#2 The Test Begins Job 1

Yes, many people have heard about Job and his trials; but not many people understand what those trials were all about and what God was trying to accomplish. Nor do they realize that Job suffered as he did so that God’s people today might learn from his experiences how to be patient in suffering and endure to the end.

At one time or another, almost everyone has felt like Job. While going through trials and times of suffering, we are often overwhelmed by self-pity. We want an explanation for why God allows trials to happen to us. The Book of Job records the troubling questions, the terrifying doubts, and the very real anguish of a sufferer. The Book of Job can help us in the time when we are surrounded with troubles by giving us a glimpse of God’s perspective on our suffering.

As we embark on this study, we must ask, “I wonder how much suffering we’ll have to go through so I can study this book.” You too may have to go through the furnace in order to study the Book of Job and really grasp its message. If so, don’t be afraid! By faith, just say with Job, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10, niv). Gold fears no fire. Whatever we have that is burned up and left behind in the furnace wasn’t worth having anyway.

As we study the book of Job together, I trust that two things will be accomplished in your life:

Lord Byron was on target when he wrote: “Truth is always strange; stranger than fiction.” The Book of Job is not religious fiction. Job was a real person, not an imaginary character; both Ezekiel (14:14, 20) and James (5:11) attest to that:

(Ezekiel 14:14 NIV) even if these three men--Noah, Daniel and Job--were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.

(Ezekiel 14:20 NIV) as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.

(James 5:11 NIV) As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Because he was a real man who had real experiences, he can tell us what we need to know about life and its problems in this real world. These first three chapters introduce us to the man Job and reveal four important facts about him.

The text indicates that the events of Job occurred in the land of Uz (1:1), but the location of Uz is unknown. That Job was the greatest among the people of the East (1:3) indicates that Job lived east of the Jordan River. Some have concluded that Uz was located in Syria or northwest Mesopotamia. However, most writers think Uz was located near Edom, because many of the proper names in the Book of Job occur in the genealogy of Esau, the father of the Edomites (see Gen. 36). The land of Uz was probably in or near Edom (Lam. 4:21). Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, came from Teman, which is associated with the Edomites (Job 2:11; Gen. 36:11).

(Job 1:1 NIV) In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

Two aspects of Job’s character and actions are highlighted. Blameless and upright, meaning “straightforward,” and “ethically straight,” emphasize his spotless character. Like Daniel (see Dan. 6:4), Job was blameless before his human critics, but not completely sinless before God. He later testified of his personal integrity (31:5, 6). Job feared God and shunned evil, an indication that his right relationship with God motivated him to turn away from evil. This descriptive phrase indicates that Job was the epitome of wisdom (28:28; Prov. 3:7; 14:16; see also Prov. 1:7; 9:10).

Job was “perfect and upright” (Job 1:1). He was not sinless, for nobody can claim that distinction; but he was complete and mature in character and “straight” in conduct.

The word translated “perfect” is related to “integrity,” another important word in Job:

(Job 2:3 NIV) 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."

(Job 2:9 NIV) His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

(Job 27:5 NIV) I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

(Job 31:6 NIV) let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless--

People with integrity are whole persons, without hypocrisy or duplicity. In the face of his friends’ accusations and God’s silence, Job maintained his integrity; and the Lord ultimately vindicated him.

The foundation for Job’s character was the fact that he “feared God and shunned evil.” “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (28:28). To fear the Lord means to respect who He is, what He says, and what He does. It is not the cringing fear of a slave before a master but the loving reverence of a child before a father, a respect that leads to obedience. “The remarkable thing about fearing God,” said Oswald Chambers, “is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.”

(Heb. ) (1:1, 8; 8:20; 9:21; Ps. 37:37; Prov. 29:10) H8535: The verbal root of this Hebrew word means “to be complete.” Thus, this word signifies an individual’s integrity—a wholeness and wholesomeness. The word is used as a term of endearment for the Shulamite bride in the Song of Solomon (see “perfect” in Song 5:2; 6:9). In the Old Testament, the blameless are frequently
associated with the upright (1:1, 8; 2:3; Ps. 37:37; Prov. 29:10) and contrasted with the wicked (9:22; Ps. 64:2–4). Job’s claim to be blameless agrees with God’s assessment of him, but it is not a claim to absolute perfection (1:8; 9:21; 14:16, 17). The Psalmist writes that the future of the blameless man is peace—as was the case for Job (42:10–12; Ps. 37:37).

Job was prosperous in his family. The number seven was the biblical number of completeness. The events in Job took place during the Patriarchal Age when a large family was seen as a blessing from God:

(Genesis 12:2 NIV) "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

(Genesis 13:16 NIV) I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.

(Genesis 30:1 NIV) When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!"

The children must have enjoyed each other’s company since they met frequently to celebrate their birthdays. This speaks well of the way Job and his wife raised them. The fact that their father offered special sacrifices after each birthday feast does not prove their celebration was wicked. It only shows that Job was a pious man and wanted to be sure his family was right with God.

Job 1:3: “…and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

Numerous details in the Book of Job indicate a patriarchal setting for its events:

(1) Job’s wealth is measured in livestock (1:3; 42:12), the same way Abraham and Jacob’s wealth is measured (Gen. 12:16; 13:2; 30:43; 32:5).

(2) The Sabeans and Chaldeans are portrayed as nomadic marauders (1:15, 17), indicating an early date.

(3) The Hebrew word for piece of silver in Job (42:11) is otherwise found only in conjunction with the patriarch Jacob (Gen. 33:19; Josh. 24:32).

(4) Without a priesthood or a sanctuary, Job offered sacrifices to God in a patriarchal fashion (1:5).

(5) Job’s longevity is consistent with the life spans of the patriarchs (42:16).

(6) The preference in the poetic sections of the book for the divine name Shaddai over the divine name Yahweh may indicate a period before the Exodus (see Ex. 3:14, 15).

In those days, wealth was measured primarily in terms of land, animals, and servants; and Job had all three in abundance. But being rich did not turn him away from God. He acknowledged that the Lord gave this wealth to him (Job 1:21), and he used his wealth generously for the good of others:

(Job 1:21 NIV) and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

(Job 4:1-4 NIV) Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: {2} "If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking? {3} Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. {4} Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.

(Job 29:12-17 NIV) because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. {13} The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. {14} I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. {15} I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. {16} I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. {17} I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.

(Job 31:16-32 NIV) "If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, {17} if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless-- {18} but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow-- {19} if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, {20} and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, {21} if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, {22} then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. {23} For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. {24} "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,' {25} if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, {26} if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, {27} so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, {28} then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. {29} "If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him-- {30} I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against his life-- {31} if the men of my household have never said, 'Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?'-- {32} but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler--

Job would have had no problem obeying what Paul wrote in (1 Timothy 6:6-19 NIV) But godliness with contentment is great gain. {7} For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. {8} But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. {9} People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. {10} For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. {11} But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. {12} Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. {13} In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you {14} to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, {15} which God will bring about in his own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, {16} who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. {17} Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. {18} Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. {19} In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life

(Job 2:11 NIV) 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.

While it is true that his three friends hurt Job deeply and wronged him greatly, they were still his friends. When they heard about Job’s calamities, they traveled a long distance to visit him; and they sat in silence as they sympathized with him. Their mistake was in thinking they had to explain Job’s situation and tell him how to change it.

“My best friend,” said Henry Ford, “is the one who brings out the best in me”; but Job’s friends brought out the worst in him. However, in the end Job and his friends were reconciled (42:7-10); and I like to think that their relationship was deeper than before. To have true friends is to be wealthy indeed.

(Job 1:6-19 NIV) One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. {7} 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." {8} 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." {9} "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. {10} "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. {11} But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." {12} The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. {13} One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, {14} a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, {15} and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" {16} While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" {17} While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" {18} While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, {19} when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

In one day, Job was stripped of his wealth. One after another, four frightened messengers reported that 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and 3,000 camels were stolen in enemy raids; 7,000 sheep were struck by lightning and killed; and all 10 of his children were killed by a windstorm.

King Solomon was right: “Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them” (Ecc. 9:12, niv).

The Hebrew word Yahweh, usually translated the Lord, is the personal name of the true God of the Old Testament (see Ex. 3:14, 15). It is the particular name of God in covenantal relations with His people Israel (see Ex. 6:1–6; 19:3–8). This indicates that though Job was not an Israelite, he had a relationship with the true God (see v. 21 where the Lord’s name is employed). From where do you come: God’s inquiry does not imply an ignorance of Satan’s behavior but was part of the conversation with Satan. See the similar function of the question posed to Adam after the Fall (Gen. 3:9).

1:8 My servant refers to the proper relationship every person should have with God—that is, a joyful and reverent trust in God. Job was a model of this type of relationship with the Lord in the prologue and the epilogue (see 2:3; 42:7).

1:9 Satan, always “the adversary,” questioned Job’s motives for fearing and serving God. The expression for nothing is emphatic in the Hebrew text. The question may be paraphrased, “Is Job really free of ulterior motives?”

1:10 God had placed a hedge of protection around Job and his household. No harm could come to him unless the Lord permitted it (vv. 12; see 2:4–6). Believers today should take great comfort from the biblical teaching that the Lord protects His people—whether by a cloud (Ex. 14:19, 20), or by a wall of fiery hosts (2 Kin. 6:17), or through guardian angels (Heb. 1:14).

1:15 The Sabeans were nomadic raiders from Sheba. They were probably the people of the queen of Sheba (see 1 Kin. 10:1–13). Her homeland was probably southwestern Arabia, present-day Yemen.

1:17 The Chaldeans were part of various west Semitic marauding tribes active in the middle Euphrates from the twelfth to the ninth century b.c. They migrated eastward into Assyria and then into Babylonia, and were the forerunners of the Chaldean or neo-Babylonian dynasty established by Nebuchadnezzar’s father.

Job knew what had happened, but he did not know why it had happened; and that is the crux of the matter. Because the author allows us to visit the throne room of heaven and hear God and Satan speak, we know who caused the destruction and why he was allowed to cause it. But if we did not have this insight, we would probably take the same approach as Job’s friends and blame Job for the tragedy.

Several important truths emerge from this scene, not the least of which is that God is sovereign in all things. He is on the throne of heaven, the angels do His will and report to Him, and even Satan can do nothing to God’s people without God’s permission.

“The Almighty” is one of the key names for God in Job; it is used thirty-one times. From the outset, the writer reminds us that, no matter what happens in this world and in our lives, God is on the throne and has everything under control.

A second truth—and it may surprise you—is that Satan has access to God’s throne in heaven. Thanks to John Milton’s Paradise Lost, many people have the mistaken idea that Satan is ruling this world from hell (“Better to reign in hell, than serve in heav’n”). But Satan will not be cast into the lake of fire until before the final judgment (Rev. 20:10ff). Today, he is free to go about on the earth (Job 1:7; 1 Peter 5:8) and can even go into God’s presence in heaven.

This third truth is most important: God found no fault with Job, but Satan did. God’s statement in Job 1:8 echoes the description of Job in verse 1, but Satan questioned it. The word “Satan” means “adversary, one who opposes the law.” This is a courtroom scene, and God and Satan each deliver different verdicts about Job. As you study this book, keep in mind that God said “Not guilty!” (1:8; 2:3; 42:7:

(Job 1:8 NIV) 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."

(Job 42:7 NIV) After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

There was nothing in Job’s life that compelled God to cause him to suffer. But Satan said “Guilty!” because he is the accuser of God’s people and finds nothing good in them:

(Zechariah 3 NIV) Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. {2} The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" {3} Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. {4} The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." {5} Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by. {6} The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: {7} "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here. {8} "'Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. {9} See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. {10} "'In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,' declares the LORD Almighty."

(Revelation 12:10 NIV) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Satan’s accusation against Job was really an attack on God. We might paraphrase it like this: “The only reason Job fears You is because You pay him to do it. You two have made a contract: You protect him and prosper him as long as he obeys You and worships You. You are not a God worthy of worship! You have to pay people to honor You.”

This is one of two charges by Satan and reveals what he thinks of those who believe in God. Take away the blessings and he believes we’ll curse God.

Job’s three friends said Job was suffering because he had sinned, and that was not true. Elihu said that God was chastening Job to make him a better man, and that was partly true. But the fundamental reason for Job’s suffering was to silence the blasphemous accusations of Satan and prove that a man would honor God even though he had lost everything. It was a battle “in the heavenlies” (Eph. 6:12), but Job did not know it. Job’s life was a battlefield where the forces of God and Satan were engaged in a spiritual struggle to decide the question, “Is Jehovah God worthy of man’s worship?”

Now we can better understand why Job was so unyielding as he resisted the advice of his friends. They wanted him to repent of his sins so that God would remove the suffering and make him prosperous again. Job was not going to “invent” sin in his life just so he could repent and “earn” the blessing of God. To do that would be to play right into the hands of the accuser!

Instead, Job held fast to his integrity and blessed God even though he did not understand what God was doing. What a defeat for the prince of darkness!

A fourth truth emerges: Satan can touch God’s people only with God’s permission, and God uses it for their good and His glory. Phillips Brooks said, “The purpose of life is the building of character through truth.” God is at work in our lives to make us more like Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29), and He can use even the attacks of the devil to perfect us.

When you are in the path of obedience and you find yourself in a severe trial, remind yourself that nothing can come to your life that is outside His will.

Some of the so-called tragedies in the lives of God’s people have really been weapons of God to “still the enemy and the avenger” (Ps. 8:2). The angels watch the church and learn from God’s dealings with His people:

(1 Corinthians 4:9 NIV) For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.

(Ephesians 3:10 NIV) His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms..”

We may not know until we get to heaven why God allowed certain things to happen. Meanwhile, we walk by faith and say with Job, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The hosts of heaven and of hell watched to see how Job would respond to the loss of his wealth and his children. He expressed his grief in a manner normal for that day, for God expects us to be human (1 Thes. 4:13). After all, even Jesus wept (John 11:35). But then Job worshiped God and uttered a profound statement of faith (Job 1:21).

First, he looked back to his birth: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb.” Everything Job owned was given to him by God, and the same God who gave it had the right to take it away. Job simply acknowledged that he was a steward.

Then Job looked ahead to his death: “and naked shall I return.” Nothing that he acquired between his birth and death would go with him into the next world. Paul wrote, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim. 6:7).

Finally, Job looked up and uttered a magnificent statement of faith: “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

Notice what Job said: The Lord gave (this is often easy for us to understand and admit) and the Lord takes away (this is harder to understand and admit. It speaks to the sovereignty of God, that God either causes all things to occur that occur on earth or He allows them.

Instead of cursing God, as Satan said Job would do, Job blessed the Lord! Anybody can say, “The Lord gave” or “The Lord hath taken away”; but it takes real faith to say in the midst of sorrow and suffering, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Mrs. Job – A Portrait of Defection

Job, the great patriarch of ancient Uz, stands like a beacon light amidst the “tragedy” figures of literary history. The drama of his life is fairly well known. In terms of character, he was a spiritual giant. The inspired record describes him as one who was “perfect [spiritually mature] and upright.” He revered God and attempted to abstain from sinful living (1:1).

In addition to his spiritual qualities, the Creator had blessed him with material prosperity. He owned vast herds of livestock; indeed, he was “the greatest of all the children of the east” (1:3). Truly, the sage of Uz was one of the significant characters of the initial era of human history.

The Theological Significance

Jehovah was proud of Job. He was a trophy among humanity. Hence, on a certain occasion (the details of which are not revealed), the Lord challenged Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job...?” Immediately the malicious enemy responded: “Does Job serve God for nothing?” (1:9). The devil then proceeded to slanderously charge that the patriarch’s piety was solely out of self-interest. In other words, Jehovah bribed fidelity out of Job.

The subtle implication was this: “You, God, are not worthy of human service on the basis of your own merit; rather, you must pay for it.” The whole of the book of Job, in reality, is a response to this charge. Not because the Lord, for his own sake, needed to defend himself. No, this great spiritual battle was for our benefit.

The Test

In order to demonstrate the concept that there is such a thing as selfless devotion, Jehovah allowed Satan to afflict Job. He was assaulted in every area of human vulnerability. First, he lost his economic security. He went from riches to rags overnight. Second, Job’s ten children were killed in a single day by a terrible storm. Though deeply grieved, the remarkable man of faith simply blessed the name of his God (1:21).

But Satan was far from finished. Irate that Job had maintained his integrity (2:3), the Tempter suggested that if the patriarch’s body were afflicted, such would reveal the truth about his superficial dedication. Accordingly, Jehovah agreed to Job’s testing in that fashion. The patriarch of Uz was smitten with inflamation from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He became a despicable bag of rotting flesh. The devil had been allowed to take virtually everything—prosperity, offspring, and now health. Only one thing remained—his wife. Beware of any gift offered by Satan!

That Woman

At the height of his anguish, Mrs. Job spoke: “Do you still hold fast your integrity?” she asked, with obvious exasperation. And then, astonishingly, she suggested: “Curse God and die” (2:9, KJV). The ASV renders the phrase: “Renounce God and die.”

The term rendered “curse” is actually a flexible word that can signify either to “bless” or “curse,” depending upon the context. It was a common form of greeting which could be employed to say “hello” or “good-bye.” Job’s wife most likely was suggesting (as evidenced by his subsequent rebuke) that he say “good-bye” to God. Perhaps she anticipated this would produce a violent reaction in the Lord. He then would kill Job for such an outburst, and so put an end to the patriarch’s misery. Whatever the motive, her words reveal much about her defective faith.

Sober reflection, we believe, can lead one to draw several possible conclusions relative to the spiritual stability of Job’s companion. We would suggest the following as food for thought.

First, while it may be the case that Mrs. Job was urging her husband to renounce totally his faith in God, as some suggest (Smick, 886), it is possible that her admonition merely questions the nature of God, to the effect: “He certainly is not the sort of God you perceived him to be. Abandon him.”

Second, if it is the case that Mrs. Job retained a remnant of belief in the objective existence of God, she certainly had a distorted view of his real nature. Let us explore this momentarily.

Job’s spouse may have concluded that whereas there was some evidence to warrant the conclusion that a Supreme Being exists, in view of the present circumstance, there was nothing to suggest that he cares for suffering humanity. She might have adopted a rather deistic position, namely that Jehovah created man, but then left him on his own. He was a cold, uncaring God.

The Contrast

We must remind ourselves that in these difficult times of trial, Job’s wife had lost much—just as he had. When he lost his wealth, hers was gone as well. When his children were killed, she was left childless also. Perhaps none of us has ever experienced such a degree of soul ravagement. When emotion is set aside, however, one fact remains: Job retained a strong faith; his wife did not. Consider the patriarch’s retort: “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (2:10b). A couple of technical points need discussion.

First, the term “evil” does not necessarily connote that which is morally wrong; rather, it can refer to anything “bad” that happens. Andersen (93) observes that the Hebrew word does not suggest “wickedness” on God’s part (cf. Isa. 45:7; Amos 3:6).

Second, Meredith Kline (464) notes that the term “receive” means to receive meekly and patiently. He cites a Canaanite proverb from the Amarna Letters which describes certain ants, who when smitten, do not “receive” such passively; rather, they bite back. Job’s patience is cited in the New Testament (Jas. 5:11).

By way of contrast, Mrs. Job’s faith was in tatters. She suggests her husband would be better off with Providence out of his life. Job remonstrates. He says she speaks like a “foolish” woman. The Hebrew adjective can carry the ideas of both “senselessness” and “wickedness,” or perhaps here, an insensitivity toward God. It can also describe the disposition of one who mocks at those who trust God (Pan, 12).

Let me call attention to what I believe were some fundamental mistakes which led to the demise of Mrs. Job’s faith.

Lack of Preparation

While one is not unsympathetic to her pain, Mrs. Job’s blasphemy (i.e., her admonition that he “curse” God) is inexcusible. The facts indicate that she had not made adequate preparation for this time of “evil,” i.e., hardship, in her life (2:10b).

This point cannot be stressed too rigorously. Complete trust in God, in the dark periods of one’s life, does not happen by accident. Just as the axe is prepared for the blows it must endure by the fires of the forge, just so, the heart of man must be “tempered” for the trials of the future. Deep spirituality, such as expressed by Job, is the result of walking with the Lord on a sustained basis. Let me bring this over to our own day and make a more practical application.

Spiritual strength is attained in a variety of ways. One must nourish his soul “day and night” (Psa. 1:2) with the instruction that derives from the Creator of the universe. This, of course, has been codified in the narratives of Scripture. David exclaimed: “Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psa. 119:11).

Too, one must take advantage of every possible occasion to immerse his spirit in acts of worshipful devotion. Prayer and praise, both as an individual and in corporate settings, are of paramount importance. Additionally, one must seek out the companionship of others of strong faith, and feed upon their strengths.

Finally, busily ministering to the needs of others, rather than focusing upon one’s own problems, is a great antidote against self-pity and the temptation to surrender one’s faith. Job’s wife was unprepared for the hardships which befell her. Such was a mistake. Preparation is a personal responsibility.

Lack of Perspective

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that there was a certain arrogance to Mrs. Job’s demeanor. She had analyzed her husband’s circumstances (as well as her own, no doubt) and concluded that God was irrelevant to the situation. Either he did not care about their plight, or else was impotent to do anything about it. She had concluded that there was no virtue in this misery; hence, the best remedy was to bid Jehovah adieu, and let the “chips fall” where they might.

Had she known the full story, namely that there was purpose in Job’s calamity, she might not have been so presumptuous.

First, as we have noted already, Job’s reaction to his suffering was a glorious testimony to the character of the man. The patriarch’s crowning statement was: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” (13:15).

Second, while Job maintained his faith, he did lose some balance; he became fixated on his own innocence , rather than unreservedly contending for the justice of God. This was Elihu’s point: “...he justified himself rather than God” (32:2). His attitude needed some adjustment.

Surely we ought to learn from this magnificent narrative. We may not understand the meaning of suffering in our own life. Perhaps it is self-caused (1 Pet. 4:14). Maybe it is the result of the cause-and-effect procedures in God’s orderly universe (Lk. 13:4). It could be permitted in order to strengthen us (Jas. 1:2-4).

The point is: From our microscopic vantage point, we don’t know enough to criticize our Maker, and it is the epitome of egotism when we do.

Materialism

Finally, it is obvious that Mrs. Job was intellectually afflicted with a form of materialism. She appears to have entertained the notion that if her husband could but die, his suffering (at the tolerance of this uncaring God) would end. Curse God? End all suffering? Not hardly.

Job himself had contemplated the matter. “If a man die, shall he live again?” (14:14). He had at least some hope that the Lord would “hide [him] in Sheol” until divine “wrath be past”; that Jehovah would “appoint [him] a set time, and remember [him]” again (14:13). The patriarch did believe that in some future existence beyond death, he would be vindicated (19:23ff).

A renunciation of God does not end human difficulties; it only compounds them. It exposes the rebel to an ultimate reckoning that is far more horrible than the worst earthly torment we can imagine. Death only terminates earth’s scenes; there is a future accountability for one’s conduct after death (Rom. 14:12). There is a punishment “worse” than death (Heb. 10:28-29).

Let us not make the deadly mistake made by Mrs. Job. May we trust God to manage his world, and acknowledge that our current sufferings soon will be replaced with an incomparable glory (Rom. 8:18). WJ

Andersen, Francis (1974), Job (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity).
Kline, Meredith G. (1962), “Job,” Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody).
Pan, Chou-Wee (1997), Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, Willem VanGemeren, ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), Vol. 3.
Smick, Elmer (1988), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).