Servants And Friends
Sunday, July 24th, 2011
Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job,
that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man,
one who fears God and shuns evil?”
Job 1.8
This past Wed night, we started going through the book of Job. And in Job 1.8, we saw that God called Job ‘My servant’. Now, that might not seem so significant to us, but did you know that God called only 11 people or groups ‘My servant’? Here they are…
Abraham (Gen 26.24)
Moses (Num 12.7-8)
Caleb (Num 14.24)
David (2Sam 3.18)
Isaiah (Isa 20.3)
Eliakim (Isa 22.20)
Israel the nation (Isa 41.8)
Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 25.9)
Zerubbabel (Hag 2.23)
Jesus the Branch (Zech 3.8)
And here in v8, we see Job being called ‘My servant’. Amazing, isn’t it – out of the hundreds of people in the Bible, only 11 are called ‘My servant’. And each time this phrase is used, it refers to a relationship that person (or group) has with the Living God. A relationship that is deep, intimate and full of faith.
But do you know what is also amazing? Jesus calls us His servants too! He told the parable of the servants who were given 5, 2 and 1 talents in Matt 25.14-30. And what did the master say to the first two servants? ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your lord’ (v21,23). One day, we will also stand before Jesus our Master and hear these words – ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’. Glorious!
And what is even more amazing – Jesus says in John 15.15 that He no longer calls us servants but friends! Awesome – we are not only servants, but also the friends of Jesus Christ!
David Pham