dost thou still retain thine integrity?

2. curse God,

3. and die.

We will attempt to show how each part has a separate, yet integrally connected meaning for Job, as well as all believers, but especially those who have become new creatures in Christ. God’s message to Job also holds important truths for those who do not know God, but who are being drawn into a personal relationship with Him, even as we shall see He was doing to Job.

Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.