WEDNESDAY'S WORD: Job 1:20-21

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
~Job 1:20-21

The testimony of Job is one of the most unusual in all of the Bible. He is described as a man who was "blameless and upright; one who feared God and shunned evil." Yet it was this very man, a man of humility, a man of faith, a man of prayer, and a man whose life was marked by the righteous activity of God, it was this man who found himself in the cross-hairs of Satan's hateful rage. In the midst of a heavenly conversation, God mentioned the faithfulness of this unique man, and Satan made unholy accusations against God and against Job. As a result, Satan was given permission to strike Job, yet without touching him personally. Suddenly, without any warning, Job received reports of how unusual circumstances occurred that basically eliminated his vast wealth. Even as he sought to comprehend this tragic news, another report arrived that told of the awful death of all of his children. This incredible man had now been told that all of his wealth, and all of his children, everything and everyone, all that was so important to him had been taken away in one horrible day.

How did this man reply? "Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head; and fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.'" In such horrific pain, Job worshiped and blessed the name of the Lord!

But following another heavenly conversation, God allowed Satan to actually strike Job, yet his life was to be spared. The Bible says horrible boils covered Job's entire body. To seek relief, this man sat in an ash pile and scraped his sores with broken pieces of pottery. Job's wife was no help to this man, as she said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job's reply is priceless: "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" And then we are told: "In all of this Job did not sin with his lips." We can understand how horrible his physical condition was when Job's three friends came to comfort him, and they cried out as they approached him. Why? Because he was so disfigured that even his friends could not recognize him.

I cannot even begin to imagine the depth of pain, fear, and sorrow that was in Job's mind and heart. A man so blessed of God, yet in a mysterious way due to spiritual conflict, he loses his wealth, his children, and his physical health. If you have never read and studied the Book of Job, I encourage you to dig deeply into the pages of this incredible testimony. The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Pray fervently as you read carefully this Old Testament treasure of truth. As you read, you will realize that all suffering does not come as a DIRECT result of someone's specific sin, as Job's friends tried to convince him of this false system of belief. Because of the fact of sin, suffering occurs in this life, as Jesus even said, "In this world, you will have tribulation." Yet Jesus went on to say, "But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." In the end, Job encountered an incredible victory in his life, as God blessed and restored him after revealing Himself to Job and teaching him a valuable lesson. Read it - learn from it - and share what you learn with others. God bless you!

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