I decided to try to put my summary comments in italics to distinguish it from my comments. Thoughts? Beuler? 😀
Job 2:1-10
Verse 1 says “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.” (It says it in Chapter 1 too). The ‘son’s of God’ came ‘presenting themselves’, wow. but the implication here, and in verse 2, is that Satan is a party crasher here. He didn’t belong with the Son’s of God. Or is that just my assumption? Am I reading into this?
And God say, “Hey, have you checked out Job? You attacked Him without reason, yet he remains true.” You can almost hear the “I told you so.”
Satan challenges God that he wasn’t allowed to go far enough. Surely, he’ll curse God if his life was threatened. Fair enough, God allows Satan to attack Job himself, but no to death. God’s confidence in Job remains high, and Job, though crushed, refuses to curse God.
Blaming or cursing God was not an option for Job. I don’t think it was because he wasn’t hurting or even that he didn’t have questions, but that God was God, He is greater and his ways are greater. Whatever is happening, God knows and Job could trust him in it.
What is interesting here is that Job’s suffering came, not from his sin or even the sin of others around him, but from God settling a bet with Satan. I’m certain that God knew what was going to happen here, but He wanted to prove to Satan that there were men who were faithful to Him regardless of circumstances. Satan accused God of gaming the system to produce followers, and God used Job to prove him wrong.
On one had it seems a bit unfair or cold, like Job is a pawn in this chess match between God and Satan. But that gives Satan too much credit. Satan likes to see himself as a worthy opponent to God, but he is not. Job here isn’t simply a pawn, he is God’s chosen instrument to humble and silence Satan. Looked at in that light, what an honor.
God is accomplishing His glory in our pain. Will we chose to at least accept that true and even embrace it that it may be accomplished even more? Not easy, for sure, and it may even seem unfair, but to God be the glory, bot ourselves.
Job 2:11-13
His friends arrive an he is so stricken, they don’t recognize him and no one can bring them to say anything for 7 days. For a full week, they simply sit with job and mourn with him.
Sometimes, all we can do for one another is simply be there, and that alone is of great comfort in the face of great suffering. Sometimes, as Job’s friends will prove, words simply make things worse.