The Scripture clearly shows how great a man Job was. He was rich and well-respected. Yet, he was righteous and faithful and feared God. His trust was in God, not in his wealth and position; and he maintained this trust and upright character throughout all his sore testing.
Job 1:1 says that Job was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” He kept himself pure and had a good relationship with God.
Job not only cared for his own spiritual needs, but also for the spiritual needs of his family. In his everyday living, Job’s testimony was evident to others in the community. Even Satan was aware of his testimony. In Job 1:8, “The LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” Job had a blameless testimony before God, man, and Satan.
Satan was determined that Job’s testimony would not be maintained. He told God that Job only feared Him because God had put a hedge about his house and all that he had. God was protecting Job from danger. He also blessed Job and made the work of Job’s hands to prosper and increased his substance and made him great. Satan went on to say, “Put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” (1:11)
But Satan was wrong. God allowed Satan to test Job by destroying all that he had - oxen, asses, servants, sheep, camels, and all ten of Job’s children. Even though Satan did all these horrible things to Job, Job did not became angry with God. Instead, he fell down on the ground and worshipped God and said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” God said, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (1:21,22)
Satan was not done yet. Again he came and presented himself before the LORD. “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” (2:3)
All the dreadful trials made Job sad, and he was no longer a wealthy man. Many things in Job’s life had changed. Yet God’s description of Job’s character had not changed. Through all this Job had maintained his testimony.
Satan answered God, telling him that a man may be willing to give up all that he has as long as his own life is spared; “But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.” (2:5) But once again, Satan was wrong. “6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” (2:6,7)
Now what would Job do? Boils are very painful, and they can make a person very sick. Job had boils, really bad boils, from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. There was no position he could get into that would bring relief from the pain. Every place on his body had a boil.
All these trials were too much for Job’s wife. It is easy to criticize her, but it is important to remember what she had gone through. She had gone from wealth to poverty in one day. She had lost all of her children, not one was left. There had been plenty of food to prepare meals; now food was scarce. She had to do what she could to scrape together enough to eat. In the past, she would have called her servants to help. Now there was no hired help. Job declared, “I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.” (19:16) Though Job begged his servant to stay and help, the servant would not. Why should he? There was no money to pay him.
Since there was no money left for hired help, there was no one to care for the property, rebuild the sons’ houses, or take care of the buildings that were still standing. On top of all these material losses, Job’s wife faced the task of caring for a desperately ill husband. Most likely the care of the property fell on the shoulders of Job’s wife, but she was not able to care for it all. No doubt she watched in sadness as the grass grew tall and the place was over-taken with weeds.
Job’s house was probably a very large houses as there must have been room for the servants. Now Job’s wife must care for the house, and there was no one to help her. Job could not. He was too sick. Job’s wife looked at these trials and became overwhelmed. Her response was one of hopelessness and frustration. “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” (2:9) She saw death as the only way out, and she was willing for Job to curse God in order for death to come.
“But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (2:10)
Job’s faithfulness and trust in God must have encouraged his wife. Though her repentance is not recorded, there is no further mention of her doing anything else to urge Job to sin. She put up with Job’s “friends,” who apparently “visited” for many days. This certainly must have added to her burden of providing meals and nourishment for her household. At the end of Job’s trials, she was partaker of his blessings -- ten more children and twice as much wealth as he had before.
The sin that Job’s wife committed was very grievous. It is always wrong to encourage others to curse God or to give up on God. However, God had compassion and mercy on her. He gave spiritual strength to Job so that Job could encourage her not to give up. In her sorrow and discouragement, God gave her hope and help.
Job was to be tested even more sorely. First his illness became so severe that he longed for death and wished he had never been born. Another great trial Job faced was the visit of his three friends. When his friends first came to visit, they were compassionate and thoughtful. They lifted up their voices and wept. Then they sat down with him for seven days and seven nights and “none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” (2:13)
However, once Job began to talk and curse the day he was born and long for death, they were no longer tender-hearted toward him. They decided he must be in sin and God was punishing him. Therefore, they took it upon themselves to accuse Job, even naming some specific sins which they supposed he had committed. Surely, they concluded, all this evil was coming upon him because God was sending it in judgment.
In spite of all this, Job maintained his testimony and his trust in God. He declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” (13:15) Job also showed his trust in God when he said, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (23:10) This confidence in God was built upon a sure foundation of hope, hope of eternal life. Job’s assurance was, “25For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26And though after my skin worms destroy this body , yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (19:25-27)
All throughout the long months of poverty, intense physical suffering, mental anguish, and criticism and false accusations by his friends, Job maintained the testimony that he sinned not against God with his lips. At the end of Job’s trials, when God began to bless Job again, He said to Job’s friends, “Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.” (42:7b) God repeated the same words at the end of verse eight, “Ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.”
God’s wrath was kindled against Job’s friends because of their sinful attitudes and actions. He warned them that He would judge them if they did not get right with Him. They had to take seven bullocks and seven rams to Job so that they could offer for themselves a burnt offering and Job could pray for them. Job did pray for them, and God accepted the prayer of Job and turned away His wrath from Job’s friends.
After this, the blessings began to fall upon job as, “The LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (42:10) Job waited patiently on the Lord and trusted in Him throughout all the months of hardship and struggle. God blessed Job abundantly and gave him, not only more children and riches and honour, but also a long, full, life. “So Job died, being old and full of days.” (42:17)