Integrity

His wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!” He told her, “You’re talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?” Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God. (Job 2:9-10, MSG)

 Satan answered the Lord, “But Job has a good reason to respect you.  You always protect him, his family, and everything he has. You have blessed him and made him successful in everything he does. He is so wealthy that his herds and flocks are all over the country. ¹¹ But if you were to destroy everything he has, I promise you that he would curse you to your face.” (Job 1:9-11, ERV)

One day Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house. That messenger was still speaking when another one came in and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house.   Satan answered, “Skin for skin.  A man will give everything he has to protect himself.   The Lord blessed Job with even more than he had in the beginning. Job got 14,000 sheep, 6000 camels, 2000 oxen, and 1000 female donkeys. He also got seven sons and three daughters. He named the first daughter Jemimah and the second daughter Keziah. He named the third daughter Keren Happuch. Job’s daughters were among the most beautiful women in all the country. And, like their brothers, they each got a share of their father’s property. (Job 1: 13, 18, 2:4, 42:12-15, ERV)

Have you ever been the doer (or receiver) of hateful of argumentative angry words on Facebook?  Even if you erase the horrid dialogue, it’s out there somewhere in cyberspace for someone to read. Was Mrs. Job having a really bad day when the above words were recorded for generations to read in the Bible? Is there more below the surface to the above scriptures than we are reading and understanding about the above verses?

We can almost certain that Mrs. Job might have been a senior citizen with her adult children. (There is no mention of grandchildren.) Many readers fail to recognize that everything that happened to Job was also happening to His wife. I sincerely believe Job was handling his challenges as they occurred. Mrs. Job was taking it all at a much deeper level, and blaming God for everything that was happening. That sounds just like people in our world today.

Wouldn’t any woman have nervous breakdown that had to deal with a serious ill spouse, the death of all her children, and the loss o servants and cattle (which I believe in that time would have symbolized wealth and security). Professional therapy (or counseling) hadn’t been invented yet.

In the above verses, it appears to me that Job and his wife had been married a long time. He knew her anger outburst was a temporary emotion. I believe Mrs. Job was hurt by what God had allowed to happen to the man she loved (as well as the death of all her children). She was God’s precious daughter, and He knew she just wanted to hurt Him with the pain she was feeling. Mrs. Job didn’t know that God was using her husband as an example of a good and faithful servant to Satan.  By the conclusion of the book of Job, it seems like everything had come to a satisfying conclusion. Think again. The new children Mrs. Job got could never completely replace the ones she lost (as any mother would tell you who has been through a similar situation).