Job 1:22: In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 1:22: In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Let’s start from the very beginning. 

Somewhere in the kingdom of God where the angels were having what we can call, in contemporary times, a hangout session with God, the devil appeared in their midst. 

Being the devil that he was, it was obvious that he was different from them. A conversation ensued and Job’s matter was tabled. 

Who is this Man called Job?

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job was not only a wealthy man, he was also humble and upright. The Scripture says he lived a perfect life. All these seem like a huge impossibility considering he was human. 

Even Satan was shook. As the tempter that he is, he snuck into the presence of God to request permission to test the noble man. He felt if Job’s wealth was taken away, he would fail God. 

The devil got permission to take away everything that belonged to Job except his life. In the midst of it all, God vouched for Him and it’s interesting to see that that Job didn’t fail God.

Christian Living 101: Major lessons from the rich, yet, upright life of Job

1. Godly people go through challenges too

Despite the fact that Job was a good man and he had the fear of God, he lost everything he had in one day.

Sometimes God allows for temptations to come our way to make us stronger in our faith and to increase our trust in him.

2. Family and Friends can fail us

When we are going through those challenges, it is possible for our friends not to be there for us and for our families to desert us. They’re human too. 

Job’s wife and his friends were like salt to his bleeding injury. The Scripture says Job’s wife provoked him to act out of turn at some point, yet he stood firm.

Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

3. Trust God more when going through a rough patch

The reality of what happened to Job was that he lost everything including his children, not year in, year out but all in one day. Yet he trusted God and his testimony never changed. In fact it is recorded that he said in Job 19:25 –

 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth”.

4. God is capable of restoring everything we have lost 

After all the temptations that Job faced, God restored all he had lost in double fold. 

Job 42:12 says “...the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.”

5. Forgiveness can set us free

When Job’s friends spoke against him and despised him, he grew bitter towards them, including his wife. 

But really, we can cut him some slack, right? Who, in flesh, would not be bitter? 

After Job realized that he should forgive them, he was set free. The power of forgiveness cannot be overemphasized.

Job 42:10- And 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.

The Story of Job is full of lessons and they are all very significant. His life is so surreal yet very real that it leaves us wondering if any human can go through all that, and still remain faithful. What do you think?