Dale Ridge church of Christ

           (The crossword puzzle for Job chapter 40 can be found at the end of this article.)

            In the first two chapters, the Book of Job begins with, for all intended purposes, what appears to be a knockout of Satan by Job.  We then have to wait thirty-nine chapters for Job to be rewarded by God for his steadfast endurance.  In between these two sections in Job are extensive discussions between Job and his friends with a later response by a young man named Elihu who angrily speaks up in the end.  Finally, God begins to speak in Job chapter 38 through chapter 41. 

The bulk of the book (thirty-five chapters) is spent then in these conversations between Job, the three friends and Elihu.  The obvious question then is “Why spend so much time on these conversations?”   “Are they really all necessary?”  “Do they really have a purpose?”   Actually, several things could be pointed out in regard to the great value of these conversations.   One of these is that in actuality, the battle Job was fighting did not end in chapter two of Job.  In fact, it was really only the beginning. 

This extended conversation demonstrates for one thing that a major part of the battle is in the long haul and takes place in our thought life.  Indeed, Job’s initial responses and reactions in the first two chapters are both noteworthy and quite remarkable.  Yet, what is often the most difficult for most people is not what takes place in the immediate but rather in trials that so often last for days, weeks, months, and years.  These trials so often are fought in the mind.  This was the place where Job’s greatest warfare would take place.  This is where the Book of Job most heavily concentrates itself. 

The apostle Paul tells us this very fact when he tells us the what, the why, and the where of the weapons which are used by Christians that engage themselves in spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  This battle and these weapons are spiritual in nature, Paul says.  This is the “What” of spiritual warfare.  Our weapons are not carnal—in other words, they are not manmade.   To the brethren at Ephesus, Paul spelled out specifically the two weapons which we have at our disposal after we have put on the whole armor of God:  1) the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God; and 2) prayer. 

The “what” of our weaponry leads to the “why”.  Why use these weapons?  Because they “are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth  itself against the knowledge of God”.  We have two powerful weapons in our spiritual arsenal that have the ability to defeat any enemy that we might engage.   Through God, these weapons will give us victory. 

But what about the “where” in this text?   Where does this battle take place?  Paul continues and says, “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.  The battlefield is in one’s mind.  It occurs in ones thoughts.  Solomon would lay down the principle, “For as he thinketh in his heart [which is his mind, MWC], so is he” (Prov. 23:7).  This is why we need to temper our thoughts and fill our mind with thoughts that are good (Philippians 4:8; Matthew 6:21-23). 

Through the speeches of the friends in Job, Satan continued to work and wear upon the mind of Job.  We are reminded in the New Testament that we do not need to be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).  Thankfully, we have been given these chapters in the middle of Job that we might learn from his patient endurance (James 5:11; Romans 15:4) and gain strength as we fight in our own spiritual battles.

Here are the puzzles Job chapter 40:

•  Interactive version - job_chapter_40 ; printable version - job_chap_40

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Filed under: Devotional, Michael Carter on December 18th, 2008