Dr. Lawrence Butler, The Bridge Church, Pembroke

Reviewing our previous articles allows us to remember just how devastating Job’s experience was.

He lost his ten children, all of his wealth, most of his servants and seemingly all respect in the community in what appears to be a very short period of time. Two things he still had to bring him comfort were his health and his wife. Chapter two reveals yet another conversation between God and Satan. Again, as in chapter one, we can only know about this occurrence through revelation from the Lord to either Job or some other man of God.

Chapter two brings another discussion concerning the faithfulness of Job between God and Satan. In spite of his losses, his emotional stress and lack of understanding, he still trusts God and is holding to his faith that God is in charge. He believes in the goodness of God.

The next challenge rocks him to the core when his health is broken. Job is afflicted with sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Some have diagnosed his problem as melanoma to leprosy and various itches. “My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome” (Job 7:5). Attempting to find some measure of relief, “…he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes” (Job 2:8). A potsherd is a piece of earthenware and brings no healing, only some slight relief to one who endures a maddening itch.

What does Job have left to help or encourage him? God doesn’t hear his prayers, overwhelming grief and loss of life’s comforts have taken over his life. On top of all this, now his wife, mother of ten deceased children, snatched from creature comforts to abject poverty, turns on her husband and says, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die” (Job 2:9). He really needed someone to believe him when he said he had done nothing wrong to bring this judgment upon his family.

Instead, she now seems bitter against Job and his God. Her feelings are openly expressed. Curse your evil God and just die! What an awful thing to say to someone, I just want you dead, preferably sooner rather than later. Job’s response was one of integrity. “But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10). What a marvelous code by which to live – shall we receive good only? Life often has experiences which are difficult and painful.

Accept God’s plan and trust His love.