◄ Vessel of Comfort (JOB-study 19) ►

A Full Study Of JOB

Chosen Vessel

God allowed Satan’s attacks on His servant to bring Job a greater reality of Christ. God used these life-shattering experiences to mature his spiritual understanding. God brought him to the end of himself so Job could become God’s chosen vessel.. a vessel of intercession – a vessel of praise, but especially a vessel of deep comfort. A vessel of God’s comfort to others in need of that comfort.

Adamic Religiosity

God wants to use His called and chosen vessels to comfort others in their need. That we may be able to comfort them, which are in any trouble. 1 Corinthians 1:4. And when we go through our own fiery crucible, like Job.. we too need comfort. But not the kind offered by Job’s three friends, which comes from Adamic religiosity. The ‘religiosity‘ in Job’s friend’s Adamic nature laid hold of an incorrect view of God. Their comfort was a pot-pourri of good and evil – a mixture made up of truth and lies.

Divided Heart

Their hearts were divided hearts – a strategy of Satan.. perfected over centuries! Divided, between the old sinful nature in Adam and the new godly nature in Christ. Divided, between man-made religiosity and God-given spirituality. Divided, between Self-righteousness and Christ’s-righteousness. They became wise in their own eyes, with a self-righteous attitude towards others. Job surely felt condemned not comforted – criticised rather than consoled.

Self-Righteousness

The 'spiritual' witness of these three, was no more than religious, self-righteousness.. a cancerous and infectious poison that spread its disease to God’s servant, Job. Oh, how he needed their loving comfort, but how their attitude infected Job’s retort. And Job, discouraged by their counsel. tried to justify himself, rather than God.. allowing his old, prideful Adamic nature, to flare into his defence. Though Job wore his stupid pride like a necklace during his questioning of God, Job did not accuse God of ill, as did his religious-minded friends. But how we start to see the scheming game-plan of the crooked serpent at work here. Understand the enemy, and then you can defeat his advances. Understand Leviathan, and you can overcome the strategies of Satan!

God of Comfort

But the God of all Comfort in His goodness turns the crumbling situation to good. And the deep work that is performed in the inner recesses of Job’s heart.. results in a depth, of reality of the Lord, that Job had never experienced before. For the Spirit of Christ alone is our Comfort; our Consolation; our 'Paraklesis' – our Intercessor and Counsellor; our Advocate; our Encourager and Strengthener. And it is through Him that His Comfort becomes a living expression in us – until it is not I that live but Christ that lives in me.

Spirit of Comfort

'Paraklaleo' means:- to encourage; console; comfort; entreat; desire; beseech; incite. The same word means:- to call aside; to admonish; to warn; to exhort; to instruct. He is the One that makes ALL the comfort of God a living declaration in our lives; a life emptied of the old, prideful Adamic self; a life filled with the Spirit of Comfort. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. by His Comfort. flowing through us.