My brothers and sisters, are you still living with various problems? Have you examined your faith? Do you truly have faith? Our God loves us so much, is so merciful and loving, do you know that? I believe you will find the answer after reading the following article.

Questions for Reflection

Was Job a man of faith? If so, what kind of faith did he have? What kind of faith did Job's three friends have?

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10) Even Paul in the New Testament experienced many sufferings. Were Paul and Job in the same state of mind when suffering? Where do you think they would be different?**

Job Chapters 7 to 10 embody today's theme, Job and his three friends, these four rounds of dialogue. I would like to define this theme as various theological systems.

To Understand the Bible Systematically

Anything without a system will inevitably cause confusion. When people talk too much, there are too many reasons, too many irrelevant things, then truth and lies are mixed together. The Bible says: With many dreams and many words, there are vanities, but fear God. (Ecclesiastes 5:7). It is deadly to fall into illusion when reading the Bible. Too many words and too many reasons are human weaknesses. But no matter how many words or reasons people have, or whether truth and lies are mixed together, we can establish a fundamental system.

The system of Job's three friends is a system based on the knowledge of good and evil and based on behaviour. The dialogue of Job's three friends is basically judged on the right and wrong of things, based on behaviour. On the other hand, Job's theological system is reasoning and passive. It is not that Job has no faith. He has great faith in God, because he said: The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. (Job 1:21). But his faith is a passive faith. He reasons with God, and even throughout the Book of Job, he is reasoning. If you grasp that Job's friends are based on behaviour, the knowledge of good and evil; and Job himself is reasoning and passive, you can easily grasp this information.

In the conversation between Job and his friends, there are many irrelevant words. I don't know what those friends said those words for. For example, if someone has a sore neck, I lay my hands on his neck and say: Lord, I thank you, you created all things in the universe, you laid out the stars in the sky. Lord, you gave us the sun, you gave us the moon... and then the neck still hurts. These irrelevant words are not specific and cannot edify people. If a person often says irrelevant things, his mind is chaotic. If he judges the ever-changing things in the world based on behaviour and the knowledge of good and evil, he will never be able to see things clearly and live in illusion.

If a person can really begin to know God, I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (Ephesians 1:12). This will make us see things very clearly. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things. (1 Corinthians 2:15)

Today, when we look at these people again, they seem spiritual, but they are not spiritual at all, because they explain phenomena with phenomena, and do not grasp the root of things, that is, there is no system, or their system is a chaotic system. So you see what he says, some are relevant and some are irrelevant. Basically, he is talking nonsense. I am surprised that Job's three friends had to confess and repent for what they said, but many people like to quote their words to preach. They said: Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. (Job 5:7). God does not agree with what he said, so what do you quote his words for?

If a person does not form a system, he will be confused. For example, if a person studies economics, mathematics, or physics, you will find that before the exam, if you read the whole book very thinly, the truth and the whole system are clear in your heart. You cannot but get a high score. This is called learning by analogy. The current education system teaches a little, learns more, and applies more, then you really understand. In this process, you have to practice a whole set of systems. This is a good attempt. You implement it. If you cannot apply it, discard it.

Just like the words of Job's three friends, I don’t know what they can be used for, so discard them. When we read the words of Jesus, Paul, and Peter in the New Testament, they are very specific. Looking back at the words of Job and his friends, they are empty talk. These four people (including Job) especially like to talk emptily. I believe that before Job fell, these three friends often came to see Job and talked emptily together, talking about everything under the sun. Is this useful? It is useless.

Eliphaz: A Belief System that Exalts God's Righteousness and Lowers the Value of People

A belief system that exalts God's righteousness and lowers the value of people is definitely not God's intention. God said: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Many people think that people are looking for treasures. No, God is looking for treasures in the world. When he finds it, he sells all he has and buys the pearl (Matthew 13:45). We are people bought by God. If we are precious in God's eyes, God's view of people is definitely not a valueless view. So, do not depreciate the value of people!

Eliphaz divides people into righteous and wicked, which is based on behaviour. He exalts God's righteousness and lowers the value of people through a few words. He said something very wonderful. He said: “A spirit glided past my face.” (Job 4:12-21). The spirit revealed these words. If it is not God's intention, then it must be from the devil. This is definitely a lie. Some people say, I have a feeling, a reception, or a revelation. If what is said is the same as Eliphaz, I guess it should be an evil spirit. The most powerful thing about evil spirits deceiving people is to tell half the truth and half the lies.

If I give you a cup of tea, it is really tea, but it is poisoned tea. Will people die if they drink it? Is it tea? It is tea, but there is arsenic in it, and people will die if they drink it. If you give him a cup of arsenic and ask him to drink tea, you don't need to drink it to know. So, we must know that the devil will mix lies and truth into your life and then corrupt your life. Do not think that he exalts God's righteousness and thinks he is the truth. He said: It stopped, but I could not tell what it looked like. A form was before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice: ‘Can mortal man be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? If God places no trust in his servants, and he charges his angels with error. (Job 4:16-18). Is God such a God? God is not such a God.

Eliphaz said again: how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth! Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces; unnoticed, they perish forever.(Job 4:19-20) Then he said: Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? (Job 5:1). He degrades people to a very low position and raises God to a very high position. He says: Call if you will, no one will answer you, and God will not answer you. This kind of words is extremely corrupt. In my service, I would say: God will definitely hear your prayers. Pray until things are accomplished.

Because God treats us as treasures, if we have such faith and choice in our hearts, God will surely hear our prayers. Isn't this what the Bible says? Eliphaz devalues people to the point of being worthless, which is definitely not from God. Do not think that Eliphaz has said a lot of words, you cannot unravel the cocoons and distinguish his corrupt things. You must take out the most corrupt things and take a look. The rest are just gimmicks. Try talking to a person. He says a lot of beautiful things during the chat, but there are a few corrupt words in the middle. If you feel confused in the conversation, you know what happened. What he said is all right, why am I confused? Because the right things brought the wrong things into you. So, today we must be careful, with many dreams and many words, there are vanities (Ecclesiastes 5:7).

The solution is actually very simple. God wants us to be people of faith, and people of faith can make very complex problems very simple. Job and his three friends really cannot be said to have the faith that God speaks of. If they really have the faith that God speaks of, did Paul suffer more than Job? When did Paul curse his birthday? Never! Paul still continued to walk the road of preaching the gospel and building churches with great vigor. Did Paul suffer more grievances than Job? Did he experience less abundance than Job? Not less either. Job eats fragrant food and drinks spicy drinks all day long, and is well-fed. Therefore, there is not truth just because there are many words.

Bildad: A Behavior-Based Faith and a Theological System of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

People like to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and also like the belief system based on behaviour, because it sounds reasonable. But reason is reason, and reason is basically of little use. What God has given us is originally unreasonable reason. For example, if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well (Matthew 5:40). Doesn't this mean you are naked? Clothes are easy to handle, but what about pants? That would be troublesome.

Today, we must know that the truth God gives us is not the truth that people can understand at all, but that is the way of life. Today, when we talk about reason, the more reasonable it is, the more careful we must be. All these things said by Job's three friends are very reasonable, but they are the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Eliphaz always uses God's righteousness as a cover. He said: Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?” (Job 8:3). He is emphasizing God's justice. Today I must tell you one thing, the devil likes to talk about God's justice the most, but our God wants us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). God wants nothing more from us than this, very simple.

Today, the devil's most powerful trick is to demand justice. It demands that you be just; it can be unjust. However, the words in the Bible are often written for us, to look at ourselves, not to see that others should be just. The words in the Bible all refer to ourselves. The funniest thing is that the husband says: The wife should obey her husband, and the wife says: The husband should love his wife. They are all referring to others and reading it backwards. So today, we take the words of the Bible and demand it of ourselves, and then you will begin to abandon the bad habit of knowing good and evil.

The knowledge of good and evil is amazing. Bildad judges things based on the standard of the knowledge of good and evil and based on behaviour. He said:

if you will seek God early and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself for you and restore you to your rightful place.(Job 8:5-6)

This is all based on behaviour. It is basically useless to say this kind of thing. Therefore, I teach brothers and sisters that when a person encounters a problem, you must first build up his faith. A sister came to the church in a very difficult situation. What I did was to restore her faith in God. When her work went wrong, the boss asked: How did the money come to be a hundred yuan more? She called and said: How should I answer? I said: Don't panic, first understand the situation clearly, move forward in faith, and don't care. When she regained her faith, the next day when she went to work, the boss said that he had given the money himself, and the problem was solved easily. On the other hand, people without faith will first say: I didn't do it, and the boss will suspect that you are trying to hide something.

Entering into the knowledge of good and evil, who is right and who is wrong, will be particularly hard, who should say what or should not say what. Today, let us enter more into those things that can give us life and edification, and discard those things that corrupt our lives, even if they are right! Those things that can edify our lives, even if they are not in line with our rationality, we must bring them into our lives. Bildad also said:

Surely God does not reject a man of integrity or give a hand to those who do evil.(Job 8:20)

What are these words? God will not abandon a perfect man. Is there a perfect man in this world? No. God helps no one? Isn't this strange? Today, we all come before God because we are sinners, because God has abundant grace and mercy. As long as we come forward in faith, we can stand in his grace, and our lives will be constantly transformed until God makes our lives perfect.

Even today, if we pick someone at random, there are many problems with him. Are you going to judge the God who created us? God is still doing a perfect work in you and my life. We are only a semi-finished product. Do you need to point fingers? Therefore, people with faith are very precious. When they see a semi-finished product, but in their faith they see a perfect person.

Therefore, let us not be like what Bildad said: God will not abandon a perfect man. These words are like they were never said. Besides making the imperfect person more painful, there is not much use. If a person is imperfect and you still say that he is imperfect, this will not help him in any way. However, if an imperfect person can see God's good work through your faith, how wonderful is that! He counts the grace God had bestowed in our lives in the past.

Taking the stock market as an example, looking at the trend of the stock market, it is either a bull market or a bear market. This trend is the deciding factor. Through the trend, you can see the future trend of this stock. You make a little progress today, a little more progress tomorrow, and a little more progress the day after tomorrow. You will be amazing at the age of fifty. The trend determines the future. Today, if you are based on behaviour, you are not a perfect person, so God will not support you, and the trend will become a bear market. If a bull market becomes a bear market, how can it be good in the future?

Zophar: Passive Theology

Zophar's theology is a passive one. Today, many Christians share a passive theology! So, what is passive theology?

“Is it as high as the heavens? You cannot reach it! Is it deeper than Sheol? What can you know?” (Job 11:8)

Zophar's point here is: you can do nothing. If a person can do nothing but passively wait for disaster to strike, imagine how miserable that person would be. Zophar's words utterly undermine people's faith. When a person is living in pain, a passive belief like Job's—where you can do nothing besides—destroys their inner faith, and that person will be extremely miserable. However, in Paul's theology, there is no passive faith, only an active faith. He believes: my prayer can move the hand of God. A person in pain who hears this will surely have their life transformed; they will be rebuilt. On the other hand, passive theology is a theology where people can do nothing. No matter how much he speaks before, he confuses people by going around in circles, and after confusing them, he puts his passive theology inside you, and then undermines your faith.

Zophar's theology is that people cannot reason with God. You say, ‘My teaching is pure and I am clean in your eyes.’ Oh, that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you (Job 11:4-5). I can tell you that our God is definitely one we can reason with, but it is best to receive God's grace through faith. There is nothing wrong with people arguing with God a little, because God is not a God who does not eat the food of common men. If he was a God who did not eat the food of common men, like a mob boss who would stab you with a knife if you said the wrong thing, that would be terrible! It would be a slander against God.

Our God is a good God, you can communicate with him; you can also argue with him a little. In the Old Testament, didn't many prophets argue with God? For example, Jonah argued with God, and God didn't say that if you argue with me, I will crush you! God felt it was good to share with Jonah like this. Our God is also humorous! He arranged for a castor bean plant and had a worm bite it, just to teach Jonah. So, let's not think of God as a God who does not eat the food of common men.

Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? (Job 11:7)

The meaning here is that you cannot know God. But the fact is that God wants us to know him very much.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19)

It speaks so clearly here! Can you know? You can know. If we act according to his word, God's power will be manifested through us. God longs to work with people of faith. What God dislikes most are those who say God is high and great with passive faith. Once I met someone, and I said: Should we do what Jesus did? Is there a problem with that? No problem. The other person (a Christian) said to me: You are not Jesus, Jesus is Jesus, you are you, how can you do what Jesus did? As soon as I heard it, I knew that he was poisoned by this Naamathite Zophar, with passive faith. Zophar is not only passive, but also despises human existence. He said:

Surely he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil, does he not take note? But the witless can no more become wise than a wild donkey’s colt can be born a human being. (Job 11:11-12)

What is this saying? God doesn't care? God cares very much.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. (Psalm 139:2-3)

Not only our thoughts and intentions, but even the hairs on our heads have been numbered (Matthew 10:30). Our God cares so much about our lives and every move; how can he not care? Although he is high above the heavens, his compassion fills our midst.

Job: Right and Wrong, the Theology of Reasoning

The theology of right and wrong, of reasoning, is basically still based on works. For example, from chapter six, Job begins to speak:

Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. (Job 6:24)

Job's meaning here is: Please tell me, where am I wrong? This is still entangled in right and wrong. The Apostle Paul, in disaster, did not ask: When did I do something wrong? Why treat me like this? Did you throw stones and kill me, what did I do to offend you? Did Jesus do this? Jesus did not either. Among the people Jesus healed, some even participated in nailing him to the cross. He didn't say: How can you treat me like this? The more you think like this, the more painful it is. Job's pain is definitely not a physical pain; his pain is a pain in the depths of his heart. The pain in the depths of his heart is directly related to the theology and beliefs about right and wrong, and reasoning.

Paul suffered more than Job, but his heart was filled with joy. Isn't this obvious? Our joy is not in external things, even if it is right and wrong, or being wronged, we don't care too much. I encourage everyone to know that the theological concepts of right and wrong are particularly corrupting. Why does that person live so painfully? Because he feels that he is right and others wronged him, and what others do and say is wrong to him, so he is particularly painful. Why not just not care? Why make yourself suffer? The Bible tells us: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). Should we really manage the painful feelings inside us?

If we have painful feelings inside us, then it proves that we have gone down the wrong path of right and wrong. The most wrong path is to take the path of right and wrong; to take the path of distinguishing good and evil, and reasoning with others. The reason you speak is not God's reason at all. If you want to speak, speak the reason of Jesus Christ. You healed him, and he nailed you to the cross, so what? Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). What was Job trying to seek in this matter? It is: You have said a lot, so please give me a concrete example?

Change your minds, do not be unfair to me; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. (Job 6:29)

Job is still reasoning: I am very reasonable, what you said is unfair. After saying it several times, his heart is occupied by bitterness, and then he begins to curse his birthday. Brothers and sisters, we must escape this concept of right and wrong; we must escape this theological concept based on works. It is not because of what we have done, we are not worthy, but only because God is willing to give us grace. We are not worthy to be forgiven, but God gave us his son Jesus Christ to forgive our sins, so that our transgressions and iniquities are put on him. We are not worthy to receive these graces, but today we have received them. Thank God. Then, let us not turn around and accuse others, because we owe God so much, and God has forgiven our debts. Why shouldn't we forgive people's debts? Why talk about reason? However, I know that I will be vindicated. Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless person would dare come before him! (Job 13:15-16).

Job has already lived like this, and he still says: God, I want to reason with you, I want to explain my actions. Still based on works. If salvation is based on explaining one's own actions, Paul is the most qualified to explain, but Paul never explains. Thank God, blessed are those who do not explain. Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, can that become your deliverance? Abraham, God counted him as righteous because of his faith. Can people stand before God by their actions? Even if Job is a perfect man, he is not perfect at all. God counts him as perfect because he believes in God. So, today you and I must walk the path of faith.

Job also gave an example: for no godless person would dare come before him! (Job 13:16). In fact, this is also a path based on works. Whether he is devout or not depends on whether he is based on works, doesn't it? Today, no matter how bad a person's behavior is, as long as he has faith like a mustard seed inside, his life will surely be transformed by God.

Today, we must start not to look through people's actions. In the process of serving my mother, Sister QL, when I first brought her to believe in the Lord, she played mahjong for forty years and smoked for sixty years. How to quit? She couldn't quit. If I said: Wait until you quit these before you believe in the Lord, I think she won't believe even when she enters the coffin. Later, I first brought her to believe in the Lord, and then dealt with the problems one by one. It took several years to start dealing with them, and she still often indulged the flesh; once she indulged the flesh, she struggled, and after struggling, she remembered smoking. As a result, they took pictures of her smoking as proof. But I don't base it on behavior, but continue to lead her on the path of faith. Thank God, she is also transforming day by day. In the past six months, she has also been transforming. So brothers and sisters, know that behavior cannot become your salvation.

Job's Unbelief

Job also had a bad habit, that is, he had a very strong unbelief inside him. So when Jesus came into the world, he often said this: O unbelieving and perverse generation! If a person does not believe in God but trusts his own methods, how painful will he be? A person who believes in God must be a joyful person; if a person is not joyful, he must be an unbelieving person. We don't know what his faith is built on, but if a person believes that tomorrow will be better and the church will become more and more prosperous, then tomorrow will definitely be better and the church will become better and better. How good is that!

Job's unbelief and passivity, he also does not know his own value. He said:

My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope. Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. (Job 7:5-7)

Job has completely lost faith and has no hope. Everyone can imagine, if Paul was in such a situation, would he say this? Paul was arrested and imprisoned, but he wrote the book of Philippians. The book of Philippians is a book full of joy, and it is written in despair. Peter wrote 2 Peter and Paul wrote 2 Timothy, both in the situation before they were about to be killed, but they still had hope and never lost hope. And the pain of those who have no faith will be doubled. Then Job said:

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. (Job 7:11)

The spirit of a person who has lost faith will be distressed, and the heart will be bitter. Today, no matter what the situation, hold on to faith in God, believe that wonderful things will happen, and beautiful things will be accomplished, and these will be accomplished in us. No matter what tomorrow will be like, at least when we have faith now, our hearts are happy.

We can see that chapter 10, verse 1 is called disgust, chapter 10 verse 18 is complaint, chapter 14 verse 5, verses 12-14, these are all unbelief and passivity, the sorrow brought by unbelief, and then not knowing that they are treasures in God's sight. Today I encourage everyone to know that you are treasures in God's sight. God gave you and me Jesus Christ, his only begotten son, will he not give you everything else? He gives us everything, what is our value, how noble is our value. In God's eyes, we are all very noble, and are honorable princes and princesses, but we don't think so ourselves. Isn't this the greatest shame to God?

Job had experienced God's abundance, and lost faith after a small blow and disaster, and lost his judgment of his own value. Such a person cannot know God, and the God he knows in his faith is a cruel God. Later, in chapter 42, he said: My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you (Job 42:5). What is called seeing God with your own eyes? Seeing God with your own eyes in faith. After this suffering, his faith was restored. When his faith was restored, read carefully, it was not because God restored his property that he restored his faith, but after he restored his faith (after God argued with Job), Job repented and repented in the ashes: I used to be a person without faith, but today I want to be a person with faith; I used to hear about God, but today I see God with my own eyes. A person with faith will definitely see God's glory, and then God will bless him doubly.

Conclusion: The Path of Life is in Faith

You must believe that God is just, and also believe that God is merciful. God has abundant mercy and love; God has abundant grace. Through our lives, let his abundant grace be praised. We know that God is a good God, God is a God who cares for me, a God who blesses me, and a God who prospers me. Even if I am in disaster, or in poverty, I still hold on to this faith, and also through faith, know that our lives are transformed in God's hands. God values us, and if we also regard ourselves as treasures, God will definitely regard us as treasures. We must believe that God is a God who answers prayers, even if you pray for your own benefit, what does it matter? Doesn't God want us to receive benefits in him? Didn't Paul once say, may you all receive the benefits of the gospel? Isn't the purpose of believing in the gospel to receive benefits? You say it is too utilitarian for us to receive benefits, would you rather suffer in God?

We must believe in God's infinite grace; believe in God's great power. God is the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. As long as we have positive and active faith inside us, there is nothing in our lives that cannot be transformed. Job's transformation was after arguing with God, Job's faith was rebuilt in him, and he was transformed from that situation. Therefore, faith can transform people's lives, and only that positive and active faith can completely transform people from disaster into prosperity. Anyone who overcomes in faith can receive blessings, Amen!

The reasoning God gives us
is not reasoning that man can understand at all,
but it is the path of life.