Could God bet on me?

Did you know that God gambles? (Southern Baptist everywhere just threw up in their mouths)

Don't get too excited. God doesn't spend time at the roulette table or playing blackjack and I am pretty sure he was the only one who didn't explore a career in Texas Hold Em' (c'mon you know you thought about it).

But the book of Job is the story of a wager between God and Satan over a guy named Job. Did you know that? The story of Job is a story of cosmic gambling.

Job, we are told, was a pretty righteous guy and I don't mean righteous in the seventies use of the term (although to be fair he might have been) but in the biblical sense. He was a devout believer and worshipper of the one true God.

Just listen to his introduction in Job 1:1-5

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.

Does Job sound perfect or what? He was rich. He had a big family. He had celebrity-kids (think Paris Hilton) who spent all day partying. He was so devout the Bible calls him blameless and upright and says that he feared God and turned away from evil.

He even used to have personal worship services after his kids parties where he would sacrifice in order to try and atone for any sins they may have committed.

Is this guy awesome or what?

And that is where our bet comes in. You can read about it in Job 1:6-12

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, "From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." (6-7)

God is having an angelic (sons of God) roll call (sorry Mormons this is not Jesus and his "brothers" remember that John 3:16 says that Jesus was God's "only begotten" son) and Satan decides to tag along.

God asks Satan what he has been up to and Satan says, "Aw nothing really. Just out going to and fro on the earth. You know, just walking up and down on it."

Now Satan is not being entirely honest (imagine that). He isn't just going out for walk. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan goes out and "prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour."

In other words, Satan had been looking around for someone's life to destroy.

And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? (8)

God, of course, knows exactly what Satan is up to and asks him if he has checked out Job who God basically says is his very best.

God is taunting Satan. He is saying, "Have you thought about trying to ruin this guy's life with your silly temptations and sinful things? No? Why not because he is blameless? Is it because he fears God? Oh, I know. It is because he turns away from evil!"

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

Satan is basically saying, "God, you are such an idiot. Job doesn't love you because he is righteous or because he thinks you are worthy of being loved. He loves you because you have kept him safe (hedge comment), made him prosper (work of his hands comment), and made him rich (possessions have increased comment).

And then Satan issues this challenge to God: take away all of that stuff and Job will turn out like all of my other "projects." He will curse you to your face.

And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

God takes Satan's challenge. He says, "You are on Satan! Take away all that stuff and Job will still love me."

This brings me to the question that has been burning on my heart today, "Would God have taken that bet on me?"

God was so confident that Job really loved God just for who God is and not for what God had given him that he took a big bet with his worst enemy.

And what happened? Satan took away all of Job's stuff, killed his children, and made him broke but Job praised God anyways. He said this--

Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with any wrong.

Wow! God gets a point and Satan gets a zero. The bet is over.

But what if this had been the story of Zach (or insert name here ______)? Would God have made that bet on me? Would he have won if he had?

Do I love God for who He is or for what He gives me? Do I love Him all the time or when everything is great?

It is a good question and it is one I hope I could answer honestly in the right way, but either way I am committing myself now to praying that God will increase my love for Him and my faith in Him so that I might stand like Job in the midst of tough times and say, "blessed be the name of the Lord."

What about you?

Worth Remembering

Here are some verses that I came across today that we would all benefit from remembering.

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:31

God created a very "good" world. What have we done to it?

And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Job 1:21

This was Job's response after he lost his possessions, his livelihood, and his children. Did this guy have amazing faith and perspective or what?

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Isaiah 1:13

God doesn't want our worship if it is tainted with sin. The truth is we can't really worship if we are embracing sin.

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Joseph had no idea, I am sure, what exactly this meant but it is amazing to read these words that were spoken before Jesus was born. Aren't you thankful he came?