1. The opening verses of Job introduce us to the man
who was just, upright, feared God and turned from evil.
2. Satan is summoned to heaven to give account of
his actions in relationship to men in general and Job in particular.
He accuses Job of serving God because it pays to do this? God grants
permission for Satan to test him by attacking his possessions, but with
the restriction he cannot touch his person.
3. In a cold and calculated move Satan attacks Job
on the birthday of his eldest son. He attacks the possession with an attack
that comes from either the heavenly realm or the world of men. The point?
Heaven hates you! Instead of crumbling and hating God back Job gives praise
and does not sin. He has taken a step upward in spirituality.
4. Satan appears again before God in a very similar
scene, but this time he accuses Job of saving his own hide. God grants
permission for Satan to test him by attacking his person, but with the
restriction he cannot kill him.
5. Satan gives Job boils that reach from the top
of his head to the bottom of his feet. Job passes the test initially, but
Satan has more henchmen with which to attack Job.
6. Job faces three things next: ancient medicine,
his wife, and three of his friends. Ancient medicine worked (to a
degree) in taking care of boils. Job sat in the waste disposal area
to have maggots and ashes cure his boils. This is where pain and
time work on him. His wife then comes with a proposition much like
what Satan said Job would do - "Curse God and die!" Three friends
show up to comfort/reprove Job.
7. Job does not speak to his friends for seven days,
but breaks the silence and curses the day of his birth and the night of
conception. This was close to what Satan wanted, but not quite blasphemy
of God. This is Job's death wish
8. The friends then argue with Job in an argument
that goes nowhere. They want him to repent and he wants to know of
what. He wants to talk with God about the injustice of this and the
friends want to talk with him as to why he deserved it. Finally the friends
become silent.
9. Job then breaks into a monologue at the close
of which he does two things. He first wishes that he could go back to the
days in which God was over him, his children were around him, and his neighbors
were respecting him. The last thing was to invoke a curse that if
he did anything that demanded this type of treatment then God should unleash
even greater curses than had already happened. Job then becomes silent.
10. With the long pause that followed the monlogue of Job
a young lad stood up, who believed he was a prophet, and spoke his mind.
The story has now come full circle. Satan had his way, the women
told her opinion, old men told theirs, and now a young person tells his.
Al humanity has spoken and shown their ignorance.
11. God appears and reveals several things
to Job. He first reveals to Job His own person and power and then
he reveals Job's limitations. Job is humbled and yet comforted.
Ashamed, but transformed by this visitation.
12. God restores Job.