Job

It is Well With My Soul

The book of Job has very important statements about God's character made by a man called Job who was God's friend.

Job was a man who loved God. He looked for people to help. The widows were happy for all the kind things he did. He had great wealth. God had blessed him in so many ways. He had many camels, donkeys, sheep and servants. His family size was very large. He had seven sons and three daughters. Job was always praying for his children. When they were grown up and had parties, he always prayed and sanctified them before the Lord.

One day, God spoke of his faithful Job saying to Satan, have you seen my servant Job? He is perfect and upright and does honor God. God was pleased that there were people on this earth who loved him. Satan claimed that no one could live the perfect life God wanted.

Satan claimed that Job only was good because of all the blessings God put on him. Satan was sure if the blessings were gone, Job would curse God.

God said to Satan that proof could be made that Job would love God no matter what happened. God allowed Satan to cause trouble to Job.

Satan attacked first the oxen that Job had for plowing fields and planting. The food supply was cut off in this way. The oxen were taken by the Sabeans. The servants were killed and only one was allowed to come tell the horrible story.

As soon as the above story was told, another servant came running with the startling news that "fire fell from God" out of heaven and burned up and destroyed sheep and servants. Only one servant was kept alive to go tell the news.

Just as soon as the news of the sheep tragedy was told, another servant came running to tell about the camels. Job had owned 3 thousand camels. The Chaldeans came in three bands and stole all camels. The servants herding the camels were all killed by swords except for one who was left to run tell the story.

Satan tried to have it all happen real fast so that Job would not be able to recover from each blow. He wanted him to give up. While the last reporter was telling about the camels, another servant that Job knew was of the household of his own children came running in. He interrupted and began to yell out his sad story of a hurricane of wind that came and knocked down the home where all the children had gathered for fellowship. At this news, the kind hearted Job stood up and tore up his clothes in deep grief. He shaved off his hair and grieved. He said, he was born naked and life would end that way for him. The next thing Job said revealed the very fiber of his soul. He blessed God. He said God had given to him, and God had taken it all away, blessed be the name of God.

In all this Job did not sin nor did he foolishly charge God for his suffering.

Satan did not win that first round. He was defeated.

God was pleased with Job but Satan was determined to figure a way to bring down Job. He told God that if only God would allow him to inflict Job with personal suffering, Job would give up and curse God.

God told Satan he could but not to end the life of Job.

Job was inflicted with boils. He sat in misery scraping the sticky glue of pus that came out of his sores. Still he did not curse God.

Now that the poor man was in poverty, grief, and looked ugly, his wife told him he might as well give up on his faith in God. This was a tough blow.

Then came Job's friends. They told Job it was his fault and that if he would confess his sins, God could bless him. Amazing how twisted their ideas of God were! Job told them he was a helper to the poor and the widow and the fatherless. They still did not believe. They had no comfort. They kept trying to get Job to confess some secret sin. They were very hard on the man. He was so all alone in his grief and personal pain and suffering.

After many days, God visited with Job. As the story ends, God told Job that he had correctly spoken of God's character. God loved Job for the right things he said. God told Job to pray for his friends. They did not understand God's character and had not spoken right. Job was hurt by them. In an attitude of forgiveness this great man, a friend of God, prayed for his friends.

When he prayed, the tide was turned for him. God blessed him again with wealth and more boys and girls. He was given double what he had before. (Job 42:10) It was only after the Lord began blessing Job again that his relatives came to visit him. It is not said plainly but inferred that the relatives were so ashamed they stayed away. After his wealth returned, his family comforted him. Poor Job had no human support or help during all his losses. He was just made fun of and accused of sins. Yet through it all, he remained faithful to God trusting in Him.

I have had many unexplainable losses. I have read this story of Job so many times, it seems I put my tent up and camped in the book of Job. I hope that Jesus can say of me that coveted statement that I had understood God's character right. The friends of Job had not understood or spoken right of God. (Job 42:8)