“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
As can be expected, Satan was not pleased with this response (he was hoping Job would curse God), and goes back to petition God to give him license to do even more to this great man of faith… God now allows Satan to pretty much have his way with Job’s health, stopping just short of killing him. And then, as if that isn’t enough (and because the devil never plays fair), he sends Job’s wife to harangue him into blaspheming God!
Job 2:9: Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (ouch – not exactly uplifting there…)
As a side note…I wonder if Solomon was thinking of Job’s wife, when he wrote Proverbs 19:13, “…a nagging wife is like water going drip-drip-drip.” (GNT)
Anyway, Job responds to this by calling her a “foolish woman” (these two had an fascinating relationship).
Now for a word from our Sponsor (actually a lot of words):
Once you read the section where Job’s three, um… “friends” give rotten advice and try and get him to admit that he deserves all this because he’s a sinner, God finally has heard enough and intervenes, like a parent between bickering kids…
And He lays the sarcasm on so thick it’s…. well, it’s just beautiful…
Job 38 is where God starts to school Job from “out of the whirlwind”. When you read this, can you hear the sarcasm dripping?
38:v3: Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements? Surely you know!
38:v18: “Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.
38:v21: “Do you know it, because you were born then, or because the number of your days is great?
40:v1 Moreover the Lord answered Job and said: (This is sort of like God saying, “And another thing!”)
v2: “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”
…but as much as He gives Job what for, He is even less pleased with the Moe, Larry, and Curly (aka Eliphaz, Bildad, and Elihu) – the 3 stooges that were giving Job the bad advice… God lays into them good:
42:7-8 “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”
God then tells these three to go to Job with offerings so he can pray for them… “For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly…”
Our Father is telling them that, not only were the off the mark on their criticisms of Job, but that they now need to humble themselves before both Job and God!
And as we all know, the story has a happy ending, because Job gets back twice as much as he had before…and Satan is frustrated yet again (he might as well get used to it)!