THE AGELESS ORDEAL

Contending that Job’s piety is only for protection of his Prosperity, Satan dares God to put Job in his power. With confidence in Job, God accepts the challenge but defines the limits. Satan is released to test Job’s virtue.

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GOOD AND WEALTHY MAN

There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job – a good man who feared God and stayed away from evil. He had a large family of seven sons and three daughters and was immensely wealthy, for he owned 7,000 sheeps, 3000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and employed many servants. He was, in fact, the richest cattleman in that entire area.

Every year when Job’s sons had birthdays, they invited their brothers and sisters to their homes for a celebration. On these occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment. When these birthday parties ended, – and sometimes they lasted several days – Job would summon his children to him and sanctify them, getting up early in the morning and offering a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and turned away from God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

One day as the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan, the Accuser, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

And Satan replied, “From earth, where I’ve been watching everything that’s going on.”

THE TEST OF FAITH

Time came when Job’s faith was tested. God persuaded Satan to test Job – to harm him without any cause. He said to Satan,

“You may do anything you like with his wealth, but don’t harm him physically.“

TRAGEDY STRUCK JOB

He loses fortune and family; he loses health and home; and loses fame and friends. Look at the array of misfortunes he experienced...

BAD NEWS: The fire from the sky has fallen and burned up his 7000 sheep and only one servant escaped to tell the incident.

Upon receipt of the news of what had happened to his family, the destruction of his property and death of almost all servants, the finest man tore his robe ‘in grief’ and fell down upon the ground and worshipped God saying, “ I came naked from my mother’s womb and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were His to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

Now Satan believed that a man will give anything to save his life, he struck the body of Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot in order to destroy his great faith. Then the righteous man took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.

His wife reacted saying, “Are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? Curse God and die.”

But Job replied, “You talk like some ungodly woman. What? Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hands of God and never anything unpleasant?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

Job’s three friends came to console him. But they insisted the man’s plight can only be a punishment for personal wrongdoing and invitation from God to repent. But their opinions were all wrong. They had not been right in what they had said.

RESTORATION

THEN, when Job had prayed for his friend’s, the Lord restored his WEALTH and HAPPINESS!

In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! Then all of his brothers, sisters, and former friends arrived and feasted with him in his home, consoling him because of all the trials the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.

So the Lord blessed Job at the end of his life more than at the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheeps, 6000 camels, 1000 teams of oxen, and 1000 female donkeys.

God also gave him seven more sons and three more daughters. And in all the land there were no other girls as lovely as the daughters of Job…

Job lived 140 years after that, living to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren too. Then at last he died, an old man, after living a long, good life.

Source: The Book of Job

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