Job and Spiritual Law
(week 29/04)
Olubi Johnson
In our last article, we mentioned that there were three types of laws that pertain to our worship of God: moral law, ceremonial law and spiritual law.
We will be looking at how these different types of laws affect our lives using Job as an example.
The three different types of laws are:
1. Moral law, which God has written in the hearts or conscience of all men but was formally summarized in the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses:
Romans 2:14-15 NKJV: for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
Romans 13:8-10 NKJV: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
2. Ceremonial Law: physical ceremonies or activities used in the worship of God.
In the Old Testament this was characterized by elaborate animal sacrifices and rituals.
Hebrews 9:9-10 NKJV: It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience– 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
In the New Testament the only ceremonial laws we have are the ceremonies of water baptism and taking communion.
3. Spiritual law: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus: this involves using the Word of God in prayer to release spiritual forces to create and enforce God’s will.
In all dispensations: the Patriarch dispensation: from the Garden of Eden to the Law of Moses; the dispensation of the Law: which is from Moses to Christ; and now the dispensation of the New Testament: which is from resurrection of Christ to the end of the millennial reign of Christ; moral law remains the same, ceremonial laws are changed drastically and spiritual law has increased in scope and efficacy to what we now have as the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
As New Testament believers we are no longer under the ceremonial laws of Moses: circumcision, animal sacrifices, feasts, washings etc.
However, we are still under moral law, which we can automatically fulfill by keeping the law of divine love using the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Most Christians only know and try to keep moral and sometimes ceremonial law: they are ignorant of spiritual law and even where they have a limited knowledge of it do not keep it efficiently.
It is vital to understand that most of the problems we have today are caused by sins, not of commission of breaking moral law, but rather by sins of omission by ignorance or negligence of spiritual law.
This is what happened in life of Job.
Job was morally upright and kept moral law by natural human ability, like many good men on the earth do today even without being born-again (Rom. 2.14-15).
Job 1:8 NKJV: 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 also kept the ceremonial law of animal sacrifices but he did it in fear rather than faith. Also Job’s children were not as spiritual as they should have been, probably because of the un-spiritual attitude (which attitude showed up under the pressure of affliction) of their mother (Job 2.9-10), who would have had great influence (Pr.29.15) on their training and upbringing (Pr. 22.6), hence his fear that they could curse God in their hearts. We can now understand why God allowed what happened to them to happen (Job1.18-19):
Job 1:4-5 NKJV: Now his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer 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 Job did regularly.
However, Job’s negligence of spiritual law had created a loophole of fear in his life that Satan could have exploited to kill him.
Job 3:25 NKJV: For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.
To prevent this from happening God called Satan’s attention to Job, and so allowed to him to be greatly afflicted but not killed: Had Satan discovered this loophole himself without God calling his attention to it he could have killed Job, like he has done to many Christians (Jn. 10.10, 1Cor. 5.5).
Job 2:1-6 NKJV: Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” 3 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? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” 4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
By doing this, God could call Job’s attention to his lack of knowledge and thus negligence of spiritual law so Job could correct this and God could bless him with twice as much as what he originally had.
Job 33:14-17 NKJV: For God may speak in one way, or in nother, Yet man does not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. 17 In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man,
Here, we see that God must have tried to speak to Job to keep spiritual law but Job did not perceive it because of spiritual pride: the confidence he had in his moral uprightness and his good works (Job 29.1-25).
However, the truth was that in spite of his physical good works that were
wonderful and commendable that God himself also acknowledged and appreciated, like He did the alms and good works of Cornelius (Ac. 10.1-4), Job lacked the knowledge of spiritual law.
Job 38:1-3 NKJV: Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
When this was revealed to Job, he repented and immediately started keeping spiritual law by praying for his friends and not just complaining and justifying his moral uprightness as he had been doing previously.
Job 42:1-6 NKJV: Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”
When Job prayed for his friends obeying the spiritual law of forgiveness and praying for those who speak wrongfully of you (Mt. 5.44) God turned his captivity and gave him twice what he had before.
Job 42:10 KJV: And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
In neglecting the speaking of God’s Word the supernatural love of God was not perfected or developed in Job’s heart though he was morally upright.
1 John 2:5 NKJV: But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.
This created a loophole in which fear was able to creep in that Satan was able to use to wreak havoc in Job’s life.
1 John 4:18 NKJV: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.
In contrast to Job, Daniel who was also morally upright, kept spiritual law by praying regularly: three times a day and so he had no fear in his heart and so was able to defy the King’s decree knowing God would protect him: Satan was not able to touch him or kill him in the lion’s den (Dan. 6.10-28).
So, today we are to diligently keep the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus to perfect or develop the love of God in us and so cast out fear and Satan will not be able to touch us. If we keep ourselves in (Jud. 1.20-21) and so perfect the love of God in us we will not sin since love is the fulfilling of God’s law(Rom 13.8-10).
1 John 5:18 NJKV: We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
