All those who see will shake the head. Then all men will fear, and they will declare the work of God and consider what He has done. (Vs. 8-9)
He was rich. A landowner and rancher with seven sons and three daughters. His possessions made him one of the richest men in the world. All in one day, however, the man lost everything. Thieves took his oxen and donkeys and slew his servants. The sheep were killed by a fire that raged out of control and their shepherds died trying to save them. The huge herd of camels was taken in a battle over them that caused their keepers to be slain in the process. The most devastating message of all was that the man's sons and daughters were crushed when a tornado blew away the house in which they were all eating and drinking. Poof. Everything vanished. And Job tore his robe, shaved his head and fell on his face to declare God had a right to give and take away.
As if that were not enough, Job lost his health. Covered from head to toe with festering boils, Job sat down in a pile of ashes and scraped the oozing boils with a broken piece of pottery. His lovely wife was disgusted with his faith and with his festering. "Curse God. Then just go ahead and die!" She had lost everything along with her husband and found his passivity to be groveling and weak.
"We can't accept only the good from God and not accept some adversity as well," he said as he looked into her accusing eyes.
She trounced off. Job's loss was her loss. Couldn't understand how God could be so mean to them. Bereft of children and possessions, what good was her life now?
Enter three friends. Job looked so bad when they first saw him they didn't even recognize their friend. So burdened were they for Job in his obvious physical pain and overwhelming grief, they sat down with him for seven days without saying a word. It was Job who spoke first. "I wish I had died at birth. Or never even been born."
"You must've done something very wrong to deserve this," said the first friend.
"Your sons probably sinned against God and you didn't know it," suggested another.
"You are too proud of your goodness," cried the third.
Job is sick of hearing from his pals. Wants instead to have a face to face with God. An explanation from the only One Who can give him one. To Job's amazement He received his answer.
"Where were you when I created the universe? Can you tell me how it was made? The lightning and the leviathan, the moon and stars, mountains and beasts or darkness and light?" God compared His greatness to Job's. A lesson in His sovereignty -- God must have a purpose much greater than Job could imagine.
Job responded. "I didn't understand things too wonderful for me. I have heard of You before, but now I see you with my own eyes. I retract my accusations against You and repent in dust and ashes."
God wasn't mad at Job. But He took issue with the friends who had misrepresented Him to Job. They had some big time penance to perform.
Job? God gave back to him twice what he had before in land and animals. Gave him seven more sons and three more daughters, more beautiful than before. He lived a very long life, seeing four generations of children and grandchildren.
And everyone shook their heads in wonder. They'd all accused God and Job falsely. Shot arrows with their mouths at the very reputation of the Lord God. They only thought they understood the heart and mind of the Almighty. That adversity comes only from sin.
The Bible doesn't say exactly what the friends had to say when Job was exonerated, but I'm guessing they didn't discuss what God was doing in someone else's life with aplomb thereafter. Of course, I would never judge Job or his friends (I have been that kind of friend, probably). The guys just wanted to say the thing that would bring understanding and possibly healing to their friend. How much better to sit and hear him out as Job sat in misery trying to resolve with his God the affliction poured on him.
We should be oh, so careful in accusing each other. Saying hurtful things even with the best of intentions. God will vindicate us and Himself in due time. Our reputation is His because we belong to Him. When He does step in, it will be as obvious to others as it was to Job's friends that our God turned it around for us. Then we can marvel with Job:
"I know You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours will be thwarted. Therefore I have declared things I did not understand. Therefore I retract and repent." Job
He was rich. A landowner and rancher with seven sons and three daughters. His possessions made him one of the richest men in the world. All in one day, however, the man lost everything. Thieves took his oxen and donkeys and slew his servants. The sheep were killed by a fire that raged out of control and their shepherds died trying to save them. The huge herd of camels was taken in a battle over them that caused their keepers to be slain in the process. The most devastating message of all was that the man's sons and daughters were crushed when a tornado blew away the house in which they were all eating and drinking. Poof. Everything vanished. And Job tore his robe, shaved his head and fell on his face to declare God had a right to give and take away.
As if that were not enough, Job lost his health. Covered from head to toe with festering boils, Job sat down in a pile of ashes and scraped the oozing boils with a broken piece of pottery. His lovely wife was disgusted with his faith and with his festering. "Curse God. Then just go ahead and die!" She had lost everything along with her husband and found his passivity to be groveling and weak.
"We can't accept only the good from God and not accept some adversity as well," he said as he looked into her accusing eyes.
She trounced off. Job's loss was her loss. Couldn't understand how God could be so mean to them. Bereft of children and possessions, what good was her life now?
Enter three friends. Job looked so bad when they first saw him they didn't even recognize their friend. So burdened were they for Job in his obvious physical pain and overwhelming grief, they sat down with him for seven days without saying a word. It was Job who spoke first. "I wish I had died at birth. Or never even been born."
"You must've done something very wrong to deserve this," said the first friend.
"Your sons probably sinned against God and you didn't know it," suggested another.
"You are too proud of your goodness," cried the third.
Job is sick of hearing from his pals. Wants instead to have a face to face with God. An explanation from the only One Who can give him one. To Job's amazement He received his answer.
"Where were you when I created the universe? Can you tell me how it was made? The lightning and the leviathan, the moon and stars, mountains and beasts or darkness and light?" God compared His greatness to Job's. A lesson in His sovereignty -- God must have a purpose much greater than Job could imagine.
Job responded. "I didn't understand things too wonderful for me. I have heard of You before, but now I see you with my own eyes. I retract my accusations against You and repent in dust and ashes."
God wasn't mad at Job. But He took issue with the friends who had misrepresented Him to Job. They had some big time penance to perform.
Job? God gave back to him twice what he had before in land and animals. Gave him seven more sons and three more daughters, more beautiful than before. He lived a very long life, seeing four generations of children and grandchildren.
And everyone shook their heads in wonder. They'd all accused God and Job falsely. Shot arrows with their mouths at the very reputation of the Lord God. They only thought they understood the heart and mind of the Almighty. That adversity comes only from sin.
The Bible doesn't say exactly what the friends had to say when Job was exonerated, but I'm guessing they didn't discuss what God was doing in someone else's life with aplomb thereafter. Of course, I would never judge Job or his friends (I have been that kind of friend, probably). The guys just wanted to say the thing that would bring understanding and possibly healing to their friend. How much better to sit and hear him out as Job sat in misery trying to resolve with his God the affliction poured on him.
We should be oh, so careful in accusing each other. Saying hurtful things even with the best of intentions. God will vindicate us and Himself in due time. Our reputation is His because we belong to Him. When He does step in, it will be as obvious to others as it was to Job's friends that our God turned it around for us. Then we can marvel with Job:
"I know You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours will be thwarted. Therefore I have declared things I did not understand. Therefore I retract and repent." Job
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