Reflections on Job 2

 Job 02 (Contemporary English Version)

1. When the angels gathered around the LORD again, Satan was there with them,
2. and the LORD asked, "Satan, where have you been?" Satan replied, "I have been going all over the earth."
3. Then the LORD asked, "What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him--he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil. And he hasn't changed, even though you persuaded me to destroy him for no reason."
4. Satan answered, "There's no pain like your own. People will do anything to stay alive.
5. Try striking Job's own body with pain, and he will curse you to your face."
6. "All right!" the LORD replied. "Make Job suffer as much as you want, but just don't kill him."
7. Satan left and caused painful sores to break out all over Job's body--from head to toe.
8. Then Job sat on the ash-heap to show his sorrow. And while he was scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery,
9. his wife asked, "Why do you still trust God? Why don't you curse him and die?"
10. Job replied, "Don't talk like a fool! If we accept blessings from God, we must accept trouble as well." In all that happened, Job never once said anything against God.
11. Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah were three of Job's friends, and they heard about his troubles. So they agreed to visit Job and comfort him.
12. When they came near enough to see Job, they could hardly recognize him. And in their great sorrow, they tore their clothes, then sprinkled dust on their heads and cried bitterly.
13. For seven days and nights, they sat silently on the ground beside him, because they realized what terrible pain he was in.

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In short order, Job lost everything while his integrity remained intact. He did not curse God with his losses as Satan predicted. He merely said, "The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Praise the name of the LORD." (1:21) Now, in chapter 2, Satan again approached God and God again brought up to him Job's integrity saying of Job, "He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him, to destroy him without just cause." (2:3) Job's integrity was greater than Satan anticipated. He is not an infallible being as crafty as he may be.

Satan was not ready to give up, though. "A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life. But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face." (2:4-5) God knew Job and was confident that he would remain faithful, so He said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life." (2:6)

Again, Satan wasted no time striking Job. This time he "infected Job with incurable boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head." (2:7) The next scene had Job sitting among the ashes, scraping himself with broken pottery, in tremendous suffering. Job's wife now appears in the narrative and said to him, "Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!" (2:9) Much can be read into her statement and much has been said about it, but whatever her intent, Job found no comfort in her words. In fact, he thought she spoke "as a foolish woman." (2:10) He then spoke with considerable wisdom, "Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?" (2:10) Good question.

Job's statement, however, poses not only a good question but presents another perspective on God, saying that not only does good come from God but adversity as well. When we consider the meeting between God and Satan we have to agree with this. While God was not the one who struck Job with boils, Satan could not have done it without God's permission. So indirectly, Job's adversity did come from God. Job had enjoyed considerable good from God so he apparently was prepared to accept the adversity he was experiencing with grace. Still, throughout all this, "Job did not sin," (2:10)

In this second test of Job's integrity, Satan again accused him of insincere worship of God. And his accusation implied that all mankind was as Job. In exchange for one's life, Satan charged, a person will give up everything they own. This was not true of Job, as the book bears out, nor was it true of many others in Scripture who came before Job. Satan knew this but did as he does, making false charges to accomplish his purposes. If he will do this with God, who he certainly realized knew otherwise, he will have no qualms in doing it with mere humans.

Nevertheless, though Job and others proved themselves to be above Satan's accusations, many succumb to his false accusations. But it is primarily because they do not know God well and thereby do not understand Satan as they should. If we have a personal relationship with God and not just a nodding acquaintance, we have a greater awareness of what is really happening in adverse circumstances. Otherwise we simply look for someone to blame and God happens to be handy when there seems to be no one else to blame.