Job ch 1&2

So, Job chapter 1. What an amazing faithful man! Job is healthy and relatively wealthy, and obviously wise. In v.6 Satan comes to God and God says "Where'd you come from?" Satan was like, "I've been all over this earth thing you've made." The Lord said, "Have you seen my son Job? He's perfect, and there is none like him. He fears God, and escheweth evil." (Kept some KJV there) Satan said, "He doesn't fear you by himself, You've kept Job in Your hand placed a hedge of protection so that in his health and wealth he has no reason not to love and honor You. Go ahead, take away his wealth and he will curse You." God being a loving God, and knowing what Satan couldn't, Job's heart, He reached down and took Job's wealth, his animals, his people, his land, and his house. Chapter 1 vs. 20 Job tore off his outer clothes, shaved his head, fell to the ground and worshiped. After losing EVERYTHING! He said, "I came here with nothing and I'll return with nothing, God gave everything and God took it away! Blessed is the name of the Lord." Job did not sin or curse God's name. In chapter 2 God has another run in with Satan and He says,"Look, you turned Me against Job and still he remains true to Me. I destroyed all of his wealth for no reason and he STILL worships Me!" Satan says, "Sure, You took his things, but if You were to destroy his body he'd turn on You." God said, "Okay, do with him what you will, but you cannot take his life." In vs 7 Satan covered Job's body with boils, head to toe. Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with and sat among the ashes. In vs. 9 Job's wife comes and says,"You still have your integrity? Through all of this? Curse God and die." Job says,"You're speaking like the foolish women speak. What can you mean? That we worship God when he gives us abundant blessings, but not when evil works against us?" He never spoke against the Lord.
Job 1 - 2:10

This is where I'll stop. I study with a KJV Bible cross referencing with NAS and NIV. Above is simply so you can reference when I finish my thoughts. ALWAYS best to have your own Bible out. This is my own quick overview of the account.

Couple of points. God will allow Satan to attack us. But, He is always in control of the severity of the attack. In chapter 2 vs 6 God tells Satan, do to his body what you will, but DO NOT KILL HIM! That was God's declaration, that Satan can do any thing to Job except kill him and Job will remain faithful to the Lord. Can you imagine. Having everything and then losing it all for no reason, then having your health/body attacked, and remaining perfectly faithful? Oh, I hope we can all have perfect faith like Job.

My other point is this. Did you hear Job's wife? "We've lost everything, let's give up." How sad for Job to look around for his help mate and hear that. This presses on me because when I was married, sometimes my husband looked for his help mate and I wasn't very helpful. I didn't curse God or anything, but I let my husband suffer sometimes when I wasn't more encouraging.
Job also says to his wife,"You're speaking like foolish women speak." Implying that prior to that conversation he held her in some esteem above foolish women. I can remember times when my husband would say things like that. "How can you not see the benefit of this? I thought you were smarter than that." "How do you not have enough faith in God and in me as your husband to not just do what I ask." I always felt like I was getting an "F" in How to be a Christian Wife 101. If I only knew then what I know now...

Can we have perfect faith? Through everything? Can we go through trials and suffering and stay true to the Lord? When I'm being attacked I actually find it more helpful to know that God is still in control. That Satan can't go whole hog wild. Even in my suffering God is in control! I love it! Job's wife may have needed a quick lesson from the Proverbs 31 woman I think. I'm just saying...

*The Jesus Loving Princess*

*Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:22 *