Devotional Thoughts: Curse God and Die!

Earlier, we saw that Job was conscientious about doing the right things before God, had a great big happy family and lots of stuff. Satan showed up and told God, Job would abandon you if I took away all that from him. God permitted this and Job lost everything. Yet, he held onto God anyway.

Today, am looking at Job 2:1-10.

On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."

"Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Wow!

Truth be told, I don't know if I could be like Job and remain so faithful. I really can relate to Job's wife here.

Yet, I retain a profound sense of guilt as I acknowledge that. For I've led a pretty easy life here in the USA. Sure a health episode here and there but nothing like poor Job. I have so much material wealth compared to the rest of the world so I really don't have just cause to be worried. And besides, my perspective is hopefully toward the realization that though it is nice to have "stuff" we all know it can't give us love.



Clearly, the hardest thing for Job would be the loss of his beloved children. Yet, he remains faithful to God?

I suppose the question that came to mind is how did he come to have faith in God in the first place?

One might say that if one has tasted of goodness in life, heard truth and seen beauty, one has had some knowledge of God.

Job has had this experience and he holds onto it in his current dismal circumstances. Hence, he can say, Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?

If he had never seen even the slightest glimpse of God in goodness, truth and beauty than he would have had no justification for even claiming that God is out there?

Dennis Prager has sometimes wondered on his radio show, if people decide to remove god from existence because of evil in the world, are they willing to grant god credit for good in this world? In many way, the atheist has a heads I win, tails you lose attitude towards god.

Lord, help me to be like Job. I have tasted your goodness, heard the truth of your love in Jesus and seen incredible beauty in the changed lives of those who follow you. Indeed, when I lose focus on you and dwell on my circumstances, help lift my soul back to you. Amen!