Scriptures for Today: Job 1:1-5
Job 1:1-5
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. 4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Introduction to Job 1: The Kind of Man God Notices
If God wrote the first line of your story right now, what would it say? What would the first line be?
Would God say, “There was a man… there was a woman… who feared Me and hated evil” — or would He still be waiting to start that sentence? Would He get writers block for your story?
Before this message ends, you’ll know how to build a daily routine that God notices—and you’ll be able to start it tomorrow morning.
(Hold up a Bible and a phone) “Only one of these tells you who you are. The other tells you who the world wants you to be.” So many people are stuck on these phones now. It’s amazing. I watched many people on Sunday, while Nathan was preaching, just watching videos on their phone. Scrolling to the next one. Scroll, scroll, scroll. Instead of listening to the Bible, they have to be stuck on their phone.
I want you to start hearing the words of the Bible and the teaching of the Bible.
Quick history lesson on the Book of Job before we look at verse 1: When you open the Book of Job, you’re stepping backward in time.
Chronologically, Job doesn’t follow Esther or Ezra—it takes us all the way back near the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The events in Job happen long before Moses, long before the Exodus, long before Israel was even a nation. We’re stepping back in time, and we’re somewhere in the time period that Genesis occurs.
We know that because of what the Bible tells us:
- Job offers sacrifices himself — no mention of priests, Levites, or a tabernacle (Job 1:5). That means it was before the Law of Moses when fathers acted as priests for their families, like Noah and Abraham did.
- Job’s friends’ families go back to Genesis. Eliphaz was a Temanite—Teman was Esau’s grandson (Genesis 36:11). Bildad was a Shuhite — Shuah was one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah (Genesis 25:2). So these men were descendants of Abraham’s extended family line.
- The land of Uz (Job 1:1) is tied to Edom, where Esau’s descendants lived (Lamentations 4:21). That puts Job in the same region where Jacob and Esau’s family lines spread out.
- Job lived to be over 200 years old (Job 42:16), just like the patriarchs. Lifespans like that stopped long before the days of David or Solomon.
So Job’s story takes place in the patriarchal age, around the same era as Genesis—after the Flood and Tower of Babel, but before the giving of the Law.
In other words, when we read Job, we’re not in Israel’s history yet—we’re in family history. There’s no temple, no priesthood, no written Scripture—just faith, family, and the fear of God.
And that’s what makes this book so powerful. Before there was Moses, before there was a Bible, before there was a chosen nation—there was still a man who feared God, hated evil, and walked upright. His name was Job.
And God loved Job greatly. He has a book in the Bible. If any one of us were put in the same position as Job, how long would we last?
Verse 1 — The Man God Could Brag About
Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job lived in a wicked world — yet God bragged on him!
- Perfect = blameless; his conscience was clean.
- Upright = he walked straight when the world walked crooked.
- Feared God = he respected God too much to rebel.
- Eschewed evil = he stayed far from sin on purpose.
Let’s say you hold two magnets same-pole-to-same-pole. You’ll see how they push apart? That’s Job and sin—they couldn’t stay close. That’s what you need to strive for in your life.
It’s not about being sinless; it’s about being sincere. Job didn’t need perfection to please God—just direction toward Him.
Direct question for you: When temptation comes, do you flirt with it—or flee from it? When you flirt with the temptation, you’ll most likely dive right into the sin. Instead of allowing it to get close, reject that temptation and push it far from you.
If God’s looking for someone to brag on again, could it be you? Let’s see what made Job’s life worth Heaven’s attention.
Verse 2 — Job’s Family Blessing
Job 1:2
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
Job’s wealth wasn’t his treasure — his children were. Let me say that again. Job’s wealth wasn’t his treasure. His children were his treasure. Before he was known in the East, he was respected in his own house. That’s where things begin. And parents need to do better in their own homes.
The most credible testimony isn’t your church résumé — it’s your kids watching you pray. Reading the Bible with them. Studying with them. Going to church with them. Talking about God’s words with them.
Many parents beg God for their kids’ success but forget to beg for their salvation. Don’t forget about the everlasting salvation for your children.
Picture a father kneeling by ten names written on parchment — every name matters. That’s Job’s heart. He loved his ten children.
Actionable takeaway for you: Right now, call your children’s names in prayer. Tonight, before bed, pray for your children. You can’t control their choices, but you can cover their souls.
Don’t let a day go by where you invest in their future but not their eternity.
Job didn’t just have blessings — he managed them with integrity. Watch what comes next.
Verse 3 — Job’s Wealth and Reputation
Job 1:3
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Job had everything—but everything didn’t have Job. There’s a big difference there. For example, you can play video games and not be in sin. Or you can allow video games to play you and be in sin. Again, Job had everything but everything didn’t have Job. He owned wealth; wealth never owned him.
The devil’s not scared of rich Christians—he’s terrified of righteous ones.
Plenty of people can handle poverty; few can handle prosperity without losing purity. Prosperity takes people away. I’ve seen it myself since being here at this church. Someone starts making a little bit of money and it takes them away. Some have ended up in jail.
If I held up two jars—one labeled Gold, one God. And I ask: “Which fills your heart first?” Would it be the gold? Or would it be God?
Job proved you can have success without sin if God stays on the throne of your priorities. He MUST be number one in all things. Don’t just say it either. You have to make it that way. For example, I can see people here that make God a priority in their lives. Then I see others who aren’t here who don’t make God a priority. Other things are more important.
Great believers in history weren’t famous because of what they owned—but because they refused to let their blessings become their bondage. Don’t be enslaved to the physical things of this world.
List what you’d panic to lose. Then pray, “Lord, none of it matters more than You.”
Seriously, make you a list of what you would have panic and fear over losing. For most, God wouldn’t appear on the list. But He should be at the top of the list. Think of losing God. That’s the worst nightmare. Most don’t realize this. Without God, we are absolutely nothing.
Now we’ll see how Job kept his family together when prosperity could have pulled them apart. Because listen, some families are rich but they can’t stay together. Jesus brings us all together.
God had blessed Job greatly. He had vast herds, many servants, and great influence. But notice—he was called “the greatest of all the men of the east,” not because of pride, but because God made him that way.
He was a man of means and morals—proof that wealth doesn’t have to ruin character when the heart fears God.
Verse 4 — Job’s Children and Celebration
Job 1:4
And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
Job’s kids loved being together — that’s good. You want your children to love each other. But unity without holiness can turn celebration into compromise. And that’s what happens many times.
Parents—what brings you more joy: that your kids are happy or that they’re holy? Many parents just strive for their kids to be happy and for them to do whatever they want.
You can set a candle in a glass and light the candle. “Fire gives warmth in the glass; outside the glass, it burns down the house.” Fire is a good thing—when it’s where it belongs. In this glass, it gives light. It gives warmth. It makes a dark room beautiful. But if I take this same fire and set it on the carpet, it burns the whole house down.
That’s how joy works. God gave you the ability to celebrate, laugh, and enjoy life—but He also gave boundaries to keep that joy from destroying you. When your joy stays inside God’s boundaries—His Word, His will, His ways—it blesses you. But when joy steps outside those boundaries—when we chase pleasure without purpose—that same joy can burn everything you love.
Joy inside God’s boundaries blesses—outside, it destroys. Fire in the glass is warmth. Fire on the floor is judgment. Joy in God’s will is blessing. Joy outside His will is disaster.
It’s dangerous when we celebrate more than we consecrate. If we celebrate other things more than we celebrate God, this will lead to corruption.
We, all of us, at times, have thought that keeping peace with family meant staying silent about sin—until silence nearly costs or does cost someone that we love their soul. Truth spoken in love can save them. Never allow sin in your life. Rebuke the sin. Get away from the sin.
After the laughter, lead your family in prayer. Feast + faith = favor; feast – faith = folly. Anything without faith does not please God.
Job didn’t lecture his kids; he led them. Watch what he does next—this is the heartbeat of the whole passage.
Verse 5 — Job’s Spiritual Routine
Job 1:5
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Job didn’t pray out of panic; he prayed out of principle. When the celebrations ended, he gathered his children and sanctified them—set them apart for God.
Then he offered burnt offerings, one for each child, saying, “It may be that my sons have sinned.”
Job did this continually—that means consistently, faithfully, again and again over time.
This was Job’s lifestyle, not a one-time gesture.
Righteousness isn’t built in the moment of crisis; it’s proven in the pattern of consistency. Listen, being consistent separates God’s people. We don’t quit on God. We continue on and on and on. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. It’s a marathon. And we must keep going even when things are hurting.
Notice that Job didn’t wait for a storm to start interceding. He built spiritual momentum before trouble ever came. Some people only look to God during times of trouble. Not Job. And you want to be like Job. Always go to God even in the best of times: PRAISE HIM.
I once realized I prayed hardest only when things went wrong. God challenges us: “Why do you talk to Me only in emergencies?” Some people only call you in emergencies and it’s really annoying too.
That day, I decided to make prayer part of my rhythm—not a rescue plan, but a relationship.
Think about this. A tree doesn’t grow roots in the hurricane; it already has them. If a tree is trying to grow roots in a hurricane, it’s going to get blown away. The tree only stands because that tree already had strong roots. That’s why it stands. Job’s continual worship was his root system. The same should be for you.
Actionable takeaway in the next 24 hours: Make devotion your default. Choose a consistent rhythm—morning, evening, or break time—and keep it. Let God know He’s part of every season, not just every struggle. By this time tomorrow, set a time each day to devote to God and stick to it. And don’t stop.
Every steadfast believer in Scripture—Daniel, David, Paul—had one thing in common: they continued. WE WILL CONTINUE.
The modern church celebrates the dramatic but neglects the daily. God honors the daily. Daily we honor God.
Don’t wait for the next crisis to call on God. Start the continual pattern now—because the people who stand firm later are the ones who stand before God now.
Closing Challenge
Job didn’t survive the storm because he was strong—he survived because he was steady.
He didn’t build faith in crisis; he built faith before crisis.
Many people talk to us out there because they are in trouble. That trouble came to them because they weren’t walking in faith. Our job is to get them to walk in faith. We get them here, and we continue to walk in faith together. We increase faith through the Bible as we are right now.
We live in a world chasing drama and neglecting discipline—but Heaven honors those who keep showing up in the quiet times.
What will your first hour tomorrow say about your faith today? What will you do first thing in the morning? I want you to remember that question right now. Tomorrow morning, I want you to realize what you are doing. STOP AND SEE. This will tell you if you’re on the right track or not.
Start the righteous routine. Before sunrise—pray. Before decisions—seek God. Before blessings—offer gratitude. That’s how to be blameless and blessed—Job shows us that.
“Like a Tree by the River: Psalm 1’s Portrait of the Righteous”
You’ve seen what righteousness looks like in the life of Job—a man who stood firm through the storm.
But next week, Pastor Nathan Holmes is going to show us how to grow like that—not just stand.
Job teaches us how to survive the test; Psalm 1 shows us how to thrive every day.
“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…”
Nathan’s bringing a message called “Like a Tree by the River: Psalm 1’s Portrait of the Righteous.”
You’ll learn how to stay green in drought, how to bear fruit in dry seasons, and how to stand tall when others fall.
If Job’s faith was forged in fire, Psalm 1 shows us the secret to staying fresh. Don’t miss it — come ready to grow deep roots that no storm can shake.
Let’s pray.
Leave a Reply