I’ve been watching the book of Job approach with some fear. I’m probably not alone in finding this a hugely challenging book.<\/p>\n
In the opening few verses, Job is pictured as a man of great piety who has abundant blessings. Every day he would rise early to burn offerings to God to sanctify his children, in case they have sinned in their hearts. His children meet together regularly and he is the “greatest of all people in the East”<\/p>\n
Satan attends an assembly where the “sons of God” present themselves to the Lord, and God asks him about his travels. Then he asks about “my servant Job”<\/p>\n
Satan says to the Lord “Does Job fear God for nothing?” then runs through how all his righteousness is in his self-interest…”Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?”<\/p>\n
“But now, stretch out your hand against him and he will surely curse You to Your face!”<\/p>\n
So God allows Satan to have his way with Job, first killing all his children, destroying his assets and then giving him a horrible disease – boils from head to toe. Job’s wife encourages him to curse God.<\/p>\n
Instead, Job puts potash over himself, cuts off his hair, and sits in mourning.<\/p>\n
His three friends come from afar to mourn with him, and his grief is so great they sit for seven days before Job can even utter a word.<\/p>\n
When he does, he curses the day he was born and the night. He wants to die:<\/p>\n
“Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death but it does not come and search for it more than hidden treasures.”<\/p>\n
Then his friend Eliphaz speaks and says that life is indeed miserable, and kind of holds up Job’s previous righteousness, kindness and strengthening words as something that mocks him now.<\/p>\n
Dear God, In the face of this, the most confronting of stories, I can only pray the words that Jesus taught us: Please do not bring us to harsh testing, but deliver us from evil. Please forgive me for times when I fail the minor testing that is put in my path, thank You that Jesus covers me for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’ve been watching the book of Job approach with some fear. I’m probably not alone in finding this a hugely challenging book. In the opening few verses, Job is pictured as a man of great piety who has abundant blessings. Every day he would rise early to burn offerings to God to sanctify his children, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-around-the-bible-in-365-days"],"yoast_head":"\n