October 1931
447
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
SAINTS THAT SUFFER [Continued from page 443]
to Job! Yet the heavenly issues were as unknown to Job as they are to God’s children who are tested today. Since Satan was not satisfied with the results of the first testing, a second attack upon Job was permitted, which touched his own person, and which went to the far thest length that it could without taking his life. A third attack could only have taken Job’s life, but that would have ended all testing. 'In the midst of the first testing, Job voiced the sincerity of his heart with the words : “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In this testing, Job did not sin, nor did he charge God foolishly. In the midst of the second test, Job said: “What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” Again, Job sinned not with his lips. And though a third test was not given, Job showed that he could have met it, when he said: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Job thus proved to Satan, to angels—fallen and un fallen—and to humanity in all ages that Jehovah was loved by one, at least, because of His own loveliness and apart from every benefit which He delights to bestow. In cidentally, Job proved that he was the perfect character Jehovah declared him to be. Doubtless many children of God other than the apostle Paul have in their time come under the preventative chastisement of God, and it is equally probable that the high honor granted to Job has been extended to other saints in all ages. In any case, the high privilege of lov ing God because of His own loveliness and apart from His benefits is open to all, and with such loving devotion God is well pleased. was melted with pity whenever He looked upon a crowd. The disciples said, “Send the multitude away,” and they ever forbade little children to come to Jesus. Alas, we are no better than they! We do not weep over the lost; we do not concern ourselves with them; we let them go down into Christless graves without sympathy, without shep herding, without the knowledge of a Saviour. Our path took us through the semi-desert of Boran. There we found other thousands of savage nomads with enormous flocks and herds which they drive from one well to another, from one pasture to another. According to custom, the savage Boran bridegroom must take a life- before he can claim a bride. And woe to the lone traveler or unprotected woman who wanders far from his or her encampment! The prospective bridegroom is forbidden to choose his victim from his own section of the tribe, but if he goes a few miles away, this restriction is not bind ing. These people have never heard of the One who laid down His precious life in order to obtain for Himself a bride, “without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Who will tell them? Uncounted hundreds are hungering without the bread of life. Christian, awake! It is Christ who summons you. He does not compel you to arise and give, but with sweet importunity He reminds you that you have bread, while others have none; you have light, while others walk in darkness. Must the plaintive call of waiting tribes forever go unheeded ? EXPLORING ABYSSINIA [Continued from page 446]
heaven on the basis of his own worthiness, spirituality, or fruitfulness; but he goes on the “sole merit” of the Son of God, who has appointed a time and place, the judgment- seat of Christ, where He will deal with all the sin and failure of His own as they have lived in this world. Indi viduals are never saved in this age by the keeping of Christ’s commandments; yet the keeping of His com mandments is the one condition upon which the saved one may abide in Christ (John 15 :10). It is the one who ceases to be fruitful who may experience the last degree , of chastisement—that of being taken home to be with the Lord. 2. Chastisement which is a prevention against sin. But one example of this form of chastisement is given in the Scriptures, and that is the experience of the apos tle Paul who, after having been caught up into paradise, is given a thorn in the flesh lest he transgress in speaking of the things which he saw in glory, and about which it is not lawful for one to speak (2 Cor. 12:1-10). It is rea sonable to suppose that, having used this means of pre venting evil in the life of one of His children, the Lord has used, and does use, this means in His loving care of many others. 3. Chastisement which is discipline or unto develop ment in things spiritual. In the latter part of John 15:2, it is revealed that the branches in Christ which bear fruit are purged, or pruned, that they may bear more fruit. There is no intimation of divine displeasure in this case; it is rather that these branches may abound more and more in the grace and power of God. Thus it is seen that none among the children of God are without chastisement. They are corrected, if there is occasion because of evil, or they are pruned, that they may be more fruitful. “Whom the Lord loveth he chas- teneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” Eli- hu’s suggestion will go far, as it did in the case of Job, in the solution of the problem as to why the godly suffer. III. S uffering M ay V indicate and G lorify G od The last answer given in the book of Job as to why the godly suffer will be discovered only when the true rea son for Job’s sufferings is ascertained. According to Je hovah’s own estimation of Job, he did not need to be pun ished for sin, as his three friends contended; he did, how ever, profit by his experience, in that, instead of merely hearing of Jehovah by the hearing of the ear, he saw Him with his eye, and he came thus to abhor himself. As the apostle Paul appears to be the only example presented in the Bible of one who was kept from evil by affliction, so Job appears to be the only one mentioned in the Scriptures, who suffered because of a controversy in heaven. Jehovah challenged Satan regarding the upright character of Job. Satan replied that Job did not serve God for naught. The implication was that Job did not love Jehovah for His own sake, but that he only pretended to love and worship. This became a far-reaching issue, in which Jehovah used Job to vindicate His own adorable Person and loveliness against the dishonoring, insulting lie of Satan. How great a privilege and honor was given
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