*Job 1:1-22
Job, a righteous and prosperous man, is tested by God as Satan brings misfortune upon him.
- Introduction to Job:
- Job is introduced as a man who lived in the land of Uz, known for his righteousness, integrity, and fear of God.
- He is described as being exceptionally wealthy, with seven sons and three daughters, and possessing extensive livestock, including seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys, along with a large number of servants.
- Satan’s Challenge:
- Satan appears before the Lord among the heavenly beings, and the Lord asks him if he has considered His servant Job, who is blameless and upright in all his ways.
- Satan challenges the Lord, arguing that Job’s righteousness is only because he has been blessed and protected by God, and that if God were to take away his blessings, Job would surely curse Him to His face.
- Testing of Job’s Faith:
- The Lord grants Satan permission to test Job, but He forbids him from harming Job himself, only allowing him to take away Job’s possessions and afflict him physically.
- Satan immediately sets out to test Job’s faith by causing a series of devastating events to occur, including the raiding of Job’s livestock and the deaths of his servants and children.
- Job’s Response:
- Upon receiving news of the tragedies that have befallen him, Job responds with sorrow and mourning, tearing his robe and shaving his head in grief.
- Despite his immense suffering, Job falls to the ground in worship and declares, “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’s Continued Integrity:
- In all this, Job does not sin by charging God with wrongdoing or cursing Him, maintaining his integrity and faithfulness to God even in the midst of his suffering.
- Despite the urging of his wife to curse God and die, Job refuses to do so, recognizing that both good and adversity come from the hand of God, and he chooses to remain faithful to Him.
Job 1:1-22 teaches us to trust God even when life is hard. Job was a good man, but he still faced great suffering. Instead of turning away from God, he chose to remain faithful. This reminds us that difficult times don’t mean God has abandoned us. When we go through struggles, we can trust that God is still in control and has a greater plan. Like Job, we should hold onto our faith, knowing that God sees our pain and will never leave us.
Job 1:1-22 (WEB)
1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east. 4 His sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.6 Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”8 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.”9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Haven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face.”12 The LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand.”So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 It fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 that a messenger came to Job, and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked, and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”18 While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.”20 Then Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshiped. 21 He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the LORD’s name.” 22 In all this, Job didn’t sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing.