The Sound of Victory: the Book of Job

Beautiful Day Sons and Daughters of the Most High,

I am excited that you have joined with me to share in the word of God. In today's article, we will focus our attention on Job 14:14. And it reads:

If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my life, I will wait, til my change come. (KJV)

May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers, and doers of His holy Word. Today, our passage of Scripture comes from a very familiar book in the Bible, and that is the book of Job. I believe that God is calling for us to look at the book of Job, because Job was a person who understood what it was to live in a season of trouble. Job was not a stranger to trouble. Job went through so much trouble until he groaned these words in Job 14: 1-2 (KJV), “Man that is born of a woman is of a few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continues not.” The writer of the 102nd Psalm also knew a little bit about trouble, in that he said;

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. 3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. 4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. 5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. 6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. 7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. 8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me and are sworn against me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. 10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath; for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like the grass. 12 But thou, O LORD shalt endure for ever, and thy remembrance unto all generations. 13 Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea the set time is come.(KJV)

We can tell from his words that the writer of 102nd Psalm knew what it was like to go through a season of trouble, and the reality is that we, like Job and the writer of the 102nd Psalm, know what’s like to go through a season of trouble. Yes, sometimes the Christian, God’s children, have to go through mountains, and hills, and valleys of trouble. Especially, in this pandemic season, it seems as though everyone has been hit hard, in some form or fashion, with trouble including faithful Christians. Like Job, many of us have had family members and friends who have died. It is estimated that approximately 847, 000 thousand people in the U.S have died from the Covid 19 virus. Like Job, many of us have battled different kinds of sicknesses and mental illnesses. I can remember when the pandemic first started, our pastor, the Elder Michael C. Hickmon prophesied that there would be a rise in mental illnesses because of the pandemic.

In January of 2021, the city of Las Vegas was trying to strategize a plan about how to reopen their schools, because so many children were committing suicide. The children were committing suicide, because mental illness was on the rise. Just like Job, many people all over the world have suffered financial hardships as a result of the pandemic. It seems as though trouble is on every hand, but I want to encourage every son and daughter of God that wagers are taking place in heaven, and God is depending on you.

Wagers Made In Heaven

Many people go through life not knowing that wagers happen in heaven. To wager means to gamble, and to gamble means to take a risky chance in hope of a desired result. Every now and then, there are wagers that take place in heaven where Satan is betting against God. In 2016, Bishop Tudor Bismark was preaching a sermon entitled "God Turned It" at the 109th National Holy Convocation for the Church of God in Christ. In this particular sermon, Bishop Bismark recognized that there are indeed wagers that take place in heaven, and he called it the “The Heavenly Stock Exchange.” In the “Heavenly Stock Exchange,” Satan is betting that God’s children don’t really love God. Satan is betting against God that God’s children are not really saved. Satan is betting that we only love God for the things that we get from God.

That is when God starts declaring His Word over our lives. God says, “My children can do all things through Christ, who strengthens them.” God says, “My children are saved, because they believe and they have faith in my only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,” God says, “My children love Me, because they set their affections on things which are above, and not on things on the earth. God says, “My children love me more than anything, because they store their treasures in Heaven and not on the Earth.” Not only that, but God tells Satan, "Since you don’t believe my children are who I say they are, Try them!.” This is exactly what happened to Job, and that is what is happening to Christians all over the world. The bible describes two instances where wagers were placed on God’s servant Job. The first wager is found in Job 1:6-12, and the second wager was placed in Job 2:1-7. Now, let us take a look at the first wager in Job 1: 6-12 (KJV) And it says:

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And 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. 8 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? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast 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. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12 And 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. (KJV)

In other words, God is saying, ”My servant Job is a soldier. He's a faithful soldier who hates evil. There is none like him in the earth. He is a perfect and upright man who hates evil. If you don’t believe it, Try Him!" The first thing I'd like to identify is that God identifies Job as a person who hates evil. The escheweth means to continually hate, and one of the compliments God gave about Job was that he had a continual hatred for evil. May we all grow to the place in God where we have a continual hatred for evil. I am not speaking of hating evil in regards to judging the deeds or misdeeds of others, but I am speaking about us hating the evil and sin in our own lives enough to turn away from them. Furthermore, it is in this in this moment where we can see that the first wager had been made on God’s servant Job. It is needful for us to understand that after the wager had been set, Job suffered the greatest loss of his life. You see, the bible says that during that time, “Job was the greatest of all the men in the east” which means he was the richest man in the east (see Job 1:3 KJV). Job lived in the land of Uz which is modern day Saudi Arabia. Also, for many centuries, the majority of the earth’s wealth and resources was located in the east on the continent of Africa, and that is where Job lived on the continent of Africa where Saudi Arabia is located. So, it could be argued that Job was possibly the richest man in the world, but the bible plainly says he was the richest man in the east. The bible says that Job had seven thousand sheep, five hundred yoke of oxen, three thousand camels, and five hundred she asses. Job was loaded. Look at your neighbor and say, “Job was loaded!” So, in Job’s time, he had the socioeconomic and money status like Elon Musk who is the richest man in the world today. Elon Musk is the co founder of a company called Tesla and the founder of another company called SpaceX, and he has approximately 335.1 billion dollars to his name. Job was rich on that kind of level. Let us not underestimate the wealth Job had accumulated. He was a wealthy man. Not only that, but a few years ago, I also learned, from Bishop Vincent Matthews (a preacher who actually lived in Africa and worked in Africa for years) he said that in African culture a man’s wealth also consists of how many children he has. The bible says Job had seven sons, and three daughters. Job was rich, but at the same time the wager was set on him. And in one day’s time, Job lost everything. He lost his sheep, his oxen, his asses, his camels and he lost all of his children. In one day’s time, Job became poor and childless. He lost everything, and that was only after the first wager. The second wager hadn’t even been made yet. Remember, the second wager is found in Job 2: 1-7 (KJV). And it reads:

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 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 movest me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 Put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils. (KJV).

Here we see the second wager has been set, and Satan says to God, in other words, “Job is still faithful to you, but he still has a right to, because you have still given him good health. Job is healthy, But if you take his health, he will leave you.” Then God said, “...he is in your hand; but don’t kill him.” Here, the second wager was set on Job, and Job was immediately smitten with sickness. So, naturally, Job fell into depression. Job was depressed from Chapter 1 all the way to Chapter 32. That is thirty-two chapters of Job expressing his pain, agony, and depression. The book of Job has forty-two chapters, but no one knows the timeline of the story of Job. Those forty-two chapters could have lasted for days, months, or years. We don’t know how long he had to go through it, but we do know that he was poor, broken-hearted, depressed, childless, and he was sick. And on top of all that his wife lost her faith.

In Job 2: 9 (KJV), It was Job’s wife who told Job to curse God and die. Many times we fail to understand the pain that she was going through. We need to understand that Job’s wife was also going through a “Job experience.” Job’s wife was a woman in mourning, and she was suffering from a grief that many don’t understand. She lost all ten of her children and all of her livelihood in one day. She was totally blindsided just like Job was, and it caused her to lose faith. I would even go so far as to say she was suffering from a form of mental illness, because her grief was so heavy that it caused her to not think straight.

We should understand that she was speaking from a place of pain, because she and her husband Job were going through their own season of trouble. I think it’s a dangerous thing when we cannot understand people’s pain. Many times people can see someone going through a “Job experience,” and they are quick to say what they will never do from a place of pride. However, I’ve learned that you should never say what you won’t do from a place of pride, because life will come and visit you. And before you know it, you will end up doing exactly what you said you would never do. So, instead of saying what we would never do from a place of pride, we should pray from a place of humility, and say, “LORD, help me to hold on to you.” I’m going through a storm, but You are the most important thing in my life. LORD, help me to hold on! You may be a person who is not going through a storm right now, and your prayer should be "LORD help me to hold on in the day of trouble." Take a moment, and pray this simple prayer, “LORD, help me to hold on to you!”

Conclusion

In conclusion, Job was going through a season of trouble, and for thirty-two chapters Job is depressed and grieving. And even though his wife and his three friends are there, Job still feels alone. In my closing, we should all remember that Job is suffering all because a wager was set in heaven. However, what Satan did not know was that God won the wager before it started. You can tell that God had won the wager when Job begin to talk. Just as soon as Job realizes that he lost everything in Job Chapter 1, he said, “Naked came I from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I return to the womb of the earth. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed, be the name of the LORD.” Can’t you hear the sound of victory coming from the mouth of Job? I could hear the sound of victory when he said, “Blessed be the name of the LORD.” I kept reading the book of Job until I got to Job 13:15, and I heard the sound of victory again coming from the mouth of Job. He said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” Can’t you hear the sound of victory coming from Job? Then, I read a little further, and I heard the sound of victory in Job 14:14. Job said, “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my life, I will wait, til my change come.” Can’t you hear the sound of victory coming from the mouth of Job? I can hear the sound of victory when I hear Job talk about God. He said, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” Job went through so much trouble that he thought he was going to die, but his faith in God was still strong. Even though he thought he was going to die, he believed in the resurrection power of God.

I can remember when I was little boy, the old saints use to sing the song, “I’m a soldier in the army of the LORD!” Then, they used to sing, “If I die, let me die in the army of LORD.” I can hear the sound of victory coming from the mouth of Job. In Job 19:25 (KJV), He said, “I know that my redeemer lives.” Do, you know that your redeemer lives? I know my redeemer lives.

I can also hear the sound of victory every time I hear God’s children say the word, “Hallelujah!” Do you know why there is victory in saying Hallelujah? The word “Hallel” is a Hebrew word that means to celebrate, and the word “Yah” is His name. And when you put them together, you get Hallelujah! Psalm 68 says, “Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.” His name is Yah! Every time you say Hallelujah, you are celebrating the literal name of God.” Why don’t you determine in your heart and confess with your moutth the word Hallelujah?! No matter what I’m going through, I'm determined to say, "Hallelujah!" If I’m well in my body, it’s Hallelujah!!! If I’m sick in my body, it’s Hallelujah!!! If I’m rich, it’s Hallelujah!!! If I’m poor, it’s Hallelujah!!! When I’m weak, it’s Hallelujah!!! When I’m strong, it’s Hallelujah!!! When my heart is broken, it’s Hallelujah!!! When I don't understand, it's Hallelujah!!! I will bless the LORD at all times, and His praises shall continually be in my mouth! Hallelujah!!! Hallelujah!!! Hallelujah!!! Can’t you hear the sound of victory?! What are you saying Brother Darryl? Whatever you do, Hold on to Jesus! Do you remember the old hymn “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hands?” Hold to God’s unchanging hands! Time is filled with transitions, hold to God’s unchanging hands.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, thank you for the word you have given us today. Thank you for encouraging us through the book of Job to sing Hallelujah through our ups and our downs. Thank you for counting us worthy to suffer for your namesake. Thank you for your only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for His death, burial, and resurrection. Like Job, we can say, "We know our Redeemer lives!" We confess Jesus Christ as our Lord, Savior, and Master. Forgive us for all of our sins. Help us to hate our sins. Help us to turn away from our sins. Help us always turn to you and run to you with all of our minds, our hearts, our strength, and might. In Jesus Christ mighty name,

Amen,