Job 2
Job's Second Test
1 On another day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."
4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."
6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish [b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job's Three Friends
11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job suffered very much, not only from the emotional pains that was inflicted because of the lost of his fortune, or the death of his children. Job was also inflicted physically. He has soles all over his body, and he was constantly in pain. Imagine, having have to suffer pain with each step you take, or each movement you make, or with any slight contact with anything at all! Such a miserable life! Yet, Job kept his integrity, and God is very very pleased with him. He did not curse God, nor was he ungrateful. He kept his faithfulness toward God and STILL DO what is pleasing to God's eyes. How many of you can keep being this faithful should all these inflictions come upon you? Some of us even fret and complain at the slightest trial we go through.
See...Job's suffering was so great....that his three friends who wanted to come an comfort him, in the end tore their clothes and cried FOR HIM. They were in pain...looking at his condition! And what more? Their purposes of coming to comfort Job was defeated. That they even had to just sit there. Seven days, seven nights....and none of them could come up with any word....that they find suitable to comfort him. None of them, knew what to say. Such agony, such suffering. And yet what did Job chose to do? To keep his integrity.
Now there are two portrayals here. Notice his wife said: "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" .....now Job's wife is the portrayal of a Christian who is very much suscpetible to blame God when it comes to trials and tribulations. See, Job's wife, too lost her sons and daughters, as well as her fortune. And then she had to look at her husband suffer from all the physical inflictions and take care of him. Naturally, she would be angry at life...and in this case, obviously angry at God. CURSE GOD AND DIE! She said. Even though she knew that cursing God or disobeying God, or rather sinning will lead to death, she couldn't care less anymore. Her conditions were overwhelming her. And she'd rather die, then go through what she had to go through.
Job on the other hand, carried a very different attitude. He not only kept his integrity, but he scolded his wife...Well, commonly someone under a great infliction would be "happy" with the angry or defending remarks made by another person. For instance, lets say Sasha is going through a deep pain like Job. She lose her money, and her loved ones. Commonly a remark that goes "Goodness Sasha, life is so unfair! How can God do such thing to you? You have been such a good person! It is just so unfair!"....so commonly, even if Sasha disagrees with those remarks....normal reaction would be...keeping quiet, and at the same time trying to reason, yea what did this happen to me? See....as a normal human being with feelings, it is VERY COMMON...that we would have SLIGHT self pity for our condition.
But look at Job. He was FURIOUS at his wife for cursing God. Even though he knew his wife is going through a lot of pain, and even though he knew that nobody would blame him should he have dwelled in an amount of self-pity, he didn't. He just knew that it wasn't the right thing to do and he went all out to go against it. Look at what he said to his wife: You are talking like a foolish [b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"......Such purity at heart.
Job was determined, that his life, his destiny everything is in God's hand. God can do whatever He likes. If God can give him years and years of goodness, it is okay if God gives him trouble. It DID NOT change one bit of his loyalty toward God.....And that....is a man after God's own heart. God was VERY PLEASED with Job. Because no matter what you do to him, he will not let God go. One thing that really touches my heart here is that, even when it is understandable for Job to break, or to curse God, or be emotional, or to give up, Job did not. Job kept his integrity and only did the RIGHT THING. How many of us today, can be like Job? Obviously we do not go through as much sufferings as Job did. But can we tell God....no matter what God, I will fight on and keep my integrity, even though I am going through hell....
Can we stay true to God in times of trouble? Just as you want your life partner or loved ones to stay true to you and with you through good times and bad times...God wants that too :)
See, there is a saying that goes....a true character is tested when one is placed under pressure. During good times, it is easy to praise God, to go all out for God. But it is the bad times, that determines the realness of these characters. Will your good characters be consistent in good times and bad times....in relaxed and pressured situations? Well, it is a choice to be made.
It is not easy to be Job, but it draws the favor of God upon your life.
toodles~
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