The Story of Job

The Book of Job

In the land of Uz there lived a man named Job. He feared God and turned away from evil.

Job had seven sons and three daughters. He was very rich and had lots of land and livestock and many servants to help him work. He was the richest man in the entire east.

Job loved God and worshipped God everyday. He continually offered up burnt offerings for his children just in case they had sinned against God in their hearts.

There came a day when all the angels of the Lord presented themselves before God, and Satan was among them. "Where have you been?" God asked Satan. "I have been roaming over the earth," he answered, for he would go through the world looking for people who could be deceived and blinded from knowing the truths of God.

Then God said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one else like him in the earth; no one who loves God and hates evil as much as he does."

"He has every reason to love you," Satan answered. "He is a comfortable and happy man. He has everything a man could want, but take away all his riches and his family, and he will curse you to your face."

“Very well,” God said to Satan, "Do what you want to all that Job has but do not touch him."

Satan left the presence of God and began his evil work.

Soon after, as Job sat by himself, a messenger ran up to him. "The Sabeans have stolen your oxen and donkeys, and killed all your servants," the messenger cried, "I alone escaped to tell you."

Before the man could finish speaking, a second messenger ran up to Job. "A fire came down from heaven," he said, "and burned up your shepherds and all their sheep. I alone escaped to tell you."

Before the second man could finish speaking, a third messenger ran up. "Three bands of Chaldeans took away your camels, and killed all the men who were with them. I alone escaped to tell you."

Before the third man could finish speaking, a fourth messenger arrived. "Your sons and daughters were eating in your oldest son's house," he cried, "when a great wind came from the wilderness. It blew down the house and killed all your children. I alone escaped to tell you."

OH MY! Can you imagine!!!! What heartbreak! Job tore at his clothes, and fell to the ground to pour out his sorrows to the Lord. "I came into this world with nothing, and with nothing I shall leave it. The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this, Job did not sin nor did he curse or blame God.

The next time the angels of the Lord presented themselves before God, Satan was again among them. "Have you considered my servant Job?" God again asked Satan. "You moved me against him, although he was perfect in every way, and still he follows my words."

"Skin for skin," answered Satan, "A man will give up everything to save his own life. Cause him enough pain, and he will curse you to your face."

"Very well," said God, "Do anything you want to him, but do not kill him."

Soon Job was struck with a painful skin disease. Sores covered his body from his feet to his head. He sat all day long in a pile of ashes, scraping himself with a piece of a broken pot. When Job's wife saw how he was suffering, she said to him, "What good is your faith in the Lord? Curse God, and die!"

"You are talking foolishly," Job said, "Are we to take the good things from God and not the bad?" Job did not curse God.

Hearing of Job's troubles, three of his friends came to visit him. Seeing his suffering, they wept and tore their clothes. For seven days they sat with him and did not say a word.

At the end of the seven days, Job cursed the day he was born. Job's friends then tried to help him.

"Will you listen to us?" Eliphaz asked. "You know God does not punish people for no reason. You must have done something wrong. Seek God out, and ask him to forgive you. God may wound, but he also heals. This is what you should do."

"O, that all my sorrows could be counted and weighed against my misery. Surely, my pain outweighs my mistakes," Job cried, "You say you are my friends, but you do not comfort me. You tell me I have done wrong when I have not."

"Do not go on like this," said Bildad, "God does not make mistakes. Seek him out, and ask his forgiveness."

"Do not think you are without blame?" said Zophar, Job's third friend, "God has great wisdom and knows all the wrong things men do."

"You laugh at me," answered Job, "But I know as much as you know, and I know I have reason to complain. I also know God does not hear me and that my friends do not comfort me. I only want to know why God has done these terrible things to me. I have followed God's commandments; I have helped my neighbors and friends. Now they turn from me, and God does not hear me. I must know why."

Job desperately tries to solve the mystery behind his suffering. At one time he even asked God, “Why have you set your mark against me?” In other words, “Why me, Lord?”

When Job and his friends finished arguing, the Lord finally came on the scene. He came to Job in a whirlwind, "What will you learn from your friends?” "Come, stand up like a man, for now I shall question you, and you shall answer," said the Lord.

"Where were you when I created the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all God's children shouted with joy?”

"Have you shut the sea in with doors, and said, thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped?”

"Do you know where the light gathers, and where the darkness makes its home?”

"Do you teach the lion to hunt its prey, and does the hawk fly by your wisdom?”

"Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like mine?”

"Will you find fault with the Almighty?”

“First, answer my questions, if you would have me to answer yours.

Then Job bowed his head, and was ashamed. "Lord," he said, "I am nothing. How can I answer you? I have spoken about things I do not understand. I will put my hand on my mouth, and say nothing more."

Job said "I know that you can do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from you. Therefore, I have spoken things that I did not understand. But now I have heard you and now I understand. I despise the way I have acted and will repent in dust and ashes."

God knew by Job's answers he now understood the power and greatness of the Lord.

Job is now convinced of God’s infinite wisdom in dealing with him as he sees fit. Job now knows there is a purpose for his suffering – God’s purpose. That is enough for him.

God said to Job's friends, "You have not spoken the truth of me as Job has. Take seven bulls and seven rams and go to Job and offer them up for yourselves. Job will pray for you and I will accept his prayer for you."

Fearing the wrath of God, the men did as God had told them. God accepted Job's prayer and was very pleased with Job. As Job prayed for his friends, God returned his fortune that had been taken away by Satan.

The Lord gave Job twice the wealth he had before. Twice as many oxen, twice as many donkeys, twice as many camels, twice as much land, and twice the riches. Seven more sons were born to him, and three daughters that were the most beautiful in all the land. Job lived to be a very old man and died happy, full of knowledge, and perfect in his understanding.

What does this story teach us? It teaches us that God sends trials and heartaches to His children not to punish them but to teach them! When we go through trials there is a purpose for them – God’s purpose.