Job likely lived between 2,000 and 1,000 BC. The placement of this book in the Bible between Esther and Psalms is not in chronological sequence. Placed right after Esther, perhaps we can look back to Haman and ask what it was that caused Haman, a man given everything by the king, to melt down morally to the point of being hanged in his own back yard. Or since the Psalms immediately following Job are saturated with the personal conflicts of King David, we can ask the same thing about his affair with Bathsheba.
Or better yet, we can look in the mirror.
In Chapter 1, we meet Job, who is incredibly wealthy, is “blameless and upright”, fears God and turns away from evil. But while Job lives as master of all he sees on earth, it appears that in heaven there are regular meetings where all the angels of heaven report to God.
There are at least two major surprises in this cosmological setting.
First, I am surprised that Satan is allowed to gather with all the good angels to report to God. And second, I am shocked that God almost collegially offers his servant Job into the hands of Satan in response to what seems like a dare, to see if Job will ever curse God.
In Chapter 2, after all Job’s physical assets on earth have been destroyed by Satan, he passes the test and refuses to curse God. So a second meeting with the angels and Satan is held. Satan convinces God to allow him to harm Job himself, and God agrees with only the stipulation that Satan cannot take Job’s life.
Job’s physical affliction is unimaginably horrid, yet he refuses to curse God. Finally, Job’s wife is completely overwhelmed with Job’s misery and resolve to honor God and exclaims:
“Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”[1]
We will see how this comes out as the Book of Job proceeds.
During the past week, while I was studying Job, I began to grow extremely uncomfortable. In Job, heaven seems more like a poker table with Job as the gambling chip, than the heaven I long for, as depicted by John in the Book of Revelation, full of singing and non-stop worship and glory.
I no sooner felt this doubt about heaven than a terrible cloud descended on me. It rendered me speechless and deeply depressed, unlike I have ever been before. Sue and I had a pretty tough week dealing with all sorts of misfortune, and so I was ripe for the kill. The day before, things had been bad enough that Sue declared forcefully, “Satan, in the name of Jesus I command you to leave this place!” Immediately, peace flowed in and we settled down for the night.
But yesterday was worse for me, the cloud of evil returned on me. For a while I could hardly breathe. When I went to bed, I sat in the dark, and whispered the same command: “Satan, in the name of Jesus, get out of here!”
Immediately, I fell into a sound sleep and woke up today, full of peace.
Just as I started to write this blog, I realized that this is what Job is all about – the contest between God and Satan for my heart and yours. I believe God wanted me to experience just a touch of what Job endured to communicate it to you.
The moral of the first two chapters of Job is: don’t listen to Job’s wife, who tells you to curse God and die.
Listen to my beautiful wife, who reminds you to curse Satan, and live!
[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Job 2:9). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Or better yet, we can look in the mirror.
In Chapter 1, we meet Job, who is incredibly wealthy, is “blameless and upright”, fears God and turns away from evil. But while Job lives as master of all he sees on earth, it appears that in heaven there are regular meetings where all the angels of heaven report to God.
There are at least two major surprises in this cosmological setting.
First, I am surprised that Satan is allowed to gather with all the good angels to report to God. And second, I am shocked that God almost collegially offers his servant Job into the hands of Satan in response to what seems like a dare, to see if Job will ever curse God.
In Chapter 2, after all Job’s physical assets on earth have been destroyed by Satan, he passes the test and refuses to curse God. So a second meeting with the angels and Satan is held. Satan convinces God to allow him to harm Job himself, and God agrees with only the stipulation that Satan cannot take Job’s life.
Job’s physical affliction is unimaginably horrid, yet he refuses to curse God. Finally, Job’s wife is completely overwhelmed with Job’s misery and resolve to honor God and exclaims:
“Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”[1]
We will see how this comes out as the Book of Job proceeds.
During the past week, while I was studying Job, I began to grow extremely uncomfortable. In Job, heaven seems more like a poker table with Job as the gambling chip, than the heaven I long for, as depicted by John in the Book of Revelation, full of singing and non-stop worship and glory.
I no sooner felt this doubt about heaven than a terrible cloud descended on me. It rendered me speechless and deeply depressed, unlike I have ever been before. Sue and I had a pretty tough week dealing with all sorts of misfortune, and so I was ripe for the kill. The day before, things had been bad enough that Sue declared forcefully, “Satan, in the name of Jesus I command you to leave this place!” Immediately, peace flowed in and we settled down for the night.
But yesterday was worse for me, the cloud of evil returned on me. For a while I could hardly breathe. When I went to bed, I sat in the dark, and whispered the same command: “Satan, in the name of Jesus, get out of here!”
Immediately, I fell into a sound sleep and woke up today, full of peace.
Just as I started to write this blog, I realized that this is what Job is all about – the contest between God and Satan for my heart and yours. I believe God wanted me to experience just a touch of what Job endured to communicate it to you.
The moral of the first two chapters of Job is: don’t listen to Job’s wife, who tells you to curse God and die.
Listen to my beautiful wife, who reminds you to curse Satan, and live!
[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Job 2:9). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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