1. Job’s Integrity (1:1-5)
2. Satan’s Accusation (1:6-12)
3. Job’s Trial - Round 1 (1:13-22)
4. Job’s Trial - Round 2 (2:1-10)

This morning we begin an exposition of the book of Job.

I’m not quite sure how long we will be in this book, but I know that it will be less than when Joseph Caryl preached through it to his congregation. It took him 424 sermons and 24 years to preach through the book of Job. The fruit of his work is a 12-volume commentary on the book of Job.^[1] When I told a pastor friend of mine that I was preaching through the book of Job, his counsel to me was, don’t spend too long in the book. I trust the Lord will lead us in learning what we need to learn.

The book of Job is a mysterious book that addresses the issue of suffering. It shows us that the answers of life aren’t always so easy. This book will challenge your view of God. It will challenge your view of the sovereignty of God. It will challenge your view of the justice of God. This book will challenge any simplistic theology that you have about life in this world. This book will teach us about faith and endurance. In fact, the only reference to Job in the New Testament says that we should learn from the endurance of Job through his trials (James 5:11).

Fundamentally, this book teaches us how we are to view trials in our lives. Thus, the phrase that will govern our time in the book of Job is this: “When Trials Come.” This is because we will see Job encounter a huge trial in his life, and we will see Job’s friends trying to understand Job’s trial. As you go through life, you will experience trials. If you’re not experiencing a trial right now, that’s great. Just wait. You will. And your friends will experience trials. The book of Job will teach us how to deal with the trials we face, and it will also teach us how to help those facing trials.

So, let’s dig in by reading the very first verse of the book.

Job 1:1
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.

From this verse, we get our first point: 

1. Job’s Integrity (1:1-5)

These first five verses speak about what a righteous and godly man Job was. We see here that he is identified as blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. This isn’t the only time that these words are used to identify Job. We will hear them two other times, when the LORD speaks to Satan about Job.

Job 1:8
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?”

Job 2:3
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?”

The LORD is affirming these four qualities of Job’s character. He is blameless: that is, no accusation can be brought against his character or way of life in any way. Job is upright: that is, he is honest, fair, and consistently does the right thing. Job fears God: that is, he knows his place of submission before the LORD, and he seeks God’s honor in all things. Job turns away from evil: that is, when faced with sin, he avoids it and lives in obedience to God.

Now, this doesn’t mean that Job was sinless. Job knew that no man could stand before God and be in the right before him (Job 9:2). On several occasions, Job alludes to his own sin. In chapter 13, verse 26, Job refers to the iniquities of his youth. In chapter 14, verse 17, Job speaks about his transgression and his iniquity. But Job was a man of great integrity. When Job speaks of his righteous deeds in chapter 31, we see that he walked in sexual purity in thought and in deed (31:1-12), he never dealt unjustly with his servants (31:13-15), he never withheld anything from the poor, including orphans and widows (31:16-23), he didn’t trust in his wealth (31:24-28), and he didn’t gloat over the ruin of his enemies (31:28-34). What an amazing man Job was!

By the way, we have every reason to believe that Job was a real man. The book of Job isn’t some fairy tale or some made-up man to make a point about suffering and evil. Ezekiel 14:14 describes Job as a real man whose righteousness was on par with Noah and Daniel. James (in the New Testament) understood Job to be a real man who went through real trials. Job is described here as living in “the land of Uz,” a real land. “Uz” is mentioned several times in the genealogies of Genesis (Genesis 10:23; 22:21). He was a descendant of Nahor, but we aren’t quite sure where his land was. We presume it was “somewhere east of Canaan on the edge of the wilderness” (1:19).^[2]

We don’t know when Job lived, but we suspect that he lived sometime before the days of the Patriarchs. He lived for more than 140 years, which was consistent with those who lived in those days. Furthermore, there is no quotation or reference to the Old Testament in the book of Job, probably because it had not yet been written. And Job offered up sacrifices as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did, something that would never be done by a righteous man after the Levitical priesthood was instituted.

Job was a family man.

Job 1:2
There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

Psalm 128:3-4 says, "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord." Job was a blessed man.

Job was also a wealthy man.

Job 1:3
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.

Today we measure wealth by our stock market accounts. In patriarchal times, wealth was measured in the amount of livestock you had.

This is the whole point of this background to Job. He was the most righteous man of the land. He was the wealthiest man of the land. Just try to imagine a godly Elon Musk. Try to imagine the wealthiest man on the planet, who was not concerned about the things of the world, but of the things of God. This is show in verses 4 and 5, when Job is concerned with the sin of his children.

Job 1:4-5
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.

He had ten children, each of whom held a party, presumably on their birthdays. So at least ten times each year, Job was offering up sacrifices on their behalf, in case any of his children had sinned or “cursed God in their hearts.” This speaks to the integrity of Job, that he loved his family and was concerned for the souls of his children. Let's turn to my second point.

2. Satan’s Accusation (1:6-12)

This is a most interesting section of Job, as we are transported into the heavens to see a divine assembly of spiritual beings, where God is the Commander in Chief, conducting the business of the world, and the spiritual beings are coming to present themselves before the LORD to give an account for the matters upon the earth.

Job 1:6
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

The "sons of God" are probably a reference to angelic beings. Satan also is also of the angelic realm, but he lives in rebellion against the LORD. Remember, by this time, Satan has already persuaded Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit, which cast the world into sin. Why God let Satan come into this gathering and why Satan is presenting himself before the LORD, I have no idea. (Get used to having no idea about what’s happening in the book of Job.)

Anyway, at this meeting, the LORD brings up the topic of Job.

Job 1:7-12
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.” 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?” 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.” 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.

These are the same fourfold description of Job's character that we saw in verse 1. I think God is fishing here into Satan’s perspective on Job, saying, “What do you think about him?” The fact that Satan was familiar with Job’s name is kind of shocking, but without any hesitation he answered. Satan responds that of course Job fears the LORD, because God has this deal with Job: "You bless him with wealth and he fears you in return." We see Satan mentioning this "hedge" that God has placed around Job, so that Satan, walking upon the earth, cannot get at Job. He cannot strike him. He cannot touch those around him. Satan views Job as a pawn in God’s hand, and says it’s all a sham. If God would stop blessing Job, Job would turn against him in an instant: “Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

I have seen this many times. The lives of people were going well. They had a wife, children, a home, a good job, and they attended church in response. But then some disaster took place in their life, such as a death of their child, a loss of job and income,or  some bankruptcy. They began to question God’s goodness and his existence, And eventually they turn to anger, leave the church altogether, and deconstruct their faith. It happens often. And Satan is saying to the LORD, “This is the type of guy that Job is. He fears you only because you bless him. He is into God because of the things that he gets out of God.”

In other words, Satan thinks that Job has embraced the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. The message that promises you blessings if you but serve the LORD. So God says, “If that’s what you think about Job, that he only serves me because I bless him, then show me wrong.” God will use Job to prove something: that God is worthy of worship, regardless of the blessings that he pours out upon his people. This really is the great application question for us today. Is God worthy of worship? Is God worthy of worship only because he blesses us? Or is God worthy of worship, even if he takes everything away from us?

This is a question for you. Are you here today in church fundamentally because God has blessed your life? Do you feel like you have this deal with God where you come to church and things are going to go well for you? Do you view God as a divine vending machine, where you sing his praise on Sunday, and God will bless your business on Monday. Or are you here today in church because God is true and worthy of your worship? Full stop.

God takes the hedge of protection away from Job. Satan can strike all that is in Job's hand, but he cannot touch Job. This is what we call "Job's trial."

3. Job’s Trial - Round 1 (1:13-22)

Listen to what Satan did to Job.

Job 1:13-19
Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

This was four waves of disaster that came upon Job’s life in a matter of minutes. First, there was an attack by the Sabeans, who took all of Job’s 500 oxen and 500 donkeys, killing all of the servants. Second, a fire came from heaven and burned up all of his 7,000 sheep and killed all of those watching the flock. Third, the Chaldeans attacked those watching over Job’s camels, killing all of the servants and taking away Job’s 3,000 camels. Finally, a great wind, perhaps a tornado, came and destroyed the building where Job’s sons and daughters were feasting. They all died. It was cruel what Satan did to Job and his life. He took away everything: all of his wealth and all of his children.

The question of application comes straight to us. How would you respond if this happened to you? Imagine that you lived in eastern Ukraine and the Russian soldiers came in, pillaged your house, killed the father of the house, and took the young women away. Think about Christian families when an earthquake struck in Venezuela and children were wiped away by the collapse of buildings. These are real situations that happen in this world. In our American context it would be like this: all of your bank accounts taken away in a security breach, your house destroyed in a fire, your place of business wiped out in a tornado, and all of your children killed in a car crash.

What if all of this happened to you and you find out about it in a few minutes. How would you respond?Surely you would be numb at first. But when you came to understand all that happened, what would you do? Let’s look at what Job did.

Job 1:20
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “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.”

Job passed the test. Job proved God to be right. Satan said, “Take everything away from him and he will curse you to your face” (verse 11). Satan took everything away from Job. And Job did not curse the LORD. Instead, Job said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” It is from this phrase that I derive the title of my message this morning: “Blessed be the Name of the LORD.” In good times and in bad times, blessed be the name of the LORD. God is worthy to be worshiped, regardless of his blessing upon our lives.

Are you convinced of this? Would this be your response if the bottom of your world dropped out? In our church service, we sang the song by Matt Redman, "Blessed be Your Name." Here are the lyrics:

You may be here this morning and things are going well for you. You live in a comfortable house. Your family is a joy to you. You are saving up for the future. You are walking with the LORD, reading your Bible consistently with your family and in private, praying for God’s will in your life and the lives of others. Your heart today is singing along with those words of that song. But if the disaster comes upon your life, and when the darkness closes in, will you still say, “Blessed be the name of the LORD”? Will you fall on the ground in humility and worship the LORD as Job did (Job 1:20)?

Listen to a little pastoral advice. If in that day you want to say, “Blessed be the name of the LORD,” then be about cultivating that heart this day. It’s no accident that Job responded this way. He had been preparing for this day for years, as he walked in integrity, was sensitive to his sin, feared the LORD, and turned away from evil. That’s how you prepare for that day: by walking with the LORD this day.

How are you doing? Are you trusting in the LORD for all things? Are you realizing that all of the good that you have received is by the mercy of God? Do you hold the things of this life loose in your hands? Are you trusting in the LORD? Now, that’s not all to say that it will be easy when the day of calamity comes. I don’t think that it was easy for Job to say, “Blessed be the name of the LORD.” But without such preparation, it would have been impossible!

Before we move on to chapter 2, I need to comment on one more thing in verse 21. Look at Job’s words carefully: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.” Did you see how Job interpreted the events of his life? He saw the disaster that came upon his life as coming from the hand of the LORD. Job didn’t know of this heavenly counsel. Job didn’t know that it was really Satan who brought all of this evil upon him. He said it all came from the hand of the LORD. And Job was not wrong. We know this from verse 22.

Job 1:22
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Blaming God for the disaster that comes upon your life is not wrong. You just need to make sure that you don’t charge God with wrong. Oh, to be sure, God initiated the conversation about Job with Satan (1:8). And God removed the hedge of protection around Job (1:10). And God gave Job into Satan’s hand. Later, in chapter 2, the LORD will say that he “destroyed [Job] without reason” (2:3). Ultimately, God took away these things from Job: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.” Satan was the means through which the evil came upon Job.

Here's another crucial pastoral point: don’t back away from these statements of God’s sovereignty. Please know that if God is not in full control of bringing a trial upon your life, he is not in full control of taking that trial away from your life either. If God brought you into that trial, he can take you out of that trial, and that is where you will find your hope. Paul says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man; God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). God is bringing the trial, but he is also bringing the way of escape as well. He has both those things in his hand.

This doesn’t make sense to us on several levels. First of all, the justice of God doesn't make sense.  Why would God allow such a thing to an upright man? Second, the holiness of God doesn't make sense. How is it that God did this to Job without doing any wrong himself? But remember those sermons I have preached in recent weeks. There are times “when life doesn’t make sense.” The book of Job is yet another example of this. It doesn’t make sense that God would do such a thing to Job, that God would take away all of this from a righteous man. But like in my sermons over the past few weeks, I encourage you to embrace the mystery. Understand that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Let us learn to trust in God regardless.

OK, let’s turn to Job, chapter 2. In this chapter, we are going to see another trial. 

4. Job’s Trial - Round 2 (2:1-10)

Again, we are transported into the heaven to see this divine assembly of spiritual beings, with God the Commander in Chief, conducting the business of the world, and the spiritual beings coming to present themselves before the LORD. The conversation between the LORD and Satan will follow along the exact same paths.

Job 2:1-6
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. And 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.” 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? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

The conversation is exactly the same, except the LORD refers to the successful test of Job’s character. Notice those words in verse 3: “you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”

Here we have a little nod to the gospel. Jesus was also a righteous man, blameless in all his way, who turned away from evil and feared his Father. Yet he was destroyed without a reason. We read in John's gospel, “They hated me without a cause” (Psalm 35:19). Jesus suffered like Job, but even more so. Job confesses to some sin, but Jesus had zero sin. Job is sort of a Christ-like figure, being a righteous man destroyed without reason. That gives us a category to think about the cross of Christ. 

This is a succinct summary of the gospel. Jesus was holy God who came to us in love.  He was the perfect man who lived a perfect life. He was able to die for our sins, which he did upon the cross. He rose from the dead, that we might live again with him too. 

Coming back to Job, we see the LORD saying, "He still hold fast his integrity." But Satan wasn’t satisfied. So the second challenge comes from Satan, "Skin for skin!" That is, Satan contends, "You touch his body and he will curse you to your face.” So God says, “Have at it. Just don’t kill him.”

Job 2:7-10
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

This is torture. Job experienced intense pain from his head to his feet, with open sores, infections and boils. It was so bad that his wife caved. But Job was still holding fast to his integrity. This was the second test that Job passed. He showed that God was worthy of worship, not just because of the blessings he gives, but because of who he is. God is the sovereign one.

As I think about Job and his godly response, I think about our dear friend at Rock Valley Bible Church: Andy Krauss. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, some five years ago. He passed away two years ago. Upon receiving news of his diagnosis, Andy stood before our church and gave a testimony to God’s goodness in his life. Here is an edited version of what he said:

I’m glad to be here with you all today. I want to share some of the things with you all that are going on in my life right now, and in specific ways how you can pray for me and my family. For about a month, I’ve been feeling discomfort in my back, which is not an uncommon thing for me, but it became a lot more uncomfortable this time. So I decided to go ahead and go into the convenient care facility of Mercy Hospital. After several scans, some CT scans and an MRI scan, I learned that there was a small mass on my pancreas, and eventually a biopsy was done, and the results were positive for cancer.

So Adriana and I visited UW-Madison. I learned that I’m not a surgical candidate at this time. My cancer was caught very early and is very small in size, but it’s located in a very critical area at the head of my pancreas. And what I’m going to face is, in a few weeks, starting a process of chemotherapy. It’s one time every two weeks, and it’ll last for six months. If I can tolerate it, fine, and do okay. And I think about what God is doing and the reasons for it. And I’m just feeling very loved to know that God has a plan and all that, and I can trust fully and wholeheartedly in that too. I feel very loved by him, but I also feel very loved by my family and my church family as well. And I want to express to you all that my hope is in the Lord today. Number one, my hope is there for healing if God would will it, and he can. And I trust fully in that for sustaining grace if he chooses not to do that for me.

My hope is not in man today, but I am thankful for doctors and thankful for medical care, and I’m thankful for Mercy Health System here in Rockford and for UW-Madison, for Swedish American Cancer Center, but my hope is not in man. My hope is in the Lord today. And my hope is to be able to glorify and praise Jesus Christ in my cancer and not to waste my cancer, because God has created me and he created my cancer. He created it for a purpose and plan, and I want to be resting in the fact that he is in control of all of it. And I want to be salt and light to all those around me. I certainly find Scripture very needful and very helpful. In one passage, James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be lacking in nothing.” The reality of this type of cancer is clear in a lot of things, and I’m not trusting in statistics and counting on numbers and all that, but I will likely go through a long-term process of treatment and possibly surgery. And it is possible that inevitably I would see my Savior and my Creator a little sooner than I thought. And your mind can really race off and go off in a lot of different directions when you think about something like that. You know, what about my wife? What about my kids? What about finances, and on and on and on, et cetera, et cetera. But God is a faithful God, and he promises to provide all my needs.^[5]

Such was the reaction of Job. His possessions, his family, and his health was all taken away. 

Andy died three years after giving this testimony, on March 5, 2024. Yet through all of his suffering, he held onto the sovereignty of God. It was my privilege to be his pastor through his sufferings. There was a song that became his theme song.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
    his holy will abideth;
I will be still, whate’er he doth,
    and follow where he guideth.
He is my God; though dark my road,
    he holds me that I shall not fall:
    wherefore to him I leave it all.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
    he never will deceive me;
he leads me by the proper path;
    I know he will not leave me.
I take, content, what he hath sent;
    his hand can turn my griefs away,
    and patiently I wait his day.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
    though now this cup, in drinking,
may bitter seem to my faint heart,
    I take it, all unshrinking.
My God is true; each morn anew
    sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
    and pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
    here shall my stand be taken;
though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
    yet am I not forsaken.
My Father’s care is round me there;
    he holds me that I shall not fall:
    and so to him I leave it all.^[6]

When trials come, let us say, “Blessed be the Name of the LORD.”

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on June 28, 2026 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Joseph Caryl, An Exposition with Practical Observations upon the Book of Job, 12 vols. (London, 1647-1666). Available at https://digitalpuritan.net/job/.

[2]  Elmer Smick, “Job,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), p. 879.
 
[3] Matt Redman and Beth Redman, “Blessed Be Your Name,” on Where Angels Fear to Tread (Worship Together, 2002).
 
[4] Bob Kauflin and Drew Jones, “The Gospel Song” (Sovereign Grace Music, 2002).

[5] Andy Krauss, testimony given at Rock Valley Bible Church, February 7, 2021. Video available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqmPQSwmubs.
 
[6] Samuel Rodigast, “Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right” (1675), translated by Catherine Winkworth (1863).