Chronicles and Job

Who says The Lord is not merciful in the Old Testament? It is still true! God is still merciful in the Old Testament! In old and in the new, God is merciful to people, if they are willing

who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. (2 Chronicles 30:19, 20 NIV)

People are people arnt they? We only know how to seek God in times of hardship. During times of joy, we will all forsake The Lord. Manasseh was a special one, he is just like those Christians who just know God. When he knew God, he became really serious. Before that he was not, but after that, he became really really serious.

In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. (2 Chronicles 33:12, 13 NIV)

Now in Job, we see that God is testing Job. job had everything and he really followed God's commands and he did not deviate from it! But he was tested by God and thrown into the valley by Satan. I read Job before and even as I read it again, I am reminded that Satan can only harm someone if you let him. If you let satan control your life then he will. If you forbid him from doing anything then he cannot do anything. In Job's case, Job did not allow the Satan to come into his life, but God used Satan to test Job. Interesting to note, Job is similar to Jesus, he did not sin yet he suffered. Jesus also suffered for mankind but did not sin and was not deserving of this treatment. Now, why did God allowed it? We don't know, but we know is throughout God's plan, he is in control. We see that Job really trusted God so much even in times that are so tough. Really tough.