Seek God’s Approval Job 2

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, NASB).

All people want to be accepted. People want to be accepted and loved by their primary community. Usually the first primary community is the family. Another primary community may be the church, a social club, sports team, and professional organization. Sometimes people are rejected by their community, so, they seek another community that will accept them. For example, children leave their homes. These vulnerable children are often befriended by strangers that supply them with primary survival needs such as food, shelter and clothing. Later, these rescuers exploit them, by exposing them to drugs. These addicts are forced into drug trafficking and some of them, both male and female are forced to become sex slaves. However, the issue that I want to raise for this article is acceptance in the church. Do I want to be accepted by my church? While most of us will answer “Yes” to this question, I want to say that although it is good to be accepted by our primary community, including the church, it is more important that we seek approval by God. So, how did I arrive at writing this article?

First, my daughter has been telling me about this group called “Church Clarity.” This group grades churches based on whether or not they are clear about such issues as acceptance of persons in the LBGTQ community and women. Does the church affirm persons in these groups? Can they be ordained in the clergy? Are they allowed to hold leadership positions such as preachers, Sunday school teachers, and deacons, and elders? Does the church affirm same sex marriage? As I understand it Church Clarity does not seek to change whatever position the church holds on these issues. Their goal is to determine if the church has definitely made clear their official position. This is determined by written statements in their doctrines and clear statements on their websites.

A second reason is the recent debate among members of the United Methodist Church. This debate in part is about women in ministry and leadership positions. There is also the debate about ordination of persons that identify themselves as members of the LBGTQ community. Everyone wants to be accepted. Everyone wants to be approved by their church as well as other communities that one identifies with. Again, I believe that more important than seeking approval from our communities, Christians ought to seek God’s approval.

The book of Job presents to us an interesting story. In this story God brags on a man named Job. However, the Lord allows Satan to afflict Job, and his wife question his loyalty to the Lord. His friends visit him, and they question his righteousness and his integrity. Job and his friends believe that good things happen to good people. At the same time bad things happen to bad people. Job’s friends believe that Job has done something wrong. They know that Job was a rich man. In their minds Job had been approved by God as evidenced by all the riches and other blessing that he had received. Job was an approved man by God and his community. Something happens and everything changes.

God allows Satan to destroy everything that Job has accumulated. Even his children are killed. God allows Satan to inflict disease on Job’s body. All of these things are believed to be signs that Job has done something wrong. He is no longer approved by God. So, Job’s friends visit him and there is a lot of theological debate about what the Lord approves and how the Lord punishes those that meet the Lord’s disapproval. Job’s friends want Job to confess his secret sins. Only then will the Lord cease from punishing him. However, throughout this whole ordeal Job holds on to his integrity. He denies doing anything wrong, but he cannot explain the reasons for his suffering. Job desires to have a meeting with the Lord so that he can plead his case. Job and his friends believe that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Since this is true according to their theological understanding, they want to know what Job has done to be disapproved by the Lord. Why is he suffering? The answer is found in the story. The problem is that Job and his friends have a theological problem. Let us investigate.

As the story begins in chapter one, we learn that Job is a blessed man. He is described as a blameless and an upright man. He is blessed to be the richest man in the entire east. His demise is brought about not by something that Job does; rather by Satan’s accusations against Job. “Now there was a day when the sons of God present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6, NASB). God makes a statement of approval about Job. “The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil’” (1:8). Satan says that Job does not really fear the Lord. He blesses the Lord only because the Lord has blessed him. The Lord gives Satan permission to destroy everything that Job has including the death of his children. In spite of all that happens to Job, he does not blame God (v. 22). Chapter 2 continues the story.

Again, the sons of God come to present themselves before the Lord and Satan comes among them (2:1). The Lord again makes His statement of approval about Job. Again, Satan says that if bad things happen to Job he will no longer fear the Lord. He says, “‘Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “However, put forth Your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face” (2:5). The Lord allows Satan to inflict disease upon Job’s body and the conclusion of Job’s friends is that Job has done something wrong and the proof is the suffering that Job is going through.

After Job and his friends have debated their theological conclusions, the Lord appears to Job (Job 38-42). The Lord shows Job that he cannot know God fully. Therefore, he does not know what God has done in the past, and he cannot explain what the Lord is doing at this present time. Job’s theology cannot inform him adequately what God does. God is the sovereign creator. Job confesses his inadequacies in Job 42:1-6. Job says to the Lord. “‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes’” (42:5-6).

The Lord also chastises Job’s friend (v. 7) and requires a sacrifice for them to be made for themselves and “My servant” Job. Again, the Lord makes a statement of approval of Job calling him an accepted servant. Job’s friends with all of their theology have not spoken the truth about the Lord (v. 8).

In conclusion, all of us want to be accepted and approved by others; especially those of our primary group. The story of Job teaches us that the people that are most important to us often do not understand us. They may not approve us. Too often we look for what is wrong in a person; the wrong that they do. Our limited knowledge of God and our lack of understanding of His ways and actions hinder our faith and integrity. The best thing that we can do is seek the Lord and His approval.

In the church, we must begin to seriously consider how we label people as either good or bad based on our theological positions. In the story we learn that the prevailing theology at that time proved to not be true. In our churches we label people and we reject those that do not fit into our categories of approval. Those that are different from the majority seek approval by their community. These people want to know the reasons that they are judged so harshly while at the same time the church looks the other way when certain people are found to be guilty of sin. Can we find support for these judgments in the Holy Scriptures?

The New Testament throughout declares that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). None of us can do anything to get right with God. Rather, we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God who died for the sins of the whole world. Even after a person receives forgiveness of sin, and they have peace with God they are not able to live a sin free life (Rom. 7).

So, this is my conclusion of the matter. It’s time that the churches approve all people that confess sin and express a hope in Jesus Christ. Those that are not approved by their church should pray and seek God’s guidance. It may be that the Lord wants you to move to another place for worship and ministry (Acts 16:6-10). It may be that the Lord wants you to suffer at the present time in order to help bring about change. Your actions of love and charity may help others to see that Jesus loves every person in the body of Christ. Instead of trying to make the church give their approval, persons that are rejected and feel discriminated against should seek God’s approval above approval of people.