Bible Readings
Reading 24: A man named Job
Read Job 1:1–2:13.
We now jump across the Bible to another book entitled, Job. Though the book of Genesis and Job are quite far apart in our Bibles, in terms of history, the events in the book of Job happened around 2000 BC, which is around the time Abraham lived.
So the main character of the book, a man named Job, lived around the same time that Abraham did. But Job did not know Abraham. In fact, unlike Abraham, Job had been a believer in Yahweh for a long time.
The book of Job explores a very important topic—suffering! Why do believers who trust in Yahweh suffer? In chapter 1, we see that Job is a very faithful man. And God has blessed him with 10 children and many, many livestock. Job is the wealthiest man in the land of Uz.
Unseen by Job, there is a confrontation in the spiritual realm that affects him. In Yahweh’s heavenly court, we see the appearance of Satan. We last saw him in the garden tempting Adam and Eve. Satan is a Hebrew name that means “accuser”. But notice that it is God who first brings up the subject of Job. Satan claims that Job only worships Yahweh because God has blessed him richly. Take away the blessings and Job would turn against God! To see if Satan’s claim is true, God gives Satan permission to harm Job but not kill him.
Satan’s plotting is meticulous. He influences the Sabeans and Chaldeans to kill Job’s workers and steal his animals. And Satan is powerful enough to manipulate the weather and natural elements to send fire from heaven and a windstorm that destroys the house where all of Job’s children are gathered for a feast. And all of this happens in a single day!
There is no mistaking that Satan is real and he is a real threat to people. But he cannot act beyond the boundaries of what God permits.
Despite this first incident, Job does not turn his back on God. Instead he recognises that Yahweh gives and Yahweh takes, and Job is ready to accept whatever God does to him.
Then with the second attack, Satan afflicts Job with very painful sores. Now, even Job’s wife begins to doubt God’s goodness.
But Job tells her, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?”
Job is acknowledging that God is sovereign and His people need to trust Him in the good times and the bad. (But note that Job has no idea that what is happening to him is the result of a challenge between God and Satan!)
Final observation: When Job’s three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar hear what has happened to Job, they come from a distance to comfort him. They see that his suffering is so great that they initially have no words for him. Instead, they comfort by their mere presence. They sit with him for a week and grieve with him in silence.
How do we react when tough times or bad things happen to us?
Do we immediately respond by asking, “God, why are you doing this to me?” If that is our first thought, is it because we feel that God somehow owes us a life of comfort and security just because we believe in Him?
Or, can we accept that even believers will go through tough times while in a fallen world—financial ruin, health problems, even the loss of loved ones.
Are we able to remain steadfast and trust that God knows what’s happening to us and that He knows what He’s doing in our lives.
Can we recognise that sometimes, there are events happening in the spiritual realm (like the conflict between Yahweh and Satan) that will impact us and we might never know about them. Can we have this bigger perspective of life when we go through hard times?
When suffering hits us, can we say with Job, “The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” Can we praise Yahweh through all the circumstances of our lives?
And finally, can we be like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who put their lives on hold, travelled the distance to be with Job and just sit with him to mourn and comfort him?
Are there people in our lives who could use our presence and comfort?
Reflect on these questions and speak to God about these today.