Day 5: Job's Affliction

Early history of Job
Job 1:1-5
 1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
 4 His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom.

Birth of Job approximate 1967BC

Satan discusses Job's character
Job 1:6-12
 6 One day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [b] also came with them. 7 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."
 8 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."
 9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "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. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
 12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." 
      Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

God gives him permission to test Job
Job 1:13-2:10 
 13 One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
 16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
 17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
 18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: 
       "Naked I came from my mother's womb, 
       and naked I will depart. [c] 
       The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; 
       may the name of the LORD be praised."
 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Job 2
 1 On another day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 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."
 3 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."
 4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."
 6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
 7 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. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
 9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
 10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish [b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" 
      In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Job complains to his three friends
Job 2:11-13, 3:-26
 11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job 3
 1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said:
 3 "May the day of my birth perish, 
       and the night it was said, 'A boy is born!'
 4 That day—may it turn to darkness; 
       may God above not care about it; 
       may no light shine upon it.
 5 May darkness and deep shadow [a] claim it once more; 
       may a cloud settle over it; 
       may blackness overwhelm its light.
 6 That night—may thick darkness seize it; 
       may it not be included among the days of the year 
       nor be entered in any of the months.
 7 May that night be barren; 
       may no shout of joy be heard in it.
 8 May those who curse days [b] curse that day, 
       those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.
 9 May its morning stars become dark; 
       may it wait for daylight in vain 
       and not see the first rays of dawn,
 10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me 
       to hide trouble from my eyes.
 11 "Why did I not perish at birth, 
       and die as I came from the womb?
 12 Why were there knees to receive me 
       and breasts that I might be nursed?
 13 For now I would be lying down in peace; 
       I would be asleep and at rest
 14 with kings and counselors of the earth, 
       who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,
 15 with rulers who had gold, 
       who filled their houses with silver.
 16 Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child, 
       like an infant who never saw the light of day?
 17 There the wicked cease from turmoil, 
       and there the weary are at rest.
 18 Captives also enjoy their ease; 
       they no longer hear the slave driver's shout.
 19 The small and the great are there, 
       and the slave is freed from his master.
 20 "Why is light given to those in misery, 
       and life to the bitter of soul,
 21 to those who long for death that does not come, 
       who search for it more than for hidden treasure,
 22 who are filled with gladness 
       and rejoice when they reach the grave?
 23 Why is life given to a man 
       whose way is hidden, 
       whom God has hedged in?
 24 For sighing comes to me instead of food; 
       my groans pour out like water.
 25 What I feared has come upon me; 
       what I dreaded has happened to me.
 26 I have no peace, no quietness; 
       I have no rest, but only turmoil."

The first round of speeches

Eliphaz reproves Job
Job 4:1-11
 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
 2 "If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? 
       But who can keep from speaking?
 3 Think how you have instructed many, 
       how you have strengthened feeble hands.
 4 Your words have supported those who stumbled; 
       you have strengthened faltering knees.
 5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; 
       it strikes you, and you are dismayed.
 6 Should not your piety be your confidence 
       and your blameless ways your hope?
 7 "Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? 
       Where were the upright ever destroyed?
 8 As I have observed, those who plow evil 
       and those who sow trouble reap it.
 9 At the breath of God they are destroyed; 
       at the blast of his anger they perish.
 10 The lions may roar and growl, 
       yet the teeth of the great lions are broken.
 11 The lion perishes for lack of prey, 
       and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

The vision of Eliphaz
Job 4:12-21
 12 "A word was secretly brought to me, 
       my ears caught a whisper of it.
 13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night, 
       when deep sleep falls on men,
 14 fear and trembling seized me 
       and made all my bones shake.
 15 A spirit glided past my face, 
       and the hair on my body stood on end.
 16 It stopped, 
       but I could not tell what it was. 
       A form stood before my eyes, 
       and I heard a hushed voice:
 17 'Can a mortal be more righteous than God? 
       Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
 18 If God places no trust in his servants, 
       if he charges his angels with error,
 19 how much more those who live in houses of clay, 
       whose foundations are in the dust, 
       who are crushed more readily than a moth!
 20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces; 
       unnoticed, they perish forever.
 21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up, 
       so that they die without wisdom?' [a]

The sin of sinners is their ruin
Job 5:1-7
 1 "Call if you will, but who will answer you? 
       To which of the holy ones will you turn?
 2 Resentment kills a fool, 
       and envy slays the simple.
 3 I myself have seen a fool taking root, 
       but suddenly his house was cursed.
 4 His children are far from safety, 
       crushed in court without a defender.
 5 The hungry consume his harvest, 
       taking it even from among thorns, 
       and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
 6 For hardship does not spring from the soil, 
       nor does trouble sprout from the ground.
 7 Yet man is born to trouble 
       as surely as sparks fly upward.

God to be regarded with affection
Job 5:8-16
 8 "But if it were I, I would appeal to God; 
       I would lay my cause before him.
 9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, 
       miracles that cannot be counted.
 10 He bestows rain on the earth; 
       he sends water upon the countryside.
 11 The lowly he sets on high, 
       and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
 12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, 
       so that their hands achieve no success.
 13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, 
       and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
 14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; 
       at noon they grope as in the night.
 15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; 
       he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
 16 So the poor have hope, 
       and injustice shuts its mouth.

The happy result of God's correction
Job 5:17-27
 17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; 
       so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. [a]
 18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; 
       he injures, but his hands also heal.
 19 From six calamities he will rescue you; 
       in seven no harm will befall you.
 20 In famine he will ransom you from death, 
       and in battle from the stroke of the sword.
 21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, 
       and need not fear when destruction comes.
 22 You will laugh at destruction and famine, 
       and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
 23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, 
       and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
 24 You will know that your tent is secure; 
       you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.
 25 You will know that your children will be many, 
       and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
 26 You will come to the grave in full vigor, 
       like sheaves gathered in season.
 27 "We have examined this, and it is true. 
       So hear it and apply it to yourself."

Job justifies his complaints
Job 6:1-7
 1 Then Job replied:
 2 "If only my anguish could be weighed 
       and all my misery be placed on the scales!
 3 It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas— 
       no wonder my words have been impetuous.
 4 The arrows of the Almighty are in me, 
       my spirit drinks in their poison; 
       God's terrors are marshaled against me.
 5 Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, 
       or an ox bellow when it has fodder?
 6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt, 
       or is there flavor in the white of an egg [a] ?
 7 I refuse to touch it; 
       such food makes me ill.

He wishes for death
Job 6:8-13
 8 "Oh, that I might have my request, 
       that God would grant what I hope for,
 9 that God would be willing to crush me, 
       to let loose his hand and cut me off!
 10 Then I would still have this consolation— 
       my joy in unrelenting pain— 
       that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.
 11 "What strength do I have, that I should still hope? 
       What prospects, that I should be patient?
 12 Do I have the strength of stone? 
       Is my flesh bronze?
 13 Do I have any power to help myself, 
       now that success has been driven from me?

Job reproves his friends
Job 6:14-30
 14 "A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, 
       even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
 15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, 
       as the streams that overflow
 16 when darkened by thawing ice 
       and swollen with melting snow,
 17 but that cease to flow in the dry season, 
       and in the heat vanish from their channels.
 18 Caravans turn aside from their routes; 
       they go up into the wasteland and perish.
 19 The caravans of Tema look for water, 
       the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope.
 20 They are distressed, because they had been confident; 
       they arrive there, only to be disappointed.
 21 Now you too have proved to be of no help; 
       you see something dreadful and are afraid.
 22 Have I ever said, 'Give something on my behalf, 
       pay a ransom for me from your wealth,
 23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy, 
       ransom me from the clutches of the ruthless'?
 24 "Teach me, and I will be quiet; 
       show me where I have been wrong.
 25 How painful are honest words! 
       But what do your arguments prove?
 26 Do you mean to correct what I say, 
       and treat the words of a despairing man as wind?
 27 You would even cast lots for the fatherless 
       and barter away your friend.
 28 "But now be so kind as to look at me. 
       Would I lie to your face?
 29 Relent, do not be unjust; 
       reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. [b]
 30 Is there any wickedness on my lips? 
       Can my mouth not discern malice?