Chief Editor~ Ricky Jean
Intro
A lot of questions can come to mind when reading Job, one of my personal favorite Books of Wisdom (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms). I’ve heard it said many times “why does God allow Job to suffer?” After being a disciple for a few years now, I want to dive back into this book and give my thoughts on it.
A lot of scholars believe Job to be the oldest recorded book in the Bible (1800-1500 B.C.E). One of my favorite things about it is– it’s not written as a narrative or poetry like most books in the Bible, but instead, it’s written as a drama. It’s a series of conversations that take place between Job and his three friends, then eventually God speaks to him as well. He addresses Job in a series of questions.
Ch. 1
From the very beginning we see the accuser (Satan) coming to the Lord with a proposition (Job 1: 6-11). But it was clear God had a lot of confidence in Job, and he wasn’t concerned about Satan’s schemes (Job 2: 3). Job had many riches; seven sons and three daughters, along with many live stocks and servants.
When he lost it all in a matter of seconds he still didn’t blame God. But instead, he replied to his unfortunate situation like every disciple should, “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.” (Job 1: 21). I know for me when I lose something of value, or when God allows things to be taken away– I can be very bitter for a very long time.
I think one lesson we can take from the passage above is appreciation. How much do we appreciate what God has given us? And how much do we take things for granted? One thing I constantly have to ask myself is, “Do I value my possessions more than my relationship with God?” “Do I feel entitled?”
The funny thing is Satan knows that about us. He knows us really well, but we have to be different like Job.
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