1. I hate this book. A bunch of bad things happen to good-guy Job, Job complains to God, God yells at him, and Job is the one who has to apologize and make amends regardless of the suffering.2. I still hate this book. God let Satan wreak havoc on Job’s life; why He did, I cannot understand for the life of me.3. I’m learning something from this book. As it turns out, good-guy Job lost his faith and started disbelieving and accusing God, incurring His wrath. Guess it was deserved.4. I’m learning more things from this book. For example, Job’s friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar really were terrible friends. They completely steered him wrong, and Job did turn against God, so yes, God’s wrath at Job was indeed deserved.5. I’m learning more things from this book. Contrary to my prior assumptions, God did not cause Job to lose everything he had, including his health. Additionally, in arguing with his “friends,” Job began to believe lies about the Lord, a complete turnaround from where their relationship had been previously.6. I’m learning more things from this book. God was in fact merciful to Job throughout his trials. First, when Satan wanted to take away Job’s children and possessions, God told him not to lay a hand on him. Later, when Satan wanted to take away Job’s health, God ordered him to spare his life. Moreover, even when God was yelling at Job, challenging him on all the lies and nonsense he had been spouting about the Lord (God does hear even my mutterings!), He never threatens Job’s life or his eternity, or any kind of punishment. God’s response to Job is in fact a sign of real relationship between the two: Job being real with God, and God being real with Job.7. I’m learning more things from this book. As ticked off as Scripture reveals God was at Job, He was even more ticked off at his three “friends,” calling them unrighteous while still calling Job righteous.8. I’m learning more things from this book. Job does get everything restored (see Job 42:10-11), and gets to live the rest of his days free from trials. God does provide that time of recovery. Even Jesus, the Son of God, received that after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness and being tempted by the devil.9. I’m already still learning more things from this book, even from this go-around. See below:
Job’s desire to please God from the start
“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer 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 Job did regularly.”Job 1:1-5 NKJV
Even before he suffered the first trial, Job was conscious of the importance of honoring God in all his ways, even including interceding on behalf of his family members in case they might have offended Him in even some small way. As Scripture reveals, Job regularly would offer burnt offerings to the Lord, regardless of whether or not some sin might have occurred.
The below text reveals Job’s attitude after the first round of bad news:
“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”Job 1:22 NKJV
Even after the second test, Job still chose to honor God, even when it was difficult, even going so far as to chastise his own wife when she tried to convince him to give up on the Lord:
“So 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. And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But 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.”Job 2:7-10 NKJV
Simply put, Job desired to please God from the start. More to come.
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