AYUB: Suffering without Complaint.

The whole story of AYUB (Job) goes for 42 Chapters (which I recommend you read) but in the mean time, here is a short comic to give you a quick refresh :

So this story of Ayub is packed full of unique information and themes not seen in any other Scripture account. First of all we are given a glimpse of the throne room scene where messengers (sons of Alahim) are presenting themselves to Yahuah!!! What for??? And why is haShatan allowed in there?? Why would Yahuah even bother to speak to him and entertain his wicked, childish games?? We also find out that haShatan has been wandering UP and DOWN in the world, implying different levels of dimension within the same space. This is not hard to grapple given the varying SciFi shows we’ve seen. Shamayim (heaven) is not up in the sky but in a different dimension and that is why Yahusha is very very close to us (in our hearts actually) yet also sitting on the throne in the Shamayim, soon to return to this dimension (the Scripture speaks of the sky rolling back like a scroll to reveal Him - this is obviously dimensional talk) . . .

So Ayub is a righteous man, who is obedient to Turah, very wealthy and influential, having been blessed by Yahuah with exceedingly great riches and family also. This draws the attention (as righteous behaviour does) to haShatan, who is quick to accuse and attack. The interesting thing is that Yahuah allows all these attacks and sicknesses to come upon Ayub (though He does not cause them) in order to test him and prove the enemy wrong. We also see that unclean spirits have the power to put sicknesses upon us. In a very short span of time Ayub loses his children and his livestock and fortune.

This is also one of the first accounts of a Birthday celebration, as his children (who were behaving disobediently according to Ayub’s sacrifices on their behalf) were gathering together "having a feast in the house of each on his day". Now this is not the reason they were wiped out, because Ayub’s testing is the bigger context here, however if Ayub was living and behaving righteously and his children were not (according to this account, i.e. his sacrifices) , it is clearly another piece of evidence in favour of Yahuah’s hatred for sun-worship, constellation and zodiac observance (i.e. the Birthday celebration).

We then go on a long process of all Ayub’s afflictions, moods and torment as he questions Yahuah, cries out in his being due to the physical and mental torture he is enduring, he is repenting and searching himself constantly for any wrong doing he's committed - but he NEVER turns on Yahuah, never blames him, never curses him and denies him. Even when his words and moods go into some horrific dark places under the pressure of such stress and agony, he still keeps his belief in the face of hopelessness, confusion and pain.

Obviously none of us have suffered and been tested as Ayub was, however this account is proof of the fact that those Yahuah loves and has His eye on will be tested with fire to see if they will endure to the end.

Check out theses texts:

AYUB 2:8 And Ayub took a potsherd with which to scrape himself (all the puss) while he sat in the midst of the ashes. 9And his ashah (woman) said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse Alahim and die!” 10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Indeed, should we accept only good from Alahim, and not accept evil?” In all this Ayub did not sin with his lips. 5:17 Look, blessed is the man whom Aloah does reprove, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 18For He bruises, but He binds up; He smites, but His hands heal.

Verse 17 is almost word for word the same as Hebrews 12, referring to despising the discipline of Yahuah, which we are not to do if we want to be treated as sons and bear the peaceable fruits of righteousness (behaviour). These Scripture also show us how his wife (who lost all of her children and wealthy lifestyle too, but not plagued with the sicknesses) behaves in such testing. She tells Ayub to give up, to curse Yahuah and just die. What kind of loving advise is this? In the natural maybe it seemed easy and right but often the advise we get from other people while going through a test is more of a stumbling block than a help. We see this also from the council of Ayub’s friends, who accused and mocked, who had no spiritual discernment of his situation but who felt they had the right to use their relationship to speak into his life during such a time.

When we are going through times of great suffering and testing, when it looks like everything in our life has fallen apart, that we’ve failed, been defeated, accused and made to look so unbelievably wrong and wicked, that our life (on the outside) is not even worth living because of what’s happening . . . . . there will be those around us (often the ones closest to us) who want to tell us its because we’re sinful and wrong, and they want to lift themselves up and rub our (apparent) failure in our faces because of their own jealousies and bitterness. There will even be those who genuinely mean well but their council is not Turah-specific to your situation, and therefore can be a hindrance too.

Turah tells us not to engage in quarrels, not to fight, not seek revenge, not to drag each other into court, not to have drama, but to settle all matters swiftly and wisely, trusting Yahusha to fight all our battles for us - to keep moving forward in the knowledge and experience of His love. People of the world refuse to behave like this and that is why Yahusha’s Bride will one day shine and stand out because her training is so very personalised and unique in every way to anything the world could ever conjure up.

Ps91:10 No evil befalls you, And a plague does not come near your tent; 11 For He commands His messengers concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. 12They bear you up in their hands, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13You tread upon lion and cobra, Young lion and serpent you trample under foot. 14“Because he cleaves to Me in love, Therefore I deliver him; I set him on high, Because he has known My Name. 15“When he calls on Me, I answer him; I am with him in distress; I deliver him and esteem him. 16“With long life I satisfy him, And show him My deliverance.”

Getting back to Ayub, we notice that he is eventually visited by Yahuah after all his tribulation, but on first glance it’s not a soppy “gimme a hug son, you’ve passed the test” kinda encounter is it. Yahuah appears and tells him to stop his pity-party, stand up like a man and listen to Him. This shows what Yahuah is like and that real love is not sympathy, but speaking and receiving the truth in love. This is a behaviour also that is in direct contrast to the world. And of course at the end of his life Ayub dies happy, fulfilled and satisfied, having been rewarded with much more wealth than he first started with and a bigger family in the end. But these texts here explain the true source of Ayub’s happiness:

AYUB 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and as the Last shall rise over the dust; 26and after my skin has been struck off, then in my flesh I shall see Aloah, 27whom I myself shall see on my side, and not a stranger. My courage has failed within me!

AYUB 23:10 For He knows the way that I take. When He has tested me, I would come forth as gold. 11 My foot has held fast to His steps. I have guarded His way, and did not turn aside.12 I have not strayed from the command of His lips. I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily portion. 13But He is One, and who does turn Him?

Ayub’s righteous behaviour first made him a target of the enemy but later became a testimony against the lying accusations of that enemy, and in the end He got to SEE and feel the presence of Yahuah. Remember this was way back when the Ruach didn’t enter any human vessels, only influencing them externally. So Ayub endured all of this without Yahusha inside Him to comfort him. Today we have Yahusha inside to comfort and guide us through all situations if we will allow Him to come in and move through our behaviour.

Everything in our life is a test to see how we will BEHAVE in a situation. Will we put the behavioural rules to ourself or will we complain (Yahusha hates complaining) and have our own mind and our own way in a situation, declaring that we have rights and knowledge (which is just excuses and confusion really).

Much can be learnt from the process of Ayub’s testing . . . so what did you learn? How did it associate with your walk and how do the 3 Rules apply?

By Mark Davidson

WHAT IS THE BEHAVIOUR REVOLUTION?