*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.
1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
1:2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
1:3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
1:4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
1:5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, 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 cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
1:13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 1:14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 1:15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.