Job 1
1 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. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 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.
4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job's regular custom.
6 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 throughout the earth, going back and forth on 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 now 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 power, 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 made off with them. 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 heavens 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 made off with them. 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!”
20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 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.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
SNAPSHOT 14
JOB 1: THE DEVIL CAME DOWN TO UZ
Job was from the land of Uz. Not to be confused with Oz – no Lollipop kids here. Uz is a person and so this tells us that Job was in Shem's line. The name is later associated with Edom. I am less interested in the geography and more interested in how this connects up to Genesis. It does feel like this occurs before the covenant with Abraham. This shows that God was always reaching out to people who were seeking Him.
Job was a great guy. He feared God and tried to do right. We are given an overview of his holdings. The numbers here have a rhythm that feels more like allegory or poetry than real numbers:
7 sons/ 3 daughters
7K sheep/ 3K camels
In the Bible, the number of 7 is used for completeness and perfection. The number 3 is divine wholeness. In this context, Job had exactly the perfect number of kids and cattle. To me, 10 kids sounds crazy, but it was perfect for Job. He was the greatest man in his community.
Job's kids like to party hard together for their birthdays. Not quite as upright as Job. So, Job would make sure they were purified afterward. I wonder what that entailed. There were no laws to direct Job in this arena. Probably a sacrifice. I also do not think that being forced into purification did much for the kids, other than getting Job off their butts.
Job went further. Job repented and made offerings in case his kids had a secret heart sin. Job is trying to be a good dad here, but does this strike anyone else as being a bit self-righteous? Is it even possible to repent for another person? I cannot imagine having my life sorted out so well that I had the authority to sort repent for other people.
This is how we find Job. Living the good life. Holier than thou. Worrying about his sin and the sins of his kids. Taking every precaution. A nice guy, living a nice life, doing nice things.
We next get a peek into heaven. Enjoy it, because it does not often happen. Angels show up in heaven and Satan tags along. God has a conversation with Satan instead of kicking his rump out. It reads like a play. God asks Satan where he has been. God has to already know, but still asks. Satan is very vague in answering like a teen late to curfew– oh, here and there. I imagine Satan spent most of his time watching the line of Shem. God asks if he has considered Jogf b, such a great guy. Satan does not have to ask who Job is and his answer shows that he has considered Job often. Satan tells God that Job is good because God blesses Job and protects him. Satan tells God that Job is only in it for the blessings. God tells Satan that he is free to take things away. God is in control, but He allows Satan to act in a limited way.
Job, of course, knows none of this. He is minding his own business (and likely his kid's business) when tragedy strikes. It must be a birthday because the kids are busy partying that day. With 10 kids, there is always a birthday to celebrate! But this fact becomes important later. Job takes several blows. First, Job's business is attacked by raiders. His animals are taken and his workers are killed. All of his wealth is gone. The reports come in waves, and the next one is horrible. Job's kids were killed in a house collapse. They were partying at the time – and Job had not had time to make them repent.
Job's reaction is immediate and counter-intuitive. He tore his clothing and shaved his head. Then he worshipped God and gave him praise. Job did not blame God. We are told this would have been sinful. Pause. I relate to some of this story. I lost one adult child, and it was the hardest thing I have even had happen. Job lost 10 adult children and all of his wealth in one moment. His reaction was to praise God. It is obvious that Job did not worship God because he was given wealth or because he had a large family.
I am really uncomfortable with the idea that God allowed Satan to kill people in order to test Job. Yes, they were what appears to be fairly useless partying adults. Yes, they may have had families who survived. But, still, isn't God complicit in this? He gave Satan the rope. I want to have a loving, fair and compassionate God. God does not seem to be any of those things here. Challenging material.
This section tells me a few things. God allows people to be tested by Satan. We will not always understand why. Testing can involve deaths and poverty. And just because we are going through something does not mean God has forgotten about us.
I get the impression that God is acting to instruct Job, us, heavenly beings, and Satan. I still do not like the idea of God allowing Satan to hurt people. It feels wrong because it rubs up against my image of God. Explaining the Book says the theme of Job is this: When we can't understand God's ways, we must trust his wisdom. Ironically, this book makes me wonder about both. I struggle with this, but must keep on keepin.
Job understood God at the beginning of this chapter: obedience in, blessings out. I think that is an American equation as well. Satan sees this as self-interest rather than faith motivated. But here, the formula fails. Obedience went in, but pain came out. I have had that day.
Got Questions has an interesting take on this topic. It suggests that God is on trial in this book rather than Job. Whaaaat? Who is accusing God? I guess that would have to be Satan, since he is The Accuser. Sounds like a wrestling name, but I recall reading it in the Bible someplace. What is the accusation? Is it related to Job – like whether God is getting glory by blessing people? Is God worthy of worship if blessings are not given? Got Questions implies the charge is fairness related. Seems like crushing a great guy is a weird way to prove fairness. Is God using us like chess pieces or does He deeply love us? I plan to think about that as I read on in this book.
TJ: If you are struggling with a time of pain in your life, I cannot recommend enough Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Keller. It is not an easy read, but it is in depth and really goes into depth on Job and on the reasons for suffering.