Introduction The book of Job begins with a description of one man s prosperity and then sudden, unexpected, undeserved adversity. Job s Relentless Enemy (vv.1-8) Job 2:1 13 (NKJV)1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. Once again we are reminded that Satan has (had?) access to heaven. Same scenario; heaven s council, Satan shows up--god s inquiry--satan s challenge--god s acceptance, Job s calamity. 2And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it. If the words sound familiar they are (see chapter 1:7). Satan roams to and fro on the earth (1 Peter 5:8). What is Satan doing? Looking for opportunities to destroy lives; cause pain and suffering to both God and man and hinder the plan of God. Satan acts as if nothing happened. This is the repeated testimony of the Scripture (see Matt.4:1; 13:19; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor.2:11; 11:3; Eph.6:11-12;). 3Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause. Once again the Lord describes Job s character; blameless, upright, one who fears God and shuns evil. What does Job have left? A wife--a few friends and his faith. Job holds fast his integrity. Job passed the first test. What does it mean to hold fast one s integrity? But Satan, the accuser, the adversary, pursues his wicked goal; to see Job crack; to watch Job crumble--under the weight and burden of profound suffering....to destroy him without cause. Sometimes judgment involves cause. If Job teaches us anything--some suffering is without cause. 1
Unprovoked--without cause. All pain and suffering cannot be categorically linked to some sin or failure on the part of the person experiencing the pain and suffering. We tend to think that there is a direct correlation between sin and suffering. But Jesus seems to say--that is not true. In John s gospel Jesus asked about a man born blind; Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?. Jesus reply--neither--and Jesus then went on to give the explanation the reason this man was born blind was that the works of God should be made manifest in him (see John 9:2-3). 4So Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. Skin for skin. An old proverb. It may mean that Satan accuses God of testing Job only at the most superficial level and therefore this a superficial response. But if God allows Job to be tested where it really counts Job will cave. Satan refuses to admit failure. Satan blames God. Satan celebrates self-centeredness. Selfcenteredness dominates Satan s thinking. Satan uses this as the excuse for his failure and the basis to advance his next challenge to God. In Satan s answer is a blatant accusation: Job is selfish. Satan suggests that a person will give up anything and perhaps everything to save his own life. Satan has already accused Job of hypocrisy. True to Satan s nature--he continues to resist and oppose God s Word. God has wired us for self-preservation. 5But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face! Satan offers a challenge--to God--prove Job s love; prove Job s faith; prove Job s integrity. Satan suggests that Job has only remained faithful because the loss was limited to his possessions; but if God allowed Satan to attack his person--job s faith will fail! What are Satan s soft targets? Our minds (with lies) our bodies (with suffering); our will (with pride); our hearts and conscience (with accusations). Satan wants to keep us ignorant of God s will; impatient with God s will; independent of God s will; or indicted by God s will. Our defenses have always remained the same; the inspiration of the Word of God; the imparted grace of God; the indwelling Spirit of God; and the interceding Son of God (see Warren Wiersbe; The Strategy of Satan--pp.94-95; adapted and summarized). 2
Satan believes believers are in it for the blessing! If God s blessings dry up--so does faith--so does trust--so does love! And what is the truth? The book of Job invites us to consider what kind of man Job really is! And in that consideration we are invited to ask and answer the question--who am I? What do I really believe about God and blessing and hardship? 6And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life. The Lord accepts the challenge to test Job s love and faith. Satan is allowed to strike Job s body but must spare Job s life. David L. McKenna (p.43); Satan s tactic is to probe and probe until he finds the fatal flaw in a person s character that leads to sin. In Jesus temptation, Satan comes at Him three times, probing for points of vulnerability. The natural drives of the body, mind, and spirit--passion, pride, and power--were all projected from legitimate to sinful desires. Of course--satan personalized his probe to appeal to Jesus specific needs at that time and place. So it is always. Most people are selectively strong or weak in character. 7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Satan strikes Job s body with painful boils all over his body. Is this leprosy? Elephantiasis? We do not know. Whatever it was--it produced pain and profound grotesquely altered Job s appearance (he is unrecognizable to his friends v.12). The two Hebrew words for painful boils describe eruptions of flesh--like the kind later found on the Egyptians in the plagues of Exodus 9:8-11 (and Deuteronomy 28:27). The symptoms included inflamed ulcerous sores (v.7); persistent itching (v.8); degenerative changes in facial skin (vv.7;10); loss of appetite (3:24); fear and depression (3:24-25); loss of strength (6:11); running sores with worms in them (7:5); difficulty breathing (9:18); darkness under the eyes (16:16); foul breath (19:17); weight loss (19:20; 33:21) excruciating, continual pain (30:17); insomnia (30:27); blackened and peeling skin (30:30) high fever and chills (30:30) (see Job A Man of Heroic Endurance Interactive Study Guide p.26; summary and adapted and adds Job became misery personified). Misery personified! The encounter prompts questions. Is Satan real? Yes. Does he have the power to afflict? Yes. We should never dismiss the power of Satan--but we should never give him more power than the Bible allows. 3
The Bible does not teach that God and Satan are equal beings with equal power. But rather Satan is a being still subject to God and he is only allowed to operate within the constraints and boundaries established by God. In the end God has the final word. 8And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. Job finds refuge in the city dump. The place where garbage and waste pile high. Warren Wiersbe writes; So abhorrent was Job s appearance that he fled society (Job 19:13-20) and went outside the city and sat on the ash heap. There the city s garbage was deposited and burned, and there the city s rejects lived, begging alms from whoever passed by. At the ash heap, dogs fought over something to eat, and the city s dung was brought and burned. The city s leading citizen was now living in abject poverty and shame (see Swindoll p.27--who quotes Wiersbe). It begs the question; why? Why Job? No better person lived in Job s generation! God Himself describes Job as upright and blameless. He is a man who loves and sacrifices for his family; provides meals and jobs for hundreds of people. His hard work and faithfulness to God was like a cottage industry that benefited people. Job has experienced mind numbing tragedy; unspeakable, humiliating, crippling pain. Job s Rejection From His Wife (vv.9-10) 9Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die! What are we to think? What do you think? I don t blame her. How do you process the bitter, stinging rebuke? Augustine called her diaboli adjutrix devil s advocate. Chrysostem called her the devil s best scourge an Calvin called her organum satani--the embodiment of Satan. Satan can use people to test us. Mrs. Job has also lost ten children. Mrs. Job has also lost prestige and wealth. She is traumatized, in grief, in a weakened emotional state. With Job s security gone--her security is gone. What has happened to her friends? Where is her support? What is her current status? Destitute. She is the shamed wife of the most desperate man in town. She had enjoyed power and honor and respect. She has also lost her companion. 4
There are no romantic evenings out; no quite picnics or joyous conversations! There are no long walks by the beach or any prospect of a long walk anytime soon! Does that excuse her bitterness towards God? Does that make it right for her to suggest that Job give up--curse God and die? Does she simply want his suffering to stop? Is she willing to dishonor and disobey God in order for that suffering to stop? Are you? Are you willing in your bitterness and horror to day anything to make the pain go away? Even if that means dishonoring or disobeying God? We can sympathize with her grief, and agony and and shame--but does that justify alienation and discouragement? From her example we discover at least one thing--one thing we must never do! The one thing we must never do is encourage people to give up on God! Give up on faith! Give up on Christ! When a person experiences a difficult and painful situation--guard your words! Instead of blaming or shaming--listen! Bring kind words to the table of affliction! In hard times and difficult times--bring gentle doses of wisdom, perspective and prayer. Never--ever--ask a person to compromise their integrity. Compromise offers only a temporary respite from pain. But the compromise is always more harmful in the long run. Temporary relief seems inviting. But compromise will only widen the gap between the Savior and the Sinner. Remember a strong faith and confident trust in God brings peace and restoration. 10But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Trauma does not always make for wise or gentle responses. Why not just cut me and pour lemon juice in the wound? The word foolish is nabal--and means spiritually ignorant or nondiscerning. Job refuses the bad advice and reproves her--reminding her that God is still in control. Job has faith that God sees the big picture and the ultimate outcome. Faithfulness is the path to peace and restoration. The bitter and hurtful statement is matched by the gentle and wise response. In the Hebrew language the second sentence reads; The good shall we accept from God and the trouble shall 5
we not accept? The word order adds emphasis--job offers the words--in a kind of rhetorical manner--he doesn t expect his wife to answer--only to think. Think about what you are saying. In essence Job is saying; Doesn t God have the right to govern the universe? Doesn t God have a right to be in control? Doesn t God have the right to do what He thinks is best in light of his perfect wisdom and matchless majesty? Isn t God the Creator and the giver of life? Isn t He the Shepherd and we are the sheep? Isn t God good? Isn t God good all the time? We sing of the goodness of God. We sing of the love of God. We sing of His beauty and majesty and magnificence. We sing change my heart O God. Make it ever true. The KJV translates this shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept evil. The NKJV rightly translates this adversity. The Hebrew word does not mean sin --and God is not the author of sin. The word can mean affliction or calamity. Does God allow affliction? Does God allow calamity? Will God permit His saints to be tested? It would seem that Job is unaware of the heavenly conversation between Satan and God. Does Job know that God was using Job as a weapon to refute Satan s lies? One Rabbi commentator Rashi suggested that Job does not sin with his lips--but perhaps in his heart or thoughts. We go to far when we pretend to know what is in a person s mind or heart. Job s Remarkable Company (vv.11-13) 11Now when Job s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. The men have reputations for wisdom and wealth. They are loyal friends with good intentions. mourn with him comfort him 12And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. How did Job s friends express their grief and sorrow? They wept out loud. They demonstrated their grief, their shock their sorrow! They tore their clothes to express their broken-heartedness. They threw dust on their heavens to express their deep grief. 6
13So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great. What are we to think? The friends of Job hold Job in high regard and deep respect. In what way? They perceive the extreme depth of despair and have profound respect for Job s sufferings. They sacrificed their own needs to stay with him for seven days and seven nights. Dr. Roy Zuck: Sitting down in silence with him for a week may have been their way of mourning over his death like condition, or it may have been an act of sympathy and comfort, or a reaction of horror. Whatever the reason, in the custom of that day they allowed the grieving person to express himself first. Sometimes silence is the right response. Sometimes any word--is the wrong word. Job knew they were there. Job sensed their compassion. Conclusion What can we glean? We live in a broken world full of heartache--pain and trial. We experience trials, set-backs and sufferings. We rarely have only one serious test. In Job 5:7; For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward. Your first trial is rarely your last trial. We live in a world where well meaning people--who have loved us--may give us bad advice. The source can come from believers as well as unbelievers. If someone offers you advice the contradicts the Word of God or undermines the Character of God reject it. Remember that God is sovereign. We must be prepared for prosperity and adversity. For blessing as well as set-backs. Life is unfair. And God is not fair. It what sense? We rarely get what we deserve. If God were fair you would get exactly what you deserve. You would get punishment instead of grace. You would judgment instead of mercy. You would go to hell instead of heaven. 7