Touch His Bone and His Flesh

Job 2: 10

But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak, shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

After speaking with God a second time, Satan got permission to touch Job's body but not take his life. So he struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. They were so bad that he sat in the ashes and scraped himself with a broken piece of pottery. As if that weren't bad enough, his wife decided to throw in her 2 cents worth. Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die. How terrible that looks in print! What a revealing incident! I wonder if this trait is something that wives need to pay special attention to. When things get bad, it seems to be easy for them to only see the negative. Is it because women live in the present so much? I mean what did Job's wife have to do now? There was no house to manage, no children or grandchildren to visit. All was lost, and in her mind, it was no doubt Job's God!

Next Job's three friends came to visit. Job looked so bad he was unrecognizable. (I can identify. He probably looked like I did when I was on prednisone for so long!) The text says they came to show him sympathy and comfort. They raised their voices and wept, tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads, and sat with him seven days and night. No one spoke for they saw he was suffering greatly. At this point in the story, they were good friends! What a comfort it is just to be with a person, to empathize. Comfort doesn't always come in words or in a fix-all solution. It comes in coming alongside and just being there.

At the conclusion of this chapter, Job still had not sinned with his lips. He had truly put a guard over his lips. He had not allowed the adverse circumstances of life to overcome his spirit. His relationship to God was more important that all else. He knew that God kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor...He will guard the feet of His faithful ones...

Father,

Teach me to thank You equally for the bad and the good. Help me to keep my eyes on You as I go through this life accepting what You have allowed in my life.

In Jesus name,

Amen