The book of Job doesn’t just tell the story of natural disasters but also reveals what was behind the scenes—a very real Devil. At this point, many people may scoff and dismiss the book of Job as outdated. After all, this is a day where we believe in science. Christians do not and should not discount science. But if we are paying attention, we realize that science isn’t enough. Science is observation in its simplest definition. The book of Job invites us to consider that there is more to calamities than what meets the eye.

COVID-19 has brought the whole world to its knees. It is a world-wide pandemic in which none of us are completely immune: not to the disease itself nor to its effects. The novel coronavirus is fearful for many reasons. We face the loss of economic health and activity, the loss of social comfort from our friends and family, and for our loved ones or ourselves, perhaps the loss of the ability to breathe, which is life itself.

These same catastrophic losses that we are facing mirror the biblical story of Job. The story of Job seems almost surreal. In one day, he lost all of his wealth and all ten of his children. A few days later he was sick on his death bed—except things were so bad he didn’t even have a death bed … just a pile of ashes.

The book of Job doesn’t just tell the story of natural disasters but also reveals what was behind the scenes—a very real Devil. At this point, many people may scoff and dismiss the book of Job as outdated. After all, this is a day where we believe in science. Christians do not and should not discount science. But if we are paying attention, we realize that science isn’t enough. Science is observation in its simplest definition. The book of Job invites us to consider that there is more to calamities than what meets the eye.

The Godly Job

The setting of Job is east of Israel in the land of Uz, which is present-day Jordan. The time period is not stated but appears to be before the time of Abraham, around 2000 B.C. Job was known as a righteous man (blameless), a rich man (many herds of cattle) a respected man (the greatest among the people of the east) (1:1-3). But more than that, he was a religious man. He had a regular custom of praying and sacrificing burnt offerings for each of his children, in case they might have inwardly cursed God (1:5).

The action of the story begins, not on earth but in heaven, where Satan and other angels are in the presence of God. God brings up the subject of Job and asks 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 (1:8).

Satan’s Wager

In answer, Satan expresses his doubt about Job’s real motivation for serving God. Then the devil makes a bold wager: “Strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (1:11). Satan is implying that Job’s devotion is based on temporal blessings and not on God’s own intrinsic value. Satan is not just attacking Job’s character but God’s worth. Satan repeats this wager again in the next chapter and both times God accepts the challenge. God permits Satan to deprive Job of every earthly blessing.

The Fiery Trial

Leaving the scene of heaven the story now plays out on earth. Wave after wave of bad news hits Job, starting with the news that he has lost his wealth and ending with the news that all of his children have died a tragic death. Yet Job remains loyal to God and declares “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised” (1:21).

But the tragic story doesn’t stop there. Next Satan afflicts Job’s entire body with painful boils (2:7-8). Then his own wife advises him to curse God and die! But Job maintains his loyal devotion to God and rhetorically asks: “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” (2:10) In both of Job’s responses, the author reveals the theme of this book: God is worthy to be trusted, served, and praised, whether he gives us temporal blessings or not.

The Speeches

Satan has not won his wager, but he is not yet done trying. Job now has to endure perhaps the worst trial yet: his three friends come to visit him to “comfort him” (2:11-13). The next thirty-one chapters of the book consist almost entirely of poetic dialogue between Job and his friends. Perhaps the speeches of the three friends are less like dialogue and more like a diatribe. The friends may have meant to offer comfort but instead, they verbally assault Job. In essence, they say the cause of Job’s suffering must be that Job is covering up some sin (5:1-7, 17-28; 8:11-22; 15:17-35; 18:5-21; 20:4-29; 22:21-30). Not only did these lectures discourage Job, but they are also very annoying to read. (Vaguely reminiscent of today’s news media!)

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