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Job 1: 6-22
One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD,
Satan also came among them.
And the LORD said to Satan, “Whence do you come?”
Then Satan answered the LORD and said,
“From roaming the earth and patrolling it.”
And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job,
and that there is no one on earth like him,
blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?”
But Satan answered the LORD and said,
“Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?
Have you not surrounded him and his family
and all that he has with your protection?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
and his livestock are spread over the land.
But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has,
and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”
And the LORD said to Satan,
“Behold, all that he has is in your power;
only do not lay a hand upon his person.”
So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
And so one day, while his sons and his daughters
were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
a messenger came to Job and said,
“The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them,
and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid.
They put the herdsmen to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another came and said,
“Lightning has fallen from heaven
and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them;
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said,
“The Chaldeans formed three columns,
seized the camels, carried them off,
and put those tending them to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another came and said,
“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
when suddenly a great wind came across the desert
and smote the four corners of the house.
It fell upon the young people and they are dead;
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair.
He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,
“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!”
In all this Job did not sin,
nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.
The Word of the Lord.
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We’ll be reading from the Book of Job all week. Engrained in the story are several spiritual lessons that are as challenging as they are rich in wisdom.
It begins with a dialogue between God and Satan.
God praises Job, his worthy servant. But Satan rebuffs God’s claim, arguing that Job only praises God because of his security and material possessions; if these were taken from him, Satan argues, then Job would abandon his faith.
So, God allows Job to be put to the test; everything may be taken from him, except his life. In the following verses, reports come to Job that he has lost everything – his life-stock, his material possessions, even his children.
In this darkest hour of his life, when the audience awaits his despair, Job’s sole and greatest possession is revealed – his faith. “The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken away,” he says. “Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job understands that everything and everyone – even the bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh – comes from and belongs to God. We are merely entrusted with such treasure for a time.
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Scholars believe Job was not, in fact, a real person. Rather, he was the “ideal Jew,” the personification of what Israel hoped to be – faithful in times of trial, grateful in times of prosperity, unshaken in their praise of God.
That’s the kind of faith I’m sure everyone wishes for. So, how might we attain it?
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Ultimately, faith is a gift from God. It must be placed in our hearts before we take possession of it. However, once it’s given, God allows us to nurture our faith through prayer, study, and charity.
Conversely, if we never use it, or if we abandon it during times of trial, then it begins to wither.
As we read through the Book of Job this week, his faith will be pushed to the brink, as Job asks God the one question every human being wonders: Why?
Why is there suffering? Loss? Evil in the world? Why did Job have to lose everything?
How does God respond? Is his response sufficient for Job – or us?
Stay tuned.
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Image credits: (1) Revelation Library, Etsy (2) Job and his Friends, Ilya Repin (3) Medium