Job 1 – 2
Job is one of those books in the Bible that gets very depressing very quickly. Job was a “blameless and upright” man “who feared God and turned away from evil.” He was not only this but very well off or shall I say “blessed”. See the first part of this story shows us an image of a God fearing man who lives righteously and is blessed in return. One thing not to take from this story is God will bless you financially if you follow him like Job. If you are following God for those reasons your path is wrong. No, God may or may not bless you because of your works and as we see in today’s world you don’t have to be a follower of God to be wealthy. Most of the time it’s a lack of ethics that works in today’s world. If you disagree then just review the banking mess we are in and point to one ethical or Godly man in the bunch!
I digress once again, as we move on in the story Satan is talking with God and God presents Job as an example of a good human. I often wonder if Job was it or if he was just the shining example of prosperity that did not get corrupted. As I read the next part Matthew 4:1-11 instantly comes to mind. After 40 days of fasting Satan comes to tempt him and Jesus does not bend. God, in the case of Job, allows Satan to have his way with Job as long as he is not killed. I often wonder why God allowed this and if this happens often?
In short succession Satan hits Job’s possessions and kills his children and still in verse 21 Job reflects on “stuff”:
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
This is an awesome way to say “you can’t take it with you!” It amazes me how Job can lose his family and still not lament that. Sure I can understand losing all your possessions without blaming or at least questioning God. But once my family is killed, I don’t think I could have the same resolve as Job. Sure I may not revoke my faith, but I would whine up a storm to God!! Who cares if the stuff gets restored, there is no way the children can return. So although in the end he has more, the first cannot be replaced unless you have faith they were with God and maybe their spirits returned in the new batch. Either way life would never be the same for Job, not matter how much was “restored”!
Chapter 2 starts with Satan again being allowed to harm Job so God can prove a point. Verse 4 God states “he is in your hand; only spare his life.” And this opens up a world of hurt on Job with want appears to be leprosy. From here his wife and three friends get involved. His wife first comments to Job in verse 9:
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”
At least his friends sat with him for seven days and nights before speaking up. He must have been a mess since they could not recognize him from afar. Through all this Job did not curse God or question why this was happening. Now I notice one thing in verse 7 where it clearly says “Job did not since with his lips.” I often wonder what was going through his mind. Did he complain to God there? And if so did God communicate back with visions? Could that have given Job peace through these afflictions? Either way the story is clear, life here on earth will suck from time to time and if it is great don’t lose focus on God, since everything is temporary or as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes “everything is meaningless!”