THINKING ABOUT JOB

 

Friday, April 28, 2023

 

THINKING ABOUT JOB

 

Job 1:21-22

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.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. KJV

 

          Most of us have felt a kinship with Job. We hurt physically and emotionally for no reason that we can identify. This is a great opportunity to accuse God of being unfair, but Job did not surrender to that urge. “In all this” Job sinned not.

 

          He experienced loss and grief when his children and their families were killed. This was much more than the one-by-one loss of loved ones to death. This was catastrophic, measureless sorrow.

 

          He suffered material loss when all his cattle, livestock, and herdsmen were taken away. Many of us have experienced the loss of employment with its comfortable salary. We wondered how we would make ends meet. We thought we knew how Job felt, but here we are with adequate provision.

 

          Job also suffered in his physical body. Satan was allowed to attack with a general skin condition so severe that Job only found relief by scraping himself with a broken clay pot. This was the final insult for his wife as she suggested that he “curse God and die.” So, yes, it was miserably uncomfortable. If you can remember chicken pox, measles, or the adult version, shingles, you think you certainly know Job’s sufferings.

 

          Job suffered isolation because he lost marital companionship and understanding. He also lost the comfort of friends. The three friends who came to visit just stared at him for days. When they finally spoke, it was not words of comfort but words of condemnation. We all have experienced relationships that brought more pain than pleasure. Abandonment and betrayal are familiar to many of us. Aloneness is difficult to endure.

 

James 5:10

11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. KJV

 

Ps 73:24

24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. KJV

 

Thank you, Lord, for mercies I often take for granted. AMEN