In just three chapters Job loses his livestock, servants, ten children, and his health in a single catastrophic sequence. Yet he worships. Satan’s two-stage assault strips away everything external, then attacks him physically. While Job’s wife urges him to curse God and die, three friends arrive and their seven days of silence say more than words ever could.
Previously on Bible Book Club
In our last chapter, we glimpsed a small snapshot of the life of Job: devout, blameless, and wealthy. Then the story dramatically shifted to a totally different realm where God was holding court and Satan presented a case against Job. Satan insisted God’s followers are only faithful for what they get, so God gave Satan permission to test his theory on Job.
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Satan’s Attack
We ended our last episode:
Job 1:12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
In the next scene, Satan will take full advantage of God’s permission and strip Job down to nothing without hurting him physically. God allows Satan’s attack to silence Satan’s accusation and prove that a man could be faithful even if he lost everything. The scene opens when the children are conveniently together, presumably at one of the birthday parties the author informed us about in Job 1:4.
Scene 1: The Devastation of Job
Job 1:13-22
13One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
16While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
17While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
20At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21and said: “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.” 22In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
What are the four specific disasters that wipe out Job’s wealth and family?
Everything Job has is wiped out in a single day in rapid-fire succession:
- The Sabeans, a people from Southeast Arabia, raided the livestock and killed servants.
- Fire, most likely lightning ignited a fire and killed the sheep and more servants.
- The Chaldeans, a people from the Mesopotamian Valley, took the camels and killed those servants.
- Wind, possibly a tornado, collapsed the house and killed all of his children.
The text says the messengers come so fast that each one arrives while the previous one is still speaking. Satan uses human, natural, and supernatural means to bring about the total destruction of everything Job owned or held dear, with the exception of his wife. But he has a plan to use her too in just a minute. The damage is too catastrophic to be a coincidence. And Job knows it.
How did Job respond immediately after losing his children and possessions?
Job immediately sees the hand of God in his devastation, and he worships! He mourns, but he also acknowledges God as his creator. His prose takes us from the womb to the tomb. He came to this world with nothing, and he will leave this world with nothing.
Job teaches us that we can worship even when we do not understand. We also must learn to accept that we came into this world with nothing, and we will leave with nothing. So no matter how dear we hold people or possessions, they are not ours. They belong to God. We belong to God. Job acknowledges that the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. In all the giving and the taking, we must praise Him!
Round 1 goes to God
And with that, I imagine the heavenly host leans in. Because in the heavenly realm it is God that Satan is attempting to put on trial. He accused God of a transactional relationship with man. He said Job would curse God if he didn’t prosper. Job’s prosperity is gone. But Job does not curse God. In fact, it says Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Round 1 in this trial goes to God. However, Satan never, and I repeat never, gives up easily.
Scene 2: Satan Wants More
Job 2:2-6
1 On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
4“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
6The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
What did “skin for skin” mean in Satan’s second challenge to God?
Skin for skin means you’ll trade anything and anyone to protect your own skin. Satan argues that Job only remains faithful because the suffering hasn’t touched him physically yet. His children, his wealth, and his livestock are all external.
This scene would be humorous if the topic weren’t so tragic. God states exactly the same words as in Satan’s first visit, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
But God adds: “And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” I can’t help picturing God being just a little bit sardonic as he casually sits back on his ginormous throne, leaning on one elbow, as if Satan is no more significant than a speck of lint on his robe.
In other words, it might sound today like, “Satan, haven’t seen you in a while. What happened to your Job test? Looks like you devastated the poor man, and for no reason. Because…what’s that?” He holds his hand up to his ear. “I don’t hear anything. No cursing coming from down there. Job is still blameless and upright. Fearing God and shunning evil. What a great guy! I love him, he loves Me. It has nothing to do with how much stuff I give him.”
God must have had some kind of tone to his words because what he says makes Satan furious! Still, Satan believes he has a case. In fact, he sounds angry to me. And he wants more than stuff; he wants to bring Job down. God again allows the test. And Satan attacks Job.
What is the specific physical illness Satan uses to test Job?
Scholars and doctors over the centuries have debated what Job’s disease was, considering everything from smallpox to leprosy to severe eczema, but the exact disease is unknown. The descriptions suggest something systemic, painful, and visibly disfiguring. But the sores covered his entire body. As we read on, we will discover that the disease is extremely invasive.
Job 7:4-5 4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up? The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn. 5 My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering.
Job 19:17 My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own family.
Job 19:20 I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
Job 30:27-30 27 The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me. 28 I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. 29 I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls. 30 My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever.
The extent of Job’s suffering
Whatever Job’s illness is, it’s so bad that his friends don’t recognize him when they arrive, and they sit in silence for seven days just looking at him. That detail alone, seven days of speechless silence, tells us everything about how devastating his appearance must be.
Suffering in two forms
In the first trial, God allowed Satan to take away all the good in life. In the second trial, God allowed Satan to bring all the bad in life. In Job, we will get many lessons on how suffering operates. This is one of them. Suffering can be the absence of all that is good and/or the presence of all that is bad.
Scene 3: Job’s Wife Tempts Him to Curse God
Job 2:8-10
8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Why did Job use a piece of broken pottery while sitting in ashes?
Many commentators interpret the disease as indicating boils on the skin that cause intolerable itching, so the scraping with broken pottery would relieve the itching and remove the decaying skin. Sitting in ashes was a sign of mourning.
We discussed this in our last season in the book of Esther. Mordecai put on ashes when he learned of the edict to annihilate the Jews. In the process, a person would either take handfuls of ashes and pour them over himself, or they would roll in ashes, or they would sleep or sit in ashes. It communicated to others that their joy or life had been burned to the ground. Their identity was now covered in death and ruin. Which aptly describes Job at this point.
Why does Job’s wife tell him to “curse God and die”?
Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die because seeing her husband so afflicted is more than she can bear. Until now Job’s wife has been silent, but she has suffered all the emotional pain that Job has. Her grief and shock at losing 10 children probably left her without speech, without hope, drained of strength, and therefore words. Now it seems she can endure no more.
The Accuser uses her grief
Her emotions are understandably unhinged, and the Accuser uses that to his advantage. She urges her husband to do exactly what Satan has suggested he would do in Job 1:11 and Job 2:5.
Job 1:11 “But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
Job 2:5 “But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
Job’s wife implies that death is preferable to the torture he is experiencing. Which is a note to us. When suffering occurs, we must not ask how do I get out of this? But rather, what can I get out of this?
Job resists the temptation to curse God. He will not give up on his faith and his God. Instead, he rebukes his wife in an effort to pull her out of such foolish thinking. However, as Job’s emotions spiral from the physical pain in the coming chapters, he will agree with her on one point: death would be a welcome relief from his agony.
Round 2 goes to God
Job does not cave to the temptation his wife supplies. And with that, Job has now passed two tests. He refused to curse God when racked with the emotional pain of losing every blessing he had ever known, and he refused to curse God when racked with the physical pain of losing the only thing he had left, his body. Satan has taken it all, and still Job does not curse God. Round 2 in this trial goes to God. The score is now God two and the Accuser zero. However, Satan never, and I repeat never, gives up easily. What is left for the Accuser to do?
In what ways is Job considered “Christlike” in the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament Job is considered uniquely Christlike because, like Christ, Job’s suffering is:
- Innocent: God himself declares Job blameless
- For all mankind: it silences a spiritual battle
- Complete: emotional, relational, physical, and spiritual suffering all at once
- Vindicated: God ultimately restores and honors him
Scene 4: Friends (or Foes) from Afar
Job 2:11-13
11When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Who are the three friends who come to comfort Job?
The news of the great Job’s fall has traveled far and wide, and Job’s three friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite make a long journey to comfort their friend. The journey alone conveys their care for Job. It is supposed that Teman, Shuah, and Naamah are all somewhere near Edom.
Friends as comforters
These friends, at this point, are a great example to us. They mourn with Job for seven days. They sit with him in his discomfort on the ground. This is sometimes the only thing you can do for a suffering loved one. Sit with them in the hospital, often sleeping in a chair. Hold their hand. Offer sips of water. Sometimes the greatest comfort is not to be alone. Words are not needed to convey compassion.
Friends as prosecutors
Friends can comfort, but friends can also confuse, judge, accuse, and frustrate. Job’s friends are a comfort when they are silent, but that will change. They will go from comforters to prosecutors, and their judgment of Job is harsh. In the coming chapters, each of these friends represents a different form of attack, no doubt inspired by Satan:
- Eliphaz plays the role of the pious preacher
- Bildad will be the cruel conformist
- Zophar will be the zero-mercy zealot
All of them will question Job’s integrity, which is something to note about the book of Job. There is a lot of integrity questioning. Everyone questions, accuses, and hence wants some sort of trial. All of them want to prove something.
- Satan questions God’s integrity, essentially accusing him of buying relationships.
- Job’s friends will question Job’s integrity, assuming he is hiding sin.
- Job will question God’s integrity, accusing God that His reputation as “just” does not match his actions.
With the next chapter, we begin the poetic prose of the Book of Job. The text is full of lots of words and meanings that are uncertain to us today. It will be interesting to unravel the meaning.
Scene 5: Jobe Speaks and It Is Heartbreaking
Job 3:1-10
1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said: 3 “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’ 4 That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it. 5 May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it. 6 That night—may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months. 7 May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it. 8 May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. 9 May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn, 10for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? 12 Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? 13 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest 14 with kings and rulers of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins, 15 with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. 16 Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day? 17 There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. 18 Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout. 19 The small and the great are there, and the slaves are freed from their owners.
20 “Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, 21 to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, 22 who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? 23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? 24 For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. 25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. 26 I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”
What is a Leviathan?
In the ancient East, a Leviathan is a massive sea creature with sharp teeth and armor-like scales. Some scholars think it is a real, but extinct, creature. Some think Job is referring to ancient mythology and this is a dragon or sea monster. And some think it is the crocodile.
Because I live in Florida and have seen a crocodile over 12 feet, I am going with the crocodile. In the Nile, they can get up to 20 feet.
The Leviathan is associated with danger, chaos, and death, all things beyond human control. Some scholars link the Leviathan to Satan. This most likely comes from Revelation 12, which speaks of a great dragon or serpent.
What does Job’s mention of the “Leviathan” symbolize in his lament?
Job is being poetic and uses the imagery of the Leviathan to symbolize his desire that something would swallow up the day he was born. He curses the day he was born, mentioning “darkness” three times, wishing the day of his birth had never dawned.
The language used by Job is the opposite of what God describes in Genesis 1:3 in the birth, or creation, of the world. When a baby is born, it comes out of the darkness into the light. Many commentators believe Job is poetically reversing his creation. If God had not created that day, the light of that day, Job would have remained un-conceived and in darkness, hidden in the womb. And that is why he mentions the Leviathan.
Job laments birth and surviving infancy
Much to Job’s dramatic despair the day happened so, after cursing the day he was born, Job turns to wishing he had not survived being born. Job laments birth and surviving infancy. He could have been stillborn or not had a mother to nurse him. If he had died, he would be at rest in the ground, out of pain.
Death holds mercy for Job at this point. Many of us can understand this on some level. Anyone who has walked a loved one through extreme suffering has seen the devastating exhaustion that pain can render. The intense desire for release, rest, and comfort is present in every moment. I have sat with a parent and a friend through long suffering. Despite all of the ministrations of hospice, including the escalation of painkillers, there was never complete rest for them until the end.
Last of all, Job questions the misery of the life he was born into. He questions the purpose of his existence. It is miserable, bitter. Job wants to die.
How does the text describe the “hedge” around Job differently in chapters 1 and 3?
Ironically, in chapter 3, Job feels that God has hedged him in; he is trapped in misery and without hope. But in chapter 1, Satan accused God of the opposite. He said that God had hedged Job in to protect and prosper him.
Job 1:10 Satan replied, “Have you not put a hedge around Job and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.”
What can we learn from such complete devastation?
No matter what our suffering, we must hold fast to what we know to be true about God: God is not cruel. In verse 2:10 Job says, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
From Job’s point of view, God acted against him without cause. He was not privy to the trial between God and Satan. His view of his life is our view of life. We cannot begin to understand God’s purpose. When we suffer, it is easy to question God’s justice, doubt his actions, and blame Him. But to do so assumes we know better how to run the world. We don’t. Our faith demands that we accept that we will never have all the information to understand the tragedies unfolding in the world until we get to heaven and God reveals everything we missed. Perhaps Satan has a court case with us in mind!
We are only three chapters in, one would think Job’s suffering is over. It is so comprehensive. He suffered in his body, in his heart, and in his mind. And yet there will be more, different but more, in our next chapters.
Discussion Questions: Reflecting on Job 1–3
- Job worshipped God in the middle of devastating loss. When suffering hits, what is your first instinct, and what would it look like to respond like Job?
- Job’s friends sat in silence for seven days, just present with him in his pain. Who in your life right now needs you to simply sit with them rather than offer answers?
- When suffering occurs, the lesson from Job is not to ask “How do I get out of this?” but “What can I get out of this?” In your life right now, what is a current trial where God might be asking you to shift that question?
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