“The LORD gives and the LORD has taken away.” Job 1:21.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) said:
I blessed your life from the start to increase and bear much fruit. I also have given you a heavenly account that you are growing and I already have put every spiritual blessing in Heaven in it.
I tell you that with long life I will satisfy you and when you depart this life you shall be full of years. I do not give and take away. I have need of nothing because I have everything.
I am your Shepherd you shall not want. I set an abundant table before you and overflow your cup. I give you the good things of My house and to drink from the river of delights. It has pleased Me to give you the Kingdom and I am not taking it back. No one can close what I have opened.
And the lie of the devil that we are considering today, that even people in the church quote when someone’s child dies or they lose things of value, is something I did not even say. Job said it to explain the attack the devil had launched against him to take his goods, family, and all that was dear to him. So actually, he said it attributing the devil’s work to Me. “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.” Job 1:21.
My Son told you that the devil is a thief that comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but that I sent Jesus so that you can have life and have it ABUNDANTLY, until it overflows. Why would I then go counter to My Word and imitate the devil?
I have begun a good work in you and I will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.
But why was the devil able to take so much away from Job? And what did Job do to get restored so that he even had twice the possessions and lovely things, of an even higher quality than he had before the devil took all these things from him? And Job never lost anything to the devil again. I did for Job what My Will is for everyone from the beginning, I increased him more and more, in fact, I blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning and he lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. And Job died, an old man and full of days. Satisfied.
Job changed two things: his thoughts and his words. And this got him out of Satan’s hand into Mine. And there is no snatching out of My hand. When you are in My hand, the evil one cannot touch you.
I introduce you to Job as a wealthy man, who was blameless, upright and turned away from evil. The hedge of My protection was around Job, however, Job was fearful and worried about his seven children. They took advantage of the wealth of their father Job and did not work, but feasted splendidly every day in one another’s homes, so every seven days they completed the cycle of going to have a feast at the house of each of them. And Job was worried because he feared that, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” So he would offer a sacrifice for them but he did not curtail their activities, even though he knew they were drinking. Thus Job did continually.
When Satan, based on the authority Adam and Eve gave him on the earth, came before Me from roaming and patrolling the earth he had the desire to go after Job, who was of course of Adam’s corrupted seed since this was many years before Jesus came in the flesh, and I told him Job was already in his hand. Job, through fear, had opened the hedge of blessing I had surrounded him with to Satan and had put himself in Satan’s hand. Who then had jurisdiction to enter Job’s life. And what was Job’s response? “For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, and I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.” Job 3:25-26.
Job then went through a time of trial from the devil’s attacks which he did not curtail but blamed every one of them on Me and justified himself as righteous and wrongly attacked.
Job, however, kept saying he wanted to talk to Me but needed a mediator, so I sent Elihu to correct his mindset and show him the way to come back under My hedge of protection, that is, get out of Satan’s hand and his proud self-righteousness.
Elihu told Job to be quiet and stop his self-righteous accusation at Me and he would teach him, “Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; keep silent, and let me speak. Then if you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I DESIRE TO JUSTIFY YOU. If not, listen to me; keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.” Job 33:31-32.
And so the lessons began, “Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong. For He pays a man according to his work, and makes him find it according to his way. Surely, God will not act wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.” Job 34:10-12. “So Job opens his mouth emptily; he multiplies words without knowledge.” Job 35:16.
And finally I came to show Job how to prosper and stay out of Satan’s hand. And Job understood that the problem was his mouth. Death and life are in the power of your tongue. And his conclusion?
I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; even twice, and I will add nothing more.” Job 40:1-5 . . . “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted . . . Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know . . .I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6.
And there was one more step to his restoration and increase. Job had become very angry with his three friends and they with him. I told them to repent and have Job pray for them. And Job did as I told him and prayed for them and released all his unforgiveness and anger. And I restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and increased all that Job had twofold. The double portion.
Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the LORD, love justice. Isaiah 61:7-8.
This wondrous prophecy of Isaiah is in the very chapter that Jesus opened and read from in the synagogue as Nazareth as He began His public ministry. Jesus has taken away your shame and justified you before Me. I made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on your behalf so you have become righteous with My own righteousness in Him. And in Him, you have become My child and a joint heir with Him of the firstborn blessing, which is the double portion.
And when you came to Jesus and believed in the gospel of your salvation, I sealed you in Him by the Holy Spirit for the redemption of possession and I gave you to Jesus and commanded Him to never lose you but raise you up on the Last Day. I have put you in His hand. Job got out of My hand and into the hand of Satan, but you cannot once you have taken Jesus as your Lord, for then He is your great good Shepherd forever. The Lamb in the center of the throne will be your Shepherd and He will lead you to springs of life giving water and I will wipe every tear from your eyes.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30.
Satan can never do to you who believe in My Son and received Him as your Lord what he did to Job. You are in My hand forever.
You have been born again of incorruptible seed and sin is no longer master over you. My children do not make a practice of sinning, for My Son holds you securely, and the evil one cannot touch you. The world is under the control of the evil one. But in Christ Jesus, you are not. You are in the world but not of the world.
Jesus came and gave you understanding of who I am, so that you can know Me. He is the only way to Me, a new and living way, so that by His blood you are redeemed and can come with confidence to My throne. And now you live in fellowship with Me because you live in fellowship with My Son, Jesus Christ. In Him I give you eternal life.
Keep away from idols. Do not let anything take My place in your heart.
I never give and then take away. I only give and I never stop, if the flow stops, generally you are the hindrance. I reward those who seek Me. Never say that I give and then take away. I never said that and you should not repeat it.
I love you. When the devil threatens to take all you have and leave you bereft, just mock him saying that you are in My hand, not his, and that there is no snatching out of My hand. You are safe in the strong tower of My Name. He cannot touch you. Never do what Job did though and let down your hedge and open the door for the devil to come in and take what is yours through fear. Instead of worrying about others who are acting wrongly, rectify the situation, especially if they are your children or your household..