IN ONE day four great calamities fell upon Job sweeping away almost everything he had. First, his servants were plowing with the oxen, and the asses were feeding by them, when the Sabeans, a band of robbers from the south, fell upon them, carrying away all the animals and slaying all the servants but one, who escaped to tell the tale. Next, the fire of God fell upon Job’s vast flocks of sheep and consumed them, including the shepherds, except one who brought the evil tidings to him. Then another servant came to tell Job the Chaldean bands from the east had carried off the camels, and had slain the servants, except himself who alone escaped.
Terrible as these trials were, the worst was yet to come. While his sons and daughters were feasting in their eldest brother’s house, there came a whirlwind from the wilderness, which attacked the house from the four sides. The house was destroyed and all inside killed but the one who escaped to carry the sad news. To lose his whole family was indeed a terrible blow to an affectionate father like Job.
Satan had brought all this upon Job in his attempt to cause Job to curse God. But Job acted in a way that very few would have done. He arose and rent his clothes—a sign of mourning; he shaved his head, and fell down on the ground and worshiped, saying, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Then we have this added by the divine historian, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”
Satan was unable to shake Job’s faith, but later on when his friends came to see him, it is brought out that he had not as yet learned the pride that was in his heart.
In chapter 2 we have another glimpse of the unseen world. The sons of God again come to present themselves before the Lord and Satan comes also. God again calls his attention to Job saying that there was none like him in all the earth—a perfect and upright man, Satan, now having been proved wrong in his previous accusations of Job, is still ready to bring up more accusations. He infers that Job was faithful only because God had limited his trials and would not allow him to touch Job’s body. He claims that Job could bear the loss of his property, his wealth and even his children, but if his body were afflicted, then he would curse God. So the Lord allowed Satan to go further this time saying, “Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.” Satan then went out and smote Job with boils from head to foot,—a terrible affliction.
Poor Job scraped himself with a potsherd (a broken piece of pottery) and sat down among the ashes. His wife, who seemed to be under Satan’s influence, suggested to him that he “curse God, and die.” But Job’s reply was, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” Again there is the divine comment, “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” He was no hypocrite. Satan, defeated, disappears, and is heard of no more in the book.
ML-01/24/1960