From 'Old Testament Prophets: Job'

2014 Ensign August

Anotated by Don R. Hender

 

    'JOB WAS NOT an Old Testament Prophet, and yet, as a man of this probation, his life, testimony, commitment, and endurance in his trials can be an inspiration to us.'
    "I do not know of anything that members of the Church need more than they need the conviction and perserverance of Job." — Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008) Apostle of God

 I do not think that Job considered himself to a perfect sole. But he did know that he was a righteous man and that the afflections placed upon him were not due to his wickedness as the Jewish leaders tended to preach. Job knew that whether good or bad, good people do suffer the unfair afflections of this life and just as often, good things do happen to bad people without any respect to that person's wickedness. Only in the everlasting long term of eternity will the balances of true justice be fulfilled. And Job would not let his trial, afflictions and life's unfairness cause Job to waiver from his conviction and trust in God.

[This Section Is Given As if Job Is Narrating His Story]

   I was known as a man who feared God and avoided evil.2 The Lord blessed me with seven sons and three daughters, and He granted me great material wealth, including “seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred [donkeys], and a very great household.” 3

   Satan believed that I would cease to be righteous and that I would curse the Lord if I no longer prospered tem¬porally. The Lord allowed Satan to test me but would not allow him to harm me physically. Satan caused my live¬stock to be stolen or destroyed and sent a strong wind to knock down my house, killing my 10 children inside. Rather than cursing the Lord, I “rent [my] mantle, and shaved [my] head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped” the Lord.4

   When Satan saw that I would not curse God, he wanted to test me with physical trials. The Lord allowed Satan to do so but would not allow him to take my life. Satan afflicted me with “sore boils from the sole of [my feet] unto [my] crown.” 5 Still I retained my integrity, refusing to curse the Lord. My friends mourned with me.

   My friends told me that my suffering was caused by my own wickedness and that I must repent, but I knew that I was a righteous man.6 The Lord later commanded my friends to repent. They were told to make a burnt offer¬ing and to have me pray for them.7

   After seeing my faithfulness, the Lord caused my great suffering to cease, and He blessed me with “twice as much as [I] had before.” 8 I now had “fourteen thou¬sand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand [donkeys],” as well as seven more sons and three more daughters.9 The Lord truly rewarded me richly for my faith and patience.

   I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life, both in my afflictions and in my prosperity. I boldly testified: “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” 10

Thou Art Not Yet As Job
D&C 121:10

 Understanding Job:

Job did actually live and his life's experience is true. Yet Job is not identified as to any family ancestry, time or place. He could have lived during a wide range of time during Old Testament times. And for purposes of revealing God's true principles and precepts, Job or who his life may be applied to, could have happened at any time, any where, and to anyone who may have ever lived during this life's earthly probation.

In the preexistence, God, our Heavenly Father, presented to His children, his spririt sons and daughters God's Plan of Happiness which would provide a Savior and Redeemer whereby all who ever comes to earth might obtain God's greatest blessing of eternal life. And this irrespective of person, irrespective of time, place and ancestry of the children of men by which they may come into and live in this temporal mortality, all, all, will have and receive the opportunities promised them by God in the preexistence of being able to become a part of God's Eternal Celestial Kingdom and receive of God's Celestial blessings for God's children.

Whether or not a person ever did hear of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this life time, whether or not a person lived but a few moments of to vast old age, in any land, at any time and in any circumstance; there is a way provided under God's great plan whereby they will have the opportunity to hear and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and accept Christ as their Redeemer. And they will be given that opportunity in conjuction to this earth's second estate before the final and great judgment of God at the end of days.

How is this possible? I seen the faces of babes on television dying of hunger who have yet even learned how to speak and understand. Perhaps one approach to this understanding is to ask the question, 'What are you going to be doing for the next 1,000 years? On the page concerning the Millennium are some details concerning the little known details of God's Plan of how this opportunity is going to be provided to all men. And a link there to 'A Heavenly Manifestation' further explans and details some of the things which will be happening on the other side of the vail of death where the spirit of departed man lives on.

  [Fact Box: Job]

  • Names: Job, ID: The 'Any Man' and 'Every Man',
  • Birth date: purposefully unknown - could be anyone of any ancestry
  • Age at time of death: not relavent
  • Genealogy: son of God representative of all
  • Mortal roles: a real person who really lived and suffered the injustices of life representing all who live, and that in the end with God 'justice' and God's blessing will prevail
  • Postmortal role: he lives on as the true life legendary mortal representative of any and all of the children of God who ever have, do and will live on earth and suffer life's injustices, and that in the end, whether in the here or the here after, God will redeem and make all things right, blessing all men with the blessings of heaven.11Every kindred, tongue, and people will have their time and opportunity to received and be blessed with and by the blessings of heaven reguardless of this life's conditions, cirsumstances and eventualities. God is not repecter of persons. From the highest of the high, to the lowest of the low, all are the same unto God, none are singled out to suffer the injustices of life according to their birth and happenstance, and all will have the same opportunity to receive of God's highest blessing through his Gospel Plan. And the first shall be last and the last shall be first. And in terms of Celestial Glory, it is but one and the same level of glory and blessings to all from they who have labored the day long to those who but come and receive of it in the very last hour. God's justice does and will prevail for all men.
  • [Possibly: Job should be looked to and seen by all who live as an inspiration that God's great plan will prevail over all else, and all can and will be saved and redeemed by it, even the least of these, God's sons and daughters, whom we all are.] 'Elias' along with Elijah and Moses]
The True Christian Doctrine 
Unlike false 'Traditional Christian Doctrine' that only some selectively 'chosen few' will ever be saved and receive of God's blessings and glory, which keeps innocent children from salvation because of the lack of child baptism, to those who never have and never will learn of Christ in this lifetime; the true Christian Message and Doctrine is that God's Plan of Happiness is real and available to all men who ever have, do, or will live. All are God's children. He loves all and cares for all without respect to person. God has/will/does provide a way for all men can and may be saved with God in His Kingdom of Heaven. Job is one who has set that out in that Job rebuked the 'traditions of the Jews' which contrived that God was a respector of persons and would only hold out his blessings to a select 'chosen' few, ie. the sons of Abraham. Earth's afflections ARE NOT attached to some pretended level of wickedness or righteousness. All are subject to the injustices of mortality irrespective of righteousness. All can and will have the opportunity of receiving of God's justice and God's blessings, glory, and kingdom either during or even after this mortality.
Reference Notes:
_______________

1. Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Never Give Up,”
      Ensign, Nov. 1987, 8.

2. See Job 1:1.

3. See Job 1:2–3.

4. See Job 1:7–22.

5. Job 2:7.

6. See Job 22–27.

7. See Job 42:7–9.

8. Job 42:10.

9. See Job 42:12–13.

10. Job 19:25–26.

" . . . we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." ~ James 5:11

~ All Art the Same Unto God ~