JOB 1
THE DIVINE WAGER
Very well, then, everything he has is in your power.
—Job 1:12
The old man sat at their usual table in the park, soaking in the early summer warmth as it trickled through the trees. The oak leaves danced and swayed in the wind as their shadows flickered on the board. He pushed up his jacket sleeve to check his watch and then looked down the path again. With no sign of the boy in sight, he chose to remove his jacket and fold it neatly on the bench beside him.
The rhythmic footsteps of a jogger echoed around the bend, and he glanced in that direction. Their eyes met when she came into view, so the man offered a friendly wave. The woman returned it with a smile as she passed, and the man’s eyes followed her as she disappeared down the path.
When she was nearly out of sight, she maneuvered to the side to give a wide berth to another figure on the path. A large smile grew upon the old man’s face as he recognized the boy’s uneven gait when a heavy backpack was slung over his shoulder.
The figure of the boy grew larger as he approached in a hurried shuffle. Once he was within earshot, the man raised his hand and said, “Well look who decided to show u—”
“Who goes running?” said the boy. “Psychos.”
The man squeezed his eyes shut as he laughed.
The boy plopped down in a disgruntled mood and said, “Sorry I’m late.” He heaved his bag off his shoulder and onto the side of the table as he slapped a hand on top of it. “I had to go shopping this morning.”
“I see that,” said the man, sliding his Bible out from underneath the bag. “Looks like a good one.”
“Yeah, well, my other one got stolen,” said the boy, removing his own jacket and dropping it into a crumpled pile on the ground. “How was your week?”
“You know,” said the man, “just the usual hustle and bustle of retiremen—”
“All my school stuff was in it,” said the boy, dumping his bag on the ground next to his coat. “Who steals books anyway? I really hate people sometimes.”
“Well,” said the man, glancing down toward the dirt that had surely left its first mark on the bag, “sometimes misfortune comes to those who don’t deserve it.”
“Straight to the philosophy,” said the boy, mulling over the chessboard before moving a pawn. “I just don’t understand why stuff like that happens, ya know? I try to be a good person, I try to do the right thing. What did I do to deserve this?”
“That, my boy, is something mankind has pondered over since the beginning of time.” The old man moved his own pawn forward, saying, “You know, there’s a story in the Bible that seeks to answer that very question.”
“There is?” said the boy, his eyes lighting up as he jumped another pawn forward. “When do we get there?”
“There is,” said the man, “and it’s one of my favorites. Something I believe to be a neglected treasure of the Bible.” He opened the book and began flipping to the relevant page. “And we can skip right to it if you’d like.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Sure,” said the man. “The Bible doesn’t have to be read in order. In fact, it’s really a library of different books written by different authors anyway. The order in which they appear wasn’t even necessarily the order they were written.”
“Well, then what are we waiting for?” said the boy, offering an open palm toward the pages.
The old man smiled as he ran a hand along the pages, smoothing them out while he cleared his throat. “This story concerns a man from the land of Uz named Job. But before we dive in, I’d like to set the tone by sharing the meaning of his name. Depending on the source, I’ve come across things like ‘one persecuted,’ or ‘repentance,’ or ‘greatly tried.’”
“I’m guessing that’ll make sense as the story unfolds?” said the boy.
“Indeed it shall,” said the man, looking toward the board and jumping his knight into the mix. “On the surface, Job’s state of affairs leaves the reader heartbroken and confused. He’s a pathetic study in tragedy really, and his story shows how difficult life can be. But while most of us can face the reality that our existence is punctuated with heartaches and headaches, Job’s story nags at how life can be unfair. Not unlike the way you’re feeling about your backpack right now, am I wrong?”
“No,” said the boy, “you’re not.”
“Mhm. And it’s the unfairness that taps into something that makes it nearly impossible to accept, am I right?”
“Yeah,” said the boy, “you are.”
“Mhm,” said the man. “A desire for justice is seeded deep within us, which is why I suggest you pay close attention to everything we’re about to read. Job’s story may be God’s way of preparing us for some of the same things Job endured, because you never know what the Lord will do next.”
“Alright,” said the boy, “you have my attention.”
“Let’s begin then,” said the man. “Our brother Job is described as ‘blameless’ and ‘upright,’ a man who fears God and shuns evil. This doesn’t mean he was perfect, but rather that he had integrity. What he says with his lips, he lived in whole-body worship. Keep that in mind as we read.”
The boy tapped his temple with a finger.
With a nod, the old man continued. “We’re told Job had seven sons and three daughters. This big, happy family of Job’s is all grown up, living in homes nearby. There are no diapers to change, no baths to give, no shuffling his kids off to school or teenaged daughters to worry over. That’s all behind Mr. and Mrs. Job now. He’s got it made, able to focus on business, which we learn about here. We’re told he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, a thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys, as well as many servants, making Job the richest man in the East.”
“Must be nice,” said the boy.
“Yes, well, it’s important to note that his character is mentioned before his wealth, and for good reason. That said, there’s no doubt the man was living in the lap of luxury. This number of sheep and cattle suggests a potential for major trade in wool and livestock. And the number of camels and donkeys implies transportation for the abundance of crops he could produce on his land. Job was a businessman the size of John D. Rockefeller in his day, and his life was at its peak. But as we’ll soon find out, the accumulation of wealth never made him waver from his devotion to God, as it does with others, at least so far as we can tell. This is what the introduction of this book is trying to portray.”
“Alright,” said the boy, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
“We’re told Job’s ten children would host feasts in their homes to celebrate birthdays. And although Job was healthy, wealthy, and godly, he was never out of touch with his worship. So whenever he heard his children had thrown a party, he would always offer a sacrifice on their behalf the next morning, in case they had gotten carried away in their celebration and ‘cursed God in their hearts,’ as it says here, or done something frowned upon. Job was ever concerned with the high priority of keeping himself and his family aligned with the good graces of the Lord.”
“Seems a little strange,” said the boy. “If Job was so righteous, wouldn’t he have raised his children to be the same?”
“Very good,” said the man. “Of course he would have. My guess is that Job had a special reason for his concern. As a man of wealth himself, he understood that when people need spiritual help the most is when things are going well. Times of stress and trial drive us into the arms of the Lord, but it’s during times of prosperity and celebration that we tend to drift away from God. Job demonstrates a keen insight into human psychology that we can take with us here. And so this act completes the image of our brother Job, not only as a good and godly man himself, but as a loving father to all his children as well.”
“Well, that’s wonderful,” said the boy. “I feel better about my backpack already.”
The man rolled his eyes.
“I assume you’re going somewhere with this?” said the boy.
“Indeed I am,” said the man. “Here we have our shining example of virtue, showered with blessings. What a happy beginning to our little story, am I right?”
The boy’s eyes narrowed. “Mhmm.”
The man looked down at his Bible and said, “This is where things get interesting,” before he read aloud:
One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.1
The boy furrowed his brow. “I assume this takes place in some kind of heavenly boardroom? And just so I know, is this the first time Satan is formally introduced in the Bible, or did we skip over that part?”
“Yes, very good,” said the man. “We’re transported from Earth to an image of angelic beings taking their seats in a divine cabinet meeting of sorts. This visual helps us to recognize that we live in a world in which unseen spiritual powers are at work behind the scenes, one of whom is Satan. And to answer your question, we know from the book of Revelation that the serpent cast out of the garden of Eden was Satan as well, so this would make it his second appearance in the Bible, but this is the first time he’s named.”
“Gotcha,” said the boy. “So there’s some kind of holy conference gathering and a snake comes slithering up to join them.”
“Well, there’s no description of the form Satan takes in this story here. In the reference to Revelation I just mentioned, it tells us Satan and his angels were thrown out of Heaven and cast down to the earth, so from this we can assume he’s some kind of spiritual being like the angels are here. But whatever form they’re taking in this gathering is left to our imaginations.”
“How come there’s no mention of that in Genesis?”
“No mention of what?”
“Angels being cast out of Heaven. There’s no mention of the snake being an angel, and there’s no mention of other angels being kicked out of paradise. Where is the author of Revelation getting that from? Also, didn’t you just say this was a collection of different books written by different authors in different times?”
“I did, yes,” said the man. “And as the title implies, the book was a revelation, from God.”
“Okay, but how do we know the serpent there and Satan here are even the same character if they were created by different authors who never knew each other?”
“Well, they weren’t created,” said the man, “these are recorded historical events.”
“Right. Sure. But who...” The boy began to speak but then he rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Never mind. Let’s not get into that again. Let’s just read the story for what it is.”
“Fine with me,” said the man.
“So what’s this meeting all about anyway?” said the boy.
“Well, the purpose of the meeting is never explicitly shared. I suppose the poetic notion is that these gatherings were held periodically to observe the conduct of mortal beings, but that assumption comes from the questions God asks Satan here,” said the man, looking down to his Bible:
The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?”
Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”2
The old man looked up from his Bible again. “First, let me just point out that the title ‘my servant’ is a mark of great honor, indicating a special closeness to God, as used in the Bible for the likes of Abraham, Moses, and other prophets. Second, while some may think that Satan is bound in Hell, consigned to some underground cave-like furnace, it’s not true. We learn here about the restless nature of evil, roaming the earth as it pleases. Third, this scene was written in part to reveal the relationship between the good Lord and the evil Satan. It appears that the earthly affairs of men are the subject of unseen counsels in the divine world, but how this wicked spirit slithered his way into this holy counsel is beyond me. Pardon my pun.”
“I’m not understanding how these cross-references are being made, though,” said the boy. “If the Bible isn’t a chronological series of books where one author is making callbacks to his own work, how are you attributing the snake’s actions in the garden to this guy here in a standalone story? For all we know, the book of Job was written before the story in Eden, with a different character in mind. That’s like slapping the story of Sleeping Beauty together with the movie Shrek just because they both have dragons.”
“The difference,” said the man, “is that those are fairy tales and the Bible was written, edited, and compiled under the guiding force of divine inspiration. That’s the only explanation for how these woven characters, ideas, and concepts can accurately come together, even with different authorship at different points in history. Because God is the author.”
There was a silent pause as the boy gave a nod.
“We have a cohesive understanding of the biblical canon put together by scholars throughout the ages,” said the man. “What’s most relevant to our story here, though, is that the name Satan means something like ‘accuser’ or ‘adversary,’ two roles we’ll see him live up to as he answers God here.” The man looked down to his Bible and read again:
“Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out Your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”3
“So we can see here,” said the man, “even after the Lord displays His servant in opposition to Satan, Satan lives up to his name by disturbing this holy counsel with an accusatory view of the faithful subject.”
“Yeah, yeah. Job is great,” said the boy. “We get it. But when it comes to Satan, being an accuser might just be his role, like you said. ‘Satan’ might just be the title this particular angel has, like ‘Accountant’ or ‘Policeman.’ A divine Accountant’s role is to keep track of the financial books. A Satan’s role might be to patrol the earth and look for people acting out against God, like some kind of ticket cop who writes up parking violations. Sure, nobody likes a ticket cop, but they’re really just doing their job. Satan seems more like an extra pair of eyes and ears for God as he roams the earth, watching people and reporting any wrongdoing. I think God is just going around the room like, ‘Thank you, Mr. Accountant. Sounds like the Holy Treasury is in order. And you, Mr. Satan? What does your department have to report this quarter?’”
The man stared on with a look of inquisitive concern while the boy continued.
“And so Satan goes, ‘Oh, you know, the usual. Just patrolling the streets and such.’ Which God knows really means just spending a lot of time in donut shops or whatever. So He asks if Satan has considered Job, just to make sure Satan is paying attention, ya know? So Satan clears his throat and sits up a little straighter in his seat. ‘Right, right, Job. The rich guy. Um, of course I have. But God, haven’t You blessed him to the point where he’s keen to follow Your rules? He’s a celebrity now. He doesn’t wanna screw that up with all the wealth You’ve given him. What do You say we run a little experiment? See if he’s just a fair-weather follower or not. Know what I’m saying?’”
There was a long pause before the man finally spoke. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
“I don’t know,” said the boy. “That’s just how my brain works. Probably the same way you assume he’s dropping in on a meeting he’s not supposed to. Maybe we’re both guilty of putting our spin on things.”
“At least I can say my perspective is backed by centuries of understanding by the church and in alignment with the rest of Scripture,” said the man.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said the boy, “but from what we’ve read so far, I just don’t see anything suggesting Satan isn’t just one of God’s subjects doing the job he’s been assigned. If we replaced his title with ‘The Sin Reporter,’ or ‘The Naughty List Creator,’ or something without the devilish baggage, we’ve got a completely different vibe on our hands.”
The man drew in a long breath. “I think this is more along the lines of an attempt at manipulation by Satan. His vague response about having nothing to report was an attempt to bait God into thinking he hadn’t found any legitimate worshippers. This was a less-than-subtle jab suggesting the chairman of the council might not be the best fit for the job, seeing as how it would appear He has no real followers. And since God is in the business of those who live and worship with integrity, He picks up on this implicit challenge and inquires about Job, a blameless and upright man who shuns evil. But either way, we arrive at the same place where Satan speaks out as one might expect, suggesting God reach out His hand and strike everything he owns.”
“We do,” said the boy. “I just didn’t care for the assumption that he ‘slithered’ in there unannounced to disturb the meeting. And wouldn’t a member of the divine council know that God is incapable of being manipulated? All we have to go by from the text is that an angel-like being was quietly minding his own business during a meeting when God asked him what he’d seen. If anything, there’s an indication that God values Satan’s opinion above everyone else’s, seeing as how he’s the only one called on. Then Satan shares his opinion on Job, which I, for one, think he’s certainly entitled to. Not to mention he draws a fair conclusion. I mean, who wouldn’t be praising God if you’re the richest man in the East. As far as the accusation that Job fears God for nothing, if his title means ‘accuser’ like you said, seems like he’s just doing his job.”
“Well, you certainly have an alternative point of view there,” said the man.
“I’m just reading the room,” said the boy. “If you want me to start making some assumptions also, maybe everyone else was a boring yes-man. Or yes-angel, if you will. God seems intrigued by what the only angel with a personality might have to offer. And it turns out that Satan asks a pretty reasonable question. Everything else you’re saying is just filling in blanks with bias.”
The old man raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps I’m jumping to conclusions in the eyes of a first-time reader, my boy. And perhaps the version of Satan shown here is yet to be revealed as the evil spirit, like you claim. But as someone familiar with the Bible and this story itself, I think you’ll see how Satan is hellbent on mischief soon enough. As for why God singles him out, perhaps He made this same inquiry to all of His angels, but only Satan’s response was recorded due to the relevance of what’s about to unfold. Either way, the question wasn’t posed in ignorance of the place from whence he came, for our omniscient God knows the movement and actions of all beings, mortal and spiritual. Nothing would be added to His own knowledge on the matter, but He calls attention to the doings of Satan for the other angels, who were still in good standing, so they may observe and learn, as we will ourselves.”
“Alright, alright,” said the boy. “Let’s hear what God has to say then.”
With a nod, the man read the Lord’s response to Satan:
“Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.4
“Just like that?” said the boy. “All Satan has to do is drop a hint of skepticism and God coughs up the reins?”
“Mmm. We learn a few things here,” said the man. “First, is that other spiritual beings are entrusted with power in the universe, Satan included. The Lord grants sobering permissions in this regard, carrying out plans that would not only amaze us but, on occasion, even shock us.
“Take a moment to read the Lord’s words again slowly. ‘Everything he has is in your power.’ That is a terribly frightening permission slip that God hands over to the Prince of Darkness. We’re witnessing something that Job is unaware of, and the object of our story, introduced here. Will Job exhibit the integrity of human faith under trial by Satan, or will Satan be victorious in this matter? We’ll soon find out, but for now, Satan leaves the presence of the Lord wearing a sinister grin.”
“I don’t know about a ‘sinister grin,’ but should God really be giving Satan that kind of power if he’s as evil as you say? Seems a tad insecure just to let Satan prove a point. Where’s His belief in human goodness? Where’s His trust in humanity? Where’s His faith in Job?”
“Ah, but then we wouldn’t have our story about this divine wager, now would we?” said the man.
“Um, well, I’m not so sure it’s so much of a wager as it is a boss allowing an employee to do their job, but I guess we’ll see what happens.”
“Well, Satan challenges Job after the Lord says how upright and righteous he is, and God gives Satan permission to prove that Job would curse Him to His face. That doesn’t sound like God saying ‘I’ll take that bet’ to you?”
“I guess you could look at it that way,” said the boy.
“Mhm. But let’s not gloss over that comment you made about the reins. We must remember that the Bible gives no encouragement to the notion that God is anything but all-powerful, and the book of Job is no exception. As we can see, Satan’s limitations are subject to the Lord’s sovereign authority. God gave him control over everything Job had, but he’s not to lay a finger on Job. Although Satan is allowed to roam the earth, God still keeps him on a chain. We can keep in mind that while Satan may be mighty, the Lord is almighty.”
“Seems more like a set of strings,” said the boy. “Seems like Satan is kinda like God’s little puppet whenever He needs to test humanity. Satan says, ‘Stretch out your hand,’ and God says, ‘Eh, why don’t you take care of it. I don’t really feel like getting My hands dirty.’ Besides, if God already said Job is blameless, does Job actually deserve whatever’s coming?”
“You’re right about one thing,” said the man. “As the narrator has told us, and as God has confirmed, Job is indeed blameless. However, he’s about to be tested despite, or perhaps because of, his righteousness. Satan knows that the motive of an action is its only true value, and he takes pleasure in charging a holy man with hypocrisy. Notice that he doesn’t deny any part of Job’s character, or accuse him of any sin, or allege that he doesn’t fear God. He merely suggests that there might be some private, underlying matter for which Job’s devotion is circumstantial. By incriminating Job with these slanderous accusations, he probes at whether Job worships the Lord sincerely or whether he does so for his own ends.”
“Yeah, but doesn’t God already know the answer to that if He’s all-knowing? Why does He have to put Job through some kind of trial with Satan?”
“Patience, my boy. Patience. You’ll have to wait and see how the story unfolds. The takeaway here is that faith cannot be tried in prosperity, but when abundance is taken away, then our true colors come to light. Do we praise God because He blesses us, or merely offer gratitude for what we’re given? Do we praise Him because He’s restored us from sickness, or is it something more like relief for our health? Do we praise Him because He’s rescued us from peril, or do we hope good behavior will secure a place in Heaven?
“True worship isn’t about giving thanks in response to circumstance. It’s about the love of God for His own sake, and being in service to God because that’s inherently right in itself, as He’s worthy of our unconditional affection. True faith will flourish in poverty as well as affluence. True faith will endure pain and vitality. True faith will survive both fortune and misfortune alike. Satan asks whether we fear God for nothing, or if it’s circumstantial. If we were to lose everything, would we curse God to His face?”
“It seems like you’re painting God as insecure and having a gambling problem,” said the boy, “while I see more of an employer-employee relationship with a job that needs to be done. I agree with what you’re saying, though. It just seems ironic that Satan is the one asking one of the most important questions in the Bible.”
“And who asked Satan to speak up on the matter?” said the man.
The boy thought about it for a moment. “I see what you did there. Alright, carry on then.”
So the man read on:
Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from Heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three units and made a raid on the camels and took them, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”5
The boy sat with his mouth gaping wide open. “Holy bajesus! Satan wasn’t messin’ around.”
“No,” said the man, “he wasn’t. And the way this story unfolds, with the next messenger arriving while the prior was still speaking, underlines the relentlessness of these catastrophes. Satan ordered the rapidity of these events because he doubtless knew that Job, with the integrity he had, would not be moved by one small trial. The intention was to give Job no time to recover from the shock of one calamity before the next fell upon him. No time to pray, no time for meditation, no time to rally his strength of heart. Just blow after blow after blow that would flatten any normal man. And not only is Job overwhelmed by this series of disasters, but overwhelmed immediately after offering prayer and sacrifice to honor the Lord as well. And on his child’s birthday no less. Surely this succession of wounds would trigger a rash expression against God, or so was the Devil’s rationale.”
“Wow,” said the boy. “Just wow.”
“Imagine the scene,” said the man. “You’re simply living your life, faithfully religious, completely unaware that you’ve become the center of attention in high places. You’re sipping coffee after lunch while looking out the kitchen window, birds chirping in the background. It’s a sunny afternoon with soft clouds floating by. Your oxen are plowing the fields, your sheep are grazing the hills, your camels are being loaded for their next journey along the trade routes. You’re wondering what deals you’ll make in the local market that day as you peer over toward a neighboring home. There, your sons and daughters are gathering for a feast where they’d laugh over family stories, surely poking fun at their dear old dad. You’re considering when to stop over and wish your daughter a happy birthday when your loving wife wraps her arms around you. She asks if you remembered to wrap the gift. Then, unseen in some cosmic realm, Satan departs from the Lord, and suddenly there’s a knock on your door. Your wife’s head perks up off your shoulder and says, ‘Now who could that be?’”
“Sheeesh, man, you’re making it worse.”
“It was already worse!” said the man. “Job is stabbed by woe after woe in a terrifying staccato of human evil and natural disasters. Imagine how many have prayed with earnest care that God would spare them from the very circumstance they’d soon be facing. Job’s circumstance is the highest example of something anyone would hope God would never allow. We can practically hear him say, ‘How unfortunate the oxen were stolen! But they’re just livestock. They can be replaced. What! The sheep now too? What are the chances these two disasters befall me in one afternoon? But alright. We’ll figure out a way to make up for the financial loss this year. And now the camels! My Lord, what is happening? And now all my faithful servants! Who’ve been with us for years, who’ve helped raise my children, who’ve become part of our family? How can we ever cope with their loss?’
“And while Job is stumbling over, clutching his heart, trying to find his balance, he thinks, ‘At least, at least, I’ve still got my children.’ And then, even that thought is interrupted, as one last servant comes plunging through the door, fighting back tears. It was a message that didn’t even need to be spoken based on the look on their face. The desert winds of the East can be violent, building heavy clouds of fine sand when sweeping over a gravelly region. They can form vicious tornados, so when the messenger said a wind had struck the four corners of his eldest son’s home, Job already knew what would emerge from his lips next.”
“Alright, stop,” said the boy, choking back his own emotions. “Please. I get it.”
“His entire lineage,” said the man, “wiped out. And for the first time in thirty, maybe forty years, Job and his wife were childless, taken when they already needed their family’s comfort the most.”
The boy slouched into his seat even deeper.
“When we arrive at the heart-wrenching image of four trembling messengers standing at Job’s door, in tears after pouring out their souls to Job, then and only then can we allow a true sense of grief to seep in. Everything he’s worked for, everything he owned, his own flesh and blood, all gone.
“Job went to bed the night prior the happiest man alive, a man who had everything. He had no clue that when he opened his eyes that morning, when he rolled over to give his wife a kiss on the forehead, that in a few hours, his entire life would never be the same, that he may never smile again. But you know who was smiling?” said the man.
The boy looked back with quivering eyes.
“Satan. Satan was watching from somewhere nearby, waiting for Job to curse God while wearing a big, evil grin. Satan, who whispered instructions in the Sabeans’ ears to steal his cattle. Satan, who made fire rain from the sky to destroy his flocks. Satan, who had the Chaldeans make off with his camels, leaving no man alive. Satan, who took control of the winds and—”
“Alright, alright, alright. Satan is a jerk, I get it,” said the boy, clearing his throat as he gathered himself. “But I have to point out that God is equally to blame here.”
“How so?” said the man.
“Well, first of all, it says ‘the fire of God fell from the heavens,’ so clearly God wasn’t as opposed to getting His hands dirty as I thought.”
“Well, that’s what was reported,” said the man. “The messenger from the field said ‘the fire of God’ because that’s who he figured to be in control of the weather and storms. As far as we know, people weren’t aware that other beings might be granted permission to control natural forces like this in those times. It was assumed that God controlled all. Which, as we made clear, He still was in control of the Prince of Darkness. But it’s a good segue into Job’s point of view here, as someone who lived in a time when the Scripture that he’s in didn’t exist. He had no clue about the evil party who went to work that day. From where Job stood, this was God’s doing, as there was no mention he knew of Satan’s existence.”
“Yeah, but any way you slice it, this was God’s doing.”
“How do you figure that?” said the man.
“How do I figure that?” said the boy. “He allowed it. He knew what would happen. Like you said, God’s in control. If you go to a dealership, and they say you can test drive the car up to sixty miles an hour, are you only gonna take it up to thirty? No. God set the limit on how much pain could be inflicted on Job. I’m less concerned about how Satan whipped up one of those storms and more concerned about why God allowed him to wipe out an entire family just to prove a point.”
“Well, you’re certainly not alone in that concern,” said the man. “This story has been puzzled over for centuries. Perhaps Satan acted too swiftly for God to put a stop to his final act of affliction, or perhaps what Satan achieved fell within the arrangement that he was not to lay a finger on Job. Any way it goes, it seems Satan found a loophole in laying more than just a finger on Job’s children.”
“So this ‘chain’ you were referring to is good for nothing, is what you’re saying. Also, if God is all-knowing, He would have known what Satan would do anyway, so that point is irrelevant. So why did they have to kill a whole family?”
“It’s tragic, I know,” said the man, “but the reality is that tragedy strikes every day, and the story of Job is no exception. From an indifferent, objective point of view, if Job’s children were never to perish, if this were just a story about a man losing possessions, it wouldn’t strike nearly as deep as when his family is taken as well. Yes, it would be upsetting to lose wealth, but if Job still had his children, there would be a silver lining and much less to ponder over. Without that silver lining, we really have to search our souls for faith in the Lord.”
“That’s definitely indifferent,” said the boy, “but I see what you’re getting at. Either way, though, there’s blood on God’s hands. He gave the green light for this to happen. Which, of course, in a court of law might fall under aiding and abetting murder.”
“I think you’re too smart for your own good,” said the man. “But keep in mind, we’re not in a court of law, now are we? Besides, God can’t be charged with murder anyway.”
“And why not?” said the boy.
“Because all of life is in His hands. He created us and the world we live in. He giveth life and He taketh life away. He determines the length of time we all have. So how can we accuse God of murder when He simply takes back what already belongs to Him?”
The boy sat unconvinced.
“Suppose Job’s children died some other way, like from disease,” said the man. “Would you still call that murder?”
“Mmm, I guess that would be more like natural cause.”
“What if they died slowly of starvation? Is that as unfair as if they died quickly and unexpectedly?”
The boy said nothing.
“Look, I won’t try to justify the Creator’s actions,” said the man. “He’ll do that for Himself later on.”
“Alright, well, let’s get there then,” said the boy. “I need to hear what God has to say for Himself.”
“We’ll get there in due time,” said the man. “But first, I’d like to point out that your feelings were, I’m sure, much like what Job felt in his heart as he tore his robe and shaved his head in grief, as it says in the next line here. The tearing of the robe is used several times in the Old Testament to portray utter grief, and in Scripture, hair is always depicted as a man’s glory, an expression of worth. The shaving of his head is therefore symbolic of Job’s loss of personal glory. Our children are a part of ourselves and would no doubt touch a man in the most tender parts of his soul. To be deprived of any one, my God, let alone ten at once, to become childless in one fell swoop, well, I won’t even begin to imagine the places that could drive a man. Whether he saw this as some kind of punishment for any recurring sins he tried to atone for is unknown. But despite Satan’s afflictions, let’s take note of Job’s reactions.”
The man looked down and read again:
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 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.”6
Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God.7
“Well, good for him,” said the boy, folding his arms. “He’s a better man than I would be, I can tell you that much.”
“Again, I can promise you’re not alone in feeling that either,” said the man. “But we can also conclude that Job wasn’t the only one losing hair at this point. I’m sure Satan was ripping out chunks of his own in frustration when he saw Job’s response to his afflictions. I imagine there was a flicker of great joy in Satan’s heart as Job fell to the ground, looking defeated with his torn robe and shaved locks of hair all around. But Job didn’t wallow and wail like Satan would have hoped for. This collapse with his face to the earth was not out of grief but for another reason. Not only did Job not curse God as Satan desired, but he praised the name of the Lord instead. Not to mention with his face to the floor, a manner considered the sincerest expression of obedience and submission in those times.”
The boy remained quiet, so the man went on.
“It’s unclear how much time passed between the final message being delivered and Job singing God’s praises,” said the man. “He would have stumbled outside to look off in the distance, to see his son’s house in shambles with his own eyes before the truth even sank in. Then he had to bring himself to sort through the wreckage with his wife, unburying an arm here, a leg there, weeping as they held the crushed bodies of their children. I imagine Satan watched this shattered man dig ten holes, shovelful by shovelful, waiting, salivating in expectation of Job cursing God. But Job made him wait in silent anticipation as he stared on, encouraging Job under his breath, ‘Say it, Job. Say it! Curse God and prove me right!’ But that curse never came, even as Job stood before all those freshly dug graves, covered in dirt and sweat and tears. Oh, what a sight it would have been to see Satan’s reaction after ruining this man’s life when Job finally belts out praise for the Lord amidst all his sorrow. What a sight that would have been indeed. For all of us onlookers, Job unknowingly delivered a big, fat, ‘Take that, Satan!’”
The boy still had nothing to say, but the man went on so passionately that he wouldn’t have slipped much in anyway.
“‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return.’ That says it all. At birth, we arrive with nothing. At death, we depart with nothing. Everything in between is on loan. Job, with all his losses, is but reduced to the state in which he entered the world. ‘The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.’ What composed wisdom amidst the suffering of man when many would have cursed God. The recognition that everything we have truly belongs to God, so blessed be His name for loaning it to us, and blessed be His name for taking it away. We must keep this in mind as we stroll through our homes and see all those wonderful things, when our business brings in wealth, when we greet our friends and family. It’s all on loan, every bit of it. Will you face it squarely? Are you ready to accept it? What a grand revelation that is. Nothing belongs to you, not even your own children.”
The man drew in a deep breath and exhaled as the boy remained silent, still soaking it in.
“I like to imagine Job wrapping his arms around his wife that evening, consoling her through all her tears and whispering, ‘Honey, they were God’s children, on loan for us to care for, and rear, and nurture, and love. He needed them back for reasons we may never understand.’
“So why didn’t Job vent his wrath toward the Sabeans? Why didn’t he blame the Chaldeans or curse the weather’s storm? Why didn’t he ascribe these calamities to bad luck and ill-fortune? None of these things ever occurred to Job. So overwhelming would this series of calamities have been, falling upon a single individual all in one day, he knew they weren’t arranged haphazardly. But rather, they were agents of intelligent design, executed by a wise and holy counsel. He traced the loss of his property and children to God and found solace in the Lord presiding over his affairs.
“Job’s life was at its lowest ebb, a dreary dead end of the trail he had blazed. But the truth is, in the end, death robs us of everything. This inevitable law can never be cheated, but death is not under any more or less control of the Lord than anything else in our lives. It is no more exempt or cherished by His will than anything else. He opens the gates of the grave that no man can shut and shuts what no man can open. The loss of dear ones makes us long for Heaven and can draw us closer to God. So Job humbles himself under the hand of the Lord in praise.
“‘The Lord hath taken nothing away but His own,’ Job surely told his wife that evening. ‘But at least He’s left us with our good health and one another.’ So there was no reason to grumble or complain in Job’s eyes because there was something of a silver lining after all. And for us, this opening chapter of Job can be summarized in three words.”
The boy thought it over for a quick moment before saying, “Life’s a bitch?”
The man’s face slumped into a frown. “You can’t take anything seriously, can you?”
“I’m just kidding. What are they?”
“Hold on loosely,” said the man.
A smirk crept across the boy’s lips.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re not gonna share with the class?”
“Nothing. It’s just a song, that’s all.”
“A song?”
The boy burst into song. “So hold on loose-ly! Ba na naa no-o-oo!” He stopped abruptly and said, “I forget the rest of the lyrics. How’s that one go?”
“I’m not sure,” said the man. “Pop isn’t really my cup.”
“Oh, come on. It’s a classic,” said the boy, humming the melody aloud for the man.
“Really,” said the man, “I don—”
“And somethin’ tight-ly!”
“Maybe we should just continu—”
“Man, that’s really gonna bug me now,” said the boy, scratching his head and racking his brain.
The man stared back patiently.
“Oh. Sorry,” said the boy. Then he added, “I think it’s your turn, by the way,” pointing toward the board.
“No, no, it’s yours. I just moved my knight there,” said the man.
“Oh, whoops. Hold on.” The boy slid his bishop out into the open as he continued, “Anyway, I guess it’s the attachment to family that stings, but from the perspective they always belonged to God, well, I guess that sheds a slightly different light on things. I still don’t know how I feel about wiping out all those children, though.”
“That’s the challenging question God deemed worthy to address,” said the man. “Can a man still live righteously, honoring God, if he experiences extreme loss and suffering unrelated to his actions?”
“Satan,” said the boy.
“What?”
“Satan proposed that question, not God.”
The man frowned again.
“Just trying to give credit where it’s due,” said the boy. “But let’s get to the part where God explains Himself. I’m dying to hear how He justifies wiping out an entire family.”
“I hesitate to tell you it gets worse before it gets better,” said the man, looking down at the board and moving another pawn into play.
“You’re kidding…”
Without another word, the man looked to his Bible and began reading:
On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.8
And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?”
Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without reason.”9
“How much time has passed here?” said the boy.
“We’re unsure,” said the man. “But a good question. Some speculate this was an annual meeting, but knowing Satan and the swiftness with which he struck last time, I’d venture to say less. Either way, the Lord returns a subtle jab at Satan after the one Satan delivered in the meeting prior.
“‘Oh?’ says God, ‘I have no real followers, you say? And what about the faithful servant you were so quick to bet against? He still holds fast to his integrity, despite your attempt to destroy him for no reason.’ This sets the tone of the entire book, where Satan’s declaration that Job’s integrity sat on no solid ground was proven wrong. God, confident in Job’s faith, allowed the test to unfold for all of us to see. Job’s integrity was not wrestled from his grip as easily as Satan proposed. But let me ask you, my boy. Do you think the Prince of Darkness was about to give up so easily?”
The boy looked skyward and stroked his chin as he pretended to think about it. “I think it’d be a pretty short story if he did.”
“While things may be unspeakably painful for Job, they are deeply threatening to Satan, whose entire initiative to question God in front of this holy council has fallen flat on its face. Here, we’re witness to a great struggle between the forces of good and evil. A war is being waged in the land of Uz, and Job is the battleground.”
The boy furrowed his brow as he slid his bishop across to take the man’s pawn. “Yeahhh, not really. This isn’t a war.”
“What?” said the man, taken aback.
“This isn’t a war,” said the boy. “As romantic as that sounds, a war implies two sides fighting each other. But there’s no opposition here. What kind of war requires one side to ask permission from the other side to attack? God and Satan are on the same side. Unless you’re referring to them tag-teaming Job, who has no way of fighting back? But that doesn’t sound like much of a war to me. Sounds more like bullying.”
There was a pause as the old man mulled over the board. “Maybe it’s easier to think of this like a boxing match,” said the man, taking the boy’s bishop with his knight, “Satan against Job. Perhaps the good Lord set the stage for a fight for us spectators, but He was certainly standing in Job’s corner. And when Satan came out swinging heavy blows, expecting Job to go down in the first round, Job proved to have a stronger chin than he assumed. And when Job praised the Lord, boy did that deliver a much heavier blow right back at Satan. One that left him stunned and seeing stars.”
“I see what you’re getting at,” said the boy. “Not sure it lines up since God threw Job in the ring before Satan even asked to dance, but let’s keep going.”
“The point is that God’s creation is being tested through Job. You don’t become a contender for the heavyweight title without facing a formidable foe, mind you. Those who are vaguely familiar with the story of Job tend to think that Satan challenges God, but in reality, it’s the other way around. But if what Satan claims turns out to be true, if humans only serve God for what they can get out of Him, well then God really blundered when He made humans. We’ll talk about this more as the story unfolds, but for now,” said the man, shaking an index finger in the air, “ding, ding, ding! Up we go as the bell for round two sounds.”