It is so encouraging to see more and more dads and moms doing family worship with their children at home. This is God’s way of making disciples at home (Deuteronomy 6:7, Ephesians 6:1-4). Currently our family is reading the book of Job in our family worship times. What? Job? Aren’t there more encouraging things to read with your kids than all that suffering? Why Job? There are lots of big reasons!
Our children need to see and know God for who He truly is as revealed in the Bible. And so do parents! True disciples know God and walk with Him. The book of Job opens our eyes to see God for who He is. It also opens our eyes to that God calls us to follow His Son Jesus on the path of suffering. All disciples of Jesus WILL suffer. Our children will never know this unless they are taught it. Those who don’t know that God has called them to suffer will likely be blown away by it someday. And those who do not know that God is in the suffering with them will not know how to find their hope in God.
Job chapter one teaches them that God is completely sovereign over all things, including Satan and everything he does, even the evil. What? Yes, God is totally sovereign. “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he (Job) has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” Job 1:12 says that Satan cannot do anything that God doesn’t give him express permission to do. God is not weak compared to Satan. God has him on a chain. Boy do our kids need to know this!
One of the greatest sins known to man is found in verses 9-10, “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.” The great sin is the accusation that God is not worth worship and love. Satan says God must pay people off with lots of money or else they’ll never love Him. The rest of the book and Job’s great suffering is God’s way of demonstrating that He is worthy of worship simply for who He is.
Wow, do our children ever need God to form that kind of worship in their hearts. Only this will prevent them from growing into narcissistic, self-adoring, self-serving creatures who think the world and God revolves around them. Our children need to see God in all His glory. They need their parents to teach this to them.
Things your kids will learn from Job chapter one:
- God controls completely all things, even Satan’s actions.
- God is the greatest worth, more than anything on earth.
- God’s hand is in bad things that happen to people.
- Satan’s hand is in bad things that happen to people.
